The Fairfield Mirror 3-12-14

THE MIRROR Student newspaper

Week of March 12, 2014

www.fairfieldmirror.com @fairfieldmirror The Fairfield Mirror

Vol. Vol.39, 38,Iss. Iss.21 23

Mentor to be shut down despite faculty opposition Mirror Staff Report Fairfield professors have become increasingly vocal about the decision that, they say, would effectively delete 10 years of data, software development and reporting algorithms.

Mentor, a course management, registration and information hosting platform, is set for official shutdown on March 30.

Since last August, faculty have questioned the reason behind Chief Information Officer Paige Francis’s decision to shut down the widely used course management system. Francis made the decision to shut down Mentor because she said flaws in the coding posed security risks for Fairfield. Some faculty have called the emergency shutdown a “manufactured crisis.”

At the request of the Academic Council, the Educational Technology Committee completed a five-month-long investigation, the implications of which 55 faculty members called “unfavorable” in a letter to the editor featured in the Feb. 19 issue of The Mirror.

The ETC report, which investigated how and why the decision to shut down Mentor was made and the appropriateness of said decision, culminated in a request from the ETC rather than a conclusion: “… We recommend that CIO Francis and ITS: 1.) honor Fairfield’s contract with Axiom Education, work with it to fix any remaining concerns in Mentor, and restore it to full functionality; or 2.) demonstrate the severity of Mentor’s alleged flaws in a transparent and convincing manner that justifies turning it off permanently,” the ETC report stated.

According to Dr. Michael T. Tucker, professor of finance, the Mentor system was developed by Dr. Curt Naser, professor of philosophy, in collaboration with “hundreds of faculty and administrators at the university” over the course of 10 years. “[Mentor] does what we need it to do. At any point if we

needed something added, [Naser] modified or added to the software. There is no such interface with Blackboard,” said Tucker. Although Tucker’s statement is accurate, Blackboard’s website does have a section where consumers can suggest new features. Blackboard did not respond to The Mirror’s requests for comment.

While Mentor started simply as a course management system, the developers at Axiom Education – a company Naser founded – added other features to meet Fairfield’s specific needs.

I get what they’re asking for, but we’re not going to be able to show them the smoking gun that they’re looking for; this is just based on about 100 years of expert experience in this field.

- Paige Francis, Chief Information Officer “I was chair of the Dolan School of Business Assessment Committee that over the course of the 10 years helped Professor Naser configure Mentor as a premier assessment tool,” said Tucker. “When we started creating our accreditation mandated assessment of learning we looked for existing software. It did not exist.”

After helping Naser create this pioneer software, Tucker said the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business cited their “work ... as an example of best practices in the educational field.”

Francis and her staff began work at Fairfield 15 months ago, meaning that her department has had no prior experience working with the software.

“I mean we’re all new basically, so there is no preconceived notions coming into this, there is no conspiracy theories involved in this, there’s none of that,” said Francis.

The ETC investigation determined that claims about problems with Mentor were invalid.

The inconclusive report was not enough to convince Fairfield administrators that Mentor was safe.

However, Francis confirms all FERPA violations, a security flaw which originally raised questions with the Mentor system, have been fixed by Axiom Mentor. The unresolved issue of problems in the “back-end of the system,” remain.

The ETC report was published with no conclusion as to what “back-end” issues in the software were. Professors against the shutdown of Mentor say they have never been told what those “back-end” issues are, specifically.

“From what we can tell, after the shutdown, ITS did not spell out what Axiom Education would need to fix in Mentor, nor did it give Axiom Education the opportunity to do so,” Fr. Mark Scalese, S.J., chair of the ETC, told The Mirror.

For Francis, an explanation to these “back-end” issues is difficult to explain to those who are not experts in the field.

“I get what they’re asking for, but we’re not going to be able to show them the smoking gun that they’re looking for; this is just based on about 100 years of expert experience in this kind of thing,” said Francis.

READ SHUTDOWN ON PAGE 4

Senator hosts talk on sexual assault

Juicy J scheduled for spring ‘14

By Danica Ceballos Executive Editor

INSIDE

Classes will be over, summer will be just days away and Juicy J is scheduled to be in Alumni Hall.

On Wednesday, April 30, the last day of classes for spring semester, rapper Juicy J is scheduled to be the main performer at the FUSA spring concert. His opening act is expected to be announced later today.

Most recently known for his part in Katy Perry’s hit “Dark Horse,” Juicy J has been gaining popularity based on his frequency on top hits charts.

He may also be recognized from the song “Bounce It” with Trey Songz or his new single “Talkin’ Bout” with Wiz Khalifa and Chris Brown.

Tickets will go on sale Monday, March 31. They are $25 for students and $40 for guests. FUSA is also offering a package for $30, which will include both a ticket to the concert and a ticket for the Dogwood dance on Friday, April 11. FUSA will implement the 18 and over rule, as they did with Bingo Players in the fall.

“Last year Kendrick Lamar was a huge success and he really blew up from there. We think Juicy J has the potential to do the same,” said FUSA

Vice President Alex Cucchi ‘15. “He has been notable in the media lately ... and he fit right into our budget. … I think he is going to be a hit.”

The decision to book Juicy J was made by six FUSA members: President Alex Long ’14, Vice President Alex Cucchi ’15, Head of Programming Lindsey Hanley ’15, Vice Chair of Programming Kalee Brunelle ’14 and Directors of Concert Dominic Paolino ’14 and Katie Donahue ’15.

After beginning their search in mid-December, they sent their bid in January. Based on the price and popularity of Juicy J, all six members were in agreement that he was the best pick for the concert.

“It wasn’t difficult to decide on our performer,” said Hanley. “We knew it was who we wanted.”

Long added, “We’re extremely excited to host Juicy J.” While the FUSA members all assumed that Juicy J would be popular among students, reactions are mixed.

Some students are excited to have this top-hits rapper coming to Fairfield.

“I think it’s great. You know, he’s not the most popular, but he’s not like somebody that nobody knows so it will definitely bring a lot of people,”

NEWS: New portal well received by students

Page 4

By Robert Joyce Staff Writer

Photo taken from Creative Commons

Juicy J will be headlining this year’s FUSA Spring Concert. said Everett Reed ’17. “They like his music so it’s going to sell a lot of tickets, bring a lot of money to Fairfield and maybe use that to help better Fairfield or even get better people next semester for the fall concert.”

Others, however, are not as enthusiastic.

“I can’t say I’m enthused. It’s kind of a swing and a miss if you ask me,”

OPINION:

said Joe Marino ’14. “It’s been four years here, eight concerts and there hasn’t been one yet that I’ve really been legitimately excited to attend, and this really isn’t an exception.”

FUSA has come close to selling out their last three concerts. Ticket sales will prove if Juicy J was the right choice for FUSA’s spring 2014 concert.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal hosted a roundtable discussion about sexual assault Friday in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room with students, faculty and administration from Fairfield, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and other area schools.

Congressman Jim Himes also spoke on the panel along with Laura Cordes, executive director of Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. At the event, Blumenthal asked for insight on “underreporting [of sexual assault], what the reasons are, what can be done, for example through bystander intervention, to prevent the behaviors that may lead to sexual assault, whether it is drinking or other kinds of behaviors.”

According to Blumenthal, “the first thing to understand about sexual assault is that it’s a crime – it’s a heinous and horrific crime.

“Sexual assault is absolutely unacceptable and intolerable, whether in the military or in our neighborhoods, in our homes, and so we have an obligation, all of us, to do something about it.”

READ CHANGING ON PAGE 2

THE VINE:

SPORTS:

Crisis in Ukraine not to be ignored

Performing for Change fosters open dialogue

Sad end in Springfield for Stags basketball

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THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

News

Changing the culture to prevent sexual assault Continued from Page 1 According to Cordes, “We are trying to change the culture.”

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Tom Pellegrino agreed that the issue lies in changing the culture. “I think at Fairfield, we can be a leader and change agent in this arena …

That much was clearly on display with the thoughtful and insightful comments from our students. I have never been more proud of our students than I was this past Friday.”

Blumenthal said he has “been involved in this issue over a number of years and wanted to convene these forums around the state of Connecticut to raise consciousness about this issue.”

He said the broader public tends to be in denial about the issue. “We all want to pretend it isn’t there, but you know it is, we know it is, and the President of the United States knows it is,” said Himes.

A report from the White House Council of Women and Girls concluded that, “The prevalence of sexual assault on campuses is staggering, but it’s very underreported,” according to Blumenthal.

Addressing the audience, Blu-

menthal said: “You coming here is a very powerful statement that you’re not afraid to confront the truth, and we want other educators, leaders, universities, public officials state, local, federal, to help also raise awareness so that others will be as courageous as you are.”

Himes also addressed the issue, saying “the battle is not yet won for the allocation of resources to address a staggering problem - one in five women over the course of their lifetime being a victim.”

“Unless we change the way – let’s be direct here – young men think about issues around sexual violence and what is tolerable and what is not, all the legislation in the world won’t fix this,” said Himes.

According to Blumenthal, “Sexual assault is not a women’s issue; it is a societal issue, it’s a men’s issue.”

Resident Assistant Spencer Colpitts ‘14 spoke about how Residence Life is working to change the culture.

Man 2 Man is a ResLife program which, according to Colpitts, “engages students on what it means to demonstrate positive masculinity and positive mentorship on a college campus.” Man 2 Man has worked with Director of

Tebben Gill Lopez / The Mirror

Sen. Blumenthal (second to the left) speaks to students, faculty and administration, asking for insight on how to prevent sexual assault.

Public Safety Todd Pelazza on discussing the role males play in sexual assault, and how to use preventative tactics like verbal intervention without being aggressive.

Pellegrino stated that “we have to turn the education approach on its head and put more focus on our males.

Here, then, is the key and compelling invitation to students to engage with us in this work, and the great thing is that its already flourishing in programs on our campus like Man 2 Man … I think we should expand this further to our Orientation and First Year Experience programs.”

Senior Astrid Quinones said “not all men are rapists, and not all men should be considered perpetrators or that they might be perpetrators. We need to unite men and say we don’t think you will be, but we want you to protect yourselves as a community of people … the idea that it is only men is not being fair to men.”

