IndexOpinion • Page 7

Features • Page 9

Arts & Entertainment • Page 11

Coffee Break • Page 13

Sports • Page 20

Inside This WeekEconomic Breakdown of a Study Abroad ExperienceSee page 4.

Check out our Web site! Log onto fairfieldmirror.com to check out more!

fairfieldmirror.comThe Mirror

FREE | Take one

Week of Dec. 2, 2009 | Vol. 35, Iss. 12 The Reflection of Fairfield

The Independent Student Newspaper of Fairfield University

Perlitz Trial Delayed

By Mikaela TierneyAssistant News Editor

It’s that time of year again – time to sell back old textbooks for a fraction of what you paid for them back in the beginning the semester.

Some students have been creative with the selling of books once courses have ended, but many still turn to the Fairfield bookstore in hopes of getting at least a few dollars back.

Fairfield’s book-store is operated by eFollet, the same company that controls bookstores at col-leges and universities nationwide, including Boston College and Loyola University in New Orleans.

According to the eFollett book buyback guidelines, “If an in-structor has requested your textbook for next

term, then the value increas-es,” sometimes up to half of the book’s original price.

Additionally, the guide-lines say, “Textbooks will be purchased until we reach our shelf stock limit.” The first stu-dents to sell books back will be most likely to get the high-est buyback prices. Once the bookstore reaches its quota, students are sometimes out of

luck. Books can be purchased by the bookstore to be sent to other bookstores or won’t be purchased at all.

Even when the bookstore does offer to buy the books back, students may sell them back at a much lower value than the original price. The bookstore can buy back a used edition of a book, like Introduction To Public Speak-ing textbook for CO 101, for $29 and then sell the same used copy the next semester to students for $89.50, accord-ing to the eFollet Web site.

Because the bookstore is known for its low sellback prices, some students turn to services other than the book-store to sell back their used textbooks.

“I’m selling some of my books to my friends who are taking the same classes next semester, or I’ll sell them on Amazon or another Web site,” said Victoria Niles ’13.

Bargaining your Books

Tips | page 5

By Amber NowakStaff Writer

Unpack your bags, greet friends, and … head to the registrar? As students return to Fairfield from Thanksgiving break nearly two weeks after the initial registration period, some are still working on getting into the classes they need.

The relatively new registration system, which was first employed for the Spring 2009 semester, differs from the for-mer method. Now preference is not given to majors or minors within a department.

Instead, particular time slots are allotted to students by class, with priority given to upperclassmen.

But for according to underclass-men, particularly sophomores who juggle getting started on the core and applying themselves to their majors and minors, the process is less than equal.

Joey D’Alessio ‘12, an English and Jazz double major, said, “I did not want to take core classes next semester, so that I could instead focus on the classes I’ll need for my majors. Because majors cannot register first, I’m stuck e-mailing professors. Hopefully I can get written

into the classes I need.”Several departments use the roll out

system to restrict registration for certain courses, to majors (or minors) only or to a certain graduating class. For instance, the Dolan School of Business limits introduc-tory courses to students who are majors in the business school during the first week of registration in order to allow business majors the opportunity to register for their core business classes. Students who have a minor within the School of Business but are majoring in another school (i.e. College of Arts and Sciences) have to wait

until several days after the initial registra-tion period to register for the introductory business classes they need to begin their minors.

Associ-ate professor and Chair of the Marketing department Mark Ligas stated, “Intro-ductory courses only have holds for business

minors who are not majoring within the School of Business. Only for 101 courses is there a preference for business students.”

He encourages students who do not get into the classes they need the first time around, to “seek the advisement of chairs and professors” after the first week of registration.

“I am very happy with the registra-tion process. I did not experience any dif-ficulty getting into the classes I needed,” says marketing major Michelle Hughes ‘12. Conversely, journalism major Eric

Registration Reruns

AfTermATh | page 5

Finals Fever Causes Stress for StudentsSee page 3.

Peter Caty/The Mirror

The men’s and women’s cross country teams closed out their campaign at the 2009 IC4A/ECAC championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. The men’s team was paced by junior Ben Heslin who finished 43rd overall while the women’s team was led by sophomore Kristen Golen who recorded Fairfield’s fastest 5K time at Van Cortlandt Park in program history.

Ali Foreman/The Mirror

For some students, registration is still occurring, due to the relatively new registration process.

Ali Russoniello/The Mirror

By Chris SimmonsManaging Editor

In a motion filed on Nov. 25, the legal team for Doug Perlitz ‘92 asked the U.S. District Court to re-set the deadlines for the filing of pre-trial mo-tions and the start of jury selection. The pre-trial motions were due to be filed on Oct. 29 while jury selection was scheduled to start on Dec. 2.

The defense for Perlitz argued that both the gov-ernment and the defense have been principally occupied with detention hearings on Perlitz’s pos-sible release on bond.

Perlitz’s lawyers have also yet to receive any discovery from the government, ex-cept for the government’s initial discovery letter on Oct. 29. But “significant

initial production will be made early in the week of Nov. 30,” according to court documents.

Because of the large volume of material to review and the preoccupa-tion with the detention

hearings, the defense has requested an extension until Jan. 29, 2010 for the filing of pretrial motions. The defense also requested that jury selection be delayed until April 2010, but also admitted that it is extremely difficult to know if that is a realistic trial date at this time with the logis-tics of investigation and gathering witnesses from a foreign country.

The Assistant U.S. Attorney Krishna Patel did not object to the motion and the defendant waived his right to a speedy trial.

The U.S. Attorney’s office could not be reached by press time for comment.

OnlineCheck fairfieldmirror.com for more coverage as story continues.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 2

Campus Crime beat

By Dan LeitaoStaff Writer

Wednesday, Nov. 18

12:40 a.m. The east side of the Early Learning Center wall was struck by a vehicle. There were no injuries reported

Saturday, Nov. 21

1:51 p.m. Theft of a GPS was reported.

Sunday, Nov. 22

12:24 a.m. Disorderly conduct was reported in a townhouse. The house was subsequently also written up for overcrowding.

12:45 a.m. An assault was reported at the townhouse gate. A nonstudent was is-sued a criminal trespassing warning and the student required minor medical treatment.

2:35 p.m. A vehicle was vandalized in the town-house parking lot. The side rearview mirror was knocked off the vehicle.

8:22 p.m. A vehicle was vandalized in the Ko-stka parking lot. The side rearview mirror was knocked off the vehicle.

Monday, Nov. 23

8:54 p.m. Three banners were stolen from the rear gym parking lot. The case is under investigation.

Time Not Available: Two separate incidents of drug paraphanelia were dis-covered during health and safety inspections. Both were referred to judicial.

Better Know a Stag By the NumbersWho: Jenn Zocco ‘10What is your favorite Fairfield tradition? My favorite tradition is the 9 p.m. student mass on Sundays, I love start-ing the week off with friends and the beautiful music of the Lord’s Chords!

What was your favorite part of studying abroad? Last year I studied in Nicaragua and the best part by far was all the wonderful friends, both from Fairfield and Nicaragua, that I made that semester.

Why did you want to lead a service trip to Nicaragua this winter? I had an amazing, life-chang-ing experience when I went on my first international service trip to the Philippines so I wanted to be able to help other students have that same opportunity.

What are you most excited about for the trip? I’m most excited to be able to return to Nicaragua and experience it in a new way with a new group of people!

481Million dollars “New Moon” has grossed worldwide thus far

since its opening.

210Number of days, from Wednesday, until the new movie in the

Twilight Saga, “Eclipse,” comes out in theaters.

72.7Million dollars “New Moon” earned on its first release day.

4Number of books in the Twilight Saga.

2Straight weeks “New Moon” was number one at the box office.

PAGE 2» Let’s Hug It Out

| page 8

» ‘New Moon’ is Good, But Not Worth the Hype

| page 11

»Freshman Needham leads Stags to 4-2 start, coach Cooley reach-es 100th game

|page 20

In The News

Monday kicked off the AIDS Awareness Week at the University with a number of AIDS Memorial Quilts made to commemorate various AIDS victims hung around the lower level of the BCC. On Monday night, a video was aired to educate students on AIDS and the importance in finding a cure. A number of programs are scheduled for the week, in-cluding a talk by alum Marco Ambrosio ‘07, who has traveled the world in HIV research.

Stag, Lucas

By Mikaela Tierney

Airing Out AIDS AwarenessPeter Caty/The Mirror

the Stag Schedthis week on campus... in five easy steps

Attend and Give: Stags Doubleheader at the

arena

This is the men’s basketball team’s first game against Marist this year. Also, the Stu-dent Alumni Association is collecting Teddy Bears to give to children for Christmas. Bring a bear, and you get free admission!

Shop: Sisters Inspiring Sisters fund-raiser

Starting Monday, Sisters Inspiring Sisters is selling AfterSoles and CitySlips, which are ballet flats that fold or roll up so they are about the size of your cell phone. What woman wouldn’t want to slip these into their bag to change into when their heels start to kill them?

Listen: Glee Club Christmas Concert

Get into the Christmas spirit and support your friends at the same time! Glee is one of the largest clubs on cam-pus, so you definitely have friends who are in it. Plus, it always sound amazing, whether they’re singing ‘Silent Night,’ or modern Christmas tunes.

Play: Santa’s Workshop

There’s no way to “bah humbug” at this event. What’s your favorite Christmas activity? Chances are, you can do it here with almost 200 fellow Stags.

News

Decorate: Your Dorm

My apartment set up our Christmas tree and lights before Thanksgiving. There’s no better way to make your dorm feel even more comfortable and homey than by preparing for the holidays. Plus, it’s fantastic roomie bonding time!

By Veronica FlorentinoOpinion Editor

Williams

Page 3The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009News

Von Arx Joins Presidents’ Trust

University President Jeffrey Von Arx recently an-nounced that he had joined the national Presidents’ Trust, which is a new association created by the As-sociation of American Colleges and Universities.

Von Arx joined leaders from 81 other colleges and universities nationwide whose mission is to pro-mote liberal arts educations, according to a Univer-sity press release.

“At Fairfield, we want to ensure that our gradu-ates are ready to face the challenges of the 21st century with a rigorous mind, informed by compas-sion and rooted in self-awareness,” said Von Arx in the press release.

What does Jewish look like?

Fairfield University: Personal. Powerful. Jewish?The University is established on a Jesuit founda-

tion with Jesuit teachings, but Judaism recently took center stage.

Author and scholar Ken Koltun-Fromm, Ph.D., brought his knowledge of Judaic studies to Fairfield on Nov. 19 with his lecture, “What Does Jewish Look Like?”

Koltun-Fromm’s has focused his attention on how Jews see themselves as American Jews. The im-ages he displayed showed certain aspects of Jewish life, yet left some things unsaid.

“Blindness to my mind is part of what it means to see,” he said.

“Seeing Judaism is not so much what we see but how we imagine what we see,” he said.

Check out fairfieldmirror.com for the full article by Cavan Sieczkowski on Koltun-Fromm’s visit to Fairfield.

