Fairfield Mirror 4/17/19

Congressional Hearing

Men’s Basketball

“Curious Incident”

Opinion

Sports

Vine

Congressional hearing shows Republicans, neglect of hate crime.

Theatre Fairfield performs “Curious Incident”

Young to change Fairfield Hoops’ old ways.

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THE MIRROR Independent student newspaper

Week of April 17, 2019

Vol. 44 Iss. 22

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Bald Never Looked So Good

Students raise money for childhood cancer research

By Devan Markham Contributing Writer

Brave the Shave events to raise various amounts of money throughout the United States.

This year is the Students for St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s fourth year on campus as a club. However, it is their third official Brave the Shave event. From starting out four years ago in the old Oak Room, the Brave the Shave event found its way to the Lower Level.

“What we are doing is important and it really does matter. It makes a difference,” explained Stewart.

A giant sign that read “Take Childhood Back From Cancer” hung on the staircase above four chairs covered in green tarps at the front end of the Lower Level of the John A. Barone Campus Center on Friday, April 12. Around 1 p.m., students and members of the local community gathered to shave their heads for The biggest highlight of the event was special guest, Jennifer Socci, a local eleven year old who the annual Brave the Shave event organized by the Students for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Fairfield. raised $3,080.60 for the event this year. She attended with her family and sister, Mary, who is currently Tables overflowing with pizza and snacks, a Fairfield University backdrop for before and after battling brain cancer. Jennifer bravely mounted the stage and shaved off her long brown hair in front of a pictures, music, a raffle table with Clam Jam tickets and a signed Jet’s poster, all filled the LLBCC to actively room full of college students, staff and faculty. include students at the event and as an attempt to further raise money to fight childhood cancer.

Junior Emily Schofield and Stasia Rispoli ‘22 were confident that the event would have a big turnout Local stylists from Sport Clips and Alchemy Salon volunteered to shave heads for the event. and that they would exceed their fundraising goal.

Senior Robert Stewart, vice president of the Students for St. Baldrick’s Club, explained that their Rispoli said, “I think today’s gonna be a really great day. We have a little girl here who is shaving her overall goal this year was to raise as much money as they could for childhood cancer research. head for her sister who is currently battling brain cancer. That’s amazing.”

“Never have we ever reached our goal before the event until this year. I had to personally bump the Rispoli also shared her own experience in which she had lost her sister to childhood brain event goal two times already.” Stewart shared. “Original goal was $8,000. I bumped it to $10,000, and now I cancer. bumped it to $12,500.”

Sophomore Michael Cottam was one of the first people to shave their head.

The event raised $12,508 this year so far. Stewart explained that their “Personally, we had a family friend when I was younger who battled childhood event page will remain open for more donations until a new page is created cancer for four years,” Cottam said. “Luckily, he is surviving and well now, but next year. his mom and all of them last “My personal goal is to walk into the room and have at least 75 percent year shaved their head for of the people know something about St. Baldrick’s. Be it, what’s it. I thought if I could raise the organization? What’s it money for a good cause, for?” Stewart explained. why not?”

St. Baldrick’s After he had Foundation is the largest shaved his head, non-profit organizaStewart explained tion for childhood how happy and cancer research. accomplished Stewart stated he felt with the that the founturnout of this dation makes years event. “It up the biggest feels good, it feels part of the really good.” He actual continuously donations shared his gratitowards tude to all those fighting who participated childhood and donated to cancers due make the event a to a lack in success. government For people funding. who are nervous “There is about shaving such a need for it, the their head, dofunds are just not pronating their hair, vided by anyone else.” or on the fence Stewart explained, about donating, “The St. Baldrick’s Stewart says, Foundation really “When people is the main pipeline ask me if I’m sure, from where all this I’ll say, I have a money comes from choice. I have a for fighting childchoice, and these hood cancer.”

Photo contributed by Robert Stewart kids don’t.”

The foundation allows smaller groups to hold big Students pose in their St. Baldrick’s t-shirts while holding signs with slogans in support of the cause

Uber Safe Uber Tips

By Julia Crews Assistant News Julia Monteleone News Editor

Daniel Messier/ The Mirror

Students try out Occulus Rift in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library

Adventures in VR

By Daniel Messier Assistant News Read Visions on Page Two

On the street outside of a bar in Columbia, South Carolina on Friday, March 29, 21 year old University of South Carolina senior Samantha Josephson got into a black Chevy Impala that she mistook for the Uber ride she had summoned. The following day, hunters came across her body in a field 90 miles away from Columbia.

Josephson had been separated from her roommates, so she was traveling alone. Security footage of the street that night shows Josephson getting into the vehicle as soon as it drove up to the curb without taking a moment to match the license plate or driver to those specified by the app on her phone.

Following this recent tragedy, the Department of Public Safety wishes to share important safety tips with Fairfield University students in the hopes to prevent possible incidents before they have the chance to occur. Todd Pelazza, head of DPS, wants students to know a handful of crucial Uber safety tips. “These are things that can be quickly done,” said Pelazza. Before you get into a vehicle, take a moment to do the following: Read DPS on Page Two

News

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

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Visions of Virtual Reality in the Library Continued from Page One Students, faculty and professors flew among the skyscrapers of New York City, experienced colorblindness and got a glimpse at life with dementia as a part of the Dimenna-Nyselius Library’s Virtual Reality Open House on Wednesday, April 10. The Oculus Rift headset was set up in room 302 of the library.

Students donned the headset along with two handheld controllers and sat in a chair before being transported to an alternate reality. The images on the headset were also being projected on a screen in the room, so that those waiting to use the headset could see what the person currently wearing the device was doing.

There were a wide variety of applications students could try, including exPerience: Colorblindness, which allows the player to see as a colorblind person would and engage in everyday situations, as well as Sharecare VR, which “allows anyone to freely navigate and explore an anatomically accurate 3D model of the human body, its organs, and their natural function,” according to the app’s Steam page. The event seemed to produce excitement among students about the power of the device.

“The experience was amazing,” said graduate student Ashwini Sajjan. “I used Google Earth. It was

really as if I went there and I was really in the situation.”

“I actually put a reminder in my phone when I saw an add for the VR at the library,” added Alex Perugini ‘20. “I used the Dementia one because my great-grandfather had dementia. I wanted to see what it was like, if it could give me insight on that. It was really cool. It put me in a room, it was terribly photorealistic but it almost felt like I was in that room.”

The Oculus Rift can be used by professors for educational purposes as well.

“We had a professor in the arts department ask us if we had it so she could weave in into one of her assignments. That was kind of our springboard to get the equipment in here,” said Reference & Outreach Librarian Matthew Blaine. “We’re trying to find more uses for it right now.”

Blaine continued to stress the capabilities of the VR device, “It’s really flexible, there seems to be apps for everything. There’s nursing and medicine, history, there’s chemistry apps, and then there are some fun ones to just destress.”

Students are currently able to reserve time to use the VR by making a reservation for room 302 in the library. Only one student is able to use the device at a time, but students are encouraged to go in groups of up to six and, “use the space together, [as] there is a large display screen that shows what is happening in the VR world,” according to the library website.

Blaine shared that there will be more Virtual Reality Open Houses in the coming semesters, but for now students are encouraged to reserve the VR device and see where it can take them.

DPS Decodes Uber Safety Continued from Page One

[for an Uber that you order yourself], but it’s safer to do it that way, than just assume, ‘hey, it looks like an Uber driver, I’m gonna jump in the car.’”

5. Provide your exact location for pickup, not just the University’s address.

6. Check the driver’s ratings.

7. Always report any suspicious activity to DPS or local

police.

1. Ask the driver for your name. If the driver cannot identify 8. And, if at all possible, don’t ride alone. “We encourage you, don’t get in the car. always to use the buddy system. So, at least one other person with 2. Make sure that the photo of the driver on the app matches you in the ride.” the driver’s appearance.

In the event that you are in an Uber, or at 3. Make sure the license plate on the least a vehicle that you believe is your Uber, and car matches the one on app. It also gives a you start to feel that something is off or suspidescription of the make and model of the car, cious, Pelazza urges you to ask the driver to stop but Pelazza stressed that the license plate is the immediately and get out of the car. “If they don’t most important thing to check. There could do that, start calling 911. If you dial 911, they’re be hundreds of thousands of cars with the gonna be able to track you where you are, and same make and model on the road. that’s the best approach to take.”

4. Never get into a car when the driver “Ask the driver to stop if something doesn’t says they’re an Uber unless you’ve ordered it. feel right.

And we always say, trust the hairs on “We see people, you know, sometimes people the back of your head and your gut. If something will steal rides, that type of thing,” elaborated doesn’t seem right, so what? Get out of that car.

Pelazza. “You’re really taking a risk when you Creative Commons/ wikimedia You can always get another Uber.” do that. It may be another minute or two wait Uber has been underfire following the death of a USC student who was murdered.

#UNLOAD Brings Senator Chris Murphy to Fairfield

By Sabina Dirienzo Chief Copy Editor Emeritus

A crowd packed into the lobby of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts gathered, alongside members of Moms Demand Action and a reporter from a National Public Radio member station, to listen to a discussion on violence. The Quick Center hosted United States Senator Christopher Murphy on Monday, April 15 for the opening of the mural installation Guns in America: a TIME and JR Project.

The mural was curated by the founders of the arts initiative #UNLOAD, Mary Himes and Helen During. Himes opened the discussion by saying, “It’s about listening, it’s not about judging.”

The audience listened to two clips from the mural before the discussion began.

Provost Christine Siegel, Ph.D., emphasized the importance of the Catholic tradition of important dialogue. “This exhibit is just one way we at Fairfield engage,” said Siegel.

The discussion was relatively open, and Beth Boquet, Ph.D. asked some participants to explain why they were in attendance. Attendees included members of Moms Demand Action, gun violence survivors and even gun owners.

Himes said, “Could I ask how many people in this room have held a gun? About half.”

Murphy arrived and was introduced by Himes, who said, “He’s been a leader on the issue of gun violence prevention and without leaders like him the issue would just sort of disappear.”

Murphy spoke on the difference between state and national laws, saying that Conn. laws cannot be fully effective when neighboring states have laxer laws. But, he said, “We are now stronger than they are.”

Murphy also described gun violence as a public health epidemic, reminiscent of the Sabina Dirienzo/ The Mirror

Students, faculty and community members listen as speakers give their views. panel discussion held by #UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists in September 2018.

“My only reservation about [the video mural],” said Murphy, “is that I think often we overhype the controversy of this debate.” Murphy cited statistics that 97% of Americans support universal background checks.

For Murphy, the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting made him committed to working on gun violence. In his video mural clip, he states, “My public service for me will be defined by if I deliver some salvation for those parents.”