Assistant Director of Public Safety John Ritchie said that the issue is “no longer about how to respond to assaults, it’s also now about getting in front of it to change the cultural behaviors.”

According to Ritchie, programming about sexual assault is not new, but has been focused on “getting people to come forward.” New programming would promote bystander intervention, which is getting bystanders to reach out, intervene and prevent an assault from happening.

RA Matt DeCaprio ‘15, who is also involved in leading the Man 2 Man program, said he advises students to “focus on your friends … if you go out as a group, come back as a group.”

Senior Rachel Lang said “it is necessary that campuses across the nation ensure accountability and

Tebben Gill Lopez / The Mirror

Senior Rachel Lang speaks at Sen. Blumenthal’s roundtable discussion about preventing sexual assault, suggests advocacy for surviors. confidentiality for victims, to avoid revictimization and trauma.”

She proposed solutions such as a “college advocate” for students to seek services, including “open and closed support groups for people to come in and seek the services as they need them.”

Pellegrino stated that “it is beneficial that [survivors] have access to resources external from, as well as internal to the university.”

He addressed Lang’s idea of having a college advocate, stating that, “Fairfield has strong ties with [Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services], the Center for Family Justice and other agencies, and will continue to strengthen these relationships.”

Ritchie said that the insight from students’ experiences shared at the event “adds validity to what we’re doing.”

“This roundtable discussion has hit a number of very important points, like the need to change the culture at an early age, not just in the university, the need for more advocates on behalf of survivors, as well as counseling,” said Blumenthal. He also said that obstacles include a lack of resources and a lack of awareness.

“I don’t think sexual assault is a partisan issue; it’s not a democrat or a republican issue. It’s much more a lack of understanding or awareness,” said Blumenthal.

THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

News

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Bouchard: Students are key to being green

By Casey Heely Contributing Writer There are numerous initiatives that Fairfield is taking to “go green.”

However, the integration of administration, faculty and student involvement is often essential in moving projects forward to further increase on-campus sustainability.

Large efforts, such as the cogeneration facility, are a substantial part of Fairfield’s sustainability, but, there are many changes large and small that contribute to it.

In terms of particular interventions and how Fairfield compares to other schools, David Frassinelli, associate vice president of facilities management, said, “We were one of the first [schools] to adopt LED exterior lighting as our campus standard.”

Frassinelli also explained that the cogeneration facility on campus “is a very big deal,” and can provide the entire campus with electricity on most days and saves the university money.

The Jesuit residence has a geothermal system which is another example of the university’s strive toward an eco-friendly campus, explained Frassinelli.

Director of Environmental Health and Safety Joe Bouchard said that in Loyola, Gonzaga and Campion there are cogeneration elevators which use “about 40 percent electricity” compared to regular elevators.

Students, faculty and administration can see how much energy Fairfield is consuming by visiting Fairfield’s Energy Dashboard, located on the Fairfield.edu website. Frassinelli stated that the site illustrates energy usage by the minute and natural gas consumption, including the amount of energy being produced by the cogeneration facility.

They can also visit Fairfield’s Campus Sustainability page to find out more information about specific initiatives Fairfield has already taken to go green.

However, according to Frassinelli, there is a fear that being able to produce energy so “cost effectively and efficiently” can deter future efforts to further improve sustainability, but “we feel that even though we are producing at a cheaper cost, we still have to be efficient.”

Taking It To The Next Level – What Can You Do? There are visible illustrations of Fairfield’s attempt at sustainability all over campus, such as the single stream recycling bins and cogeneration facility. However, many of these initiatives require the effort of the entire Fairfield community.

Bouchard stated, “We really have to get student involvement or it’s not going to work.”

Since students represent the majority of the community on campus, they have a huge role in Fairfield’s sustainability, according to Bouchard.

“Many of the programs that [the administration] see as sustainable, some of the commonplace stuff that people in general would do,” he said, “if [students] are not going to get involved you’re going to have a tough time.”

This was echoed by Jim Biardi, an associate professor of biology and future director of the environmental studies program.

He said that his role as a faculty member is to “provide students the opportunity to learn about an issue. They may know that recycling is important,” but not the specifics that lead them to participate in more sustainable practices. He added, “We have single stream recycling in Connecticut,” one of the green initiatives Fairfield must adopt and contribute to its sustainability.

However, “there are a lot of things that students can throw in the recycle bins, but they don’t, and there are other things that they can’t throw in there and why not?” Biardi said. He believes that by the faculty teaching the students about these subtleties, they will better be able to contribute to Fairfield’s sustainability.

Biardi continued, “I think one of the important things we are doing … [is] to try and develop a plan to make Fairfield University more sustainable. We actually have a draft campus sustainability plan that addresses a wide variety of different projects and [tries] to propose concrete steps that the university can take to be more sustainable.”

Another motivation for students to get involved in furthering Fairfield’s sustainability is the grants competition that encourages students to design and implement their own green initiatives.

Dr. David Downie, the current director of the environmental studies program, said that the competition “was both a student idea and a faculty idea and an idea by the administrators,” where they “develop[ed] a fund which provides money to a competition for students to implement green ideas.”

This is another example of collaboration among various campus groups to promote further involvement by the entire community in Fairfield’s sustainability.

“And if the project works,” he said, “and I think this has happened in the past, there is always the opportunity for the administration to provide greater amounts of money” toward the student initiatives.

Leaders for Environmental Action at Fairfield is a prominent environmental club on campus that aims to spread awareness about green concerns in order to increase sustainability on campus.

Junior Ryan Wessel, one of the leaders of the club, said that LEAF “generally [tries] to spread awareness on campus about waste, in terms of disposal and management on campus [and] proper recycling techniques.” This is done by organizing events such as documentary showings and speakers.

He added that this awareness hopefully “[gets] people thinking about what you do and how it impacts the world around you.”

Students make money off your dirty laundry

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Feeling guilty for asking your mom to do your laundry or simply disgusted by that dirty pile of clothes lingering on your bedroom floor? Juniors Sam Tooley and Soly Zarrini have come up with a solution, called Stags Laundry.

It’s a student-run delivery laundry service on campus that began in 2011 and was launched in 2012.

“Each Tuesday morning a Fabricare Cleaners van sits in the circle awaiting students to drop off their bag of laundry, and on Thursday, they can go to the bookstore in Barone [Campus Center] to pick [their clothes] up clean and folded,” stated Tooley.

Stags Laundry offers two different plans. The first is a “light plan,” which costs $300 per semester and means students are able to use the service every other week. The second is a “heavy plan” which costs $500 per semester and is for students who have a large amount of laundry every week. Students who choose to pay for the heavy plan for the entire year, a discount is offered and the plan is $800.

“We did a lot of market research. We spent a lot of time calling laundry services around town to get a feel for pricing and cost. After bouncing the idea off friends and professors, we finally connected up with Jim Fitzpatrick from student affairs,” stated Zarrini.

Fitzpatrick serves as the assistant vice president of Fairfield University.

Prior to Stags Laundry, the university had an agreement with White Way Cleaners. When Tooley and Zarrini approached Fairfield with their idea, Fairfield was quick to drive White Way Cleaners off campus. Tooley explained, “[Fairfield] saw more room for growth in our plan than theirs. We were then able to continue to plan the launch of the service as it was a necessary step to receive the school’s backing.”

Zarrini stated, “Our business model promotes open communication with our customers. ... It is our goal and one of our key competencies to be extremely flexible in an effort to serve each and every student’s unique needs. White Way, unfortunately,

2/10/14 9:56 AM

lacked that presence and commitment.”

This school year, their service took off. “While we believe the numbers do not support the demand, we had 25 students sign up for the service,” explained Tooley. They expect their numbers to increase drastically by next school year, hoping more people hear about their service.

“Just like any business, we have had some hiccups along the way – small speed bumps – but it is our hard work, optimism, hunger that we have which propelled us forward,” stated Zarrini.

The company is building their online presence, which would serve them well in marketing their business. Zarrini stated, “We are also working on an online/over the phone payment process that will increase efficiency and ease on our client’s side.”

Whether they are posting on Facebook or handing out posters around campus, the boys are constantly looking for new and fun ways to advertise their business.

“I’ve always had a very entrepreneurial mindset,” stated Tooley. “With each more success you become that much more motivated because you get a little taste of what it could be.”

Being such great friends has helped their business prosper. “It makes bouncing ideas off of each other natural and easy,” stated Tooley. Zarrini stated, “Having my best friend on my side throughout the process only makes it more fun and motivates me to work that much harder.”

Zarrini agreed. “Sam and I take pride in the business and what we have been able to accomplish,” he stated. “We have run into problems and complications along the way, but we have worked hard and been determined not to give up.”

The goal for these two men is to have Stags Laundry become the norm on campus. Tooley explained that both hope to be involved with the service after graduation next May and are looking for underclassmen to “step up and continue to enhance the business.”

“We do not want Stags Laundry to disappear once we graduate. We truly believe this service is a great benefit to the student body,” said Zarrini.

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THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Crime Beat

News

Compiled by Robert Joyce.

Information contributed by the Department of Public Safety.

Wednesday, 3/5 8:30 p.m. A male student reportedly tried to steal an eight-pack of protein powder from the Stag Snack Bar and was referred to student conduct.

Saturday, 3/8 12:15 a.m. A female student in the Townhouses 8 block reported eight cans of beer, half a bottle of vodka and two boxes of Girl Scout Cookies were stolen from her residence.

2:23 a.m. Two students reportedly got into a verbal altercation with a taxi cab driver over the fare. A female student alleged that the driver was verbally aggressive and a male student reported the driver called him a “crackhead.” The issue was resolved by DPS. 3:22 p.m. DPS dispersed a crowd of approximately 100 people with open containers outside of a residence of the Townhouses 9 block. The residents were referred to student conduct.

5:35 p.m. A lacrosse ball was reportedly used to smash a window of the Townhouses 11 block.

There are no suspects; however, the incident is under investigation.

Sunday, 3/9 12:45 a.m. A male student and a non-student guest got into a physical altercation in the Quick Center parking lot. The non-student reportedly prevented the student from driving while intoxicated. The student has been referred to student conduct.