Fairfield Signs Emergency Help Pact

A Bridgeport News article Tuesday said that Fairfield, along with Sacred Heart University, the Uni-versity of Bridgeport, and St. Vincent’s College, has signed a pact in which the four universities will assist each other in emergency situations.

According to the article, the universities have agreed to “collaborate emergency management plans” in case of a man-made or natural disaster.

In the KnowFairfield News Briefs

By Keri HarrisonNews Editor

By Meghan SchelziMultimedia Editor

Pose for peace. That’s the goal for the University’s “Pos-ing for Peace: A Fashion Show. An Exploration” event being held on Monday in honor of the Year of Activism. Chandler Oliphant ‘12 is the program director, along with the Peace and Justice Studies department. The show plans to raise awareness about the popular peace sign culture. The Mirror sat down with Oliphant to discuss the upcoming show.

The Mirror: What is your role for the show?Chandler Oliphant: Since I sit on the Peace and Justice

Studies Department’s Steering Committee, I had the op-portunity to write a part of the Humanities Institute Grant, and the part that I wrote happened to be “Posing for Peace.” My role is as program director. I owe a lot to the student volunteers who have reached out to me and have helped me make this whole event possible.

TM: From where did this idea grow?CO: “Posing for Peace” is a part of the University’s

“Year of Activism” theme and the School of Arts and Sci-ences’ Humanities Institute Grant. Several other students have organized events and programs that have contributed to/will contribute to the “Year of Activism” as well.

TM: What message do you want audiences to take

from the show?CO: Peace symbols have become a huge part of today’s

consumer culture — they saturate the markets and the malls and are all over stores and shops. I do not only want to make the people in the audience question why they buy the peace sign, though, I also want them to think about whether or not the items that explicitly display peace symbols are truly made with peaceful procedures and for peaceful purposes. We can produce items that explicitly display images of peace, but those images are empty be-cause they, ironically, violate the definition of peace. Thus, we do not practice what we preach — we do not promote what we produce.

TM: Where will the money raised go?CO: The money that we raise will be going to the

Women’s Cooperative in Nicaragua whose T-shirts will be modeled on the catwalk. These T-shirts, unlike many of the other T-shirts that will be modeled embody the essence of peace. They are made with fair labor by the women of the cooperative, but more importantly, they are made in order to create jobs for the women of the cooperative who make them. Thus, the shirts display peace AND promote peace.

Finally, there will be a supply drive for the troops set up. Since “Posing for Peace” is on Dec. 7, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we are tying in a militarism component to juxtapose peace with war, and to explore how militarism, peace, and consumerism tie into each other in today’s

world. With that said, people are encouraged to bring items such as hats, candy, puzzles, tan/white socks, baby wipes, etc to donate to the troops overseas.

TM: What does the peace sign mean to you?

CO: I think that the peace sign has been overused in our culture, and because of that, it has lost a lot of its meaning. I think that we should reevaluate the peace sign and truly consider what it means to us on a personal, individual level. After doing that, we will be able to apply it more generally to our world, and in doing so, understand what peace means on a larger scale. But if we just continue to drench ourselves with the peace sign, we are going to drown our understanding of it.

TM: How much interest has there been in students donating/volunteering with this project/initiative?

CO: I am so inspired by my peers and so humbled by the fact that they have been so responsive to this project. All of the clothing and accessories that will be modeled on the catwalk are students, all of the models are students, all of the delicious treats will be made by students, and all of the tables at the event will be staffed by students.

Posing with Chandler Oliphant

Finals Fever Causes Stress for StudentsBy Charlotte Adinolfi

Staff Writer

Hot chocolate, candy canes, Christmas lights, stockings hung off the Loyola commons piano and final grades under the tree; hopes of a Christmas party for the weekend but all there is to look forward to is a study session.

“This is my favorite time of year and I don’t even get to enjoy it,” said Christina Maffei ‘12.

It’s finals time on campus and the anticipation of Christmas is lacking the usual excitement. Students across cam-pus are locked either in their rooms or the library preparing for the long week ahead. As the semester dwindles down to four weeks, students are beginning to mentally stabilize themselves for what lays on their horizon.

For students who are apprehen-sive about handling this task, there is Counseling and Psychological Services. The staff is prepared to help students manage the stress of finals.

Student agree on the difficulties of stress during finals.

Students like Rich Wolf ‘12 find it hard to manage the final push. “It is so hard to make sure I can find time to study for all five of my classes, espe-cially if I have two finals on the same day,” said Wolf.

Maffei experiences the same pres-sure and attempts to “plan out the day.” She said that looking ahead now makes her nervous about time management and making sure she devotes as much time as she feels she should to each course.

“If my finals are subjects dealing with the core, it is pure memorization and there is nothing to it,” said sopho-

more Grant Arzumanov. While some students fret, others such as Arzu-manov view finals as “time to just stick stuff in their brains.”

Sometimes everyone needs a little help. Whether students prescribe to Arzumanov’s persuasion or align closer with Maffei and Wolf, Elise Harrison, associate director of Counseling &

Psychological Services, said that “all can benefit from the walk-in hours provided during finals.”

Helping students cope with missed assignments i, classes and trying to bring grades up at the end of the semester is not new for Harrison. She said that the center has found from past experience that making appointments in advance was not effective and walk-in hours are helpful to students in the time of panic.

Students can utilize staff members such as Harrison to provide them with techniques on how to handle their work. Most of the habits prescribed by the staff can be practiced throughout the semester as well.

Harrison tells students to attend classes regularly, do academic work consistently so it does not pile up, and de-velop a system of taking notes. These tips

will allow a little less stress during finals.Wolf says that to keep himself

ready for finals, he types up his notes after each class so they are neat and “most importantly, legible.”

“The more you have practiced a relaxed state, the more easily you will be able to return to relaxation when you are stressed,” said Harrison.

Some other ideas for when in the time of need are things such as practice self-care, eating regularly, getting enough sleep, staying organized and most im-portantly taking time to do something relaxing.

During finals, Harrison said students should “plan your life to include sleep.” Re-search, in such studies as those done by UCSD School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System of San Diego, shows that people perform better on tests when they get

adequate sleep than if they stay up all night studying.

“You should reward yourself when you finish

something,” said Harrison. These can be things such as meet-

ing with friends, taking a walk, exercis-ing, watching a funny movie or having a treat, like ice cream.

Maffei finds that her best way to deal with stress during finals is to listen to relaxing music and make sure she goes to bed early.

Whatever way students combat stress, Harrison wants students to remember at this time other instances when they have been stressed, felt overwhelmed and successfully got through it. She said that “exam time will end and you will relax again.”

“Remind yourself that it is worth putting the extra effort in during finals to achieve better results,” said Harrison.

Good grades would be a nice present; after all, Christmas time is the most wonderful time of the year.

Oliphant

Meghan Schelzi/The Mirror

Many students become overly stressed out during finals time due to the amount of work and studying. The University’s Counseling Services help students cope every year.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 4News

By Cynthia PalmieriStaff Writer

It’s a typical week in Florence and Katie Clavin ‘11 has spent 60 euro ($88) on her food, 300 euro ($444) on a trip to Ca-pri, and 30 euro ($44) per night at the local bars.

With the euro rising to 1.47 in comparison to the U.S. dollar, it seems study abroad has reached new economic heights. “The money situation is ridiculous, you spend so much more,” said Clavin.

Tuition and AirfareEvery semester over 100 Fairfield juniors leave campus to

study in a foreign country. The University’s study abroad pro-gram is advertised as a student’s “passport to the world.” It gives students the opportunity to study in places such as France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Nicaragua and Australia. However, with this passport comes a price.

In order to have a successful study abroad experience, students are obligated to plan ahead academically and economically. “It’s so expensive, I am spending thousands of dollars on top of tuition,” said Clavin, who is currently study-ing in Florence.

Semester programs administered by or affiliated with Fairfield are often within the same price range. The more popular places to study like Australia, Ireland and Florence cost about the same price of regular tuition, $18,000.

If students are looking for a reduced tuition price their options are much more limited. Nicaragua, for example, is “substantially less than many study abroad programs,” accord-ing to the study abroad Web site.

Junior Jen Haskell, who is planning to study at a Kenyan base camp in Kilimanjaro for three months, will pay a reduced tuition in return for her volunteer work.

“We are going into the Maasai community to interact with the tribes,” said Haskell. “We will use our data and research to improve the lifestyle of the Maasai community, who are troubled with resource shortages.”

While many of the programs cost the same as a semester’s tuition at Fairfield, not all amenities are included in the study abroad program’s comprehensive cost packages. Although the

school often plans group flights or airport pickups, students are required to pay for the airfare separately. Depending on your study abroad location, tickets can cost anywhere between $400 and $1,000.

Despite the issues with tuition and airfare, the biggest

issue students run into while studying abroad seems to be how much money they spend on food.

Food ExpensesOut of the six different study abroad program locations,

Nicaragua is the only place to offer students housing in which provides two meals per day. The remaining five locations often only offer students an apartment style living situation.

“If you live with a family they’re required to cook usually two meals a day. However, it costs $3,000 extra to choose that living situation,” said Sam DeSantis, a junior planning to study in Spain. “So the cheapest thing is to live in an apartment with your own kitchen, but you have to buy your own food.”

Students are therefore expected to either eat out or buy their own groceries. Although it might sound more economi-

cally friendly to buy groceries and cook in your own kitchen, the students in Florence are having trouble with the exchange rates. With one American dollar only equaling .67 euros, stu-dents are losing a lot of money.

Travel and Night LifeThe University describes the programs as an

opportunity for “quality education, exposure to new cultures, and excellent student support services.” The exposure to another country’s culture is without a doubt one of the number one draws to the program. During the current semester, Clavin has already visited Ireland, London and multiple cities across Italy, but each trip came at a cost.

“Each trip I go on is at least 300 euro,” said Clavin, which is roughly $440. She recently chose to stay home while her friends headed for Paris in an effort to save some money. The problem is not only the cost of the trip itself; you still have to eat and preferably spend a couple of nights on the town.

With the price of the euro so high in comparison to the U.S. dollar, it is no surprise that a night at the bar will cost you.

“Drinks are expensive at the clubs, like 7 euro each. I probably spend around 30 euro a night,” said Clavin.

Who Can Study Abroad?The opportunity to study abroad is open to all students

that meet University requirements. Students can spend a semester, a year, a month, or just 10 days abroad. They will earn the academic credit and gain the kind of knowledge only an on-site experience can provide.

The University has a certain amount of requirements to participate in the study abroad program. Students must have a GPA of at least 2.8, as well as be in a good social standing with Fairfield.

With 40 percent of Fairfield students studying abroad dur-ing their junior year, it is a popular and worthy experience, just one which is very expensive, especially in light of the current global economy.

Economic Breakdown of a Study Abroad Experience

Peter Caty/The Mirror

While studying abroad, students find many aspects to be expensive, including the never-ending nightlife.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 5

Niles isn’t the only student to use Web sites or other online marketplaces to sell their books to other students. “I use Amazon, because I get more money than the book-store would give me,” said Danielle McGee ’10.