Himes stated that her involvement began after the failure of the 2012 - Mary Himes, co-founder Manchin-Toomey background check bill.

Some of the gun owners present spoke on the importance of safe gun storage. Other focal points, including by During, were the success of New Zealand gun reform and the possibility for a national organization focused on gun safety, training and safe lockups.

“I really, firmly believe that we need to move the conversation for the minute out of the political realm,” said Himes. She added that #UNLOAD tries to “broaden the coalition Sabina Dirienzo/ The Mirror of people” trying to end gun violence.

“Guns in America: A TIME and JR Project” will remain in the Quick until April 18.

Smiling atendees come together to take a group photo following the event.

“

It’s about listening, it’s not about judging.”

News

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

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The Mirror Reflects on this Week in Social Media Compiled by Julia Monteleone Information contributed by the Department of Public Safety.

Wednesday, 4/10 1:43 p.m.

As student reported that someone stole their pair of Beats Headphones from their backpack while in John A. Barone Campus Center. The matter is under investigation.

8:30 p.m.

Officers discovered an incident of vandalism at the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. There was damage to a glass pane inside a door with a substance smeared across of it.

The matter is under investigation.

Sunday, 4/14 12:00 a.m.

Students were found tampering with fire equipment in Loyola Hall. Officers were checking on smell of smoke after they entered the room they found tobacco paraphernalia and a covered smoke detector head. The students were referred to student conduct.

2:08 a.m.

There was a possible fight in The Quad involving 30-40 individuals. The fight started between two students but all parties indicated no physical fight only yelling. The students were referred to student conduct.

2:37 a.m An officer found three people leaving the Japanese Garden at Bellarmine Hall. The students were issued warnings for being there after dark.

11:54 a.m.

Four rooms were burglarized in Jogues Hall. Items were thrown around, damaged or vandalized. Fairfield Police Department was involved. The matter is under investigation.

Monday, 4/15 10:09 pm Officers were led to a room by the odor of marijuana.

Officers found several bags of marijuana and several items of drug paraphernalia. The students were referred to student conduct.

For full list of this week’s crimes check out fairfieldmirror.com

THE MIRROR Incorporated 1977

Lexi Thimble, Editor-in-Chief Claire Monahan, Executive Editor Katherine Klima, Managing Editor Editors Sheila McCombs, Chief Copy Julia Monteleone, News Julia Crews, Assistant News Daniel Messier, Assistant News Catherine Santangelo, Opinion Gracianne Eldrenkamp, Vine Molly Lamendola, Assistant Vine Julia Lanzillotta, Sports Editor Business Department Email: info@fairfieldmirror.com Michael Hoffman, Director of Finance Advisor Professor Matt Tullis Contact Information Fairfield University 1073 North Benson Road, BCC 104 Box AA, Fairfield, CT 06824 General email: info@fairfieldmirror.com

News

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

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Connecting the Catholic Community

By Sabina Dirienzo Chief Copy Editor Emeritus

Throughout the 13th annual Commonweal lecture, speaker Dominic Preziosi reminded the audience that a people is known by the story it tells. Preziosi is the editor of Commonweal, a Catholic opinion magazine run by laypeople. The lecture, titled “The Last Catholic Boyhood?” was held in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business dining room on April 10.

The Commonweal lecture was introduced by Paul Lakeland, Ph.D., the Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. chair in Catholic studies and professor of religious studies, and Preziosi was then introduced by his predecessor, Paul Baumann.

Preziosi began by telling the audience the story of his first communion day. He asked his mother to play kickball in his white communion pants, and said to the audience, “maybe you can guess what happened.”

He explained that he used this anecdote as a starting point to empathize with fellow Catholic people, and introduced the preceding quote: “a people is known by the stories it tells.” He described his own upbringing as “a wonderful and wonderfully Catholic upbringing.”

Preziosi has two children; while both were raised Catholic, “now neither shows any particular interest in what they dismissively refer to as ‘church.’” Preziosi focused his talk on this idea of his own era of childhood as that last Catholic boyhood; what’s changed?

In his own experience at Fordham University, he found that there were two things which made Catholic religiosity difficult for him: witnessing performative piety, and wit-

nessing the things that are done in the name of Catholicism. Preziosi also read the book “Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children,” regarding clerical sexual abuse in Louisiana. This book was released, and Preziosi read it, before the Boston Globe Spotlight reports on the sexual abuse scandal in Massachusetts.

The damage done through clerical sexual abuse persists. Preziosi found the name of the priest who gave his first communion on a list of New Jersey priests credibly abused, and his mother found the man who had initiated her into Catholicism on another list of accused priests.

Preziosi says that people are tempted to deal with this by finding comfort in the past, such as in the boyhood he experienced, but he would not advocate for going back. “There’s never any going back,” he explained.

Preziosi found three ways to deal with this. The first is individual analysis. The second is that Catholicism is a living tradition, one he describes as “unapologetically public and communal.” And the third is that he believes the Church should have “a willingness to meet Catholics where they are.”

As editor and a longtime staff member at Commonweal, Preziosi explained that he is often asked if working for Commonweal has strengthened his faith. No, he said, but “it’s compelled me to question it” - and according to Preziosi, that’s good.

At the end of his lecture, Preziosi spoke regarding what he believes Commonweal can do to make its voice heard. “We should remember,” he said, “That we can share in all of this.”

And regarding the broader Catholic community - “our stories express multitudes,” Preziosi said.

Notre Dame Damaged but Still Standing

By Cara Lee Executive Editor Emeritus

Thorns, believed to be the crown worn by Jesus when he was crucified, as well as a piece of wood and a nail believed to have been part of the cross.

“I’ve read some articles which point out that the overall shape of the cathedral is For over six hundred years, Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral has stood tall and strong cruciform - in the shape of a large cross,” said Rev. Mark P. Scalese, S.J., director of campus over a small island in the middle of the Seine. It has inspired poems, songs and stories in ministry, who has visited Notre Dame twice and fondly remembers the Cathedrals rose dozens of different languages and been the destination of over 13 million visitors a year, windows and the warm glow of the many of whom have traveled thousands vocative prayer candles. of miles to gaze at the gothic architec“And of course the name of the ture, learn its history and pray before cathedral itself means ‘Our Lady,’ rethe religious artifacts it holds. ferring to the Blessed Mother of Jesus.

On Monday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m.

During this Holy Week, we’re reminded CST, the world watched as the historof the story of Our Lady standing at the ical monument and religious masterfoot of the cross as Jesus died, weeping. piece began to burn.

It’s a holy irony that so many people The fire burned for nine hours, in Paris stood looking up with tears in the flames being declared “under their eyes at the cathedral’s roof as it control” at 2 a.m. Tuesday, April 16, burned.” though they continued to burn for However, the spire was not the several hours longer. Throughout the only segment of the Cathedral to fall. destruction, news stations provided The famed roof structure, which dates live coverage and mourners across the back to construction during the 13th globe began to converge, gathering to century (the Cathedral took nearly 200 pray or offering hopes that some of the years to build and the roof was made cathedral could be saved. early on) and was known as “the forest” “When I heard and saw the news due to the amount of trees used to of a massive fire engulfing the Cathebuild and maintain, was also lost to the dral of Notre Dame, my hands started flames. shaking and I didn’t know what to do While parts of the Cathedral with myself,” said Eileen Michaud ’20, were saved and the French governa Fairfield University art history major ment has already announced they will currently studying abroad. “I felt as if it re-erect and reconstruct the structure, wouldn’t be right to immediately carry it is a resounding consensus that Notre on with my life after hearing of the loss Dame will never be the same and this of a true icon of the city of Paris and of event is a historical tragedy. the Catholic faith.”

“Each of us at Fairfield -students, Firefighters arrived on the scene faculty and alumni- has lost a small almost immediately and began to work fragment of immeasurably intangible to save the Cathedral. Recent reports value with the destructive fire at Notre show that, while the famed spire fell, Dame,” said Philip Eliasoph, Ph.D., a Notre Dame’s two towers were saved, professor of Art History. as were many major art pieces and “This remarkable monument sacred items. These include the Crown in the medieval core of Paris is a of Thorns, the statues of the apostles Photo taken from NBC News Instagram testament to humanity’s most noaround the spire (which had been Smoke from a burning Notre Dame rises in the sky over the streets of Paris. ble aspirations of faith, creativity, removed before the collapse due to and architectural vision. Beyond its renovation), and the Tunic of Saint Louis. On April 16, further reports announced that the universal acclaim as a monument of ravishing beauty, it affirms the symbolic meaning of Cathedral’s rose windows and the famed “May de Notre-Dame” are also safe. this Passover/Easter season by inspiring us to find light from darkness and freedom from News of the Crown of Thorns was a special relief for many as this fire occurred slavery. Our hearts ache for our Parisian brothers and sisters who will have to harness their during Holy Week and Catholics worldwide prepare for Easter on Sunday, April 20. Every collective energies to re-erect its spire as a beacon of hope for The City of Light.”

Easter, thousands turn their eyes to Notre Dame as the Cathedral displays the Crown of

Under the Stars Under-Attended

By Daniel Messier Assistant News

Rafferty Stadium was decked with blankets and lawn games on Thursday, April 11 for the first Stags Under the Stars Movie Event. The movie chosen for the event was Space Jam, starring National Basketball Association star Michael Jordan and the Looney Toons.

“We chose the movie through polls on the FUSA [Fairfield University Student Association] instagram, we really wanted to show what the people wanted,” said Cailyn Fiori ‘22 of Programming via email. “The initial eight movie options were simply what we felt were the most popular movies out of what was available for us to purchase.”

The event was pushed back slightly by a Fairfield Prep Lacrosse game that had been delayed. After the prep players had left the field, students were able to play cornhole on the stadium turf before the movie began, as well as grab free concessions. Concessions included popcorn, hot dogs, candy bars and tater tots, as well as hot chocolate and bottled water.

The movie began just as the sun went down, and students brought out blankets and laid them around the turf so they could watch the movie being shown on the big screen scoreboard.

The movie ran for an hour and forty minutes, and the temperature dropped consid-

erably as it got darker outside.

“I had so much fun at Stags under the Stars,” wrote Noelle Guerrera ‘21. “It was really fun watching Space Jam on Rafferty with a few of my close friends. It was a nice break from schoolwork in the middle of the week.”

Although programming achieved its goals with the event, attendance was lower than expected.

“In my opinion the event was successful in the sense that we were able to create and pull off exactly what we wanted,” stated Fiori. “However, we were hoping for better attendance. I would say around 40 students altogether attended the event.”

Despite this, Fiori remains hopeful that the event will continue in the future, saying, “In the future I see this event continuing in some capacity whether it means we combine with another event or plan it for a different time.”

