THE MIRROR Student newspaper
Week of April 23, 2014
www.fairfieldmirror.com @fairfieldmirror The Fairfield Mirror
Vol. Vol.39, 38,Iss. Iss.26 23
Rafferty Stadium funding sparks criticism By Luigi DiMeglio Managing Editor Emeritus
By Salvatore Trifilio News Editor Emeritus
Shauna Mitchell / The Mirror
As construction begins for Rafferty Stadium, disagreements have also begun to build around the project, calling into question the transparency of the administration and Board of Trustees. The Board gave approval for the project on Dec. 5 and, on April 7, Fairfield began construction on the estimated $11 million project. The original projected cost was approximately $9 million.
THE DISPUTE Confidential documents – obtained by The Mirror – from the Board of Trustees’ recent March 27 meeting state the current budget estimate of the stadium to have risen to $11,050,000. A major critic of the unanimous Board decision to begin construction, Dr. Richard DeWitt, professor of philosophy, says the use of Fairfield reserve monies to help fund the stadium is misguided. These reserve monies are commonly referred to as the school’s plant fund, which represents any money leftover from the previous year’s operating budget. Additionally, in the April 9 issue of The Mirror, Michelle Russomano ‘16 authored an opinion piece also criticizing Fairfield’s construction on Rafferty Stadium because it took precedence over the planned RecPlex renovation.
“I was also under the impression that Fairfield lacrosse alumni were donating the entire renovation,” Russomano stated. “From my understanding, the alumni donations have not reached their goal yet, but construction is still proceeding.” However, Dr. Mark C. Reed, senior vice president of administration, chief of staff and interim vice president of university advancement, said there was no goal to receive only donations to fund the project. The Board of Trustees’ meeting notes from Dec. 5 provided by DeWitt shows that the administration did anticipate full funding from donations: “While it had been planned that 100% of the funding for this project would have been raised through gifts, results to date have fallen short of expectations.” Because the stadium project budget has increased from $9 million to $11 million, roughly $2 million will have to be taken from the plant fund under revised donation expectations. “At this moment, I am confident in saying we have raised over $7 million for the stadium and we are still actively fundraising,” said Reed. Reed told The Mirror that the Board of Trustees approved the beginning of construction with current funds raised and approved the use of “about $2 million” from the
university’s plant fund. As of the March 27 Board of Trustees’ meeting, the plant fund’s current balance sits at $8.2 million, excluding what will be used for Rafferty Stadium – a figure that has yet to be permanently set – according to documents obtained by The Mirror. DeWitt criticized the administration and Board for withdrawing from the plant fund to help cover the fundraising shortfall, but not to save faculty jobs during a budget deficit a couple years ago. However, Reed explained this was not a possibility. Furthermore, research of plant funds show that these funds are designated specifically for construction purposes, according to a Rutgers University Accounting web page. According to Reed, it would be irresponsible for the university to use these reserve monies to fund salaries, since it is impossible to guarantee those same funds would be available in the next fiscal year.
WHY THE STADIUM WAS APPROVED Despite controversies surrounding the Rafferty Stadium construction, Reed, the senior administration and the Board of Trustees all believe the project to be an essential comREAD
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Founder of Clam Jam hopes to keep tradition alive By Megan Harney Contributing Writer On a warm, spring day a little over 27 years ago, a group of Fairfield students decided to host a beach party at Lantern Point to relax before final exams and enjoy some clams and drinks. An annual end-of-year celebration known now as Clam Jam has arguably become one of the most hotly debated events of the school year. Timothy Ahern ‘87 and his friends planned an end-of-year beach event in the spring of 1986 where Fairfield students could unwind and hang out at the beach. “It basically started as a way to relax before hitting the books for finals,” Ahern said. There were several local bands that were willing to play for the
event and one senior decided he was going to cook three bushels of clams for his fellow students. “Of course we needed something to wash down the clams,” joked Ahern. “Everything just kind of evolved from there.” Several years after Ahern graduated, Clam Jam began to grow in size. By the new millennium, year-round beach residents were losing their patience with Fairfield students and their partying. In 2001, a Fairfield County court judge placed a temporary injunction on the Point after a weekend of heavy student partying and misconduct. Nevertheless, it seemed that nothing could quell Fairfield’s student spirit when it comes to their year-end celebration. Kate Hickey
McGee ‘05 said that when she attended Fairfield, “Clam Jam was still a big event, but it was scaled down a bit because of the injunction on the Point.” Today, Clam Jam incites even more problems. Ahern said, “As property values go up, the beach residents are going to expect fewer college parties.” McGee said that in 2005, “The town-gown relationship was strained, but not horrible. There were a few year-round residents who consistently complained and I know after Clam Jam there were complaints of beer cans on lawns and people urinating on private property.” The drinking age has been raised since Clam Jam began, which allows police to interfere
with people who attend Clam Jam. Twenty-six people were arrested at Clam Jam in 2010, and 36 were arrested in 2011. Despite the danger of being arrested for attending Clam Jam, students are still more than willing to participate in the year-end tradition. “Obviously being in college we all love a giant day drink, but the fact that there is tradition behind Clam Jam gives the party a little bit more meaning,” said Kelly O’Brien ‘16. Last May, hundreds of Fairfield students congregated at the Point to celebrate the 27th Clam Jam. “I think Clam Jam is something everyone looks forward to, including myself, and I hope it never ends,” Julz Lister ‘16 said.
Page 7 Soul and Spirit Gianpaolo Seguso brings glass blowing to Bellarmine Museum of Art