Bigwords.com offers a comparison price service for students trying to sell textbooks online. Sellers can enter the ISBN number of the textbooks they want to sell and the site will provide a list of at least ten different other online marketplace Web sites and the price they will pay the seller to use their online bookselling service to sell back their book.

Regardless of the site students choose to use to sell their books back, there is no easy way to earn full money back. Buying used books can make this goal more attain-able, as can comparing prices before purchasing, yet book sales are still a challenge for students across campuses.

Amnesty International is giving Fairfield students a new alternative to getting rid of used textbooks as the last

few weeks of first semester draw near. “At the end of the semester when the bookstore

won’t buy back your book, or will only give you two dollars for it, what do you do?” asked Katie Cincotta ‘10, the president of Amnesty International at Fairfield. “Donate it to them? Or throw it out?”

Instead of throwing textbooks away this year, stu-dents can donate their books to the club’s book drive.

This year, Amnesty International is working with BetterWorldBooks, an organization that helps libraries and campus groups to organize book drives in addition to serving as an online marketplace for a variety of book types. According to its Web site, BetterWorldBooks has saved 30,000 books from landfills by using them to sup-port global literacy initiatives. To date, the organization has raised more than seven million dollars.

A portion of the proceeds from the book sales on the Web site’s marketplace will be sent to Worldfund, a foun-dation created to benefit the struggling students in poor

and lesser developed areas of Latin America. Amnesty International chose to donate to World-

fund because the group felt that “the issues in Latin America do not get enough attention,” Cincotta ex-plained. The organization works to “minimize the education gap” between Latin American students and those in other countries worldwide “by investing in high-quality and outcome-driven schools and educa-tion programs that serve impoverished children,” its Web site explains.

“Literacy is an issue throughout the world, and it is a barrier to success for many people,” Cincotta said. “If you are illiterate, it is nearly impossible to improve the standard of living of your family.”

Amnesty International hopes that students will help in their efforts to make an impact on correcting the problem of illiteracy worldwide. Book collection boxes will be located at the BCC info desk, and the Loyola, Kostka and Apartment lounges.

Tips for Selling Back Your TextbooksCOnTinued frOm pAge 1

Bernsen ‘12 said that he is having trouble getting into an introductory class for his marketing minor.

“I spoke with my advisor, but I am still not registered for any marketing classes,” he said. Entering the second semester of his sophomore year, Bernsen is concerned about having such a late start with his minor.

In contrast with the Dolan School of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, has no consistent regulation that reserves spaces for majors to take their core classes, rather each department is allowed to choose whether or not they want to use the roll out

system. According to Sue Peterson, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, it is at the chair’s own discretion that roll-out is used to restrict courses. “We encourage department chairs to look at the big picture and manage their courses to determine what classes are mostly taken by whom,” she said.

Once the foundation is set during the first week of registration, both Peterson and Assistant Registrar Susan Bickel recommend that students who have had trouble getting into the classes they need contact professors during the ensuing weeks. Students are en-couraged to undergo a process of manipu-lating and adjusting their schedules after the preliminary assigned registration period.

“For students who have ‘done their homework’ in terms of figuring out what they need for their major or minor, they feel a sense of more control over their own destiny,” Bickel said.

At the same time that students are entreated to assertively seek out the classes they need after registration, administra-tors advocate that professors rely on the electronic wait list rather than the traditional practice of writing students into a class.

Kevin Sherman ’12, a biology major, contacted the professor of an introduc-tory course he needed in order to begin his philosophy core. Despite his determination, Sherman felt that he was not receiving help-

ful responses. “There wasn’t anything he could do. Basically he said, ‘Good luck, but I cannot write you in.’”

Although a number of students have balked at the “aftermath” of the registra-tion process that often involves either weeks of traipsing about from professors and chairs to the registrar, or settling for an unnecessary or undesirable course, the general consensus is that the current registration system is a vast improvement from prior systems.

This system “runs much more smoothly and is more democratic,” Bickel said. “Ev-erybody gets what they want in the end.”

Aftermath of Registration a FrustrationCOnTinued frOm pAge 1

The word of the day is:

Web 2.0While social “networking” is an every weekend occurrence at the townhous-

es or Fairfi eld beach, it’s an everyday, every hour, every minute happening

on the revamped ‘Mirror Online’. Aside from a brand-new, user-friendly in-

terface on our homepage, Mirror Online now boasts anything and every-

thing that delivers you up-to-the-minute news from North Benson and be-

yond. Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feeds, YouTube? We’ve got you covered.

The new Mirror Online: it’s reliable, it’s instantaneous, it’s change.

The MirrorTHe REFLECTION of Fairfield

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009

OpiniOn | 7Editor Veronica Florentino »opinion@fairfieldmirror.com

How do you feel about studying abroad? Send your thoughts to opinion@fairfieldmirror.com.

Online

editorialTom Cleary | Editor in Chief

Lily Norton | Executive EditorChris Simmons | Managing Editor

Veronica Florentino | Opinion Editor

NewsKeri Harrison, EditorCourtney Kern, Associate & Features EditorMikaela Tierney, Asst. Editor

Tom Cleary, Editor in Chief Lily Norton, Executive Editor

Chris Simmons, Managing Editor

OpinionVeronica Florentino, EditorElizabeth Connors, Asst. EditorVincent Ferrer, Cartoonist

SportsTom Cleary, Keith Connors, Chris Simmons, Editors

PhotographyPeter Caty, Executive EditorAli Foreman, Asst. Editor

MultimediaMeghan Schelzi, EditorAndoni Flores, Video Editor

OnlineMichelle Morrison, Managing EditorJoe Cefoli, Project ManagerTraci Dantoni, Content Editor

BusinessKeith Connors, General ManagerChristopher Haliskoe, Managing DirectorKristian Petric, Distribution Manager

AdviserFran Silverman

Arts & EntertainmentMelissa Mann, EditorGabriella Tutino, Asst. Editor

Contact InformationMail Fairfield University 1073 North Benson Road, Box AA, Fairfield, CT 06824 Email fairfield.mirror@gmail.comPhone Newsroom: 203-256-6600 | Advertising: 203-256-6594 | Editor in Chief: 203-256-6529 Fax 203-256-6529

The MirrorIncorporated 1977

The Mirror welcomes the opinionsand contributions of its readers:

Letters to the editor must be timely and submitted in person at BCC 104, by

email at opinion@fairfieldmirror.com or through our Web site

(www.fairfieldmirror.com).

All letters to the editor that are appropriate will be published either in print or

on www.fairfieldmirror.com

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.

Letters should not exceed 400 words.

Notable aNd Quotable"We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term."

-Dana Perino, commentator on Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity

War in Afghanistan on the Verge of Becoming Our Vietnam

In reference to "New Moon is decent but overrated," by Ana Ziegler on page 11. Have an opinion? Send it to opinion@fairfield-mirror.com.

As 18 to 21-year-old students on the Fairfield campus stress over finals and worry about the threat of swine flu, many men and women of the same age are camped out in the Afghanistan desert with much greater fears.

Instead of worrying about an upcoming marketing final, those soldiers are worrying whether or not an IED will blow up under their truck, taking their life and the lives of the friends around them.

And now, in what could be the riskiest maneuver of President Ba-rack Obama's presidency, 30,000 more troops, including many that share the same birth years as Fair-field students, will be sent to Af-ghanistan in an effort to make the situation there "sustainable."

Obama said in his speech at West Point on Tuesday night, "And our forces lack the full sup-port they need to effectively train and partner with Afghan security forces and better secure the pop-ulation. ... In short, the status quo is not sustainable."

It may not be Obama's fault that the United States is em-broiled in what appears to be a lose-lose conflict in Afghani-stan, but he ran for the presi-dency on a campaign of peace, promising to withdraw troops from the Middle East in a timely manner. While that remains possible, this latest move by the Obama administration has left many pundits scratching their heads and ironically comes shortly before the President travels to Copenhagen to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

However, Obama's goals for the additional troops are re-spectable, to deny Al Qaeda a safe haven, to reverse the mo-mentum that the Taliban has

gained in an attempt to over-throw the new Afghanistan gov-ernment and to strengthen the security forces and government of the fledgling democracy.

The problem remains that there does not appear to be a positive end game for Af-ghanistan. It is a country that has dealt with centuries of unrest and is made up of various tribes not meant to govern as one nation.

The leadership of Afghani-stan has been shaky at best. President Hamid Karzai's brother has been implicated in a drug ring and multiple advisors of Karzai have been accused of corruption. Many have said that with the current regime, a true democracy will never be reached.

Because of the drawn out na-ture of the war, which Obama now says will last until 2011, many have made connec-tions to the Vietnam War. But Obama was quick to dismiss those notions in his Tuesday night speech.

"Unlike Vietnam, we are joined by a broad coalition of 43 nations that recognizes the le-gitimacy of our action," Obama said. "Unlike Vietnam, we are not facing a broad-based popu-lar insurgency."

The problems of the Vietnam War still remain. The war has been fought for eight years al-ready and Obama has inserted more troops into it, like former President Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1965.

The addition of more troops could lead to stability in Af-ghanistan, but likely it will just mean that more young American lives will be at risk.

My Irish AdventureBy Keri Harrison

News Editor

First of all, I'm completely and utterly jealous of all the juniors who are planning on studying abroad next semester. The number one item on my Christmas list this year is to jump back a year to when I was pre-paring for my own semester abroad.

I'm one of the 4o percent of Fairfield students who go or have gone abroad. Last spring, I studied and lived in Galway, Ireland. Even though I may have spent my entire bank account, it was an experience that was worth every penny — or every one euro cent, whichever way you want to look at it.

My time in Galway could play out like one of those Mastercard commercials:

Roundtrip flight between JFK and Shannon Airport: $980.

Weekend trip to Dublin: 75 euro (since Fairfield paid for the major-ity of it thanks to the overpriced program.)

Pint of Bulmer's (trust me, Mag-ner's doesn't cut it): 5 euro.

Living in a foreign country:

priceless.One of the biggest aspects of

studying abroad stressed by the University is the immersion into a different country and its culture. From my experience, you really get to know the locals and become one yourself by the midway point. I now know Galway like the back of my hand — I can give you a list of stores, pubs, restaurants, and clubs to go to on any given day of the week. I even Irish danced with the locals at the pub down the street from my apart-ment one Tuesday night ... I have photos to prove it.

Seriously, though, when else can you say that you took classes at an international school, be-friended a number of foreigners, took weekend trips throughout Europe, and actually referred to Ireland as your home?

Yes, I may have missed the Fairfield tradition of Spring Week-end and the Class of 2010's first Mug Night. But I also got to travel to seven other countries, I learned how to correctly pour a Guinness, and I learned firsthand what it means to live in Europe. I had the opportunity

to experience the inauguration of America's first black president from a completely outside perspective, something I can guarantee I will never be able to do again. By the way, the Irish love Obama.