Guerrera echoed this sentiment as well, writing, “I hope FUSA plans do more events like that. I wish more people showed up to watch the movie and hang out because it was a really nice night.”

Editor’s Note: Executive Editor Claire Monahan is also the FUSA President-elect. She did not have access to this story for reporting and editing purposes.

Opinion

Opinion

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

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

Hate Crime Hearing Reveals a Neglectful Republican Party ByAli Haidar Contributing Writer

America has a rising hate crime problem, and our disjointed Congress has finally taken notice of it as the House Judiciary committee held a hearing on the rise of hate crimes and white nationalism on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released hate crime statistics for 2017 and found that there was an increase of 17 percent in reported hate crimes. One would hope that both sides, Republicans and Democrats, could contribute meaningful and active dialogue towards this rising issue, but like most topics in American politics, that was a bad presumption. Democrats brought representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, like the senior vicepresident for policy, Eileen Hershenov, and Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha, a father who lost his two daughters in an anti-Muslim hate crime.

Republicans brought Candace Owens, a conservative activist who was cited in the New Zealand terrorist’s manifesto, and Morton Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America. The hearing was also attended by representatives from Google and Facebook, who faced questioning on how their social media platforms handle hate speech.

This was nothing more than the Republican and the American conservative movement’s blatant endorsement of the anti-Muslim, and arguably the anti-Arab, hysteria that has rocked American politics since the swearing in of Congress’ first two Muslim women - Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan). On March 23, Omar gave a speech at the Council on American-Islamic Relations banquet in which she conveyed the “discomfort” that Muslim-Americans have been living with since 9/11 as she described the terrorist attack as “some people [that] did something.” Whatever one’s interpretation of Omar’s comments, the reaction towards her has been vile and extremely venomous. Ilhan Omar has been the subject of virulent attention coming from the Republican party, of which has grossly fermented into death threats levied against the congresswoman. Rhetoric from conservative commentators, such as Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, deemed her as “anti-American,” in regard to her comments about 9/11.

The President, who has stooped to low extremes, tweeted an egregious

video of the Congresswoman’s comments overlaid with the 9/11 ter- Salha responded and stated that Islam does not teach Muslims to hate rorist attack to millions of followers, clearing the path for potential vio- Jewish people and that he did not teach hatred to his children. While lent incitement against Omar. If this entire debacle did not convey the the congressman and congresswoman agreed with his answers, MorAmerican conservative movement’s rabid hostility towards America’s ton Klein, the same very man who called Arabs “filthy,” questioned the grieving father about his statements and called on Muslims to “step it Muslim population, then the congressional hearing surely had.

The congressional hearing on hate effectively revealed the up.” From this interaction, it is clear that Republicans do not care about true, hateful nature of the Republican party, as conveyed through the the Muslim-American community, and in fact, they actively work to individuals that they had brought. Less than a month after the Christ- demonize them.

Ironically, while Facebook and YouTube representachurch Mosque shootings, Republicans invited Candace Owens to the tives attended the meeting and had the congressional hearings live hearing, someone who was cited by the terrorist as having the most influence on his hateful identity. Imagine if Congress had invitstreamed, white nationalist comments appeared on these ed someone who inspired, but did not partake in, the terplatforms as it was happening. YouTube’s livestream was plagued with users commenting disparaging rorist attacks of San Bernardino or 9/11 - the outrage, anti-Semitic comments towards Jerry Nadler, the rightfully so, would be immense. While Owens influJudiciary committee chairman. YouTube, a platenced the Christchurch terrorist, she has made antiform known for allowing white supremacists on Muslim comments which were amplified to her audience as she warned that, “Europe will become a its site, quickly disabled such comments after Muslim majority continent by 2050,” or when she they were made public. Not only is Congress falsely stated that, “There has never been a Musill-prepared to tackle the real issue of white nalim majority country where Sharia law was not tionalism, but social media giants have no clue either. In fact, this was more indicative of how implemented.” Given the character of Candace Owens, the Republicans have complete disdain these platforms have allowed the far-right to ferfor the Muslim community. Perhaps the most ment online without any consequences. distasteful part of the entire hearing, which What transpired during this congreswas supposed to be about white terrorism, sional hearing was nothing more than a clear reitturned into a hearing in which Dr. eration that America has a rising hate problem, in physical life and online. However, the Abu-Salha was asked questions fact that Republicans’ senseless decipertaining to his religion of Islam. sion to invite two individuals, who For instance, Congressman Hank have done nothing but build their Johnson (D-Georgia) asked Dr. careers on fear mongering and lies, Abu-Salha whether, “Islam teach shows that the party is not serious in Muslims to hate Jewish people?” tackling the epidemic of white nationor when Congresswoman Sheilah Pictured: Political Activist Candance Owens alism.

Jackson Lee (D-Texas) asked if he Creative Commons/Wikimedia Commmons taught his children hate. Dr. Abu-

To All the Schools that Compromise Students' Safety

By Maria DiGregorio Contributing Writer

their own life, such as divorce of their parents or loss of a loved one. However, these are still not an excuses to treat others badly.

Recently, a fifth grader named Raniya Wright who lived in Waterboro, S.C., lost her life because of a bullying incident. Raniya had been complaining for over a year that a girl at school was bothering her, so Raniya’s mother informed the teacher that she expected her to handle the situation. However, in actuality, the teacher ignored the mother’s concerns. The bullying got so bad that Raniya would often ask to stay home from school. On March 25, Raniya had gotten into a fight with the girl who was bullying her. The bully slammed her head into a bookshelf and Raniya was seriously injured and sent to the nurse’s office.

The nurse had waited until lunchtime to inform her mother that she was okay, but she was complaining of dizziness and a headache. Raniya’s condition worsened while she was at school, and the school neglected to notify her mother. When she became "Just as this story shows, unconscious the paramedics came and took her to the closest hospital. bullying is a serious problem in Her mother was then notified and arrived at the hospital to find her the United States school systems she daughter unconscious and hooked because parents send their chil- up to machines. Two days later, on Raniya died in the hospital. dren to school with the expecta- March 27, Just as this story shows, bullytion that they are going to be safe. ing is a serious problem in the United school systems because parents Schools are not doing enough to States send their children to school with the expectation that they are going to be meet this expectation." safe. Schools are not doing enough -Maria DiGregorio to meet this expectation. This whole situation could have been avoided if the school had been more involved and took care of the problem when it was first brought up. Instead of ignoring Raniya’s mother, the school should have taken her concerns seriously and removed the bully from the classroom. In the future, schools need to implement stricter standards for bullying and more effective ways of addressing these situations, because it is not something to be joked about, and it can lead to major complications.

Bullying has been a serious problem in the United States for a long time, but has only recently been given the attention it deserves. It has been linked to self-esteem issues, substance use and suicide. As a community we need to work harder to protect our students by promoting a sense of acceptance instead of targeting members of our community who are different than the majority and who suffer from teasing and name calling.

Bullying is intentional behavior aimed to harm another person. 20 percent of children who attend school experience bullying. Some of the tactics bullies use are creating an imbalance of power, aggressive behavior and repetition. Aggressive behavior includes a physical or verbal attack intended to cause bodily harm or shame. An imbalance of power occurs when the bully has either more social or physical power. This makes the bully able to overpower the victim in many ways. In addition to this, repetition is also very important. It places fear in the victim’s mind because they do not know when the next attack is going to be.

Most of the time people bully others in order Creative Commons/Pixabay to cope with trauma in I thought to myself, a small 18 year old, “What if I The end of the semester is such a stressful time for took this big risk only to fail?” us college students. With projects, papers and exams piling I returned to Jogues 335 after a long night in the liup in these last few days of the semester, it’s understable to brary, still working on these two politics papers and drownfeel overwhelmed. This time of year always reminds me of ing in my own inadequacy, to find my roommate and her my first spring semester at Fairfield and some truths that I male friend chatting about how he was done for the selearned during a particularly tough finals season. mester. He had handed in his last projects, taken his single I am a risk taker; I have always loved the freedom written final and had been celebrating with his friends. I that comes with charting your own path. Unfortunately, I walked in the room and he turned to me holding a bottle of am also a perfectionist and have dreaded the risk of failure Corona. He looked me right in the eyes and asked, “Hey, do that comes with boldly swimming into uncharted waters. you have a bottle opener?”

While I can’t say I’ve loved every minute of being a politics This question echoed around the tiny room and hit major on the pre-med track, I can say that I have never reme right in the chest. He was free and I was not, he had gretted pursuing all of my interests. survived and I had not, he had succeeded while I was on In the spring semester of my first year I decided to the verge of complete failure. take two politics classes at once to set me up to take just one Lexi Thimble I walked out of the room, sat in that curved stairwell politics class per semester until the end of my college caEditor-in-Chief and cried. I called my sister and explained that I now had to reer. I was in the midst of writing two final papers in classes become a spray paint boardwalk artist because I had been where my midterm papers had not gone the way I would Claire Monahan rejected by every medical school in the country for being have wanted. Stressed out of my mind, while also trying to Executive Editor a total idiot. She patiently listened as I also described how write a lab report about green crystals, I began to doubt my there was a boy in my room who had his whole life going whole existence. How silly would it look to medical schools Katherine Klima for him and needed to borrow a bottle opener. if I pursued a non-traditional major that I wasn’t any good Managing Editor Here is some sage sisterly wisdom for finals season at?

Editorial Board

"Do You Have a Bottle Opener?"

that I want to share with you: Everything can be fixed. There is no problem that doesn’t have, at the very least, a partial solution. It feels like your whole life is on the line but it simply is not. The sun will rise the next day, and you will be there to pick up the pieces of your life. You can rebuild even if it’s not the original blueprint. You can survive failure.

You do the best that you can. I was in two politics classes, I had two papers due, I had no idea what I was doing; these were the facts of my life. You have to take the facts and do what you can to make it out to the other side.

Finals season is only a week and a half even when it feels like a month.

Ask for what you need. Text your roommate to get this emotionally distressing boy the heck out of your room.

Turn off your phone for a few hours while you grind at the library. Tell your friends you need a break and want to meet up for ice cream. Listen to yourself and don’t be afraid to speak up on your own behalf.

I hope these tips can help mitigate some of the mental anguish you feel over the next few weeks. I hope with all of my heart that you are the kid with Corona rather than the girl sobbing in the stairwell.