Monday, 3/10 4:45 a.m. A stop sign attached to a pole was reported ripped out of the ground and stolen from Leeber Road and Lynch Road.

7:00 p.m. A FUSA member reported three life-size cutouts of celebrities Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Justin Bieber, valued at $40 each, were stolen sometime on Friday, March 7.

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New portal well received by students

By Robert Hagstrom Assistant News Editor Students’ interests were honored with the relaunch of my.Fairfield’s landing page on Feb. 20 after holding various focus groups, altering the way users access information on the site.

Out of 100 students surveyed by The Mirror, 72 percent said that they like the feel of the new my.Fairfield as opposed to 28 percent who don’t. Fifty-nine percent of students said they find it easier to navigate than the old portal compared to 41 percent that don’t.

The new my.Fairfield landing page was announced to students several days in advance of its debut through Students 411, Twitter and Facebook, according to Chief Information Officer of Information and Technology Services Paige Francis.

“I like it,” said Matthew Rotandaro ’16. “I think it is a substantial improvement. It is more professional and more streamlined, modernized.”

Different from the companies Terminal Four and 160 Over 90 who created the new Fairfield website, CampusEAI Consortium was the organization that developed the new my.Fairfield portal.

CampusEAI services other universities in addition to Fairfield.

They built the portal and mobile app to my.Fairfield, said Dr. Christopher Huntley, associate professor of information systems and operations management.

The planning for the new my.Fairfield portal started well over a year ago, but all that has changed, Francis

said, is the home page.

Regional Manager in Account Management of CampusEAI Jasreen Kaur said, “Fairfield has been very methodical with they wanted on their website for the students.”

Student input was crucial in creating the new landing page for my.Fairfield, said Francis. Focus groups which varied in student participants, were held every few months where students gave their input for what they wanted to see on the portal.

Making the decision to change the my.Fairfield portal was based on the information students need. “Students are important,” said Lisa Nagy, Fairfield’s application integration specialist. “We all recognize here the importance of having students get the information they need.”

Tyler McClain, assistant director of student programs and leadership development, said that the staff wanted the landing page to be “student centric and dynamically engaging and things that students actually wanted to see or find quickly.”

But Mary Gaughan ‘16 thought differently. “It doesn’t do very much. [I] think they need help organizing all the links.”

New Student Leaders, students in first-year leadership programs, and students in career planning and the Office of the Dean of Students were able to see potential changes to the portal prior to the rest of the student body in order to make suggestions to the staff before the portal release.

Huntley said along with the

Shutdown deadline approaches, no progress with Mentor

Continued from page 1 Despite the lack of communication between Francis and the ETC on the “back-end” issues, Francis and ITS did offer to meet to discuss the issue, according to Naser.

“They offered to meet with me in November and I said, ‘No, I want it in writing. Tell me what it is you have a problem with,’” a request that was never fulfilled, Naser said.

When asked if Mentor would be reinstated if the “backend” issues were resolved to her and ITS’ satisfaction, Francis replied, “... At this juncture I would say no, because we don’t have confidence in the Mentor system and we don’t know what it would take to build it up to be sort of competitive.”

For Francis, Blackboard offers more features, such as the ability to collaborate with other institutions and is an industry standard. She added, “You would be hard-pressed to find a technology professional in Higher [Education] today that doesn’t have experience with Blackboard … We’re just going on our expertise here.”

With faculty and administration at a stalemate, Mentor supporters have taken to the opinion section with letters to the editor over the past few weeks.

“The administration’s position is that the CIO simply has the authority to make all decisions relating to technology, period,” said Dr. Richard DeWitt, professor of philosophy, who also signed the letter to the editor. “But that’s not true,” said DeWitt.

According to the ETC report, although the Board of Trustees and administration have the authority to make decisions without the consent of the faculty, it is in their best interest to act on issues in a manner that makes the faculty feel “valued and respected.”

Naser agreed, saying, “If they want to change course management systems, do so, but do it through the proper channels.

Don’t scapegoat. It certainly made me feel very small.”

new website, my.Fairfield has its problems, primarily the social media responsiveness on electronic devices.

Because students use mobile devices, having the my.Fairfield portal available to them in every form, he said, is crucial to its success.

“Universities are hearing left and right that they have to make better use of social media. It is the way to engage students,” Huntley said. “It looks to me that this is something that isn’t quite done yet.”

One problem CampusEAI and Fairfield had with the portal in its early stages was adjusting the number of times students logged onto the site. “A lot of people using the portal were using it five to six times a day which was maxing out the system. We had to beef up the architecture to accommodate it,” she said.

Since its launch, Nagy and Francis have only received 10 student responses of the new my.Fairfield.

When asked if she submitted a response to the university, Gaughan said “I haven’t seen it. Honestly I don’t really care that much about it.” When asked the same question, Rotandaro said simply, “No, where is it?”

“There are around 3,300 undergraduates let alone graduates that land on that landing page and I got 10 responses in the last week. It’s not a very high percentage,” Francis said.

Students are encouraged to send feedback to the university feedback of the new landing page by logging on to my.Fairfield.edu.

In the world: t Glenn Ford, a man wrongfully convicted of murder, has been exonerated after 30 years in prison, The Guardian reported. t French surgeons report they have accomplished the first total endoscopic aortic valve replacement, a procedure that is done without opening the patient’s chest, according to Forbes. t The New York Times reports Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has been ousted in the chaos over a tanker, underscoring the “danger of loss of control over Libya’s petroleum.” t Sources in the Malaysian air force say flight MH370 may have never reached Malacca strait, and instead turned around, the Associated Press reported. t Colorado has reportedly pulled in millions of dollars in legal cannabis sales during their first month of regulation, Forbes reported. t The European Union has mandated that Russia begin talks with the Ukraine or face sanctions, according to The Guardian. t Turkish protests broke out after a teenaged boy was struck in the head with a tear gas canister and killed, CNN reported. t Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web, told The Guardian there needs to be an online “Magna Carta” to protect the independence of the medium. t Michelle Bachelet won the presidency in Chile and promised to fight social inequality in her ceremonial speech, according to Reuters.

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THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Opinion

Opinion

Editor

Crisis in Ukraine not to be ignored

By Alexandra Fylypovych Contributing Writer Just two weeks ago, the Maidan square in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was a bloody, burning center of revolution. Authorities shot at hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, leaving a hundred people dead and thousands of others missing, wounded, maimed or beaten senseless. Entryways of hotels and businesses surrounding the square served as morgues and hospitals, carpeted with bloodstained sheets covering dead bodies.

In a matter of hours, a fourmonth long peaceful protest capsized into the bloodiest clash that Ukraine has seen since World War II. In November 2013, Ukrainians from across the country swarmed their capital to peacefully demand democratic reforms and transparency in their corrupt government. Former President Viktor Yanukovych abruptly backed out of signing a trade cooperation agreement with the European Union, which would have effectively begun mending Ukraine’s collapsing economy and westernizing a country littered with a Soviet past.

The reason Yanukovych bailed rests with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who craftily dangled a $15 billion loan in front of his Ukrainian puppet. This was not simply an act of benevolence from big brother Russia; it was a desperate measure to ensure Ukraine remained within Putin’s as-

Editorial Board How we work(ed)

Loan Le Editor-in-Chief Danica Ceballos Executive Editor Luigi DiMeglio Managing Editor

phyxiating imperialistic grip.

But after months of demonstrations, the Maidan protesters successfully removed Yanukovych from his position as the country’s “president.”

I use that term loosely – dictator is much more representative of his past political decisions. He now appears to be seeking asylum in Russia.

Now the Maidan rests peacefully, puffs of smoke from fires of those protesters reluctant to leave the battleground rise above the broken city.

Barricades of tires, bed frames, car parts and other debris that prevented armed authorities from advancing into the crowds of protesters remain intact – grim reminders of the beatings, shootings and killings.

Each day thousands of citizens lay flowers and light candles on these now-makeshift memorials in honor of those who stood day and night in below-freezing temperatures and those who died defending their country from their tyrannical government.

However, Ukrainians do need to be concerned about another villain, Vladimir Putin, who now stands behind an armed military assault on Ukrainian territory.

With all eyes on Russia during the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Putin could not have militarily intervened to crush the simultaneously occurring Maidan protests.

For 17 days, Putin was probably squirming to take action because a

This is a bittersweet end for us seniors. We have spent our Tuesdays cooped inside an office in the lower level BCC for four years. We have worked on many stories for this paper and have met many people – students, faculty, staff and administration. We have seen the good and the bad at Fairfield.

There’s no better way to learn about how Fairfield works than working at The Mirror.

As student-journalists, we have faced ethical decisions that most students might not encounter on this campus. We have had to decide between what is right and what is easy.

We have had to report stories

mere four days after the closing ceremonies, Russian troops invaded Crimea, the southernmost region of Ukraine, a peninsula whose coast hugs the Black Sea. Putin and his propaganda would have you believe that the 16,000 troops were deployed to protect the Russian population living in Crimea, which he claimed had been targeted with physical acts of violence by hordes of radical Ukrainians flocking to the region.

Ironically enough, not a single act of violence against Russians in Crimea has been documented. To the contrary, it has been Russians who have been reportedly bused into Crimea from Russia to stage said demonstrations.

These twisted actions have been flooding all media platforms in an effort to depict Ukraine in a hauntingly undemocratic light. Phrases like “neo-fascist” and “neo-Nazis” describing Ukraine clog Russian media and have made their way onto Western platforms as well.

Back in reality, and at gunpoint, the Council of Ministers of Crimea was impeached and a local referendum was hastily scheduled for March 16 to decide whether Crimea would join Russia or remain Ukrainian territory.

So why is Putin toying with Ukraine? In simpler terms, what Russia wants, Russia gets. Putin is simply

that we wish weren’t true. We have grown from these experiences and will take these lessons as we transition into out-of-school work. We consider experience at The Mirror worthy of pride and discussion with other students and future employers.

Over the years, we hear students and professors critique our paper and we welcome all comments. The need for dialogue and transparency is what puts us to work every week. We invite readers to submit letters to the editor and attend our weekly Monday and Thursday meetings. The best way to change something is to speak out and then get in-

not going to watch Ukraine walk into the caring arms of the EU. He also will not accept Ukraine as an independent state.