Studying abroad is one of the greatest experiences I will take away from my time at Fairfield — besides working on The Mirror, of course. The five and a half months I spent in Galway are by far the greatest of my life. Corniness aside, I would not be the person I am now if I hadn't decided to take that leap across the pond. My independence and char-acter grew due to that one decision I made during my sophomore year.

I know that due to the current state of the economy and high un-employment, studying abroad may not have been the best decision in an economic standpoint. But I guarantee you, it will not be a de-cision you will ever regret. I don't care if I have to live in a cardboard box after graduation — it was com-pletely worth it.

Especially if an Irishman shows up at my door to whisk me away to his castle.

fairfieldmirror.com

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 8Opinion

Reflecting on Thanksgiving the Multicultural Way

By Ana ZieglerStaff Writer

I have been asked a couple times how we celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany. Well, the answer is we don’t. Thanksgiving is a completely American tradition. I bet there are even some Germans, or Europeans in general, that have never heard of it. So to me Thanks-giving is a rather new tradition.

I had heard about it before and even celebrated it once, so I was not a complete greenhorn. Still, every family celebrates it a little bit differently and might have some dishes that others don’t have. As I understand it, the most essential thing to have is a turkey. It is not Thanksgiving without a turkey. Along with the turkey goes the stuff-ing, which seems to be very essential as well. Popular side dishes include sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry jelly. For dessert pie seems

to be served, mostly the classics, apple and pumpkin, optionally with whipped or ice cream.

I like the whole idea of Thanksgiv-ing. Having another holiday that gives you a couple days off is always great. You get the chance to go home and spend some days with your family, even thought there are probably a couple people that don’t like that idea at all. I always like being home and spending time with my family. I would like having another day where everybody comes to-gether and where the house is crowded with lots of people and it is loud and in one corner people are laughing to-gether and in the other kids are fighting. I think it is nice when they people come together and stuff themselves with as much food as possible. That sounds like a great holiday to me.

Still, the amount of food that is pre-pared for this one day of the year must be enormous. Can anybody imagine

how many turkeys get eaten that day alone? If you go out looking for a turkey after Thanksgiving, it is probably very hard to find one. And think of all the work that it takes, usually by the moms, to prepare the delicious meal and, let’s not forget, the cleaning up afterwards. Did anybody thank them for that?

One other part of traditional Thanksgiving seems to be Black Friday. Now there is a crazy idea. Getting up early in the morning to be at the store at 4 a.m. to get the best deals? Don’t get me wrong, I like shopping but that is something only Americans can come up with. I don’t think Europeans would be crazy enough to do something like that and risk getting run over by the mob just to buy a new TV.

Overall, I think I can say that I enjoy the Thanksgiving tradition. It is a holiday that has family, shopping, and good food. What more could you ask for?

By Alexandria HeinStaff Writer

This Thanksgiving break, my family and I did what most people would consider the “untradi-tional” thing to do. We surpassed the family din-ner and flew to North Carolina to be with a good family friend and take part in a Latino culture Thanksgiving without being Latino or related to any Latinos.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was not sit down, nor was it similar to any holiday dinner I have had yet. Instead of turkey roasting in the oven with stuffing, we stood around outside watching a pig roast on a spigot, with 50 strangers and a turkey somewhere in the background being deep-fried.

There were no mashed potatoes; it was sub-stituted for rice and beans. We had no cranberry sauce or gravy, instead we ate potato salad with peas and different olives; no crab cakes were passed around, instead there were different salsas to try. No holiday music was playing; everyone, including my family and I, took part in traditional Latino dancing.

There was one fundamental similarity be-tween my Thanksgivings of the past and this one though, a TV on mute in the background playing a football game. Now while I was originally a little upset by this change of pace I began thinking about how we really were being “ultra-American” by being this diverse.

So while you were having your third help-ing of Nonna’s pumpkin pie, I was learning how to properly Tango. We were in different ways fulfilling our American duties. We welcomed our friends and family and saw past all of our differ-ences; we came together and shared a holiday.

I may not be able to repeat even eight names of the people that we ate with, but I can list eight things that I did that without this trip I wouldn’t have even considered. I do realize that we missed out on seeing our extended family, but we survived as did they and we’ll all be together for Christmas next month anyway.

So while I took part in my “untraditional” Thanksgiving, I was thankful for the opportunity to do so. I was thankful that my friends of a differ-ent culture opened up their arms and homes to my family and me and allowed us to share their holiday traditions with them. Never had I felt more American than I did leaving that home.

Thanksgiving, a Foreigner's Perspective

New American Traditions

Let's Hug It Out By Marnie Whalen

Staff Writer

It was probably one of the first things that you did when you got back on campus after break.

Before unpacking, before attempting the paper you put off all break, possibly even before you took your shoes off. Most likely you don’t even remember it. It’s become so common among our culture that it seems just a daily routine. You most likely stepped out of the campus shuttle, a Fairfield Cab, or your own car, and hugged another student. Because somehow for us, hugging means "hello."

We hug each other so much that we’ve even broken it down into types. Good hugs, bear hugs, awkward hugs, bad hugs. A good hug can cheer you up, or an awk-ward one can certainly give you a good laugh.

But what’s the deal with all this

hugging? Is it normal? When did it start?

For me, it began the moment I walked through the doors of my all-girls high school where the hug-ging and touchiness of our small community was a little disturbing to outsiders. You had a problem? Hug. Haven't seen someone in two periods? Hug. The hugs were everywhere. Our all-boys brother school used to make jokes about how touchy we were with one another. But it wasn't like the hugs meant anything, it was just how our community worked.

So I was happy when last week a New York Times article informed me that the hug-ging is pretty normal. Hug-ging seems to be a nationwide teenage occurrence. It's not just my high school, or Fairfield - our entire generation is touchy-feely. Our parent’s handshakes are just too formal for us, and have been

replaced by embracing. Another suspicion on why

we hug so much is our lack of physical communication —

just another way of blaming Facebook for everything that we do wrong. But we crave the physical inter-action that we lack from texting and Facebook, so we receive it in a hug. Too much psychology for me. I think the world has gotten

to be a tough place since my father decided he was going to

shakes another’s hand, we need to hug it out.

But when does it get to be too much? Some high

schools have banned hug-ging in the halls because its too much physical con-

tact. I know that rule would have just been a downright

fail with my all girls high school, and I feel it is a little extreme even for a coed school.

My friend once went to a Catholic conference where only “side hugs” were allowed because of the touching that occurs in hugs. I don't really see the threat of a hug. We hug our parents and our cousins and it's not that a hug means anything. The meaning of a hug has definitely adjusted in our generation, but apparently our adult counterparts haven't gotten the memo.

And what about the non hug-gers? You all know who you are. You escape it whenever you can. Is it just too much? I really can't say much from this point of view, but I can see it. You didn't come from my background, and hugs are still kind of personal for you. I understand, but as a message from huggers, we don't mean to offend you buy anything.

So sure, keep hugging. Just make sure whoever you are hug-ging knows what you mean by it.

Photo illustration by Peter Caty/The Mirror

Peter Caty/The Mirror

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009

Editor Courtney Kern » features@fairfieldmirror.comfairfieldmirror.com

OnlineCheck for updated blogs and new content. Features | 9

It’s a veryverymad

world

worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad world

madveryveryIt’s a

It’s a veryverymadIt’s a It’s a veryverymad worldIt’s a verymadworldIt’s a very

mad

veryworldIt’s a very verym a dworldmadveryIt’s a verymadveryveryIt’s a

veryverymadworld

It’s a

It’s a

it’s averyverymadworld

it’s averyverymadworldit’s very very mad world

it’s averyverymadworld

it’s very very mad worldit’s averyverymadworldit’s averyverymadworld it’s averyverymadworld

it’s averyverymadworld

it’s averyverymadworldit’s a very verym a d world it’s a very verym a d world

it’s a very verym a d world

it’s a very verym a d world

it’s a very verym a d worldit’s a very verym a d world

it’s a very verym a d world

It’s a veryverymadworld

it’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad world

it’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad worldit’s very very mad world

are

This article is part of a series on the drinking culture at Fairfield University. See www.fairfieldmirror for video and the first part of the series.

Despite being written up several times, I never actu-ally thoroughly read the school issued student handbook, where all the rules and regulations regarding drinking were clearly written. Within seconds of glancing over the elaborate language that was probably written by a lawyer, some synapses began to fire off in my head. Squinting closer to make sure I didn’t misread anything right in the introduction to the alcohol policy something very scary stuck out to me,

“Those who are 21 years of age or older may purchase and consume alcohol; however,” the handbook read. “All students are responsible for discouraging alcohol-related behavior that is abusive to themselves or to others.”

No, that wasn’t what scared me; it’s what was written right after that really had me at a loss for not just words, but a reaction. I didn’t know whether to laugh out hysteri-cally or to truly be worried, not just for the sake of my fel-low students, but also for the sanity of the administration.

Right after the statement that defined the discour-agement of alcohol-related behavior as the responsibility of the college students, was one that inevitably made it illegal to even be drunk at all, even if the students were of age.

“Moreover, drunkenness and intoxication are prohib-ited regardless of age,”

the handbook states.This means that any student enrolled at this univer-

sity who drinks alcohol to the point at which they become drunk are in direct violation of the school policy and are liable to its sanctions.

But wait, it gets better.Under “Aiding, Abetting, or Complicity, the hand-

book states, “helping or encouraging another person to engage in violations of University policy constitutes aiding and abetting. Witnessing policy violations and failing to report such inappropriate behavior constitutes complicity. All such occurrences are subject to disciplinary action.”

What does that translate to? It means that any student who witnesses any student drinking (again, regardless of age) and does not report this to the property authorities, (be that the RAs or Public Safety) is in direct violation of the student conduct code as outlined in the handbook and open to its sanctions.

There seems to even be a punishment for those who are good Samaritans or who acknowledge that they’ve had too much to drink.

“If a student brings another student to the Health Center because of concerns about alcohol or drug con-sumption, if a student brings him/herself to the Health Center for such reasons or calls for help, or if a student initiates getting help for another student by contact-ing University officials, those students generally will not be subject to formal disciplinary action,” the handbook continues.

The keyword in that statement is “generally”. There is absolutely no medical immunity provided to students, as was illustrated two years ago when an RA in Gonzaga (who was indeed 21) was fired for taking herself to the health center after a night of drinking.

There seems to be nothing a student can do regarding alcohol that will not result in a violation. The fact that be-ing drunk is a violation despite being 21 seems to beg the question, why make it ok to posses alcohol at the appro-priate age if you can’t use it for it’s intended purpose? And if being drunk is going to be banned on this campus, how are students supposed to learn how to handle alcohol? Where is the cura personalis in that? The Jesuit goal is to educate, but how can one learn what’s not shown?

The school handbook seems to promote a puritanical mindset that infantilizes students, repressing more than educating them.