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THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

Opinion

A Happy Self is Always a Healthy Self

By Kallan Hook Contributing Writer

Since the rise of the famed social media app Instagram, dozens of “Instagram Influencers” have slowly begun to dominate our feeds. The luxurious lifestyles filled with designer apparel and extravagant vacations captured our attention, their always-glowing complexion and seemingly flawless bodies creating the perfect foundation for their breakthrough into the world of social media. However, recent influencers have experienced heavy backlash following their constant publicity of “fad” diets. Many of the self-called “wellness influencers” categorize their diets as plant-based, specifically taking a liking to celery juice and other lowcalorie meal supplements and staying away from meats. While their social media appearance is nothing less than flawless, their diets have proven to be more harmful than helpful.

Some of the most prominent “wellness influencers” include Loni Jane Anthony, who fully transformed her lifestyle following a binge of nothing but junk food and alcohol throughout her 20s. Anthony claims that having a sculpted body starts with foregoing all meat and animal products from your diet in order to satisfy being a true vegan. Her self-titled diet of being an "abundant plant-based organic lifestyle" promotes a life of simplicity and happiness. Her constant postings of family and bright foods could entice any blind-eye. Yet, her loyalty to a strict vegan diet can promote more harmful growth-defects than what her influencer feed provides.

While Anthony’s seemingly toned physique and beaming smile show nothing less than a healthy lifestyle, educated experts have pointed out that a ritual vegan diet has many negative aspects that are not shown in the common Instagram feed. The vegan diet promotes a lifestyle of weight loss and Pictured: Instagram Wellness Influencer Loni Jane Anthony environmental sustainPhoto taken from lonijane/Instagram ability, yet at many

times, followers of this diet fail to acknowledge that veganism lacks many vital nutrients and the excessive weight loss can actually result in involuntary weight gain. Ultimately, this unreliable promotion of an envy-worthy lifestyle is nothing more than a gateway to a detrimental diet and a possible pathway for future health complications.

These influencers are claiming to know the secrets to having the perfect “beach body” and know the “best” diet for everyone, when in fact, the only person that knows what’s best for anyone is themselves. Health is more than the amount of food that is on your plate or the numbers on the scale. Rather it is the embodiment of one’s mental and physical well-being.

Leave the screens and step off the scale to find happiness and confidence in your body. Universalizing body types and diets is just as detrimental to individuals as is eating “junk” food and consuming alcohol. Instilling in people’s minds that one diet is superior to another is toxic.

Each individual’s body is different; there is no diet that suits everyone. Instead, it is about finding balance in your diet, exercise routine, and mental wellbeing.

It’s okay to be concerned about your health and appearance, but it is not okay to obsess over it to the point of sacrificing your mental and physical health. When looking to change your diet and life to a healthier one, it is important to consult a certified nutritionist or doctor rather than searching your Instagram feed for the most appealing picture of a “healthy” influencer. Looking for nutritional advice on Instagram is the equivalent of going on Twitter for a medical diagnosis. These individuals are neither reliable nor educated, but rather speaking on behalf of what appeals to their own body.

A healthy lifestyle is not about the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume, or how much exercise you are getting each day. Your health is not confined to the numbers on the scale or the measurement of your waist; it completely encompasses your physical and mental wellbeing. The size of your clothing does not determine how healthy you are. Your health is only as strong as your happiness.

Photo taken from lonijane/Instagram

The Poachers and the Buyers are Both to Blame don’t put an end to poaching. Between 2002 and 2011, the global population of elephants decreased by 62 percent and reports have shown that 100 African elephants A man was killed after an elephant charged him while he was are poached for their ivory everyday. Rhino populations aren’t walking in Kruger National Park, South Africa on Monday, April 8. faring any better; in 2017 more than 1,000 rhinos were poached After he was killed, his friends carried him to a road so a passerby in South Africa alone.

Why are poachers killing these animals? Rhino horns are could find his body, and then they promptly disappeared. The next day on, Tuesday, April 9, authorities told the man’s family about his made out of keratin which is what our fingernails are made out of, fate. His body was finally found by Thursday morning on April 11, so why are they so valuable? The answer is that individubut the only parts that were left of the man were his skull and pants. als are placing rhino horns and ivory tusks at very high prices on the black market. Prices range around $1,500 Everything else was devoured by a pride of lions.

This might sound like a horror story about a tourist walking per pound of ivory, and it turns out that four out of five too far off the trail, but it is actually the story of a poacher illegally poachers named income and food as the primary reason man trying to trying to hunt and kill a rhino, a notable member of the endangered they started poaching. To a poor species list. Why were the man and his three accomplices trying to feed his family, $1,500 is likely poach a rhino? It was for a specific piece of the animals anatomy: its double his yearly income. In fact, a survey conducted at the Ruaha Navaluable horns.

Both on the endangered list, rhinos and elephants in Africa tional Park in Tanzania found that out are on a steady pace to become extinct in the next few years if we of 173 poachers surveyed, 96 percent said they'd cease poaching if they could find a better source of income. Since this is the case, I see the poachers as another set of victims in a very unfortunate situation. At the end of the day these are just people trying to do whatever it takes to support their families.

Although I don’t blame the poachers themselves, I do blame another particular group of individuals: the buyers. Without the buyers, nobody would be there to enable these people to poach these animals in the first place.

The buyers are enablers, and their desires are what lead people into doing their dirty work for hefty prices.

Around 90 percent of ivory consumers tend to originate from China, and the consumer base doesn’t seem to be slowing down with their consistent demand for ivory-crafted products. Known as “white gold,” ivory is seen by buyers, who tend to be women of the middleupper class, as a sign of social status, wealth and cultural significance.

It’s a way for people to flaunt their wealth and feel superior to others.

We should educate these people on why the purchasing of ivory is harmful and how it has had a detrimental effect on wildlife, but ironically the majority of ivory buyers actually support banning the sale of ivory. Buyers already know what their ivory-hungry desires are doing to the last remaining elephants and rhinos this world has, however they simply don’t care. Buyers want to look pretty, feel good about themselves and forget that their decisions actually have consequences that affect others. Perhaps one day, when the last elephant or rhino has gone extinct and their child asks why they can’t see them at the zoo anymore, they’ll look Creative Commons./Wikimedia Commons at their ivory possessions and realize the irreversible mistakes

By Chris Orefice Contributing Writer

Creative Commons/Pixabay

that they’ve made. Only when the problem has finally reached and touched their hearts will they understand what everybody has been fighting for this whole time.

I feel bad for the poacher that was killed that fateful night, as he was most likely just another part of a very sad system of poverty, greed and carelessness. I do feel that action has to be taken to discourage and ban the purchasing of all ivory products in order to stop people’s hunger for “white gold.’’ If they do ban all ivory products, it would be smart to ban all ivory regardless of whether it exceeds a certain age. In the U.S for instance, ivory must predate the year 1973 to be bought or sold. Even if the ivory is old, it still keeps consumer appetite for ivory alive and well, increasing the chance that consumers will seek more of the product through illegal means such as poaching. Bans like this are an action that should be taken by the governments of China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to both enforce and encouraged the end of ivory sales. Thankfully, independent groups of activists such as VetPaw, a group that sends U.S Military Vets to Africa to help patrol national parks in search of poachers, are doing their part in helping to minimize the damage poachers cause.

Independent groups are very helpful, but it ultimately comes down to national governments forming more strict laws by simultaneously banning the acquisition of ivory merchandise and utilizing wildlife protection campaigns to educate them on the issue at hand. Hopefully further action will be taken soon because at this rate, the next generation of kids will grow up not even knowing what a rhino or elephant is.

The Vine

arts, entertainment, features

Editor Gracianne Eldrenkamp gracianne.eldrenkamp@student.fairfield.edu

Theatre Fairfield Gives Students a Dog-Gone Good Time

Photo taken from @theatrefairfield Instagram CreativeCommons/Pixabay

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THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

The Vine

'Curious Incident' Sells Out the Black Box

helping the audience understand Christopher's thoughts through sounds and movements.

They reacted alongside Christopher in most scenes, for instance cheering whenever he found success to hunching over when he became distraught.

Overall, the play was a ride of emotions and great performances. Crude language was used in appropriate situations where characters got frustrated or angry as opposed to being everywhere. Flashing lights were used in some points in the play, a word of warning to those sensitive to light. But besides this, the play acted as a relatable experience to those with autism struggling in everyday situations.

By Brendan Robles Contributing Writer

Photo Taken

“Can I do anything?”

Before the doors to “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” were opened, a pre-conference between audience members and math professors was set up in the Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery concerning questions about the show and math in general. Math professors Shawn Rafalski and Joan Weiss led the conference, accompanied by professors Janet Struli and Stephen Sawin, and answered questions concerning mathematician stereotypes and concepts. At 7:40 p.m, the doors to the Lawrence E. Wein Experimental Theatre opened up for the show.

Entering the theatre, a pre-show was performed by the cast using the “walking dance” exercise. The “walking dance” is made to look as if it were natural, as if you encountered it on a day out on the street. This act seemed almost ceremonial for the synchronization of each actor to their respective parts. The other act was “flocking,” which takes that synchrony up to the max. Actors were to follow and change to any movements another would do, perfecting their exact movements. While not entirely perfect at times, their coordination was still impressive nonetheless. Boxes were used as props for actors to use or stand on, placing emphasis the type of object they were like luggage or a bed. A sound was played whenever the actors needed to move onto a different scene.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” follows Christopher Boone, played by Park Lytle, in his investigation of the death of his neighbor’s dog. What follows at first to be a “whodunnit” murder mystery instead turns into a rough story of being an outsider among people. Within the play, Christopher is depicted as a boy lying somewhere on the autism spectrum; more specifically, high functioning autism. While Christopher may have a higher understanding of mathematics and astrology, he is lacking in social situations and an understanding of the world around him. From going into the train tracks to get his pet rat to not understanding how to get to a train station, Christopher is a character that feels almost like an alien in most situations.

The play was performed on an interesting stage, a large platform organized into 12 by 12 panels. The platform’s organization helped the actors understand where certain scenes occur or what actions needed to be taken.

The tiles were able to be lifted to retrieve props hidden beneath, allowing actor to portray certain actions like getting things out a drawer. The lighting was well-used in adding emphasis on scenes where things become serious or to give some feeling to a change in the environment.

Non-performing cast members were often used as props themselves alongside boxes, acting as everything from an Park Lytle as Christopher Boone ATM to a ticket booth. Their more prominent role was in from @Thea

stagram

treFairfield In

Photo Taken from @TheatreFai

rfield Instagram

Dance Ensemble Feels the Beat

By Gracianne Eldrenkamp Vine Editor

Nicole Porter dancing.

played Ryan Evans, and Julia Joshi ‘20 danced as Chad Danforth.

“When I reflect back in this year’s show, I couldn’t be more proud. To pull off an entire show with a cast of this many was so gratifying, I am so happy with how professional everyone was and how dedicated everyone is,” Baril said. “We are student run, there’s no one scaring anyone into caring about this club. Everyone is here because they love dance, no matter how much we complain about late practices. That’s what makes our club so special, it’s driven solely on passion.”