So, Putin fabricated reasons to validate invading Ukraine, the initial step to annexing bits of the country – until he has it all – a nightmare for Ukrainians who just months ago were a signature away from both geopolitical and internal reformations.

Putin has a vision of a Eurasian Union, the joining of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine in an EUlike federation. Here’s where the red flags must be raised: a Eurasian Union all too closely echoes the former Soviet Union, which should – and does – raise eyebrows in the 21st century.

After all, Putin is on record as stating that the collapse of the Soviet Union was “the greatest calamity of the 20th century,” and will go to great lengths to ensure Ukraine is not “lost” to the EU. The second reason for Putin’s persistent violation of Ukraine’s democracy is quite simply that the U.S. is allowing him to do so. At this point, it is evident that Ukraine does not have the political stability to tame the beast by itself. Although there has been talk of both U.S. economic and diplomatic sanctions against Russia, nothing official has been implemented.

Senator John Kerry visited the Maidan last week and President Obama had a 90-minute phone call

volved. We want to know how the newspaper can improve and best serve the campus community. Feel free to tweet or Facebook us. Send us an email at info@fairfieldmirror. com.

The key to understanding how this organization works is a single word on the front page: Mirror. We are a student-run organization meant to reflect Fairfield University as it is. No touch-ups, no alterations, no lies. The Mirror tells the truth to our audience who might not always see the whole story. Again, if there is something that we are missing, we want to know.

We want to hear from ev-

with Putin. Since then an even larger amount of troops have marched into Crimea.

Ruslana Lyzhychko, famous initially for being a Ukrainian singer who won the Eurovision contest in 2004, is now a political hero in Ukraine, having spent sleepless nights at the Maidan among the people, boosting their morale throughout the demonstrations.

She continues to speak on behalf of Ukrainians' frustration and concern, and stirnly addressed AngloAmerica to oversee Crimea's stabilization. "We are in no need of another world war,” Lyzhychko said at a conference in Washington D.C. last week.

But as the situation stands now, the world merely continues to watch the tension escalating as Russian military units take over Ukrainian military bases. Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea thus far have been following orders and not firing at the blatant invaders.

With a dark history of oppression and dictatorship, Ukraine and its people have developed what seems to be an infinite supply of hope from which they continue to draw daily. As new Ukrainian political parties prepare their campaigns for the scheduled May 25 presidential elections, Crimea sits uncomfortably blockaded and the Ukrainian people await to see who will make the next move – the U.S. or Putin.

ery part of this Fairfield community because that is the only way that we can give you the best and most accurate information. Going forward, we hope to see more students take interest in the newspaper.

We wish the future staff the best as they strive to work on a paper that serves as a professional, but relevant outlet for voices in this community.

We appreciate future studentjournalists who enjoy and take pride in seeing their names in print, interviewing sometimes intimidating people and working hard every week to print a newspaper that makes a difference. Thank you for reading our newspaper.

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Opinion

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Letter to the Editor

Revisiting the decision to discontinue Mentor Since August 2013, we have followed with dismay the events surrounding the abrupt decision by the university’s Information Technology Systems service to end the use of the Mentor course management system and replace it with Blackboard. We have heard the ITS argument that Mentor has security problems, but we have seen no credible evidence that Mentor could potentially compromise the security of student records or any other sensitive information. The same point, lack of evidence of potential breach of security, is explicitly made in the report by the faculty Educational Technology Committee following several months of inquiry.

As long-term users of IT tools and processes, we can confidently declare that the Mentor system was a gift of substantive value to the Fairfield faculty. We know from personal experience that Mentor has been a superb tool for course management, outcomes assessment, program assessment and management and, principally, facilitated the flow of information between course management and assessment requirements. Furthermore, Mentor has been a veritable aide in extending classroom time by providing online open lines of communication between teachers and students.

As praiseworthy as Mentor has been, our point in writing this letter is neither to add to its praises already declared and publicized by many faculty across the campus nor to contrast Mentor with the Blackboard course management system. It is, instead, to underscore the inappropriateness of the methods and the timing chosen by ITS to upend the academic enterprise on campus on very short notice last August, and endanger the instructional plans of a large number of faculty for no evident good reason. It was also a mistake on the part of ITS to ignore the means at its disposal, namely the faculty ETC, in order to reach collaboratively the far-reaching decision regarding the Mentor system. Worse yet was the way that ITS, by its actions, belittled the value of Mentor, and, by extension, the work of a valued colleague, Dr. Curt Naser, who has devoted intellectual and technical skills to creating the Mentor system.

Under the circumstances, it would be most appropriate for ITS to revisit its decision of last August, and, in conjunction with the faculty ETC review, assess the current and projected use of course management systems on campus. An act of this kind would be very welcome and in very good taste indeed.

E. Vagos Hadjimichael, Ph.D., Professor, Engineering and Physics, Founding Dean, School of Engineering Norman Solomon, Ph.D., Professor of Management, Former Dean, Dolan School of Business Jack W. Beal, Ph.D., Professor, Physics and Engineering, Former Dean, School of Engineering Orin L. Grossman, Former Academic Vice President, Fairfield University

In the last couple of days, there has been a lot of debate about a performance at Apollo Night. After reading the opinion section of The Mirror, it was clear that both authors made valid points. However, since the publishing of the article, one author has been pinpointed as a target by the same students who stood on stage supporting the right of freedom of speech. It is hypocritical that the same people who are supporting “free speech” for one person are now silencing someone else’s voice through cyber bullying.

Over the last few days I have seen several negative tweets and Facebook quotes towards people supporting the administration in the decision to either edit the poem or perform it elsewhere. Through these negative comments, the minority students have not only excluded one of their own, but are also practicing what they are preaching against … silencing the minority view.

As an African American female, I feel it is my responsibility to bring this to the attention of the whole Fairfield community, not just the minority groups.

Though everyone is entitled to their own opinion, in cyber bullying one person is repressed because of his or her views, especially if they go against the majority view on the same matter. That is oppression.

The Twitter account and Facebook page @UncensoredStags is riddled with tweets of hatred and anger toward people who have no issue with the mission or the poem, but simply the method in which the situation was handled.

It is not the mission of Uncensored Stags that is the problem, but rather the act of silencing another whose views do not coincide with their own through the use of cyber bullying.

This is in no way supporting one view over another, but rather a call to attention to the underlying effect the opinion articles in the newspaper have caused and the biases involved. The point of the opinion section is to show that there can be two sides to every story. In addition to this, the opinion section should be used as open forum for people to respectfully express their views.

Of course, as readers we don’t have to agree with everything that has been said. But in the case of last weeks’ issue of The Mirror, one opinion was silenced by another. Not only were people’s opinions silenced because this argument has gotten so big, but the other performers of Apollo Night and their messages have been silenced as well. This argument has overshadowed all of their hard work and it is not fair that they go unnoticed because this situation has gotten out of hand.

Sharissa Ryan ‘14

Mentor was essential tool for faculty: Answers needed

By Dr. David Gudelunas Associate Professor of Communication and Chair I am writing this letter in support of the work of the Educational Technologies Committee and the many faculty across campus working to re-instate Mentor as a course management and institutional tools system at Fairfield.

In the department of communication, I count among our colleagues faculty who research, teach and are frequently called on as experts in matters of technology, distance education, policy and regulation relating to media and information systems, organizational structures and networks, the issue of open access and network policies. The removal of

Mentor is not just a practical issue for us, it is also an academic one.

My department has received much feedback from faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students that Mentor is simply better in all respects to Blackboard. Given our central mission of educating students, this point should not be taken lightly.

As a practical matter, my department has relied heavily on Mentor and many of us believe that Mentor offers a vastly superior interface to the “industry standard” Blackboard option. The department has also relied on Mentor for award-winning assessment programs, program review activity, internship database management and administration of our M.A. program, and course management in online exclusive and hybrid courses.

As the Fairfield 2020 Plan asks faculty to reflect on how we meet the challenges of a changing higher education environment, we should reflect on how Mentor has allowed Fairfield to offer a unique and far superior option to the “industry standard” of Blackboard. Mentor offers Fairfield an edge in what administration acknowledges as a competitive and challenging marketplace. Why would we not want to encourage innovation from our own campus that makes a Fairfield education distinctive? Moreover, why would our university renounce to the benefits of having more

than one provider of course management systems competing to better serve us, and rely instead on a sole provider that is gradually becoming a de facto monopolistic power in the market?

The faculty handbook is clear: Curricular matters fall within the purview of the faculty. The CIO may, in general, have broad discretion to determine software needs for the university. However, it is not within her discretion to circumvent the faculty governance bodies that have oversight of educational matters, as was done here. It is one thing to claim

there is an emergency that makes it necessary to circumvent the faculty governance body in the short term.

But there has now been an exhaustive inquiry by the ETC into the matter.

They found that CIO Paige Francis provided no grounds for this decision. By contrast, they found that Dr. Curt Naser had provided extensive and credible evidence that the CIO’s claims were inaccurate. Now that it is clear there is not and never was a legitimate reason to terminate the use of Mentor, it should be reinstated immediately through.

The Mirror welcomes the opinions and contributions of its readers: Letters to the editor must be timely and submitted by email to info@fairfieldmirror.com or Box AA. All letters to the editor that are appropriate will be published either in print or online. The Mirror reserves the right to edit letters and articles for content, length and grammatical error. Letters should be free of obscenities and personal attacks and should contain correct and factual information not exceeding 500 words.

The Vine

arts, entertainment, features vine@fairfieldmirror.com

Art with a purpose Students shed light on relevant societal issues

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THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Student group fosters open dialogue

By Christina Mowry Contributing Writer

A

s the lights shone on the small, intimate stage of the Black Box Theatre, audience members chatted excitedly. The bright stage in the theater was empty, but the room was loud as more than 120 people sat waiting for the show to begin. Faced by a shortage of chairs, an enthusiastic group of audience members were content standing to the side. As John Legend’s “If You’re Out There” slowly came to an end, the stage was plunged into darkness. The show had begun.

Performing For Change consists of 12 students who performed their spring show “Generation whY” on Friday, March 7. The group was founded by Jasmine Fernandez '12 to create a safe environment for the discussion of current societal issues.