The sanctions regarding possession or consumption of alcohol in violation of University policy are:

“First offense: $100 fine (maximum), formal warn-ing, alcohol education or educational activity, letter to parents/guardian (at the discretion of the Office of the Dean of Students).”

The second offense results in the same sanction only this time the fine is $200 (maximum) and by the third of-fense it lists as possible penalties, “$300 fine (maximum), Disciplinary, probation, referral, for evaluation (and pos-

sible required stipulations), letter to parents/guardian.”After an asterisk, it states, “additional offenses will

jeopardize a student’s status at the university.”Given how easy it seems to violate the school’s

alcohol policy, and how little room for error there was in terms of sanctions, I began to wonder how the school distinguishes typical students from alcoholic students who genuinely need help with their disease. It seems all to easy to become ensnared in the web of sanctions that people who legitimately cannot control their problem are overlooked and eventually expelled without being given a chance at rehabilitation.

The handbook says that there’s alcohol education or an educational activity that comes with each of the sanctions, but what more is there to learn about alcohol after the first educational course? Is it skimping out and waiting for students to return before revealing the truth? Shouldn’t the next step after education be rehabilitation?

In a conversation with Kevin Curry, the substance abuse counselor at Fairfield, I asked if the school policy aimed to rehabilitate students to which he responded:

“I’d say at that level [alcohol education classes] very little of it is aimed at rehabilitating, it’s more of an education.”

Again I wondered, what good is education without rehabilitation? I asked him what is personal opinion of what an alcoholic was and he responded that it was someone who lost control when they drank.

“Loss of control is not necessarily having to drink everything in sight every time they see it, but loss of control is probably easier defined as someone who drinks to the point where drinking becomes unpredict-able,” Curry said.

I was under the impression that losing control was part of being drunk, but according to the substance abuse counselor, that’s an alcoholic. It makes me won-der how many of my peers fall under this category; my guess would be the majority.

His definition of binge drinking also took my by surprise. To him anyone who had more than four drinks within a few hours was a binge drinker.

When I told Michelle Onofrio, a junior at Fairfield who had recently been written up, what the substance abuse counselor’s definition of binge drinking was, she said, “That’s ridiculous, a couple hour time frame? Then you wouldn’t even be buzzed. How is that binge drinking?”

I asked myself the same question, to me, four beers was just the warm up to the night but as I talked to the night shift nurse Diane Widak, I became even more surprised with what she thought was too much for stu-dents. To her, anyone who had more than two drinks or shots already had too much alcohol in their system. In addition to that, her idea of an alcoholic was “someone who drinks in excess and doesn’t make wise choices.”

Surprised? So was I. When I had interviewed officer John Ritchie of Public Safety, and asked him what an alcoholic was, he told me: “To identify a true alcoholic,

we turn to the medical field for that answer”But I thought I had done that. I had asked a

genuine nurse whom weekend after weekend treats countless students who are sent to the health center for alcohol reasons and her definition was someone who drinks in excess and doesn’t make wise choices? Something seems very wrong with this picture. Just like the alcohol policy and violations, it seems too easy to fall under the category of an alcoholic. Ritchie would later tell me that his personal definition of an alcoholic was “someone who dedicates too much of their time and lifestyle to alcohol.”

But isn’t culture a lifestyle? And if we have estab-lished that this institution has a culture of drinking in which students repeatedly weekend after weekend go and drink to the point of drunkenness, then wouldn’t that imply that those students are alcoholics? Per-haps the school needs to take a closer look as to what constitutes an alcoholic and what constitutes normal drinking before it punishes those who suffer from a disease unfairly. The Jesuit ideal of cura personalis is caring for the whole person and if all we do is educate, then we’re failing to live up to our motto on so many levels. Alcohol affects more than just the mind and the reasons for drinking are just as complicated as trying to get someone to change their habits.

drunkennessandintoxicationprohibited“Moreover,

regardless of age.”

By Andoni FloresVideo Editor

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 10Features

By Mabel Del CastilloStaff Writer

Dina Franceschi is an outgoing, bub-bly and loved economics professor who is heavily involved in the environmental program. During her 20s she thoroughly enjoyed her college experience and when talking with The Mirror, jokingly said, “I can only divulge the PG rated version of my col-lege experience at this time.”

The Mirror: What college did you at-tend? Home or Away?

Dina Franceschi: Penn State Univer-sity. I went away.

TM: What were your friends like?DF: My friends were hilarious, fairly

ambitious and fun loving. Our weekend generally started on Wednesday, so our Thursday and Friday classes were hard to make.

TM: What was your craziest college experience?DF: Let’s just say it was a keg party celebrating someone’s

birthday. There was a huge cake and slop all over the floor. By the end of the night my friends and I were doing body slides across the slippery wooden floors.

TM: What was your favorite class? Why?DF: Geology. I was into rocks at the time and it led to my

interest in earth science.

TM: What was your favorite band/group?DF: It was a Penn State band called “Outta the Blue,”

which was a Grateful Dead cover band. I followed them around Pennsylvania for a summer.

TM: What was your favorite alcoholic beverage?DF: Well, the most consumed was definitely beer. I did

have some bad experiences with tequila and amaretto.

TM:What was your typical weekend?DF: Penn State football and parties around campus with

my friends. We did a lot of frat house hopping. Bars were really strict!

TM: Did you have a boyfriend or were you single?DF: I was dating the president of Skull fraternity.

TM: What was your clothing style?DF: Very baggy things. Jeans that rested on the hips and

we rolled the bottoms up. We wore lots of bows in our hairs and pearls. Buckskin shoes were very popular. When we dressed up we would wear preppy plaid skirts and peter pan collars, everything was very cutesy.

TM: Did you have a car? What kind?DF: Yes, it was my very first car. It was a Pontiac Sunbird

with a spoiler on the back.

TM: What was your major?DF: Chemical engineering, but I flunked out fall of my

sophomore year. My only ‘A’ was in gym, everything else was a ‘D.’ It was a tough Christmas!

TM: Biggest fear?DF: Going home during breaks because of my grades.

TM: Favorite Fast Food restaurant?DF: Baby’s! It was a burger joint/diner near Penn State.

TM: Did you have a fake id?DF: There was no way because state schools were too

strict! Eventually, junior year I did.

TM: Worst habit?DF: Smoking.

TM: Lesson(s) learned?DF: Have fun and don’t take things to seriously. Every-

thing is possible. Explore academic options and don’t pigeon hole your options to what others think you should do. Don’t force something.

TM: Biggest regret?DF: I loved college, but I would have to say eating too

much because I gained the Freshman 15. I proceeded to work it off by sophomore year. I guess I was really active during high school and not as active in college.

TM: Favorite TV show?DF: I didn’t watch too much television in college, I

watched more during grad school. During college I was out of touch with the external world. I was more in touch with me, life and my social life. State schools are isolated so there was no need for the external world.

TM: One word to describe your college experience?DF: Rational-Exuberance.

When I Was 20... Economics Professor Dina Franceschi

Mabel Del Castillo/Fairfield Mirror

fairfieldmirror.com

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009

Editor Melissa Mann » entertainment@fairfieldmirror.com

Check our Web site for more enter-

tianment news, including reviews of

movies, music and more.

Online Arts & EntErtAinmEnt| 11

By Veronica FlorentinoOpinion Editor

Whether you like it or not, you love “Bad Romance.” You’ve heard it countless times on the radio, at parties, and whether you’re willing to admit it or not, you’ve wanted to hear it again. It’s not your fault — blame it on Lady Gaga for releasing such an infectious song which is guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

I loved Lady Gaga”s first album, “The Fame,” but the songs are so in-fectious and so overplayed that they only last for so long. I always like to hear “Just Dance,” but I don’t crave it the same way I used to because it’s already overdone. It was surpris-ing to hear that “The Fame” was to be re-released with new tracks, but it was a very welcome surprise because we needed another melody to replace “Just Dance.”

Lady Gaga did not fail. The nine new tracks from “The Fame Mon-ster” have not disappointed.

When I first heard “Monster,” I was a little creeped out listening to Lady Gaga sing, “He ate my heart and then he ate my brain.” But later that night, I found that the song was stuck in my head so much that all I needed was to hear it again. Like “Bad Romance,” “Monster” is the kind of song you can love to play at parties, but I think it also has a romantic undertone. The monster metaphor is a little extreme and gro-tesque, but let’s be serious — when Lady Gaga sings, “That boy is a monster,” we can say most boys are monsters. They don’t literally eat your heart, but figuratively they definitely do. You wouldn’t expect a metaphor like this, but it makes sense considering Lady Gaga’s style and personality. And no matter how gruesome it may sound, it is still sung in a rela-tively cheery way that will make you want to listen.

There have been doubts as to whether or not Lady Gaga can really sing beyond the techno tones she is known for, but she puts most of those doubts to rest with “Speechless.” She sings it like a ballad, but the music and style comes out sounding very classic rock. Only someone who really under-stands music can go from a catchy techno song to a catchy melody reminiscent of Queen. She sings with an inherent passion that makes you know she believes in the words she wrote. This isn’t a party tune — but it’s definitely something

you’ll want to listen to over and over again.

The surprising part of the album is the cameo appearance by Be-yonce. She’s someone you would not expect to hear working with Gaga, but the combined effect is phenom-enal and adds new depth to the song “Telephone.” The song opens sounding slow with the melody of a harp, and Gaga singing demurely. But once she finishes the verse, the song transforms into a strong techno beat, and her voice takes a stronger edge. When Beyonce makes her appearance it is clear her voice has a harder nature than Gaga but the

combination makes the collaboration worth it. This would definitely make a great single.

Of course the album features “Bad Romance,” but it also has a remix of “Bad Romance,” which just infuses more interest into the song, and reinforces the strongest elements of the track.

Lady Gaga has been a standout performer this year. The catch with her songs is that you love them, but after a while they become overplayed to the extent they will never be clas-sics. Right now you’ll find me playing “The Fame Monster” on repeat, but I’m sure it won’t be long before I tire of these tracks. In the meantime, I’d rather enjoy it until her next album comes out.

Lady Gaga Strikes Again with ‘The Fame Monster’

Contributed Photo

Gaga’s new album was released Nov. 23.

‘New Moon’ is Decent, But Overrated

By Caleigh TanseyStaff Writer

Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ takes an interesting twist in Disney’s ver-sion of this holiday tale.

The ghosts of Christmas past, pres-ent and future are more than just a les-son of the way to live one’s life through the Christmas season. Jim Carrey does an amazing job as the soon-to-be-merry Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s been years since his on screen debut as the Grinch, but things have not changed for Carrey’s portrayal of a cold hearted individual into a warm loving, Christmas character.

The journey that Scrooge takes with the three ghosts of Christmas is one that should scare us all into becoming bet-ter people during the holiday season. Not only is this movie uplifting and refreshing for the upcoming holiday season, but it is also frightening and alluring in the lessons to be learned, and the story that is told for each one of us who

watches it while in theaters.This movie deserves five stars for its beautiful anima-

tion, something that brings this story to a whole new level. Written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, this holiday classic is more than just a movie, it is a magi-cal story that takes you up and over the roofs of London and through England’s wintery wonderland … literally.