All in all, the Dance Ensemble put on an impressive show. The audience could tell the dancers put their all in each and every performance.

“When I look back on my experience with FUDE I will remember the people I met the most. The members of FUDE have truly shaped my college experience and I will miss them all so much!” said Porter, president of FUDE.

The Fairfield University Dance Ensemble started their annual showcase, Feel the Beat, with a bang. The bright crimson lighting cast a shadow on the dancers’ faces. The music was quiet until the stage came alive, and the performers started their show.

The show, which took place on Friday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m., consisted of 38 dances in eight different genres: tap, ballet, Broadway jazz, contemporary, Irish, hip hop, lyrical and jazz. Most of the dances were also student-choreographed. The 65 different students in the group worked together to make the dance cohesive, but each brought life to the dance in their own individual way.

The hosts of the night were seniors Gaetano AnPh ot nunziata, Joe Digenaro, and Tom Nolan. They were oT ak en enthusiastic and filled the time well while the audifro m ence waited between costume changes. @ fu The first act had 18 dances, including four senior solos by da nc ee Alicia Phaneuf, Alyson Derosa, Morgan Carrozzella and Tess Fox. ns em The opening dance was to a song called “Reel Around the Sun” from a ble Ins show called “Riverdance.” The dance itself was an Irish step dance with hard tag shoes, so it worked similarly to a tap dance. It was performed as a dance battle ra m which made it intense and fun. It was a fantastic opening to the show that brought the energy of the room up.

After a 10 minute intermission, the second act had 21 dances, including three senior solos by Jill Stifano, Brittany Fasanelli and Nicole Porter. There was also a dance that all the seniors performed in. One of the last performances was to a medley of “High School Musical” songs. It was an entertaining Broadway jazz dance. Some performers dressed as the iconic main characters of the film. What made the performance great was that, although the dance was lively and exciting to watch, the performers were in hilarious costumes and they didn’t take themselves too seriously. Junior Olivia Baril played Troy Bolton, Fasanelli Seniors at the showcase.

Photo Contributed by Chris Pirro

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

The Vine

Page 9

Holi Celebration brought the spirit

By Mimi Loughlin Contributing Writer

On Friday, April 12, the John A. Barone Campus Center Lawn became a vibrant source of color and light as Fairfield University students gathered for the celebration of Holi.

Holi is a Hindu spring festival celebrated in honor of the god Krishna, the god of compassion, tenderness and love in Hindu tradition. During Holi, people join together and play with colored powder called Gulal, placing and throwing colors on each other and promoting a feeling of togetherness and positivity.

The Gulal at the Fairfield celebration of Holi ranged from ruby red to bright yellow, lime green to sunset pink, ocean blue to sunrise orange. The mixture of all these colors flying through the air above the crowd of laughing, dancing, shouting and happy students mingling on the crisp green grass on the BCC lawn brought an uplifting spirit to the Friday afternoon, especially on such a warm and sunny day.

Junior Gia Pham, vice president of the South Asian Students Association, said that one of the main purposes of the event is to connect students of different backgrounds to learn about the diversity within Fairfield.

Sophomore Jay Gandhi, who was born in India, added that “Holi is a way to bring the community together.”

The 2019 celebration of Holi was Stephanie Brij-Rai ‘21’s second year participating in Holi at Fairfield. “I love this event because it allows me to celebrate my culture at my school, with my friends,” Brij-Rai said.

Sophomore Alannah Merritt and Nicholas Colorito ’21, both friends of BrijRaj, agreed

that they loved the vibrant atmosphere and the positivity of the celebration of Holi.

“This is my first year attending Holi, and I am really happy I got to celebrate my friends’ culture!” Colorito said as he basked in the red colored powder flying through the air.

Merritt smiled as she picked up a handful of blue powder and threw it in the air. “I enjoy being able to celebrate my best friend’s culture with her,” Merritt said.

First-year Aarushi Vijay commented that Holi “reinforces the spirit of enjoying and celebrating,” before she went back to reveling in the joy of Holi. Vijay is an international student from India.

During the festivities, one person would smudge a bit of colored powder onto another person’s face, and the other person must smudge color back onto the first person’s face.

There were also times when one person would grab a handful of color and chase another person, who then had to run from the impending splash of color. DJ Akkash played a festive mix of upbeat tunes throughout the event, which prompted many impromptu dances.

At one point, one of the revelers opened up one of the pale pink packets of color. Soon, a wave of pale pink color went flying through the air, covering everyone in sight.

The crowd began to shriek with laughter. Undergraduate and graduate students gathered in the pink rosy dust, arms outstretched, joy in their eyes, hair flying free. I felt the spirit and the connection between all the students at that moment, and I paused only briefly to jot down the description of the celebration before I went to join in myself.

When you are surrounded by such positivity and pure joy, why would you want to stand outside of the celebration for long?

Photo Contributed by Romel Maldonado

Students participating in Hoil celebration.

'After' Isn't a Good Movie for Everyone

By Tyler Zikias Contributing Writer

“After” is directed by Jenny Gage and is an adaptation of a fan fiction written about the popular band, One Direction. I know, the recipe for cinematic gold. It stars Josephine Langford as Tessa, a new freshman in college who gets mixed up with a guy named, Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). At first, the two are polar opposites, Tessa being a more reserved and school-focused student, while Hardin is a rule breaker and parties often. The two continue to have encounters throughout the movie and they eventually begin the worst onscreen romance since the “Fifty Shades” trilogy. If you couldn’t tell by this incredible introduction, I hated this movie. Adaptations of fan fictions or books written by people who are not actually authors are what is wrong with cinema today. With a few minor exceptions (“Twilight,” “Fifty Shades”), these movies rarely do well at the box office or critically. I sat in an empty theater and watched this movie, and the best part of my experience was when an elderly couple sat down in the back and slowly realized that they were in the wrong theater. That was entertaining, but still not even close to worth the price of admission.

I don’t even know where to start with this movie. The actors are actually playing into their stereotypes and it doesn’t work.

For example, Hero Fiennes Tiffin is remarkably awful in this movie.

Not a single member of the cast delivers a serviceable performance, but Tiffin is a lousy standout for his constant bruting and duck face that he never seems to shed throughout the entire movie. It almost feels like Tiffin was under the influence during production because of how dry and sterile his performance is. Josephine Langford isn’t much better. A lot of her emotional moments result in crying or yelling. There isn’t any subtlety coming from any of these actors.

Every scene feels the same because no character has an arc. Not one actor pushes their character forward to the point where you can see a change in their actions from beginning to end.

It really is tough to bash the actors for this monstrosity because this movie is 100 percent the fault of the crew working behind the camera. The script adapted from the source material is plain

awful. I found myself audibly laughing at the ridiculous things the characters would say. This was mainly because the lines were so cliche and boring in addition to incredibly poor line delivery from the cast. I don’t know why studios continue to think it is a good idea to make movies based on fan fictions. There’s a place for these sort of things and it isn’t in live-action. The direction from Jenny Gage is also incredibly weak. There are so many scenes in the first and second act that have zero purpose to the story as a whole. However, with smarter direction and the director finding the key purpose of each scene, these moments could have worked. It doesn’t seem like Jenny Gage was the right choice for this job. These are the types of movies that should be 90 minutes long, but “After” overstays its welcome with a 106 minute runtime that you feel every second of.

Even the overall production quality is bad. Scenes are flatly lit and some shots are even entirely out of focus. The use of slow motion is hilarious in this movie because the camera was definitely not set to shoot in slow motion, so the visuals are choppy and heavily edited to hide this. It’s also established early on that Tessa is attending a fictional school called “Washington Central University.” I find this particular detail funny because early in the movie, I spotted a wall in plain sight with “Emory University” labeled on it. Emory is a school in Atlanta where, I later found out, the movie was shot. It is this sort of laziness from the crew that makes this movie the abomination that it is. I’m sure there are tons of errors that boil down to the crew being lazy in this movie, but I will never revisit it to find out.

I’ll say for “After” what I said in my review of “Isn’t It Romantic.” You should already know if this is your type of movie before you see it. If you’re a sucker for romantic dramas like this, you will probably have a great time watching it. If you read the book and loved it, obviously you’re going to see this movie. However, for people, like myself, who seek real tension and drama from films in this genre, avoid “After” at all costs. I’m sure there will be better romantic films that get released later this year, so don’t waste your money on this one. Often times, when I see a really bad movie, I can find some enjoyment watching it. Whether it be a really poor

script, over the top acting or hilarious, badly rendered visuals, I can often find some part of a bad movie that makes it fun to watch. “After” has none of these qualities and is a slog from beginning to end.

Grade: F

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

The Vine

Page 10

Coachella Serves Some Serious Looks

By Eleanor Davis Fashion Columnist from The Point I am feeling so inspired by Coachella right now. I’m sure if you see me around campus you can’t really tell because the end of the semester has turned me into a sleepy monster who lives in joggers… but nevertheless I am feeling very inspired. FOMO (fear of missing out) doesn’t really apply to my life anymore (read more in the upcoming edition of The Point!). I love seeing what other people are up to, but have also become pretty secure in my life, and while most people turn away from Instagram during Coachella due to an influx of festival season posts, I tend to gravitate towards it more than usual.

One of my oldest friends attended Coachella this weekend and in my opinion, she was the best dressed there. Everyday she surprised her near 5,000 followers with perfect looks. You can check them out @hannahbucknam on Instagram. My favorite look of hers was a two-piece sheer neon orange bell bottom outfit. She styled it with a simple gold cross necklace and a hairstyle inspired by the 1970s and Kendall Jenner. She really worked on her looks and the outcome was amazing.

My favorite celebrities really showed up this year in terms of fashion. One of my favorite looks was Emma Chamberlain's day one look. She wore the coolest pants with black and white doodles on them, a chain belt, a black shirt that tied in the front, and black embellished slim sunnies. My favorite part of this look were her adorable pink hair bobbles. I’m super into hair accessories right now and will definitely be on the lookout for ones like hers. I also loved the Dolan Twins day one looks. They got Louis Vuitton to dress them for the entire weekend and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are here for it. Ethan wore Louis Vuitton blue, black, and white pants that I am obsessed with. Ethan also killed it on day three with a light blue monochromatic look. A few of my other favorite celebrity looks were Anastasia Karanikolaou or “Stassi” on instagram’s monochromatic purple look. I love how she perfectly matched a simple purple dress with Jordan Air Force 1’s and accessorized with a sleek embellished fanny pack. Charlotte Lawrence rocked an awesome two-piece blue camo set, a natural face of makeup and high socks. The last look I loved was Shay Mitchell’s look that really took us back to the festival’s hay days of bohemian vibes and cowboy aesthetic.

