February 2005
Volume 13, Number 6
The official news publication of Fairfield University
Index for February 1, 2005
By Alejandra Navarro, Publications writer
Fairfield University's best qualities are now the first thing virtual visitors will see when they log on to www.fairfield.edu. The University's newly redesigned website features rotating photos and descriptions of the people and programs that make Fairfield stand out. This sampling of campus life and academics appears under headings such as cura personalis, lifelong learning, distinguished faculty, notable alumni, Stag spirit, and life of the mind, inviting guests to click and learn more.
That's just one of many enhancements to Fairfield's new website, which launched in January following more than a year of planning and developing.
"We wanted to have a site that would enable us to meet the marketing needs and the marketing purpose of a website," says Martha Milcarek, assistant vice president of public relations and facilitator of the Web executive committee. "All the research tells us that the Web is being used more and more by undergraduate and graduate students, parents, and the external community in general when they want to find something."
That's true across the country. The National Association of College Admissions Counseling's State of College Admissions, states that approximately 30 percent of student inquiries to colleges came via e-mail or the Internet - more than those made by telephone (19 percent), written sources (26 percent), or college fairs (22 percent). At Fairfield, 43.3 percent of self-initiated inquiries from students in the Class of 2008 came through the Web, according to the Undergraduate Annual Report. Also, in a recent survey of adult students, the Internet was identified as the second-most common medium of exposure for those students, says Catherine O'Donnell, director of marketing.
"Often, it's the entree point for students," she says. "Many times their first impression of the college is made by what the website looks like, feels like, and how easy it is to navigate."
The new website, which was developed by Big Bad of Boston, is easier to navigate. The website's University calendar, which features a pull-down list, is searchable by date or by topic. The site's consistent appearance throughout its more than 5,000 pages reminds visitors, as they traverse through departments and programs, that they are still virtually visiting Fairfield University. A content management system allows a network of Web liaisons from across campus to update their pages, providing visitors with up-to-the-minute, accurrate information.
"We also wanted it to reflect our identity and the brand that had been created as a result of research that went into our current set of publications," Milcarek says.
The retooled website was a campus-wide effort, she adds. She credits the Web executive committee, which included O'Donnell; George Diffley, vice president for University advancement; James Estrada, vice president for information services and University librarian; Dr. Orin Grossman, academic vice president; Laura Johnson, webmaster; Don Adams, director of computing and networking services; Marianne Gumpper, director of graduate and continuing studies admission; Mark Reed, assistant vice president of student services and dean of students; and Dr. Laurence Miners, associate professor of economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. She also praised the work of the 24-member advisory committee and Jay Rozgonyi of computing and network services.
Dr. Grossman notes working with a varied team has been exciting. "We have tried to consider all the many, sometimes conflicting, goals of an effective and useful website, and I believe we have a dramatically improved product, thanks to Big Bad and the Fairfield team," he says.
Fairfield has elected to quietly rolled out the redesigned website, with plans to publicize it externally after the University community has a chance to test it. The launch, however, only marks the beginning. "The site is not done and it will never be done," Milcarek says. "It is a dynamic communication vehicle that should always be updated, revised, and evaluated."
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 University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., pictured here with Larri Mazon, director of the Center for Multicultural Relations, delivered the keynote address at the LaFarge Convocation, part of Fairfield's three-day Martin Luther King Jr. Human Relations Celebration. At the Jan. 27 event, Fr. von Arx discussed his commitment to increase racial and economic diversity at Fairfield.
He explored these questions, first by looking through the lens of Jesuit history; second, by examining the positive impact that diversity has on learning; and third, by reflecting on how these benefits resonate with the deepest values of the Jesuit educational tradition.
He specifically mentioned the campus committee on diversity, an initiative of Academic Vice President Dr. Orin Grossman, and the need to include diversity in the University's strategic plan. "We must look at hard economic questions, and be able to ask ourselves what institutional sacrifices - yes, sacrifices - we need to make to bring greater economic and racial diversity to our campus...It is my hope that as a community, we at Fairfield University will renew our efforts to empower others through the benefits of Jesuit education - with a vigor that matches Dr. King's valor," he concluded, "and a sense of purpose worthy of the principles for which he gave his life." (Full text is available on the University home page, www.fairfield.edu.)