Dickinson’s origi-nal story of a wicked old man who hates anything and anyone, and specifically Christmas, is por-trayed very well in this enthralling yet chill-ing film. The beauty is

in the animation; the characters and scenery become so real that it is easy to forget you are watching an animated movie half the time. Victorian England is painted in our minds as a dream in Zemeckis’ version of A Christmas Carol.

The beauty of the holiday season is present in every way and inspires us all to make a few changes for ourselves this year. “Bah! Humbug!” is the last thing you’ll be saying after seeing this classic Christmas story.

Contributed Photo

Disney’s new animated film brings ‘A Christmas Carol’ to life

Carrey Spreads Holiday Cheer in Disney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’

By Ana ZieglerStaff Writer

The second movie of the Twilight saga, ‘New Moon,’ came out about two weeks ago, after people had been going crazy about it for months beforehand. Since it came out, the movie has been at the top of the box office and has made $230.7 million. But is it really worth that hype?

I don’t think so. The second movie is significantly better than the first one, though. They eased the makeup of the vampires a little bit so they seemed to fit in much better with the rest of the human population.

Aesthetically I have to say that the movie was well made. There were a couple of rather nice and well-done shots in there. One example I want to point out (if you have not seen the movie yet and don’t want me to spoil anything just skip the next couple of lines) was the scene where Bella was sitting in a chair after Edward left her and the camera kept turning around her as the time was passing. I thought that it was very well done.

I also liked how Bella and her friends had to read Romeo and Juliet for class and how the story was then incorporated into her own life, although hers had a happy ending and the roles were reversed. I appreciated that the werewolves were well done, not like in the third Harry Pot-ter movie. They actually looked like wolves.

Overall, one can say that it is a decent movie and that it was suspenseful at times, even though you always knew how it was going to end. That’s why I thought the end of the movie, which ended with a cliffhanger, was rather cheesy and not very original. Is there really anybody out there who does not know what is going to happen? And I am not just talking about the people who have read the books.

I think most of us can agree that almost all of the actors in this movie are rather good looking but as we all know, looks aren’t everything. I think there is just some depth missing to the story overall and to some of the characters.

The story is rather predictable, which is why I don’t understand why people are discussing who Bella should choose, Edward or Jacob. It is pretty clear who she is going to choose, she said so herself in the end.

At some points the movie is overdoing it with the clichés. The scene near the end, when Alice describes her vision of Edward and Bella in the future, was just a little bit too much for my taste.

Then again, I am not 12 or 16 anymore and maybe, if I would have seen the movie at that age, I may have liked it. Maybe I am just too old for this kind of movie, now.

Contributed Photo

Just another teen vampire romance movie.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 12Arts & Entertainment

By Mabel Del CastilloStaff Writer

Have you ever been so hungry in class that you can’t even pay attention? All you are thinking about is “what am I going to have for lunch? I don’t want Barone, I don’t want the Stag, and there is nothing in my room.”

Well, if you are sitting at an 11-11:50 class and you want to feast for $7.50, I advise you to get on the 12 p.m. shuttle to town and get off right across the tanning salon. Within steps you will come across Fin, a Japanese restaurant located at 1253 Post Road.

Upon entering, you will be greeted by a very polite host and have the chance to sit wherever you’d like. As soon as you sit, you will find a napkin, chopsticks, a cute little dipping dish, and a flask of soy sauce. And if you are worried about not being able to use chopsticks, don’t worry. I think they assume the majority of people would prefer using forks, so they bring you a fork with the first part of your meal.

The service there is very efficient and pleasurable. All the employees are friendly and will explain everything to you to the best of their ability. Although there was a tiny bit of a language barrier when my roommate asked about the sushi, they still did the best they could to help her understand.

The place itself is very serene, with soothing music in the background, and many Japanese paintings on the wall. I even noticed that there was a man sitting by himself be-

ing entertained by the sushi chef.A woman walked in minutes after we arrived and sat by herself as well. She enjoyed

a glass of wine and chose the Shrimp Teriyaki Lunch Box Special. It seemed like she was a regular because she didn’t even bother looking at the menu and referred to the waitress on a friendly level.

So who would have ever thought that for only $7.50, you can have your choice of a delicious soup or fresh salad (which I must add the dressing was phenomenal) followed by a tray containing a shrimp spring roll, dipping sauce, three California Rolls, canta-loupe, a choice of white or brown rice, and a small entrée?

I happened to choose the Chicken Teriyaki and it was to die for. I am really not a huge fan of Japanese food, but after this experience it is definite that I will go back. Another thing that I never thought I would try in a million years was the California Roll. I saw my roommate eating it and I looked at her in disgust, but after her begging me to try and promising that I wouldn’t puke, I fell in love with it.

Overall, the food was outstanding and after looking at reviews online and talking about it with a bunch of friends, it seems as though almost everyone agrees. Not only was it a delightful experience, but a filling one as well.

The Right Bitea review of restaurants in and around Fairfield

Fin at 1253 Post Road

Photo by Mabel del Castillo/The Mirror

A look inside the Japanese restaurant, Fin.

The After Bite

the next step is to find the right dessert!

Name: Chocolate Nut Brownie

Where to Buy: Mrs. Greens

Price: $1.99

Description: The fudgiest brownie in Fairfield County! xoxo,Mabel and Ashley

By Deanna MitchellStaff Writer

Blood spurting in every direction, mindless (yet awesome) violence, a hot Asian guy playing the lead role; sounds like the action packed film that could only be known as “Ninja Assassin.”

“Ninja Assassin” is a movie about an outcast of a secret assassin clan seeking vengeance for his friend’s death with the help of a Europol agent whose life is also threatened when she attempts to uncover the clan’s existence.

Even with its action-packed, karate butt-kicking; creepy shadow-Ninja affects that make you wish that the lights would turn on; or even the awesomeness of seeing Rain’s beautiful body without a shirt, the movie was still bland and unentertaining. You would think that director James McTeigue, who is most known for the film “V for Vendetta,” wouldn’t leave his characters so flat, and add a bit more complexity to them.

It’s bad enough when the actors in movies are not very good, but when a film has dissatisfactory acting and a faulty script, it loses its power. Rain’s role was a difficult one to play in that he lacks lines to really display his character, but there were moments when he could have added some depth to the story through physical exhibition.

His counter-part Naomie Harris, on the other hand,

did her part well, but the chemistry between the two just wasn’t really there. It’s as if they didn’t even try to act like their lives depended on each other, or that there was a growing friendship.

Being that the Wachowski brothers, known most for their work in “The Matrix” series, produced the film, a set of stories within the story would be expected. What

shouldn’t be expected is the disorganization of these stories. They had the main character have a series of flashbacks that explained the present situation, but it was as if these flashbacks were just thrown into the begin-ning of the movie; no triggers for these distant memories, just randomly trying to explain what caused what and when.

The choreographed fights were pretty intense, though. The audience was left in suspi-cion during the fights, wonder-ing whether or not the good guy would actually survive. There was an excess of blood all over the place that made the deaths unrealistic, but the gory nature did pump some adrenaline and make you want to run to the nearest karate center. The graphics and scene set-up were about the same; blowing audi-ence member’s minds as Rain

jumped all around dodging Ninja stars and flying swords. All together, this film is not meant to be thought-provoking or inspiring; this a movie you see when you feel like putting your mind on auto-pilot and watching blood-spattering violence as well as seeing a hot Asian pop-star-gone-actor’s rippling muscles.

‘Ninja Assassin’ Fails to Impress

Contributed Photo

Korean pop-star Rain as a ninja/assassin.

Photo by Mabel del Castillo/The Mirror

The above meal for only $7.50? We’ll take it.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 13Arts & Entertainment

iPickBy Melissa MannArts & Entertainment Editor

Song: Colgando En Tus ManosArtist: Carlos Baute and Maria Sanchez

The catchiest Spanish pop song I know. Also, it re-minds me of Spain. So judge me. Whether or not you actually know Spanish, it has a great beat and if you do know Spanish, it’s a really cute song.

Song: Bad RomanceArtist: Lady Gaga

I love Lady Gaga more than words can express. This is another one of her amazing dance songs, and it’ll be stuck in your head all day. Plus, the music video is insane.

Song: Wedding DressArtist: Matt Nathanson

Matt Nathanson’s whole “Some Mad Hope” CD is amazing, but this track is my favorite. There’s just something about the slow tempo and Nathanson’s voice that just makes it so perfect. But “Car Crash” and “To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts” are close seconds.

Song: Violet HillArtist: Coldplay

Nothing beats this song live. Already there’s an ominous feel from the beginning, and the build-up just explodes into these rough keyboard notes. Coldplay knows how to turn a song into a work of art, and they do it here.

Song: Grey Sky EyesArtist: Carbon Leaf

Carbon Leaf combines the best of pop/rock and bluegrass (yes, penny whistles are involved) to create a unique, catchy sound that defines the band. The harmonies in this song are amazing, and it’s a slow, easy song that is perfect when you need to relax.

Song: Whatcha SayArtist: Jason Derulo

I’m obsessed. The lyrics might be stupid and cheesy, but I could listen to this on replay 24/7... seriously.

Veronica Florentino/The Mirror

FUSA presents coming events

Advertisement

Upcoming Events Featured Speaker

Santa’s Workshop - December 2nd @ 8pm - Lower Level BCC‘the Nutcracker’ Ballet - December 3rdExtreme Bowling - December 3rd - Buses Leave Alumni Hall @ 9pmFairfield Friday/Late Night @ The Stag! - December 4th @ 10pmI LOVE NY: Holiday Shopping Trip to New York City - December 5thNew York Night Time City Life - December 5th

‘The Ethnic Man’ Teja Arboleda, “The Ethnic Man” Tuesday, December 8th 8pm at the Lower Level Campus Center Insights on Issues of Race and Self-Identity

TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR EVENTS: Visit the BCC Info DeskFor more information: Visit the FUSA OFFICE at the lower level BCC OR LOG ONTO FAIRFIELD.EDU/FUSA

Connect by HertzHurry and register for FREE before the end of the semester!

Register for Connect by Hertz (the car sharing program on campus)

Register by logging onto www.connectbyhertz.com.

December

Become our fan on Facebook!

FUSA: THE OFFICIAL STUDENT GOVERNMENT OF FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITYBY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS

Fairfield Friday! New York City Trip

Fairfield Friday Friday, December 4th Get outta bed and PUT ON RED! Late Night at the Stag @ 10pm - The Stag Giveaway: Free Fairfield Christmas Ornaments!

New York City Shopping Trip Get your Christmas shopping done this weekend! The bus leaves on Saturday, December 5th @ 11AM from Alumni Hall. Tickets are available at the Info Desk TODAY!