Since it was founded, PFC shows have

covered a variety of subjects such as alcoholism, infidelity and sexuality.

The group performs one show each semester, during which they engage the audience with honest stories.

This semester's show was divided into three acts, each focusing on a different topic, and the performances showcased the students' original pieces.

The students began the evening with "Put Down the Phone, Pick Up The Mic," which focused on society's obsession with social media. Junior Ariel Miranda and Fredy Taveras '14 demonstrated how media can be distracting when a friend needs advice.

Sandanie Ambalangodage ‘16 performed an insightful piece highlighting the role of social media in our daily lives. She commented on the euphoria our generation feels when we have 11 or more "likes" on an Instagram photo.

"Why is it that I would rather put a 'Valencia' filter on an inspirational

quote than actually live it?" said Ambalangodage.

The second act, "La Lucha, The Fight," was about the heart-wrenching struggles and obstacles that immigrants often face. Impassioned chants of "la lucha, the fight" filled the theater, occasionally stopped by performers who courageously stepped forward to share their pieces.

Taveras performed his piece “A Free Country,” which commented on occupation difficulties immigrants face after entering America.

"The government makes us look like nobodies. Nobodies are the ones who do the dirty work ... Surviving based on minimum wage. They come home late to help their [families] and kids, to put a hot meal on a plate. But freedom is just a myth," shouted Taveras.

Senior Lizbel Escamilla showcased her piece, “La Lucha, The Struggle,” and received praise from the audience during the question

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Tebben Gill Lopez / The Mirror

Top left to right: Senior Adavia Thornton, Lizbel Escamilla '14, Fredy Taveras '14, Donya Majeed '15, Ariel Miranda '15 and Kaadiana sociation, with immigration. Bottom left to right: Thornton, Meaghan Hamilton '17, Astrid Quinones '14 and Sandanie Ambalangodage '16 hold a candlelight vigil on stage, honoring those lost in gun shootings. and answer portion of the night. Her piece was a passionate mix of English and Spanish and was based on her parents' personal experiences. After the performance, Escamilla said she even shed a tear.

Escamilla described how the American dream can seem so far away, but it strengthens her to continue chasing that dream.

"That dream of that house, yes the one with the white picket fence ... una casita to call mine ... Mía, mía ...

Where I owe money to no one. Nadie," Escamilla said.

Throughout the evening, the audience showed their appreciation for the students’ words by snapping.

The third and final act, "You'll Never Fade Away," focused on the harsh reality of gun violence. The group entered the stage solemnly, holding candles as the only source of light. The candles shed light on the students’ somber faces as each stepped forward. Senior Astrid Quiñones’s voice rang out in the silent theater as she performed a verse of Beyoncé’s "I Was Here."

Quiñones also shared a story about sexual assault, and described how survivors can often blame themselves and be plagued with nightmares long after the assault occurs.

Her heartfelt piece left many audience members in awe.

Senior Adavia Thornton also

took to the stage, discussing gun violence in the case of Trayvon Martin’s death. Thornton spoke vehemently to the audience, saying that Martin could have been one of her loved ones.

“He could have been you,” said Thornton.

The audience appreciated Thornton’s words, and several audience members murmured words of agreement both during and after her piece.

At the end of the performance, the audience gave a standing ovation and asked questions. One audience member commented on Escamilla's piece about immigration, saying that she personally understood that particular struggle and Escamilla's piece brought her to tears.

Other audience members echoed the sentiment and commented on the performances.

"As a peer and friend to a lot of people in the group, I was personally touched and I feel like they made a difference," said Brendhan Kolf '14.

Performing For Change faculty adviser Meredith Tornabene said that PFC shows have always impressed her, but "Generation whY" was particularly incredible. "[I'm] blown away," said Tornabene, "I was super proud and this is their crowning achievement as an organization."

The Mirror | Week of March 12, 2014

The Vine

Told ByDrudoll

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By Drusilla Ollennu Fashion Columnist

When it comes to style & fashion, Drudoll tells all.

Go Green This weekend the streets will be filled with people parading in their emerald green costumes. St. Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching and what better way to join the festivities than in style? Here are some fashionable ways to incorporate green into your ensemble:

Accessorize: If you want to keep your green subtle, accessorizing is the best solution. Sneak this color into your outfit with a scarf, jewelry or another accessory.

Make a Statement: Be bold and wear a dramatic green piece. Have fun with your outfit by trying something new and exciting.

Wear Green Colorblock: When aiming for a trendy green look, your target is to colorblock. If you prefer a design with a bit more spice, opt out for busy green patterns instead.

Explore Different Shades: Instead of sticking to emerald green, consider the various shades of green that you can wear. Make your look more playful by straying from shades that are overdone.

Visiting artist discusses creative process S

By Shea Spiller Contributing Writer

pontaneous. Intuitive. Impulsive. With a new exhibit combining poetry and printmaking, artist Ken Buhler reflects on what he calls the core concerns of his art and the threads that weave these themes together.

“I don’t go out and look for things to make art about; it just kind of happens spontaneously,” Buhler, a professor of the arts at Bard College, said Thursday in a talk as part of the Artist Series at Fairfield.

The idea of spontaneity is what drove Buhler to develop “Coral Series,” the first of his three main series of paintings.

A trip to Tulum, Mexico, spent collecting brain coral and conch shells proved to become an unexpected inspiration for Buhler as he found himself mimicking the weaving patterns of brain coral. Buhler said he doesn’t go into a piece with an image in mind. He lets the images come to him through his work and process.

The meandering lines found in “Coral Series” and in all of Buhler’s work are reminiscent of lazy squiggles during a boring lecture and this, Buhler explains, is no accident.

A teacher once told his class that doodling has nothing to do with art. Disagreeing with this statement, Buhler took the advice as a catalyst for a painting career.

Buhler said, “When a series ends, it doesn’t announce itself. I have to move on, but don’t know to what.”

In his next series, “Notes from the Edge of the World,” Buhler once again took inspiration from his surroundings on an artist fellowship to County Mayo in Ireland where he proclaimed, “I feel like I’m at the edge of the world here,” and it turns out, he was.

Buhler developed ideas from the concepts of language and chronology that he found in the antiquity surrounding him in Ireland. In a film, which he presented during his talk, the connections of his abstract paintings and prints to the vast landscapes of Ireland became more visually apparent.

Buhler has received numerous prestigious grants and fellowships including two from both the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts, as well as a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in painting. His work is on display in galleries and museums across the country such as the Wichita Museum of Fine Art, the de Saisset Museum and the Ulrich Museum of Fine Arts.

The audience, a combination of artists and non-artists, was intrigued by Buhler’s talk from start to finish, especially with his use of film, which aided in illustrating his painting and printmaking process.

Freshman Kelly Troiano said, “I loved being able to see his painting process step-by-step through his videos. The paintings are even more beautiful to me now that I know about the layers and layers that make them up.”

Agreeing with her, Helen Pepperman ‘17 said, “His videos made the talk a multi-media experience. It was interesting to directly see how his paintings correspond with his trip to Ireland.”

Nature, antiquity and language are a common thread throughout all of Buhler’s works, as well as his method of putting most emphasis on the process of painting rather than the end result.

“I paint very intuitively and impulsively,” says Buhler, Contributed by Katie O'Leary / Studio Manager “[inspired by] color, light, a sense of desolation or empti- Shakespeare's Garden #1 2013, Watercolor on Rives BFK 30 " x 22" ness.”

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THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

The Vine

MUSIC SCENE

WVOF What to listen to next

By Jana Novak WVOF Music Director

Pharrell Williams - “G I R L” With the infectious single “Happy” already stuck in everyone’s heads, Pharrell’s latest release is nothing but feel-good vibes and funkiness. The album features many guests, including Miley Cyrus, Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys. Pharrell’s sound is definitely more pop-like than one might expect, with no sign of his rapper alter ego, Skateboard P. All 10 tracks are mainstream radio ready, so be prepared to hear nothing but these songs in the upcoming months.

Metronomy - “Love Letters” Emily Read / Creative Commons Evan Thomas Weiss, leader of indie/emo rock band Into It. Over It., performs at Toad's Place.

Into It. Over It. rocks New Haven crowd

By Sean Thomas Contributing Writer

I

still get chills when I think about my first experience of the bands Into It. Over It., The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and A Great Big Pile of Leaves on Feb. 23. These three bands are some of the leaders of an emo-rock revival that has grown rapidly in the past several years. Admittedly, I was only recently introduced to them. However, that didn't stop me from purchasing a ticket as soon as I heard they were touring together. It may have been my best decision as of late; the energy and passion of a budding music scene was overwhelming and I have never felt more connected to musicians performing onstage.

A Great Big Pile of Leaves began the night with their upbeat, danceable brand of indie rock. Their sound expanded large and loud, warmly embracing the audience despite the cold outside and the tightness of Toad’s Place, a venue in New Haven. Performing favorites from both of their full-length albums, the band set the bar high with an extreme amount of energy and showmanship. Leaves is a band that can let their music speak for itself – no elaborate light shows or backdrops. Their surprisingly catchy and melodic leads swept up the audience and had them singing along with each song. As they descended into the deceptive mid-section of closer “We Don't Need Our Heads,” the band suddenly exploded with sound and the song's signature gang vocals. The crowd went wild, singing and jumping as if anticipating this moment the entire night.

As the nine members of The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die took to the stage, the crowd packed tighter than before. A quiet interlude began as spoken word poet Chris Zizzamia

recited his work and the sounds elegantly evolved into the opening song, “Heartbeat in the Brain.”

The crowd rose and fell with the naturally shifting dynamics of the music; heavier sections were met with pushing, yelling and crowd surfing before the quiet interludes returned, providing us with room to breathe. Each aspect of the group’s unique instrumentation – including three guitars, a synth and a cello – came through clearly. The set finished with the band’s iconic song “Getting Sodas,” before they humbly departed, leaving the crowd dazed and craving more.

Following the massive performances of the first two bands was the headliner: Into It. Over It. Frontman Evan Weiss derived his 20-song set from all corners of his diverse discography. While songs such as “Brenham, TX” and “New North-Side Air” stood out, Weiss was the true icon of the evening. His friendly banter with the crowd made each of us feel like close friends. One anecdote described the signature heckles shouted by crowds from cities across the country. Weiss remarked that he has yet to hear one from New Haven, before an audience member shouted “ALL DAY!” This became the rallying call after each song to the enjoyment of the band – one of many moments that bound a group of strangers together through a common musical experience.