Separate from specific looks, some trends I loved during Coachella this year were neon sets and accessories, and hair accessories like barrettes, bobbles and dreadlock beads. I also loved how some attendees went a little trendier this year. I love the traditional boho looks too, but street style owns my heart. If you ask me, we will be seeing a lot of inspiration from Coachella at this year’s Clam Jam and across campus.

Coachella, I’ll see you in 2 years.

All my love, Eleanor Davis

Photo Taken from @shaymichelle Instagram

Shay Michell at Coachella.

sabrina seems to get better

By Katherine Klima Managing Editor

I had been sitting on my couch trying to find some new show to procrastinate my school work with when, all of a sudden, my prayers were answered and an image of Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) flashed across my screen. On April 5, “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” put out a new season and I couldn't help but write another review for part 2 of this show.

Part 2 took a whole new approach. What was a show originally about Sabrina trying to fight between her mortal and witch lives has turned into her embracing her new identity as a witch.

The series grew darker with this new implementation of dark Sabrina. It still kept to its iconic 50s aesthetic and creepy demeanor, but came with a new set of changes and challenges.

I found part 2 a lot better than the first half, particularly because I enjoyed the character development of characters like Sabrina, loner warlock Nicholas Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood), leader of the Weird Sisters Prudence Night (Tati Gabrielle) and even Sabrina’s aunts Zelda (Miranda Otto) and Hilda (Lucy Davis). I found these characters to be a lot more interesting the second time around watching this show as they expanded as humans. In a way, there felt like there was more depth to who they are.

The same goes for Sabrina’s friends. Last season I felt like her mortal friends were very stale and almost cardboard characters.

Her best friend Roz (Jaz Sinclair) got a lot more screen time this season as she struggles to cope with her impending blindness. I felt like she was an actual human this time rather than the generic best friend. Plus, she had two fairly interesting storylines going on this season.

Another major character development from this season was when Susie Putman, Sabrina’s non-binary best friend, transitioned to Theo Putman (Lachlan Watson). Theo had been a character that struggled with his gender-identity throughout most of the two seasons, but by the first half of part 2 we see Theo coming to terms with who he truly is.

Personally, I really enjoyed how easy it was for Theo’s friends and family to accept him instead of creating some big issue about it. Obviously the character still faces challenges through the series at school for being a transgender man, but I appreciated that his dad and his friends were chill right off the bat with his transition. Why I’m saying this is because whenever there’s a sort of LGBTQ+ plotline, I always feel like it’s followed by non-acceptance by the person’s family or some sort of massive tragedy. Theo’s transition showed a healthy way of acceptance and promotes the normalcy of transitioning– how it should be.

However, one of my biggest issues with this show is the fact that even though there was a ton of development this season amongst the characters, sometimes they still feel way too fake and the things that should be realistic, like high school, don’t feel realistic. Since this show is a spin off of “Riverdale” I’m not surprised that it doesn’t understand how teenagers actually work, but it would be nice to

see a little more of a human element amongst the students of Baxter High. It doesn’t feel as fleshed out as it could be. Of course it’s a show about the supernatural so how real could it possibly get, but they could do a better job with the characters and the realistic element of it all.

Besides that, even though there was improvement from last season, the overall creative nature of the witch world felt mediocre and not very original. For example they would use terminology in Catholicism and just use the opposite of it so the “false God” and “the anti-pope.” Essentially the authenticity of the witch world could’ve had more originality.

The plot got a lot better this season, as all the missing pieces finally made sense as everything came together. One of the biggest spoilers from the new season was the fact Satan is actually Sabrina’s father and he wishes for her to be his Queen of Hell (creepy much?). However, my favorite part of the whole season (Spoiler alert, like major spoiler alert) was when Lilith, also known as Madame Satan (Michelle Gomez), helped take down the devil and is now the Queen of Hell.

Basically, season 2 ended with a coven of witches essentially taking down the warlock patriarchy– and we’re always here for a good take down. I also enjoyed how it ended off with Prudence and Sabrina’s cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) on a “witch hunt” for Prudence’s misogynistic and twisted father, Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle).

The romantic dynamics of the characters also completely changed this season. Sabrina and Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch) had been the main couple for all of part one, but now Sabrina finds herself falling in love with Nicholas Strach and I have to say, I’m a fan. There was a lot of interesting chemistry between Sabrina and Nicholas this season. I usually hate those forced relationships the character goes through after a major break up, but I am a fan of Nicholas and Sabrina. They have the chemistry and they make a great team.

The one pairing that felt forced this season was between Harvey and Roz. I appreciate how mature the characters were about dating exes amongst friends, but it felt out of the blu. It’s not like Roz and Harvey had any substance in the previous season. While it’s growing on me, it’s not necessarily my favorite pairing this season. Besides that, I felt as if Harvey fell flat as a character. He wasn’t as interesting as he was last season and now he’s forcing himself into a rebound relationship with Roz. It felt way too fake.

The season was still enjoyable and a good binge to get my mind off of school. I found the new adventures Sabrina went on with her friends were exciting and I’m interested to see where they’re going to bring the show now that one of the biggest mysteries has been solved. Overall, it was definitely an interesting watch and it definitely had it’s improvements. I think that’s why I’ll give it a 6.5/10 instead of a 6/10. Hasn’t exactly reached that seven yet, but if it keeps going in the right direction I think it might.

The Vine

Inkwell Spotlight

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

New Games To Come in the Spring

Mira, Vaquero

By Brandon Robles Contributing Writer at The Inkwell

By Joseph Titone Contributing Writer at Video Game Club

Mira, Vaquero El tierra está hablando Que tus manos no estan libre Con el camino que estás caminando Mira, Vaquero No estás en un película Ni una obra en el teatro Que ves por un noche Mira, Vaquero No eres el héroe Que puede hacer todo Pero es más mejor que te fuiste Mira, Vaquero Son los bandoleros Que están buscándote Por favor, corre ahora!

Mira, Vaquero No te sacas eso pistola El tierra está hablando No estamos en una película No eres el héroe!

Mira, Hombre No te pones esa estrella Porque se traiga maldiciones Y no cargas eso pistola Porque se carga problemas...

CreativeCommons/Flickr

Mira, Vaquero Estás acostando en el tierra Gritamos, gritamos Que no eres un héroe Mientras tu estrella se levanta

Page 11

In the last few months, a few major developers and publishers have released trailers showcasing future projects.

Some of these games have set release dates and may be on shelves as quickly as this month, while others aren’t as fortunate. For this article I have chosen three of these games to talk about in a little more detail.

“Imperator: Rome” Release Date: 4/25/19 Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac “Imperator: Rome” was announced back in 2018 and was met with great excitement by the loyal fanbase that Paradox Interactive reigns over. The latest chapter of Paradox Interactive’s line of grand strategy games takes the player back to the days of the end of Alexander the Great’s Empire and the rise of the Roman Republic. The Swedish developers are known for successful franchises such as “Crusader Kings”, “Europa Universalis”, “Victoria” and “Hearts of Iron”. Just as it was in other games by Paradox, “Imperator: Rome” challenges the player to take the reigns of leading a nation and see that it prospers under the decisions made by them. The game will allow you to take control of an ancient civilization in the late 4th Century BC and do as you see fit. This project

by Paradox Interactive seems to be rather ambitious, as the last title released by the company that takes place in a similar time period was the 2008 release titled, “Europa Universalis: Rome”. Something that makes me a bit skeptical of the new release is that the last few titles released by Paradox (“Hearts of Iron IV” and “Victoria II”) were rather half-baked on release. However, the studio has attempted and succeeded at fixing some of these titles and in fairness, Paradox has released some amazing titles, such as “Crusader Kings 2” and “Europa Universalis IV”, which were almost instant classics.

As a huge fan of Paradox Interactive, I hope for nothing but the best for this game and am very eager to take over Europe in the name of Rome.

“The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for Switch” Release: Later 2019

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch In February of 2019, Nintendo announced at Nintendo Direct that they were creating a remastered version of the beloved handheld title of “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening”, which was originally released way back in 1993 for the Nintendo Gameboy. The story follows Link as he washes on shore on Koholint Island and tries to find his way off the island and back to his home in Hyrule. The original “Link’s Awakening” was the first “Legend of Zelda” title to be on a handheld console. The remastered version of the game will feature the same art style as the original with updated graphics. Some critics of the game have been rather vocal about the appearance of Link in the trailer. Although I agree that Link looks a bit cartoony, I firmly believe that this only enhances the light-hearted nature of the game and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. This remaster is part of a statement released by Nintendo to release a new “Legend of Zelda” title every year for the next few years. So far, Nintendo is delivering on this claim and I have no doubt that they will attempt to continue to do so. However, Nintendo of America just recently lost its CEO Reggie Fils-Aimé and that could spell trouble for their marketing in North America, as Reggie was a big part of the success with advertising Nintendo titles in the United States and Canada.

“Halo Infinite” Release Date: November 2019 Platform(s): Xbox One and Microsoft Windows After their release of “Halo 5: Guardians” 343 Industries have been under a lot of fire by the fanbase of the “Halo” franchise. For many gamers, “Halo” was what introduced them to the first-person shooter genre. However, 343 announced the newest installment of the iconic shooter back in the Summer of 2018 and ever since then, fans have been more excited than ever. The issues that most fans had with “Halo 5” was the lack of focus on the series protagonist, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, the somewhat boring campaign and the incredibly futuristic art style that was introduced in “Halo 4” . As a hardcore “Halo” fan myself, I didn’t have that many complaints and found myself enjoying the game for what it was. But, I did feel as though the game wasn’t really “Halo” in the same manner as previous titles. “Halo Infinite” seeks to bring the franchise back to its roots, which was made apparent when we saw the Master Chief ’s classic Mk. IV helmet in the trailer. Many fans hope that we will see a return of the glory days of “Halo 3” and “Halo Reach”. Many fans, including myself, see that era as a golden age for the franchise and gaming itself. Hopefully, this new addition to the franchise will make this dream a reality and bring back what many fans yearn for. Not much else beyond that is known about the game, but like many other fans of the franchise, I am hyped beyond belief.

What You Didn’t Know About Animal Agriculture

By Sabrina Trueheart Nutrition Columnist Reduce, reuse and recycle. These are the three words many of us think of when we hear or talk about global warming. Some individuals are implementing small but positive changes when it comes to our environment by turning off the faucet when we brush our teeth or, as college students, carpooling and walking to our destinations. With a large amount of people contributing, these actions lead to less pollution and less water consumption for sure. However, there is an even larger problem that needs to be focused on pertaining to global warming: animal agriculture.