I love this time of year, and my behav-ior during this season usually resembles Will Ferrell in Elf. After four years of work-ing at Hallmark, one would think I would be sick of this time of year; but in reality I started counting to Christmas on Oct. 1. But at 21, the time comes when Christmas lists start to look a little different. So here is my “Grown-up Christmas list”, and just in case you’re feeling generous, I live at the Wooden Seamen.

* An unlimited bar tab at The Grape. Being that most of my money has been spent there this semester, an unlimited tab would al-low me to possibly pur-chase the other potential Christmas list items.

* Someone to pay my cable bill for a month. $60 a month for limited channels without the ability to record is just starting to make me angry. And anger does not fit in with the holiday spirit.

* Some hope of employment for after that dreaded day in May.

* An ‘A’ on my capstone paper. (atten-

tion Prof. Leatherman). * A refund on my leopard Snuggie. It

was a weak moment that I would like to erase.

* For people to stop asking me how I feel about the “He Said” controversy at

parties. It’s like politics, just not good conversation to go with alcohol.

* To not be asked why I’m single by every person I see during

Christmas break. And maybe some direction in my love

life. And if all the above fails, a hat with the mistle-toe and to run into Gerard

Butler.

* The Giants to start playing well.

* For 30s to magically appear at my doorstep for the 12 days of

Christmas.

* Since I have received almost four years of a Jesuit education, I feel that it would be extremely selfish of me to not mention those in need. So like any good beauty queen, I would like world peace.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009

fairfieldmirror.com

Coffee Break | 15Editor Tom Cleary » mirrorcoffeebreak@gmail.com

Check online every week for answers to our games.

Online

Ed. Note: These articles are intended to be comedy and satire. HE said / SHE saidChris Surette

For most of us, Christmas was an exciting time during our childhood. It was a time of anticipation, waiting for the fat man to come down the chimney and place gifts around the tree. It was such a great time of the year and we had only one worry in the world: what to put on the list.

With finals rolling around the same time as Christmas, it is much more stressful. But it is still an ex-hilarating time. Just because we are older and perhaps do not believe in Santa anymore, does not mean we don’t look for-ward to this time of year.

College guys truly do not care what they receive for Christmas. All we really care about are sports, drinking and girls. That’s why you rarely see a Christmas list by a 21-year-old guy.

Instead, we have more of a “dream list” and this is not a seasonal list, but rather a year-long list. For most seniors, we probably joke about asking for a job. I’m pretty realistic so I’m not asking for one and instead, I am asking for another Patriots Super Bowl appearance. Mainly so they will televise Gisele in the crowd.

That’s a win-win gift and even if you’re not a Pats fan, you got admit that Brady’s girl is a smoke show.

Next on the list : enough beer to last me through the break. With over a month off from school, guys would only enjoy being in one state of mind: blacked out. Winter break is a much longer version of spring break without

the warm weather and the babes in bikinis. At least you can grab a 30 and go tubing down your town’s most notorious hill. Throw the beers

in the snow and it will make this childish adventure very

eventful.The final wish is a chick.

Most of us would love to find one like Tebow’s, but beggars can’t be choosers. Therefore

as long as she puts out and doesn’t talk in your ear, she’s a

keeper. Best case scenario, you meet her after the holiday so

you don’t waste you dough on a gift.It is not about the possessions for

guys. You could honestly give a guy a sixer of Busch light, a television with ESPN, and a Playboy and I guarantee he’d be happy. So you will not be see-ing guys asking for UGG boots. Oh wait I forgot, this is Fairfield U.

Allyson WuenschGrown-Up Christmas List

Hmm, well here’s a question for you. What if you saw an amazing pair of Nine West shoes in the window just calling your name, and when you went in to try them on they didn’t fit, would you squeeze your foot into them?

Although they may be shiny and new, even fun to wear around for that upcoming weekend, they aren’t comfortable. Having shoes that you can’t be comfortable in can lead to blisters and cramped toes, which we all know is a pain in the, uh, foot.

Well, in my shoe-a-holic world, I see a relationship in the same sort of light. A relationship, especially love, is filled with excite-ment, fun, and most of the time, can be labeled as amazing. However, that being said, all that fun and excitement, all that “amazingness” comes to be that way because of being able to be yourself around that person.

Being comfortable in your own skin is a reward, but feeling comfortable in your own skin WITH someone else? Now, that’s one of the greatest rewards love can give. I mean who doesn’t love lounging around in sweatpants and a tank top and still know your boyfriend thinks you’re sexy. As we all know, the “honeymoon period” of a relationship always makes you feel like your in middle school again with the butterflies and the constant thoughts that run through your mind about that one person.

The thing is, after you’ve been with someone for a while, the excite-ment of someone new begins to fade, and in place of that excitement is something much more fulfilling; the comfort of one another and the

feeling you can completely be your dumb, controlling, girly self in front of him. If you settle for less than you think you deserve

because you’re bored of waiting or believe you’ll never find him, just that will wind up happening; you will never find him, and you also won’t find true love.

While you’re dating Mr. Okay, you’ll be missing out on Mr. Perfect just because you didn’t want to wait a little longer. So,

if you think you deserve a prince charming that takes you out and makes you feel like a better person, then you sure

as hell deserve it as long as you’re willing to try and give the same thing back.

It’s like my girl Diana Ross said, “You can’t hurry love.” So sit back and enjoy yourself, do the things you’ve been itching to do lately, flirt with that boy at

Chef’s Table, get that mani pedi you’ve been contem-plating, and when the time is right, Prince Charming will

come around and your foot will slide into that perfect Nine West shoe.

Disclaimer: This column is for entertainment only. The author is a student, not a

licensed therapist, and this column is not intended to take the place of professional advice. The

views expressed are the author’s and are not necessarily shared by The Mirror or its staff.

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 14Coffee Break

Send YOUR questions todeardee@

fairfieldmirror.com

I feel like I have been waiting for love for way too long. I’ve been thinking lately that maybe I am setting my standards too high. Should I lower my standards from what I think I deserve in a man?

Dear Dee,ADVICE

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 17Sports

Mirror Sports 3 X 5

Chris SimmonsManaging Editor

Keith ConnorsGeneral Manager

Tom ClearyEditor-in-Chief

What do you mean... one, two, three?

So are you game? Now are you game?Britney Edition One, two, three? Are you in?

Not only you and me. Peter. Living in sin is the new thing.

Three is a charm. Let’s make a team.

Got 180 degrees Paul. I am counting.. Two is not the same. Make ‘em say my name.

And I’m caught in be-tween.

Mary. Twister on the floor, what do you say?

I don’t see the harm. Loving the extreme.

Last season, the Fairfield women’s lacrosse team steamrolled the MAAC, going undefeated in the conference and making it to the first round of the NCAA tournament.

On average, they had 480 fewer fans than the men’s lacrosse team, which only went 4-3 in the conference and 7-6 overall.

Fairfield is often criticized for its fan apathy overall, but a deeper issue is the fact that men’s teams are generally supported much more than women’s teams.

“I think attendance is much worse for the women,” said Chris Simmons ‘10, a re-porter for The Fairfield Mirror who has been covering women’s sports since his freshman year.

“People stereotype women’s sports as having less action and less excitement,” he said.

According to men’s lacrosse head coach Andy Copelan, attendance numbers are “more based on success than gender.”

The numbers tell a different story, though. Men’s lacrosse had four times more fans on average than women’s lacrosse. The men’s team brought in as many as 1,280 fans in a single game during the fall 2009 season,

while the women only got up to 425, accord-ing to the university’s athletics website.

Basketball, which some would say is Fairfield’s top sport, shows a similar dispar-ity in support for women and men.

The men’s team attracted almost two times more fans than the women’s team over the past three years, with the men pulling an average of 2,619 fans per game and the women only getting 1,436.

This number is “in line with the national trend, our conference and the other Division I CT schools” according to Hutchinson Wil-liams ‘08, a former FUSA president and now a graduate assistant for marketing, promo-tions and fan development at Fairfield.

In soccer, the men’s and women’s fan numbers are more equal. In fact, the women had 25 more fans on average than the men did during the fall 2009 season, with the women hitting about 263 fans and the men about 238.

Both teams had similar success in the season, with the men making it to the MAAC semifinal and the women to the quarterfinal.

Five-year women’s soccer head coach Jim O’Brien said attendance at Fairfield sports in general is disappointing, but cam-pus support for men’s and women’s soccer is pretty much the same.

Campus Perception of Women’s SportsAside from the numbers, the campus

perception seems to be that men’s sports are better attended than women’s sports.

Jenn Lawlor ’10, an attendee at the men’s soccer game against Canisius, said that she thought more people go to men’s games in any sport.

“I feel like they just have a stronger fan base, people think the games are more excit-ing,” said Lawlor.

According to Simmons, physicality is what draws some people to men’s sports over women’s sports. Their sheer size and aggression on the court is considered more attractive than the women’s more subtle passing game, he said.

Women’s attendance has increased about 20 percent in the last three years, ac-cording to Williams.

“There’s a difference but I don’t think it has to do with the quality of play,” said Williams. “Literally having been to all of our varsity sports, they’re all entertaining, all fun to watch.”

Williams said there are a number of fac-tors other than gender that influence game attendance, including weather, opponent, time of day, location and point in the season.

Will It Ever Change?According to Simmons, the more basic

issue is that Fairfield has a small student population and sports is not a main focus for students.

“Even if every student went to the Arena [at Harbor Yard], it wouldn’t fill up,” said Simmons, noting that community members outnumber students at most basketball games.

What’s the solution? Fairfield’s depart-ment of marketing, promotions and fan development does its best to keep students informed about when games are, often do-ing promotions like handing out free t-shirts or game tickets, said Williams.

Their most recent program is the “Stags in the Stands Rewards Card,” a membership card given to all Fairfield undergraduates that allows students to earn rewards for attending home games. No distinction is made between attending men’s games and women’s games.

Will it help? Marissa Tota ’12 does not think so.

“I think it was a good idea for people who have time for games,” said Tota, “but I feel like it will benefit mostly the people who already go to games in the first place.”

Red Sea negligence?

Last season was a banner year for Fairfield athletics. At the forefront was women’s sports. The women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, and women’s tennis teams all reached the NCAA Tournament and enjoyed

unrivaled success. Yet, much of each season’s thrilling moments fell on deaf ears.

Are women’s sports left alone in the dark?

By Michelle MorrisonOnline Managing Editor

The Mirror | Week of Dec. 2, 2009 Page 18Sports

Marist Red FoxesOverall Record: 0-4The Stags play Marist at the Arena at Harbor Yard to kick off the MAAC season. Picked to finish last in the MAAC, the Red Foxes have yet to win a game this season and will be hungry for a road win.

he said it...

“He’s definitely our point guard of

the future and he is going to be a

hell of a player.”

Fairfield head coach Ed Cooley, talking about freshman point guard Derek Needham who has averaged 16.7 points and 4.5 assists through his first six games.