I had a thought the morning after the unforgettable concert. There’s an indescribable feeling you get after you've been to an amazing show. The chills remain with you for several weeks. Even the most worn-out songs by your favorite band will teem with new life after you see them performed live. This post-concert euphoria is something every music fan deserves to experience – not once or twice, but dozens of times.

The British group’s fourth full-length album is their best yet, as well as their most emotionally charged. The band’s tendency to favor a more vintage sound is still apparent, but the air of ‘60s synth-laden pop suits them. Metronomy’s style is distinctive and charming, but in a weird, cool, old-fashioned way. Be sure to check out the groovy music video for “Love Letters” directed by Michel Gondry.

Tacocat - “NVM” Bright, surf rock and humorous, yet relevant song topics combine to form the sugary sweet band that is Tacocat. One song titled “Hey Girl” addresses the annoyance of street harassment, while still remaining catchy and chipper. None of the songs go for longer than two minutes, so the album is basically a collection of amusing powerpop tidbits.

Contributed Photos

The Mirror | Week of March 12, 2014

The Vine

TELEVISION

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'Once Upon a Time' quenches viewers' curiosity

By Jennifer Calhoun Sports Editor

A

Contributed Photo

Why I care about 'The Resurrection'

By Loan Le Editor-in-Chief

I

mmigration Services calls agent Marty Bellamy in, saying they found an 8-year-old American boy in China with no recollection of how he got there. The only thing the boy, Jacob, remembers is his home in Missouri. Marty brings him there and he thought that would be the end of the case - a happy reunion - and that he'd find the answers he needed.

Marty was wrong.

Based off the debut novel "The Resurrection," by Jason Mott, this new ABC television series explores the possibility of the return of the dead. Henry and Lucille Langston, the residents of a quaint house in Arcadia, Mo., are speechless at the sight of Jacob, their son who died thirty years ago after drowning in a river. Jacob's aunt had died as well, after trying to save him … at least that was what her family, sheriff Fred and doctor-daughter Maggie, were led to believe. But Jacob quickly shatters their belief.

The reactions to Jacob's return are mixed. Jacob's father is unsure how to deal with his son's reappearance, while his mother acts as if he never died. Pastor Tom, Jacob's childhood best friend, struggles to understand God and faith after this unexplained event happened.

I feel emotionally invested in this show, which is what I always expect to happen after watching an interesting show. My heart wrenched at the thought of a

mother embracing her son, whom she had lost years ago.

When Jacob appears on the front porch, he asks a nonchalant question that Henry answers reflexively. With his son's voice ringing in his ears, the father's face drops.

We see the sheer disbelief on his face, and he is still as Jacob hugs him. That moment got to me. The episode also employs flashbacks that detail happier times for the Langstons, causing me to wonder: What if Jacob hadn’t died?

The characters in this new drama are left with more questions at the end of the episode, when another person returns from the dead.

My only problem with this pilot episode was the blandness of Marty, played by Omar Epps from Fox’s "House.” Usually in pilots we get a taste of a main character haunted by his past, but it's either the acting or the writing that keeps me from actually caring about Marty.

The writers need to give viewers more hints to his past.

I was a huge fan of "The 4400," which had a similar premise where 4,400 people returned, unaged and with no memories. Initially, people thought they were abducted by aliens (that wasn’t the reason, but I won't spoil it for you). No signs of aliens right now in "The Resurrection." I would stick around to learn the cause of Jacob’s reappearance.

It seems more people are willing to stay with the show: According to Nielsen ratings, 13.9 million viewers turned out for the series’ premiere on Sunday.

fter the midseason finale of “Once Upon a Time” in December 2013, I sent out a tweet stating “Thanks ‘Once Upon a Time’ for tearing out my heart, lighting it on fire and saying ‘We’ll see if we can put that out in March.’”

Well, it’s March, the midseason premiere of “Once Upon a Time” aired on Sunday, and for the time being, the fire in my heart has been put out.

The premiere of OUAT had what everyone expected: a solution to the problem posed at the end of the December finale, a lot of moments that you’re supposed to feel emotional about but don’t, moments that you actually do feel emotional about, a lot of complaining, and moments that just have you staring at the screen going ‘oh my gosh, shut up.’

It’s just kind of an accepted fact that viewers of this show have characters that they love, characters that they’re impartial towards, and some that you really want to get eaten by a flying monkey.

For me, and some of my esteemed colleagues here, there was just the right amount of the character that we love: Captain Hook.

To say that these writers know what the people want, and deliver on it, is an understatement.

A day of scrolling through a OUAT Tumblr tag will show you just how much this fandom loves their Hook. So, that explains why he was the one tasked with tracking down Emma in New York, even though he didn’t seem to think it was a bad idea to change out of his leather pirate outfit when going to see a woman who no longer has any idea who he is. Yeah I wonder why she kneed you in the groin …

you’re a little alarming.

But we still love him, and his all-knowing grins that have you stopping the show just to stare into his beautiful eyes … but I digress.

The world of OUAT has been divided in two. Actually it’s kind of one. Maybe three? To be honest timelines were a bit confusing and the worlds of Storybrooke, New York and the Enchanted Forest were a bit intertwined but all came together in a beautiful (and surprising) fashion in the last five minutes.

Speaking of fashion, I’m really glad that David/Prince Charming is back in his kingly garb of furs and unappealing jackets, and Snow White’s ever fluctuating hairstyles were back and better than ever.

There really were some touching moments in the episode though, that really help us remember some of the early writing that made us fall in love with these characters and this show. Hook hearing Emma tell him that she loved another man was a very heartfelt interaction.

Also, Regina burying her heart in the forest because it was easier not to feel the pain of losing Henry was a very real moment that made us forget that her heart was literally sitting in dirt on the ground. Also she didn’t even clean it off before putting her heart back in her chest … gross.

Overall, I actually really liked the episode. It might not seem like it from everything written before this, but it’s my love of this show that allows me to have a good time watching it and joking about these characters as if I legitimately know them. That’s not something you find in every show, and OUAT has really captured these characters and made them a part of our lives.

If Hook was a bigger part of my life though, I wouldn’t complain.

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THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Coffee Break

Page 12

COFFEE BREAK Page Designed by Danica Ceballos

Point/Counterpoint: Teen suing parents Flaws in Rachel Canning’s case

Contributing Writer

Meaghan Kirby

Robert Hagstrom

Assistant News Editor

CNN recently reported that a New Jersey gain from them. CNN reported that Canning In the latest case of teenage rebellion, eyes to the world around her. Many young teenager has sued her parents who she claimed also wants her parents to pay for her living and New Jersey teen Rachel Canning is suing her adults who grow up with enviable lives nevforced her out of her home and refused to pay travel expenses as well as her legal bills. parents for her college tuition. While in my er look beyond their comfortable bubble to for her private high school tuition and college If she can’t even afford to sue her parents, opinion, her parents should not be required see the harsh realities of life. then she shouldn’t be trying to at all. This story to pay for her college education, I believe is filled with all kinds of oddities.

Canning’s lawsuit has opened the world to But one question is central to the Canthe financial bubble many upper middle ning situation. Are kids fully entitled to their class and wealthy children live in. parents paying for their education and outside Much like Ethan Couch, the teen who living expenses? They aren’t entitled; it’s just killed four people in a drunk driving accithat their parents save their money over the dent and successfully used “affluenza” as a years, so when the time comes, they can afford defense tactic that blamed his actions on his the payments. wealth, Canning is using her privileged upAttending college is an investment in bringing to force her parents to pay for her one’s future, and an expensive one at that. education. Can “affluenza” really be considParents who are fortunate enough to be able ered a serious defense or is it a sorry excuse to afford a college education for their child for an over-privileged lifestyle? shouldn’t be legally bound to pay for it, espeRachel Canning has lived a very forcially when they are forced to do so by the last tunate life. Her hometown of Lincoln Park, person they would expect: their own child.

N.J., has a median household of roughly Why should they? A parent’s love for a $88,000 per year and she attends a private child is the driving force to save money to afhigh school that costs almost $13,000 each ford it. But if that love is lost, parents shouldn’t year. Due to her privileged lifestyle, Canhave to forfeit their earnings to their kids if ning has an inability to understand the fithey don’t want to. nancial independence of becoming an adult, At that point, the child, or in this case Raa case clearly proven by the fact that the lawPhoto Illustration by Luigi DiMeglio / The Mirror chel Canning, doesn’t deserve tuition money suit is being paid for by John Inglesino, the Mom and Dad, I need your money. that her parents had worked so hard for. Being father of Canning’s best friend. Inglesino sued by a family member is unthinkable, but in claims he is just trying to ensure that Caneducation. light of this case, we can begin to think about ning can attend the college of her dreams.

My hope for Canning is that she loses Rachel Canning, the girl who made head- what our loved ones mean to us.

Canning’s world doesn’t involve hav- the lawsuit against her parents, not because I lines with this outrageous situation, claims that I believe that receiving a college educaing to take out student loans like thousands think she is a horrible person, but because I her parents mistreating her is enough justifica- tion is not only an investment, but also a gift of students across America every year. The think it’ll open her eyes to the real world and tion to sue them in order for her to continue from a child’s parents to help them strive for a concept of having to provide for oneself end up being the best thing to happen to her. going to school. And that’s not all she hopes to better future. Rachel Canning has shown her once hitting legal age is completely foreign true colors in suing her parents for fito her. While she cannot be blamed Editor’s note: nancial assistance and needs a reality for having the privilege and opportuPoint/Counterpoint wants to give students on campus a chance to voice their opinions on specific issues. The topics must be check if she wins this lawsuit against nities she’s been fortunate enough to relevant to a majority of the student population and can be a current event or a long-standing issue. If you would like to be her parents. have, Canning has never opened her featured in the column, contact info@fairfieldmirror.com.

Stags Say ...

Notable Quotes

Delicia Alarcon | Senior I’m so excited, actually, because I missed Kendrick Lamar when I was abroad so to see a hip-hop artist who’s been in the news and the media with all these other people ... I’m excited.