Animal agriculture is the process of raising and breeding animals for food consumption. And, whether people like to admit it or not, it is much more harmful to our environment than forgetting to shut off the lights or turning off the faucet. According to Climate Nexus, “animal agriculture is the second largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuels and is a leading cause of deforestation, water and air pollution and biodiversity loss.” As humans, we have control over the future state of our environment. Why are we contributing so much harm to it by choosing to constantly rely on animal agriculture?

On the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Resources Institute websites, studies have shown animal agriculture contributes to approximately 14.5 percent of human emissions, with the production of beef contributing to a devastating 41 percent of human emissions. Meat production not only contributes to the release of methane gas (a potent greenhouse gas that is produced by landfill depots), it also contributes to deforestation, as forests are destroyed to make room for pastures. The production of meat also wastes water, a precious resource humans sometimes take for granted. According to the United States Geological Survey, approximately 460 gallons of water are used to produce a quarter pound of beef. When you picture these vast amounts of water being wasted just to produce meat, it is deeply upsetting.

Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint through food intake. Of course, one of the best ways to help the environment would be to cut back on meat consumption. “Meatless Mondays” is not just a hashtag; it is a way of giving back to the environment. Cutting back on dairy consumption is also one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint, which may be easier for some than others. The most effective way of incorporating different foods into your diet is to start out small, and it will become easier

over time to not crave certain foods. Some other ways to reduce your carbon footprint through food is to buy less packaged foods, and to buy more organic and locally-produced foods. The transportation of food from one place to another, referred to as “food miles,” also has a devastating effect on the environment.

Personally, I do not like when people tell others what they should and should not be eating. As the saying goes, “you do you.” In writing this piece, the goal is awareness.

Animal agriculture is ranked as one of the largest contributors to global warming, as the processes and production of raising animals for food is not only depressing, but incredibly toxic to our environment. As long as individuals are aware of the facts, and the consequences, more and more people will know the truth about climate change and what some of the highest contributors are. This is the only earth we have – we have to do what we have to do to save it.

CreativeCommons/Flickr

Cow eating hay

THE MIRROR |The Week of April 17, 2019

Coffee Break

Page 12

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

Which Elevators Really Push Your Buttons?

The Coffee Break team took to the streets to get student reviews of elevators on campus Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies “The nursing building, so futuristic.

Its got self-cleaning buttons.” –Tim Amarrante ’22

Canisius Hall “It’s dark, slow, and dingy, so I usually take the stairs.”

–Leah Salisbury ‘22

Donnarumma Hall “Is there an elevator in Donnarumma?”–Claire Monahan ‘20

Jogues Hall “To take the elevator in Jogues is to risk your life” –Julia Crews ’22

McAuliffe Hall “Its a see-through elevator that literally goes up a spiral staircase, how could it get any cooler?” –Jessica Cuntrera ‘22

Campion Hall “Campion Hall’s elevator has not only fallen from grace, but it has also put us all in fear of falling to our death.”– Sheila McCombs ’22

Gonzaga Hall “If I die I would like to be buried in the Gonzaga elevator, it’s already the same size of a coffin.” –Molly Lamendola ‘22

Rudolph F. Bannow Science Center “The elevator is cursed!”–Lexi Thimble ‘20 CreativeCommon/wikiCommons

Having a Ruff Day? Test your skills on this dog-themed word search • Poodle

• Rottweiler

• Irish Setter

• Dalmatian

• Corgi

• Cocker Spaniel

• Newfoundland

• Black Labrador

• Shih Tzu

Editor Spotlight This weeks spotlight is on Sheila McCombs Chief Copy Editor. Her quote of the week: “When times are tough, it helps to think about the good stuff. Good luck on all your finals!”

CreativeCommons/puzzle maker

As the Thermometer Hits 60°, Avoiding Human Interaction on Campus Becomes a Struggle

By Nathan Schmidt Stagnation Editor-In-Chief

Amid the beauty and growing greenery of springtime, a deep sense of dread has settled over the students of Fairfield University. The daily high temperatures have reached about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, a comfortable level for time spent outdoors, and students now face a newfound pressure to actually interact with other human beings.

This turn of events happens during every spring semester, yet it manages to impose a fresh challenge every time on Fairfield students, who have just recovered from midterm season and don’t want to have to pretend to be sociable. Stagnation reporters were made aware of this problem when they realized that many of their acquaintances were still spending most of the day indoors.

“It used to be so easy,” said Louisa Gerette ‘22, who has relished the past two months of freedom during the spring semester. “No one would even bother inviting me anywhere because it’d be too damn cold. And if they did invite me, I could say: no, it’s too damn cold! Now what do we do? We can’t pretend anymore. There’s no hiding.”

Nicholas Havilland ‘21, a resident student who has gladly volunteered his perspective on human nature to anyone who will listen, had a much more cynical perspective on the matter.

“Look at them, sprawling out on the quad like they’re tanning,” he muttered, staring out the window of his dorm in Regis Hall at the handful of students milling about in the university quadrangle. (At the time of the interview, no students had begun yet to engage in the aforementioned sprawling.) “They’re naive. They don’t know how awful it is to have to talk to people whenever it’s warm out. But they’ll learn. They’ll learn that everyone out there, deep down inside, is basically just annoying.”

Students have generally found relief in the knowledge that soon, summer vacation will be upon them, at which point they can avoid interacting with anyone at home by claiming to be somewhere very far away.

Photo contributed by the Stagnation Staff

Read More at: http://myfairfieldstagnation.wordpress.com/

Sports

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

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

This Week in Sports:

Page 13

Weekend Update

In Case You Missed It: Wednesday, April 10th -Baseball defeated Hofstra, 9-7 -Women's Lacrosse defeated Monmouth, 13-12 -Softball lost to Boston College, 4-0 Saturday, April 13th -Men's Tennis defeats Niagara, 5-2 -Baseball sweep Saint Peters,

Photo Contributed by Sports Information Desk

On Saturday, April 13, the Fairfield University men's golf team teed off in New Haven, Connecticut. They played 36 holes of action and senior Kevin Duncan shot an outstanding 143 (+3). In addition, he carded a 71 which remained the best round by any Stag on the team. Of the six stags to take the green, five managed to either match or improve their score in the second round. They broke into the top-ten rankings in the tournament, securing tenth place. This put them ahead of both Fordham University and Brown University. Yale defended their home turf in first-place, winning by five strokes over Bucknell University. The Stags take on Disney's Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, FL for the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships on Thursday, April 18.

17-1, 8-2 (DH) - Softball 1-1 vs. Canisius, W 6-4, L 62 - Women's Lacrosse defeats Siena, 12-11 - Men's Lacrosse lost to Drexel, 21-9

Photo Contributed by Sports Information Desk

Upcoming This Week: Saturday, April 20th

The Fairfield University men's tennis team managed to upend St. Francis College Brooklyn on their senior day, with a final score of 4-3. Seniors Anthony Caputo, Jeffrey Rodgers and Brad Orban were especially grateful for tthis victory, since the team has won just two of their past ten contests. The season has been a tough finale for players of the class of 2019, but Caputo and Rodgers made the most of their time on the team just weeks away from graduation. They won their Doubles contest 6-3, while John Hatala and Allan Magid picked up a win 6-4 and Lewis Edwards and Tyler Shibles finished up the victory run 6-4. They picked up the Doubles point, which proved to be instrumental to their success. In Singles play, Fairfield started out rocky, down 3-1. Once again Rodgers and Caputo proved their leadership and seniority. They each won (1-6, 6-4, 6-4) and (7-6, (12-10), 6-7 (8-10), 6-3) respectively. The Stags hope to continue their success on Fairfield's Walsh Athletic Center tennis courts as they take on the Siena College Saints on Saturday, April 20. The start time is still to be determined.

-Baseball vs. Monmouth 12 PM -Softball vs. St. Peter's 12 PM & 2 PM (DH) -Women's Lacrosse vs. Canisius 12 PM -Men's Lacrosse at UMass Amherst 3 PM

In this week's issue...

- Women's Lacrosse Undefeated in the MAAC (6-0) on 7-0 Run (Pg.14) - Fairfield Rides 5-Game Winning Streak (Pg. 15)

- Stags Drop the Ball at Doubleheader vs. Niagara (Pg. 15) - Young to Change Fairfield Hoops' Old Ways (Pg. 16)

Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

Women's Lacrosse Undefeated in the MAAC (6-0) on 7-0 Run

Photo taken from Sports Information Desk Women's lacrosse has just two games remaining in the regular season before advancing to the MAAC Championship. Fairfield will have the home-field advantage for both matches. hugely instrumental in Saturday’s success. Hulseman tacked on an assist to her stellar performance, which contributed to her ninth multi-goal game this season. Horning’s three-goal effort was her thirdstraight hatty. The sophomore’s strength was palpable across the board, with three caused turnovers and scooping a career-best seven ground balls.

Midfielder Diana DeVita ‘21 lengthened her nine-game scoring streak, serving a nasty assist to Horning, 16:42 into the first half.

Rookie goalkeeper Olivia Conquest ‘22 notched her 11th career win in the cage for the entirety of the match. Conquest racked up nine saves but let 11 shots go past her while Siena’s Sammy Horton, who faced more pushback offensively, allowed 12 goals and made 15 saves.

The victory ensured the Stags at least a second place finish in the MAAC. They have already clinched a bye into the semifinal round. They must win one of the two remaining regular season matches or Manhattan College needs to lose one game to secure the top seed in the MAAC Championship. The Stags hit the field next at home against the Iona College Gaels on Wednesday, April 17. The faceoff is at 3 p.m. on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium, and they hope to continue their 7-game winning streak.

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor The Fairfield University women’s lacrosse team (11-3, 6-0) managed to edge out Siena College (9-6, 5-2) on Saturday, April 13 and keep their undefeated record in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Four of these six conference wins were decided by a one-point margin. Fairfield’s forceful possession for the remainder of the match froze scoring at 12-11 in their favor.

Senior Taylor Mitchell was credited the game-winning goal with just 2:16 left on the clock.

The senior’s netted shot boosted her season total to 32 points, leading the Stags. Graduate student Brooke Gallagher dished out the pivotal assist to Mitchell and took sole credit for a goal earlier in the game.

The afternoon matchup in Loudonville, New York tested the Stags’ determination to remain on top. In the entire 60 minutes of play, the largest goal differential of 3 points was only reached once.

The back-and-forth game forced Fairfield to step up and uphold their MAAC hot-streak.

Hat tricks tallied by attacker Kathleen Hulseman ‘19 and midfielder Kelly Horning ‘21 were

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

Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor

Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief

Julia Lanzillotta, Lexi Thimble, Claire Monahan & Alicia Phaneuf

Who do you predict will hoist the Stanley Cup this season?