The 2005 Vision Award recipients include Dr. Elizabeth Gardner, professor of psychology; Class of 2005 students Orlena Cowan and Katherine Canner-O'Mealy; Ellen Morgan, esq, '86; and Rev. Paul Merry, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Bridgeport.
Photo by Jean Santopatre
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By Barbara Kiernan, Director of University Publications
At the request of University President Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., an Intranet website has been launched to give members of the University community a vehicle for input into the strategic planning process and a way to read about work being done in the task forces.
The Intranet site, which is located at info.fairfield.edu/strategicplan, has a link for communicating ideas to the three planning groups, and includes clarification of the role and responsibilities of each group (Core Curriculum Integration, Living/Learning, Graduate/Professional Education). It also makes clear Fr. von Arx's charge to the drafting committee, which reports directly to him: primarily, to synthesize and prioritize the work of the Task Forces, rather than function as an original source of proposals for the strategic plan.
The new Intranet site also offers links to documents including an overview of the strategic planning process; results of focus groups held November; information about this project's consultants, The Napa Group; questions that members of the University community can answer and submit to the planning groups; and task force and drafting committee membership lists.
Those wishing to have input into the strategic planning process should do so via the task force members and their chairs. In conversation with the drafting committee at its Jan. 20 meeting, the chairs shared the progress of the task forces, each of which had already met four times.
- Curriculum Task Force: Dr. Vincent Rosivach, professor of Classical Studies, reported that the 12-member committee has divided into six working groups to explore the following areas: 1) core and major; 2) coherence within the core; 3) student engagement with the core; 4) teaching of the core; 5) faculty education about the core; and 6) the core and mission. Members have looked at the core curricula of more than 50 institutions to foster integration within the core and between core and major. The University community may view its internal communications at http://faculty.fairfield.edu/taskforce1.
- Living/Learning: Dr. Mark Ligas, assistant professor of marketing, reported that discussions had focused on the dissociation of classroom learning and the rest of students' lives. Its "laundry list" of how that occurs included specific issues related to the University's curriculum, structure, and culture. Pointing out that the task force is charged with finding ways to alleviate this disconnection, he said the group is currently looking at living/learning programs at other schools (Jesuit and non-religious), examining what Fairfield already has that works (or has previously worked), and determining who group members need to talk with and what questions they need to ask.
- Professional Education: Dr. Dan Geller, professor of psychology and special education in GSEAP, noted that this task force has been discussing a perceived disconnect between graduate programs and the Jesuit mission. The overriding theme is how to reinforce Jesuit values; creative thinking has begun in areas such as possible school-related campus clinics and articulation agreements with doctoral-granting institutions. Dr. Geller noted that each of Fairfield's graduate programs is mission specific in terms of serving the needs of the region, and in that already reflects Jesuit values. Others issues being raised include graduate students possible use of the Career Planning Center and concerns about budget targets and their potential for effecting positive change.
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Elizabeth Hohl named Adjunct Professor of the Year
By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor
It was the perfect way to cap a rigorous fall semester.
 In December, Elizabeth Hohl of the History Department in the College of Arts and Sciences was named the winner of a brand-new University award: Adjunct Professor of the Year.
Hohl was nominated by her peers and selected by the deans and Dr. Orin Grossman, academic vice president. "Liz was the clear winner," says Dr. Grossman. "Her devotion to students, her strong participation in the Women's Studies Program, and her contributions to the History Department are nothing short of inspiring." The honor carries a monetary award, totaling approximately $2,000. Funds for the award were donated anonymously, Dr. Grossman says.