Alexis Ellis | Sophomore

What’s your opinion on FUSA’s selection of Juicy J for the spring concert?

Juliana Bassett| Senior It’s cool that he’s coming, but I’d be thrilled if he brought Katy Perry with him.

I like any kind of music, honestly, but like I’m not so thrilled with it.

I wish it was like another genre or something because I feel like no bands really come any more.

Brenna Weill | Freshman Alessandro Iannuzzi Senior Honestly, I don’t know him. They brought Kendrick Lamar to school before I knew about him and now he’s one of my favorite rappers and I regret not going to that concert so I’m going to give Mr. J a listen and see if he’s any good.

I think it’s good. I don’t know if I’ll go.

Sports

Page 13

THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Weekly 4x5

Because they like to talk ...

Your 2013-2014 4x5 Columnists:

Jennifer Calhoun, Luigi DiMeglio, Thomas Shea and special guest Robert Joyce

How did you take advantage of the 50-degree weather on Tuesday?

How would you rate men's lacrosse's victory over Yale?

Coach Pittenger and Katinger have announced they're leaving the volleyball team. Rate their success.

What's your favorite ESPN 30 for 30?

Are you going to watch Lindsey Lohan's new reallity show?

I mean they were the 10th best team in the nation and to beat them in such a dramatic fashion on home soil has to give us a lot of momentum for the next few games.

They have been absolutely incredible for the program. They've made Fairfield Volleyball into one of the most consistently great teams we have. They will be missed greatly.

Best of luck!

Um shameless self promotion: "Requiem for the Big East" airs Sunday and your friendly neighborhood sports editor might have a credit in it.

"Birth of Big Air" is real great too.

Is her twin going to be in it?

Jennifer Calhoun Sports Editor

It was nice to walk to class and not have tears in your eyes from the cold. No, instead it was tears from having to go to class.

A beautiful day for student life at Fairfield. Great turnout and an exciting match to go with it. Keep it up!

I can only imagine that these volleyball coaches were stellar based on how well the team has done.

Was it edited by John Tessitore '12?

Luigi DiMeglio Managing Editor

Sat in my underwear on the Quad doing homework. Owen Corey had some blues playing on the porch.

Washed-up girl with a drug history, money and wants attention?

Is this related to those "Fairfield Singles" lawn signs around town?

Meat.

Thomas Shea Multimedia Manager

Robert Joyce Ray Liotta Impersonator/ Staff Writer

I was so outdoorsy. I opened the window AND the blinds in my house as I sat on the couch all day, and then drove with the windows down to class that would be an absurd fiveminute walk otherwise. Sometimes I think I lead too active of a lifestyle.

LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS.

It's a potential season changer. Plus, ever since I blacked out at Yale over winter break, I've wanted some revenge on our future senators of America, so it was a personal victory for me.

That's actually pretty sweet.

Pittenger and Katinger have been nothing but helpful and genuine to me in my two years covering the team and I wish them nothing but the absolute best. Wherevery they go, I'm sure they'll find success. As coaches and people, they get a 10 out of 10.

Who are they?

Seriously though . . .

THAT'S WHAT I DID ALL TUESDAY.

What to watch for:

Just talking about her in a paper that "Four Days in October." I'm really looking forward to "Requiem for the Big about 10 people are going to read is giving her too much attention. God, I East," Jen, but nothing can instantaneously put me in a better mood than think I can smell her from here. Has watching Alan Embree get Ruben Sierra there ever been someone who is less apto ground out to Pokey Reese and hear- pealing to all the five senses? It's been a rough run since "Parent Trap," eh LiLo? ing Castiglione's call. Instant chills.

"The Marinovitch Project," and "Unguarded." Both are stories about how drugs can ruin the lives of promising athletes, how it can happen to anyone, and how some ahtletes can kill it while secretly stoned as the dickens.

No.

What you missed: Wednesday:

Friday:

Women's tennis fell to UConn, 7-0

Baseball at Delaware, 3 p.m.

Thursday:

Women's lacrosse at New Hampshire, 3 p.m.

Saturday:

Men's basketball lost to St. Peter's 65-62 (OT)

Friday:

Men's lacrosse vs. Stony Brook, 1 p.m.

Women's basketball lost to Rider, 63-56

Baseball at Delaware, 1 p.m.

Saturday:

Softball vs. University of Hartford, 11:45 a.m.

Baseball defeated George Mason, 3-11 (11 innings) Men's lacrosse defeated Yale, 12-11 (OT)

Sunday:

Softball vs. Hofstra, 2 p.m.

Tuesday:

Men's lacrosse vs. UMass, 3 p.m.

Baseball at St. John's, 3 p.m.

Men's tennis defeated Lafayette, 7-0 Women's tennis defeated Lafayette 6-1 Women's lacrosse defeated Vermont, 10-9

Sunday:

Baseball split with George Mason, 6-1 and 4-9

Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Stags win in support of Wounded Warrior Project

By Jesse Erickson Contributing Writer

On Saturday, March 8, at Alumni Field, the women’s lacrosse team was ready to “Face Off for a Cause” against the Vermont Catamounts. As a proud supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project, the Stags were determined to get a victory against the Catamounts to show the injured servicemen and women the respect that Fairfield has for all the sacrifices they have made in order to keep the country safe.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a project that was formed shortly after 9/11 and its main purpose is to “raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, help injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.” Through the funds raised, the project is able to focus on both mind and body empowerment to help men and women recover.

After defense and midfielder Shelby Iopace ‘16 was finally able to bring the project to Fairfield, she was willing to do everything possible in order to make the event successful.

As fans made their donations to the project, the bleachers began to fill with hundreds of students, families and service members. The

atmosphere of the game helped the team get off to a strong start in the first half of the game. In an intense first half, Vermont and Fairfield were constantly battling to take the lead. Vermont, who at the time was undefeated 5-0, attempted to prove their dominance over the Stags by scoring the first two goals of the first half.

However, Julieanne Mascera ‘16 of Fairfield, answered back and scored two consecutive goals for the Stags. As the half continued, the Catamounts put three more points on the scoreboard, while the Stags concluded the first half with four more goals, putting them ahead 6-5.

Sophomore Colleen Reynolds scored three consecutive goals for Fairfield in the first half. Vermont relentlessly tried to finish off the first half as the stronger team, but Chelsey Sidaras ‘16 was able to stop seven of their 13 shots.

The Stags never allowed the undefeated record of Vermont to get in the way of their expectations for the game.

“It was scary, but we knew we could do it because we had been working hard and practicing hard and playing close games,” said Iopace. “We knew what we had to do, we were very confident and the atmosphere helped us go into the game hard.”

Maintaining the same attitude as the first half, the Stags went into the second half hoping to get the

victory. However, Vermont wasn’t about to give up their perfect record without a battle. At the start of the half, Fairfield was ahead 6-5. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, Courtney Chmill ‘15 made the first unassisted shot of the half while her captain, Melanie Raso ‘14, scored the next two goals for the Stags. Assisted by Mascera, Jenna Slowey ‘14 was able to net the last goal for the Stags in the second half. With 12 minutes left in the game, the team was ahead of the Catamounts 10-5 and a win

looked hopeful. But with seven minutes left in the game, Fairfield was forced to play with extreme defense as Vermont’s offense made every attempt to make the game even. Vermont made the next four goals of the game, but Fairfield’s defense, led by Meghan Reda ‘15, was able to hold Vermont off and win the game, 10-9.

“We were able to win the second half because we support each other a lot so I think that helped knowing that we would always be there to have each other’s

backs,” stated Iopace. “Even when we made a mistake, we knew that we could just make it up and move on to the next play right after.”

Handing Vermont their first loss of the season, the Stags couldn’t have been happier with their performance or with the turnout and success of their event.

Looking ahead, now 3-2, the team will be taking on New Hampshire and UConn. The team is looking forward to using these out-ofconference games to prepare for games in the MAAC league.

Senior Jenna Slowey controls the ball in a game earlier in the season.

WHAT’S MORE

IMPRESSIVE THAN OUR STATS? OUR GRADUATES.

At Quinnipiac University, our students are our main focus. It’s why we offer graduate degrees in fields ranging from business to health sciences. It’s also why Quinnipiac was ranked among the top master’s-level universities in the North by U.S. News & World Report and first in the northern region in U.S. News’ Up-and-Coming Schools category.

Education Elementary Secondary Educational Leadership Teacher Leadership*

Communications Interactive Media** Journalism Public Relations

Law

Medicine Health Sciences

Nursing Arts & Sciences

Anesthesiologist Assistant Biomedical Sciences Cardiovascular Perfusion Occupational Therapy (post-professional)* Pathologists’ Assistant Physician Assistant Radiologist Assistant

Molecular & Cell Biology Social Work

Business Information Technology* MBA** MBA-CFA® Track (Chartered Financial Analyst)

MBA/HCM (Health Care Management)** MBA-SCM (Supply Chain Management) MBA/JD (Joint degree in business and law) Organizational Leadership* * Program offered only online **Program offered on campus or online

To find out how Quinnipiac can help you succeed in your career, call 1-800-462-1944, e-mail graduate@quinnipiac.edu or visit www.quinnipiac.edu/gradprograms.

1-800-462-1944 | Hamden & North Haven, Connecticut

Sports

THE MIRROR | Week of March 12, 2014

Page 15

A look at the MAAC Tournament Photos by Thomas Shea/ The Mirror Top left: Senior Maurice Barrow embraces former Stag Jamel Fields. Top middle: The women's team looks on as they fall to Rider. Top right: Barrow puts up a shot for the Stags. Bottom left: Senior Katie Cizynski drives to the basket for the Stags. Bottom middle: Members of the pep band perform at the MAACs. Bottom Right: Sophomore Coleman Johnson dunks for the Stags.

Stags take down Yale in overtime thriller

By Travis Day Contributing Writer Senior Eric Warden buried the overtime goal to give the Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse a 12-11 victory, their first ever against the Yale Bulldogs. It was Warden's third goal of the game, assisted by Colin McLinden '15.

“I think after starting the season 2-0 with good wins, we certainly got humbled during our last two outings,” Stags Coach Andy Copelan said. “We knew we had a real opportunity with the #10 team in the country coming to our home turf.”