Women's Basketball

Team Overall Conf.Fairfield 4-20-0Iona 4-2 0-0Manhattan 4-2 0-0Siena 4-2 0-0Rider 5-3 0-0Canisius 3-2 0-0Loyola (Md.) 3-2 0-0Niagara 4-3 0-0Saint Peter’s 2-3 0-0Marist 0-4 0-0

Mount St. Mary’s MountaineersOverall Record: 3-3The Mountaineers have already faced one MAAC opponent this season, beating Canisius, 55-51. This game is Fairfield’s Arena at Harbor Yard opener.

he said it...

"That’s a senior play right there."

Men's Basketball

Hundred GamesGame one: I

suffered a double-overtime loss to American. We’ll get

better.Game two: I suffered an overtime loss

to Holy Cross. Fool me once ... oh, it’s fine. We’ll get better.

Game five: Hasheem Thabeeet. He’s good.

Game six: Success! My first career win as a head coach. Welcome to the Cooley photo album, Central Arkansas.

Game seven: Roy Hibbert. He’s good.Game eight: Rich Flemming. Not good.Game 12: The box score will tell you

that it was only a three-point loss to Man-hattan just prior to our mid season break. Ignore the stats. I’ll tell you the real story of the game. “We were terrible. If there was a positive in this game, I thought our assistant coaches were well dressed,” I said.

Games 13 to 17: Five straight losses. That’s 14 losses in the first 18 games as a collegiate head coach. Not exactly the way we had it scripted, but remember my preseason warning: “Don’t judge us by our wins and losses.”

Game 18: Make that 15 losses in 19 games. I could really use a vacation right about now. Maybe I’ll look into that for next season.

Games 19 to 25: It started as an in-nocent slipup against Iona that led to an overtime contest, a game we went onto win after Mamadou Diakhate ‘08 nailed a three in the corner to tie the game just before the

shot clock expired. Who would’ve thought that would’ve led to a six-game win streak.

Game 26: Make that seven. Maybe I’ll get cozy at this place after all. “No pressure on us. I love the way we’re playing coming down the stretch.”

Game 28 to 33: “Van Schaick put on his cape in the second half, he had his Aqua-man belt on, his Batman suit on, and he was phenomenal down the stretch. That’s what seniors do, it’s something we’ve come to expect with Van Schaick.”

Game 33, Part Two: Roi Buchbinder. Not good.

Game 34: “You have to give a hand to Loyola; they made shots down the stretch. We have a lot of growing up to do. But we will. We will be better.”

Game 35: An 85-60 loss to start the sea-son: unacceptable. An 85-60 loss to Wake Forest, on the road, and a 20-point outing from freshman forward Warren Edney on the first night of his collegiate career? I’ll take it. Maybe this year will be different.

Game 36: Blood on the court, and an-other blemish on our record. “It was a very emotional game, but it is something we will learn from,” I said.

Game 38: A cross-town rivalry. Now this is as close to the excitable on-court at-mosphere I’m accustomed to in the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) days.

Game 63: Jason Thompson. He’s good.Game 63, Part Two: Devin Johnson.

Not good.Game 64: Déjà vu all over again: a

season-ending loss to Loyola. But we’ll grow up, we’ll mature. We’ll get better.

Game 65: A 90-63 loss to start the

season: unacceptable. An 90-63 loss to last year’s national championship runner-up, on the road, with a 24-point outing from forward Warren Edney on the first night of his sophomore season? I’ll take it. Maybe this year will be different.

Game 67: Regardless of the opponent, it is hard to soothe a seventeen-point defeat to Virginia Tech. Then again, we are in Puerto Rico, and it is a long season.

Game 68: (see above, Insert: Missouri for Virginia Tech)

Game 83: A double-digit loss to Siena. I expect more from a team ranked second in the preseason MAAC Coaches’ poll, even if we are playing the conference favorite. We need to learn. We need to mature. We need to get better.

Game 84: Ryan Thompson. He’s good. Game 85: A 65-60 loss to Manhattan.

No comment from my (former) point guard, no comment from me.

Game 93: My first postseason victory as a head coach. Move over on my coaching mantle, Central Arkansas.

Game 94: Credit Siena. “I thought as a program we got better this year with all the adversity we faced,” I said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of our kids, as I said yester-day. Hopefully this is a learning experience for us.” We’ll grow. We’ll get better.

Game 97: Greivis Vasquez. He’s good. But, hey, Gary got a steal.

Game 100: A few mental errors and mistakes in a 84-80 loss to Hofstra, only our second of the season. We’ll learn from this. We’ll mature. We’ll get better. I just need that learning to translate ... finally.

Maybe this year will be different.

After one hundred games behind the bench, head coach Ed Cooley evaluates ... Ed Cooley

Keith ConnorsGeneral ManaGer

Women’s Basketball Rally Falls Just Short

The women’s basketball team may have dropped its first game when it faced George Mason on the road on Monday but the Stags showed plenty of fight, losing 70-65 after a furious comeback attempt fell just short. Fairfield fell to 3-1 while the Patriots improved to 4-2.

“We have to look to play the game on our terms,” said Frager. “I use a boxing analogy. It’s like when you’re fighting a puncher, you can’t get drawn in, you’ve got to control the fight with your jabs. We did a great job. I’m proud of how they fought back. Now we’ve got a relatively quick turnaround against a good Mount St. Mary’s team.”

The Stags kept the game close for the first part of the game, but the Patriots went on a run at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second to take a 55-32 lead with 13:13 to play. Then Fairfield buckled down and senior Stephanie Geehan took over, scoring 13 of her career-high 33 points. Sopho-more Desiree Pina also added six of her nine points in those final minutes. But it wouldn’t be enough as the team cut the lead to three and couldn’t get any closer.

Geehan also put up her second dou-ble-double of the year with 17 rebounds in the game as well. She leads the team in points and rebounds per game with 16.8 and 11.3 respectively as well as in

blocks with nine and steals with eight in four games. The senior forward’s num-bers rank first in the MAAC in rebound-ing, third in scoring and tenth in assists. Defensively she is first in blocked shots and tied for seventh in steals.

“She played phenomenal,” said head coach Joe Frager. “In the second

half, we ran a play, where she stepped out and banged a three. I turned to my assistants and said, ‘That’s a senior play right there.’ She let everyone know we’ve still got some basketball to play today.”

The Stags also had to play a few players in different positions after starting sophomore point guard Sarah Paulus went down with an injury five minutes into

the game. After the game, Frager was not sure of the severity of the injury, which occurred while she was bringing the ball up the court, but he did think it was enough of concern to hold her out of the game.

Pina then had to play all forty min-utes and shot three of 20 from the floor after scoring 22 points with six assists in the Stags’ previous game against St. Francis. Pina is also Fairfield’s second leading scorer averaging 15.8 points per game. The Stags as a team shot 35.5 percent and Geehan scored over half the Stags’ points.

“We’re not quite there yet,” said Frager. “At times it is, but you have to give George Mason a lot of credit. They’re so quick and athletic that you think faster and react more than you

want to. That can lead to what appears to be sloppy execution. A lot of times we had players open on cuts, but we were being pressured so hard, we were a little rattled.”

But the Stags did show resolve in competing to get back into the game after being down by 23 points with only a little over a quarter of the game left against a bigger, more athletic George Mason team. Some starters were injured or in foul trouble, but still the Stags battled back from being down more than 20 to chip away and almost steal a non-conference road win.

“I think anytime you lose a game, you find something to build on,” said Frager. “I said in the locker room after the game, we learned we can overcome some adversity and we have it in us to respond. But we also learned that we can’t spot a team that many points in the first half. I’ve said before, we’re a work in progress. We’ll have our moments, and we’ll have our trying moments. But I re-ally enjoy coaching this team.”

Freshman Katelyn Linney was also honored for the second time this season as the MAAC Rookie of the Week. She is the Stags’ third leading scorer averag-ing 9.8 points per game and against St. Francis she had four assists and five rebounds to earn the award.

The women’s basketball team will look to rebound from is first loss against Mount St. Mary’s (3-3 overall) in the Stags’ Arena at Harbor Yard opening game on Thursday at 6 p.m. The game is a double-header and the men’s basket-ball team will face Marist at 8 p.m.

MAAC standings

Team Overall Conf.Fairfield 3-10-0Canisius 3-2 0-0Marist 3-2 0-0Loyola 3-3 0-0Manhattan 2-3 0-0Iona 2-4 0-0Saint Peter’s 1-2 0-0Rider 1-5 0-0Siena 0-5 0-0Niagara 0-6 0-0

Game of the week

Frager

Game of the Week

MAAC standings

Fairfield head coach Joe Frager, to one of his assistants on the bench after senior forward Stephanie Geehan hit a three to keep the Stags comeback alive.

By Chris SimmonsManaging Editor

SportS | 20Sports editors Keith Connors, Tom Cleary, Chris Simmons » sports@fairfieldmirror.com

OnlineNew and improved sports blog.Online only coverage.

fairfieldmirror.com

InsideSPORTS: Women’s basketball falls to George Mason page 18, Does Anyone Go to Women’s Sports? page 17

Week of Dec. 2, 2009

A running start

Stags Off to 4-2 Start, Lead MAACWith a freshman point guard running the show and injuries again taking the focus off

of the strong play of former role players, one would assume that the men’s basketball team would be off to yet another slow start.

But instead the Stags are 4-2, tied for the best record in the MAAC, and off to the fastest start in head coach Ed Cooley’s career, which has now reached 100 games.

Fairfield had a successful pre-Thanksgiving trip to Washington, D.C. where the Stags de-feated American on Monday, 72-56, and then Howard on Wednesday, 81-60. As the rest of the University returned from break, the Stags continued their road trip, traveling to Long Island to take on Hofstra, falling 84-80.

Against American, the Stags were led by returning junior forward Yorel Hawkins who led the way with 18 points. Freshman point guard Derek Needham scored 13 points, continuing his streak of double-digit point performances. Needham is leading all MAAC freshmen in

scoring with 16.8 points per game and has won the MAAC Rookie of the Week award twice this season out of three possible weeks.

Hawkins continued his big return with a 16 point night that again paced the Stags. Needham scored 13 points and junior Lyndon Jordan chipped in with 12 points. The Stags led 41-21 at halftime and almost allowed Howard to close the gap, as they won the second half by a scored of 40-39 for a 81-60 final.

The Stags had a chance to continue their streak against Hofstra on Monday night but despite three players scoring over 20 points (Needham, Hawkins and Anthony Johnson), the Stags lost. Fairfield trailed four with under a minute remaining, but Needham hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one. After the Pride made just one out of two free throws, Fairfield had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer. Hawkins had an open look from the corner, but his shot was blocked. Fairfield recovered the ball and Hawkins had a second shot blocked to end the game. Needham scored a career-high 26 points, while Hawkins and Johnson both scored 22 points.

The Stags now return home where they will play three of their next four games, heading into the winter break. Fairfield opens its MAAC season with a game against Marist (0-4 ) on Thursday night at 8 p.m. at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

By Tom ClearyEditor in Chief

»Looking back at Cooley’s first 100 games | page 18

Peter Caty/The Mirror