THE MIRR R Independent student newspaper
Week of October 30, 2019
Vol. 45 Iss. 8
Fetty Wap Rocks Red Sea Madness
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Pumpkin Nudity
Opinion Controversial Halloween decoration in Georgia brings humor. Page 5
Fairfield Rugby Teams
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Fetty Wap performs for 2,000 Fairfield University students in Alumni Hall on Oct. 25 in 2019’s Red Sea Madness Concert. By Colleen Vann Contributing Writer
Fairfield hosted its annual Red Sea Madness and Fall Concert event on Friday, Oct. 25, which sold out tickets and featured hip-hop artist Fetty Wap. The event was hosted by the Fairfield University Students Association and Stags in the Stands. The Red Sea Madness pep rally to kick off the basketball season was held before the concert, starting at 7:30 p.m., and the bleachers of Alumni Hall were filled by students, all dressed in the color red, thus creating the illusion of a red sea. This element of the night is enjoyed by many students. “I think that the concert was very fun. I especially like the Red Sea Madness, I feel like that’s a great touch to the night to celebrate our basketball teams and Fairfield!” said Jillian Casey ‘22. The men and women’s basketball team
came out and competed in mini games such as a three-point contest (won by the women) and a dunk contest on the men’s team. The Fairfield dance team and cheerleaders performed as well. Faculty members were brought out to join in on the festivities; President Mark Nemec, Ph.D. was challenged to shoot a three-pointer in order to win a pre-game pizza party for the students in a few weeks but unfortunately, he did not make the shot. Students were also asked to participate in this pep rally, such as in the dance competition, where the crowd voted by applause for the student they felt had the best dance moves who would then win $250. The winner this year was Louis Benoit ‘21. Those students that attended the pep rally later filled the floor of Alumni Hall in front of the stage, and the remainder of the students who attended the concert stood in the stands. The floor was packed tight with students waiting to see Fetty Wap perform.
Last Sunday, Fetty Wap was arrested in Las Vegas on alleged assault and battery charges, as reported by CNBC. The claim made by local news reporters was that he hit a parking attendant after getting into an argument. Students at Fairfield were concerned that Fetty Wap would not be able to come perform at Fairfield due to these allegations. “I think people are excited about the concert, I think it has certainly generated a lot of buzz here on campus. But at the end of the day, I think we are a little concerned about the allegations made this week,” Conor Chmiel ‘22 said. However, the university and the student organizers assured those who shared these concerns that everything was under control. In an email sent to the student body by FUSA and the Department of Public Safety, it was stated that, “we wanted to assure you that
Women’s rugby celebrates 25 years on campus. Page 8
Fortinbras Performance
Vine Theatre Fairfield performs “Fortinbras.” Page 16
Continue Reading Red Sea On Page 4
Annual Powderpuff Event Cancelled be taking place. Toutoulis continued on in a Facebook post to say that, in working with the Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Fairfield, BRO was notified that the The Fairfield Beach Resident Organization 2019permit they had applied for to host the event in Veteran’s 2020 Facebook group was met with disappointing news on Park had been denied. Without a large outdoor space with the morning of Thursday, Oct. 24. BRO President Jenwhich to hold the event, BRO was left with no option but nie Toutoulis ‘20, who is responsible for planning BRO’s to seek an alternative event to take Powderpuff ’s place in non-university affiliated events such as Oktoberfest and November. Mock Wedding, announced that the annual all-female Toutoulis commented on the situation via email, exPowderpuff football game to be held on Nov. 23 would not pressing disappointment at the turn of events but nevertheless attempting to find a silver lining. “Not being able to use Veteran’s Park gives the senior class an opportunity to come together and work through this bump in the road,” she said. “Many of our classmates have reached out offering suggestions, assistance in planning a new event, and spaces where we can do so.” These suggestions have been submitted through a Google Forms link that was attached to the announcement post, with Toutoulis encouraging group members to submit what events they would like to see and to take this as an opportunity for the class of 2020 to create their own tradition to be carried on after they graduate. This announcement still left many wondering Alicia Phaneuf/The Mirror why the popular event would no longer be taking place. Senior Valerie Bien-Aime commented that, An image from last year’s Powderpuff football game. By Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief
with all the expectation built up around this event, not being able to participate feels like a huge disappointment. “From what I’ve heard,” she said via electronic message, “people are upset because they have waited three years to participate in this event, and now it’s been ripped out from under them.” However, the reason behind Powderpuff ’s cancellation comes down to something very simple: a scheduling issue. Both Toutoulis and Anthony Calabrese, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Fairfield, asserted via email that the, “permit was denied because the date requested was after the date our Town fields close for the winter.” This not only precludes Fairfield University students from using Veteran’s Park, but any other organization as well. In the past, Powderpuff has traditionally been held in the first week of November; last year’s event took place on Nov. 3, early enough in the month that the organizer’s most likely would not have had to contend with such scheduling conflicts. “All of us at BRO have spent countless hours already planning events for the senior class, and we will continue to do so,” Toutoulis stated, again emphasizing the positive aspects of the situation. “We are confident that our class can come up with a great alternative for a November event this year, and are also looking forward to the many more events being planned for this Spring.”