Fairfield – coming off two straight losses to unranked opponents – came out firing, with

TJ Neubauer '16 netting the first goal just 16 seconds in. He would fire home another at the 10-minute mark in the first quarter. Yale's Shane Thornton would score two goals of his own to draw level with 6:07 to play. Two Stag goals from Conor Dalton '16 and Jake Knostman '17 pushed the lead to 4-2 before Yale would pull within one with just under 30 seconds left in the first.

The Stags would strike first again in the second quarter, with Warden netting his first of the game on an extra-man opportunity at the 8:09 mark. The Bulldogs would match two more Fairfield goals, but Knostman would have the last word, firing in a goal with 1:58 to play.

Fairfield would take a 7-5 lead into

halftime.

Fairfield would again find the back of the net first in the third quarter, with Warden driving his second goal home 48 seconds in.

Both offenses found their stride, as two goals from Yale's Conrad Oberbeck would again pull the Bulldogs back within one. The Stags seemed to seize control as three unanswered goals opened up an 11-7 lead, the largest of the game.

However, Yale was not to be counted out. They would net four unanswered goals, including Mark Glicini's game-tying shot, making it 11-11 with 4:34 to play. This marked the first tie since the scoreless opening seconds.

The 1,143 in attendance at Alumni Field witnessed a nail-

biting end to regulation. Yale would threaten Stag goalkeeper Jack Murphy '14 for most of the final three minutes. Oberbeck would fire another shot just wide with four seconds left before Coach Andy Shay called a timeout to set up a last shot for the Bulldogs.

Yale nearly stole this one, as the ball found its way to Oberbeck again, who forced a wild save from Murphy on the line as time expired.

The overtime period saw early pressure from the Bulldogs. They would fire a shot just high and another off the right post before Fairfield would finally clear and used their one allowed overtime timeout with 2:39 left to play.

The Stags slowed the pace, testing the Yale defense before

McLinden again found an open Warden, who sent a low shot past goalkeeper Eric Natale with 1:26 left. The Fairfield crowd erupted as the Stags rushed the field, piling on top of their game winner.

Warden and Neubauer each chipped in three goals, with McLinden providing a career-high six assists and a goal of his own.

“After our last couple of games it was huge to get that goal. We needed something to spark the start of our new season,” Warden said.

“From start to finish, it was just the energy and togetherness we had.

Without that, you can't beat a team like Yale.”

Fairfield returns to action on March 15, hosting Stony Brook at Alumni Field.

SPORTS 16 Sports Editor: Jennifer Calhoun » sports@fairfieldmirror.com

Week of March 12, 2014

Sad end in Springfield WOMEN'S

The Fairfield women’s basketball team was defeated by the Rider Broncs in the MAAC Tournament this Friday at a score of 63-57. Though the Stags controlled the game in the first half, the tides quickly turned as the Broncs relied on their shooting to give them an advantage in the second period.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight coming in and we’re obviously disappointed,” said Coach Joe Frager after the loss. “I’m very proud of this team. These kids have worked so hard to put themselves in the position that they were in tonight.”

Senior Katie Cizynski led the team in scoring with 15 points while Felicia DaCruz ’15 had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. For Rider, MyNeshia McKenzie led the team with 28 points and 16 rebounds. However, it

was Rider’s Stephanie Mason who gave the Broncs the edge with her elite threepoint shooting in the second half.

“That was a five- to six-minute stretch where we didn’t perform up to where we wanted to,” said Coach Frager.

“We lost [Mason] a couple of times in the zone defense and that’s on us. Due to our foul situation, we were forced into that defense.”

Mason made four three-pointers in a span of four minutes to give her team their first lead of the second half.

As that half progressed, the Stags were having trouble making baskets and found themselves falling behind in the game.

Throughout most of the game, Coach Frager left his five starters out on the court and they scored the vast majority of Fairfield’s baskets. Freshman Kristine Miller scored the team’s lone bench point on a free throw. Fairfield

was outscored by Rider in bench points at 20-1. One of Rider’s biggest bench scorers, Mason, made all the difference in this game with her 14 points that helped decide the game.

Another big factor that kept the Stags out of this contest was Cizynski’s foul trouble early on in the game.

Though Fairfield had a 28-24 lead at halftime, she was only able to score two of their points as she sat with two early fouls.

“It’s always hard to sit on the sidelines and it’s obviously not a position I wanted to be in,” said Cizynski. “For the first half, we only had them by four. It would have been nice to go into halftime a little more ahead.”

To start off the game, Fairfield went on a nice 11-0 run to give themselves an early lead. However, Rider slowly fought back into the contest. McKenzie was a force in the paint in this half as

she finished it with 17 points and five rebounds. The Stags had a difficult time guarding her, but did a nice job of forcing the Broncs to shoot just 30.8 percent from the floor for that period.

To open up the second half, the Stags looked strong as they got off to a 5-0 run in the first few minutes. At this point, Cizynski was playing and putting up points to show for it. Shortly into the period, she had 10 second-half points and helped to extend the lead Fairfield had at halftime.

“I don’t think there was any strategy change offensively. One of the reasons we build that lead up was because we were able to go inside to Katie,” said Coach Frager. “Then, teams make adjustments. When they start to send a second defender, they made it harder for us to get the ball in.”

With about 11 minutes left to go in the game, Fairfield had a comfortable

By Patrick Kiernan Contributing Writer

lead over Rider at a score of 41-32.

Shortly after, the freshman Mason began to hit her shots. In a matter of just four minutes, she managed to connect on four three-pointer shots and eventually gave her team the lead.

Trailing at 54-50 with just 1:18 to play, Fairfield resorted to fouling to try and stop the deficit. However, the Rider Broncs managed to go 12-14 from the free throw line in the second half and maintain their lead. With the score at 63-57, the Stags tried to make some shots as the final seconds dwindled down, but to no avail. They saw their time at the MAAC Tournament come to an end at the hands of the Rider Broncs.

“There’s a lot thrown into a fourday period of time,” said Frager about the tournament. “But it’s hard to be good over three months and this team was very good over three months and exceeded our expectations.”

Men's basketball's head coach Sydney Johnson looks on as his team's hopes for advancing in the MAAC Tournament slips away. The Stags fell to St. Peter's 65-62 on a last-minute three-pointer.

MEN'S In the first round of the MAAC Tournament, the no. 10 Fairfield men’s basketball team lost to the no. 7 Saint Peter’s Peacocks on a game-winning three-point shot from Desi Washington ’15 in overtime. Washington hit the shot with just 1.4 seconds left on the clock to preserve the Peacocks a 65-62 victory and a spot in the next round of the tournament.

On the last possession, Marcus Gilbert ’16, Stevie Johnston ’15 and K.J. Rose ’17 all rose up to defend the shot in Washington’s hands. He managed to get the shot off above all of their hands and hit the very deep shot. Thus ended the Stags’ hopes of a tournament shot as well as the Fairfield career for Maurice Barrow ‘14, the sole senior on the team.

“It’s especially hard for Mo,” said Coach Sydney Johnson. “He’s an outstanding young man who has been willing us many times throughout the season.”

“I give it up to my teammates because we’ve been in a lot of close games,” said Barrow. “I owe it to my parents because they helped make me who I am.”

Fairfield struggled with fouls all throughout the night and it showed early on in the game. After the Stags got off to an early 7-3 lead, the Peacocks fought back on a 9-0 run, using Fairfield’s fouls to their advantage. Just seven minutes into the game, the Stags had already committed five fouls and were losing at a score of 12-10.

From this point on until the end of the first half, both teams exchanged baskets while also accumulating fouls.

One blunder in Fairfield’s game was the amount of three-pointers that they shot and missed. In the first half, the Stags were 28.6 percent from beyond the arc and shot just 29.4 percent from there for the whole game.

This led to the Stags exploring the paint much more throughout the game, according to Johnson.

“Attacking the basket some more

would have produced more buckets.

That being said, we had some clear looks at the rim to get it done,” said Johnson.

Another problem for the Stags throughout this contest was rebounding. They were out-rebounded by the Peacocks 42-26. St. Peter’s was able to haul in 15 offensive rebounds and score 19 second-chance points, while Fairfield had just four offensive rebounds and seven second-chance points.

At the end of the first half, the game was tied at a score of 30-30 thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer.

To begin the second half, both teams exchanged baskets for a while again.

The Stags quickly found themselves in foul trouble as they were in the bonus about halfway through the period.

With just two minutes remaining in regulation, Fairfield was leading at a score of 56-55. Both Washington and Marvin Dominique ’15 hit shots and free throws to keep the Peacocks in the game. Then, with just thirty seconds

left, Dominique hit a free throw to tie the game at 58-58. After two timeouts, Gilbert had a layup attempt that bounced off the side of the rim and fell to the floor as the buzzer rang.

“I want to tip my hat to Fairfield because they are a very difficult team to play against,” said St. Peter’s Head Coach John Dunne. “They’re very good defensively and take you out of everything you want to do.”

So, the game went into overtime.

The first basket in this period was scored by Barrow to give the Stags a 60-58 lead. Later baskets by Quadir Welton ’17 and Kris Rolle ’15 gave the Peacocks a 62-60 lead. With just six seconds left, Barrow then connected on a putback lay-up to tie the game.

At this point, the unthinkable happened. Washington took the ball upcourt quickly and elevated over three Fairfield defenders from well beyond the three-point line. To the amazement of many spectators, he hit the shot with just a second and change to spare. For the third time this season,

Washington hit a game-winning shot in the last seconds of a game against Fairfield.

“There’s a little luck on our side,” said Washington about hitting three game-winning shots against Fairfield.

“It all happened so fast. Whenever we give ourselves a chance to win like that, we always feel that we can win the game.”

This shot ultimately put an end to the Fairfield men’s basketball season that had been not as successful as they wanted it to be.

The Stags have many young players for future seasons, though.

Johnson thinks that these athletes will propel the team to victory in seasons to come.

“The future is bright because I can tell these guys to be like him [Mo]. He’s a huge part of our future even though we won’t see him in a uniform again,” said Johnson. “He empowers me to push these guys hard because that’s what I did to him and he answered the call every time.”