What do you think of a new Taylor Swift album possibly coming soon?

Thoughts on the housing shortage for rising sophomores?

Do you have any plans for the long holiday weekend?

I will regret saying this... but I guess the Islanders. When all else (the Rangers) fails, I guess I need to keep my home-town allegiance.

I am too broke for this to start again, but you better bet that when this album drops I will be listening to it on loop.

I am most definitely *not* ready for it.

Feeling really sorry for the absurd amount of people that have to wait 'til August to find out their housing assignment!

Aside from celebrating Easter, I am A new basketball arena where the Stags can actually play on planning to see how many Long Island bagels I can chow down in a campus. single weekend.

Hadn't heard about this but I know the housing Struggle, hope they can figure something out!

I'm hyped to see my extended family with all my cousins but also?

Being able to sleep and not set an alarm? Sounds like the real dream right now.

I have no good ideas for it, sooooo I'll have to wait for the surprise.

She better not break my heart, my hopes are sky high.

We can't keep letting people in if they have no where to sleep...

Go home, see my dogs and sleep on the couch.

Make a parking garage!

I know for a fact that Claire is stoked.

I also know for a fact my roommate Kristen is stoked. I guess I can get on board, she's pretty cool.

LOL not surprised.

Rootin' for the Bs, but I also have I'm severely indifferent to her, I'll probably pay little to no attention no semblance of knowledge of how they're doing so who knows! to it tbh.

The team that scores the most Claire Monahan points in the big game... that's Executive Editor for sure.

Alicia Phaneuf Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Your 2019-2020 4x5 Columnists:

There's a host for that?

I am finally going home and cannot wait to give my nieces and Pepere a big hug!!

What do you want Fairfield to do with the old Dolan School of Business next year?

I've been praying for there to be one building where film, studio and digital arts courses can all be held and work collaboratively together.

Maybe my prayers will finally be answered?!

Sports

Page 15

THE MIRROR | Week of April 17, 2019

Fairfield Rides 5-Game Winning Streak

Photo taken from Sports Information Desk

Senior Tim Zeng tallied a total four runs, five hits, and three RBI in nine at bats during the double-header against Saint Peter's in Jersey City, NJ.

By Michael Hoffman Chief Financial Officer The Fairfield Stags (19-14, 9-3) went undefeated this past week, taking care of business against the Hofstra Pride (7-24, 2-7) and then sweeping the Saint Peter’s Peacocks (227, 2-10).

The Stags are riding a five game win streak after defeating the Pride and the Peacocks. Fairfield traveled to Jersey City, N.J., for a their fourth weekend conference series, and they dominated all three games. In game one, Fairfield won 7-2 behind a strong outing by Austin Pope ‘20. Pope threw six innings, and allowed only three hits, two unearned runs and struck out six. Pope got the win, moving him to 1-1 on the season. Pope was relieved by Eli Oliphant ‘20 who shut the door, throwing three shutout innings to close it out for the Stags.

Senior Jack Gethings went 2-6, including an RBI double that kicked off the scoring in the third inning. Center fielder Dan Ryan ‘20, who went 3-5, knocked in Gethings with a

double of his own to extend the Fairfield lead to two. Fairfield’s offense drew 10 walks, which paired with their 11 hits and led to a big offensive day for the Fairfield lineup. The Fairfield offense exploded in game two, as the Stags crushed their way to a 14-1 victory over St. Peters.

First-year Michael Sansone earned his third win of the season, throwing six shutout innings, striking out six. The offense was the story, as Fairfield scored in all but two innings, including a seven spot in the sixth inning. Leadoff hitter Tim Zeng ‘19 continued his hot streak of hitting, going 3-4 with two RBI and two walks. Gethings also went 3-4, but he drove in four runs and stole a base.

Nine Stags came away with at least one RBI, and eight Stags came away with at least a single hit. As a team, Fairfield put up 17 hits in 34 at-bats with eight walks. The Stags dominated the game, offensively and on the mound, from start to finish.

In game three, Fairfield completed the sweep, earning an 8-2 win behind a five run seventh inning. Fairfield’s

bullpen shined again, after Trey McLoughlin ‘21 threw four and two-thirds, allowing two runs, one earned, and striking out four. The bullpen threw the final four and a third innings, allowing only one hit and zero runs. Junior Ian Halpin picked up the win, throwing two shutout innings in relief after McLoughlin worked himself into trouble in the top of the fifth.

Fairfield’s offense finally woke up in their five run sixth inning, sparked by a St. Peters error, allowing Fairfield to take a 4-2 lead. Tim Ryan ‘19 drove in two runs, including an RBI single that closed out the rally in the seventh inning.

Fairfield will have a busy week at home upcoming, taking on the Fordham Rams (22-15, 7-5) on Tuesday, April 16. Then, going up against the cross town rival Sacred Heart Pioneers (12-21, 6-6) on Wednesday, April 17.

Finally, Fairfield will welcome the Monmouth Hawks (14-19, 4-5) for their fifth weekend conference series. The Stags will look to extend their five game win streak and keep their run of good baseball going.

Stags Drop the Ball at Doubleheader vs. Niagara

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor

a draw until the top of the fourth. Then, the Niagara Purple eagles soared when they were able to advance to second on an error by third base. It was on that play that they surged, tallying one run to put them ahead of their adversaries. Niagara’s next batter owned 2 RBI The Fairfield University softball team (18-16, 4-5) (6-0,4-7) lost both games in a when she doubled to center field. The inning ended with Niagara up 4-1.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader matchup against Niagara University Fairfield wasted three full innings of scoring chances, and backed themselves into a (6-0,4-7) on Sunday, April wall when the bottom of the 14. The 11 a.m. game ended seventh came around. They 4-2 and the two run margin had to quadruple their score proved that the Stags were to even reach a draw with still capable of keeping up Niagara. They tried to rally with their competition later at their last at-bat but a run in the afternoon. Fairfield

by Kaitlin Hoffman ‘22 made completely lost their edge no difference in the fact that going into game two at 1 Fairfield was to take the loss p.m. game, and Niagara and hope to redeem themsoared past them 8-2. selves later in the day.

The Stags have less For a second time than a three weeks until the that day, Fairfield took the end of the regular season, lead early on, but blew it and just 13 games to clinch recklessly when Niagara a spot in the playoffs. The scored a run in the third and clean sweep took place on an extra two in the fourth, Fairfield’s own Alumni spotting them a three-run Softball Field, and evens lead. their record 5-5 in the last The top of the ten games. seventh inning was when Niagara took to the Niagara claimed the game plate first, and although as theirs, and dug Fairfield Photo taken from Sports Information Desk Fairfield’s star pitcher Katie into a hole nearly impossible Kudlacik ‘22 walked two to get out of with a single Lacey Olaff '20 relieved Kudlacik '22 on the mound to toss three-plus innings, where she allowed just two hits and a run. batters, the top of the first inning remaining. concluded with just one runner A grand-slam by Kendall on base and no runs scored. Senior Alisha Marshall singled up the middle, then Mikayla Watkins increased Niagara’s lead from one run to five, and they managed to score once Rubin ‘21 doubled, sending Marshall home and beating Niagara to the board, early in the more before handing off the bat to Fairfield. game.

The Stags couldn’t so much as decrease the shortcoming by a single run, and they Niagara promptly answered back in the top of the second, but the score stood still at fell 8-2.

@MirrorSports Fairfield Mirror Sports

Week of April 17, 2019

fairfieldmirror.com

SPORTS 16

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

Young to Change Fairfield Hoops' Old Ways

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor The Dogwood Room in the John A. Barone Campus Center was filled to capacity, as athletes, Stags fans, Fairfield University faculty and students piled in to welcome the newly appointed 13th head coach of Fairfield men’s basketball, Jay Young on April 10.

Amid a busy Wednesday morning with regularly scheduled classes, Fairfield came together in masses to show support for Young and express their excitement for the basketball program with him at the helm. Guests entered the introduction ceremony through a path lined by pop-pom wielding cheerleaders donned in red and white.

First-year Haley Liddy of the Fairfield cheer team spoke on behalf of her teammates in an email, “My team and I are so incredibly excited about the hiring of Coach Young. From the welcome celebration, the experience and passion Coach Young has for the team is clear. We cannot wait for the upcoming season under his coaching.”

Guests were offered foam fingers and their own clusters of streamers. These efforts were meant to instill a sense of pride in our school through athletics, which have unfortunately fallen short in the past due to shortcomings on the court following a 9-22 season.

The change in leadership represents a new, hopeful chapter for fans.

The audience hushed as President Mark R. Nemec Ph.D., took the stage. Excitement glimmered in his eyes as he looked into the electrified sea of people. President Nemec first addressed the vast forward-movement that the university has made as of late. He mentioned that the application pool for the fall semester of 2019 was the largest in school history, and that many facets of Fairfield are progressing collectively. This further emphasizes the magnitude Photo Taken From Fairfield University Athletics Facebook of the decision President Nemec was tasked to make with naming a new leader for Fairfield men’s basketball.

Coach Young addresses the Fairfield community for the first time since being named the 13th head coach in program history for the Fairfield University men's basketball team.

As the University founded by the jesuits, great consideration is taken towards creating a campus and a community that lives by its Young’s experience of more than 30 years ranges from head coaching positions at inclusive core values. Some of which include the unity of mind and heart, men and women for Newbury College and the University of New Haven, as well as acting as the associate head others and contemplatives in action. coach at Stony Brook University and most recently an assistant coach at Rutgers University. He “The fact that we were able to hire someone who could both speak to and embody the described his journey up to this point, and explained that his new role is what he had worked characteristics that make us the modern Jesuit Catholic university is one of the things that so hard for. makes me so excited,” said Nemec.

“My message is there’s going to be adversity in life, things are not going to go your way Nemec exuded confidence in the coach, expressing his satisfaction with Young’s charall the time, but if you just keep grinding- keep persevering, eventually someone’s going to acter in conjunction with his abilities on the court. Next, the spotlight was handed over to give you the call like I had.”

Fairfield’s director of athletics, Paul Schlickmann, who celebrates his two year anniversary at Such inspirational words can be applied to individuals of any walk of life, as his Fairfield in September. memorandum is a testament to the power of persistence and diligence.

“What I see in Jay is someone who has pursued his dream with impeccable character, He concluded with these remarks; “There is a saying that states that we don’t get a relentless commitment to excellence, a love for and loyalty to his players, and an unwavering what we wish for, we get what we work for, and for me and our players, that work starts belief that at some point his number would be called.” now.”

Photo Taken From Fairfield University Athletics Facebook President Mark R. Nemec PhD. (left), Coach Jay Young (middle) and director of athletics, Paul Schlickmann (right).