When the award was announced, Hohl, who has been at the University more than 20 years, says she was "amazed and bowled over" that she had been selected out of Fairfield's nearly 200 adjunct professors. She appreciates the honor's objective. "This award recognizes and celebrates the hard work of part-time faculty who are devoted to students as well as to the process of teaching," Hohl says. "It's so important to recognize this part of the University community."
In 1983, at the urging of an assistant director at the School for Continuing Education (now University College), Hohl taught the course, "Excellent Women, Deviant Women: The Female Experience" to adult students. "There was nothing like that offered in the School at the time," says Hohl. Based on the course's success, she was invited to teach in the College of Arts and Sciences. Today, in addition to lecturing in history, she teaches courses in the College's Women's Studies Program and in the Graduate School for Education and Allied Professions.
Hohl was part of the team working to establish the Women's Studies Program at Fairfield in the early 1990s. Now approaching its 12th year, she says she has seen some significant changes - for the better - among the couple hundred students who take a course in the program annually. "There is a greater level of comfort now among students to take a women's studies course," she notes. "Women and men have seen the benefits of taking courses in the program."
While teaching approximately six courses a year, Hohl has worked toward her doctoral degree in history and women's studies with her advisor at The Union Institute and University. She holds a master's degree from Sarah Lawrence College in women's history and a bachelor's degree from Stonehill College in U.S. history.
Hohl's additional University honors include a Martin Luther King Jr. Vision Award in 2001 and recognition as an Outstanding Humanities Scholar in 2000.
Photo by Jean Santopatre
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 Dr. Kathryn Jo Yarrington (pictured left), professor of studio art in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), shared her experience in being a part of a Faculty Learning Committee (FLC), at a workshop sponsored by the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). In January, CAE hosted Matt Ouellett from the Center for Teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to conduct three workshops in just two days: one workshop explored the possibility of mid-term assessments of courses, a second on FLCs, and a third on issues of multicultural organization development and social justice. Held in the ground floor of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library, the new home of the CAE, faculty - including Dr. Gisela Gil-Egui, assistant professor in the Communication Department (CAS) (pictured right) - had an opportunity to learn as much from each other, as they did Ouellett. Yarrington, for example, discussed the value she received from meeting regularly with her FLC last semester, encouraging others to consider forming similar groups.
Photo by Jean Santopatre
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In an article published in several area papers including the Trumbull Times, the Easton Courier, and the Huntington Herald on Nov. 14, and the Amity Observer (Shelton) and the Valley Gazette on Dec. 2, Dr. Sharon Abbott, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), said many young voters are more tolerant of the social changes that some claim are eroding the nation's "moral values."
The Rev. Charles Allen, S.J., executive assistant to the president, delivered a humorous talk on modern college students at the Norwalk-Wilton AARP meeting on Nov. 18.
Rochelle Almeida, visiting instructor of English in CAS, presented "Globalized Audiences, Cell-Phone Usage, and the Crime Film Genre in Bollywood" at a conference at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom, on Nov. 22.
ABC Radio's national program, Thoughts of the Week, interviewed Dr. Philip W. Bennett, visiting associate professor of applied ethics in CAS, for two shows scheduled to air on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.
The appointment of Dr. Bharat Bhalla, professor of finance in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business (DSB), as interim dean of the School of Business at Southern Connecticut State University appeared in the Nov. 20 New Haven Register, the Dec. 2 Fairfield Minuteman, and the Dec. 3 Fairfield Citizen-News.
"Doug (Perlitz '92) looked up, and looking back at the kids, said, 'God wants them to shine like the stars, and I want that dream to come true'," University Chaplain the Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J., wrote in his article, Haiti: From Fairfield to Cap Hatien. The feature article on Perlitz's journey from mission volunteer to community leader in Haiti appeared in the December 2004 -January 2005 issue of the National Jesuit News. Fr. Carrier also commented for an article on Perlitz and his work in Haiti that appeared in the Connecticut Post on Nov. 7 and in the Fairfield Citizen-News on Nov. 12.
In January, Dr. Arjun Chaudhuri, chair of marketing in DSB, and business faculty conducted a one-week program for executives of the global market research firm Millward Brown in Fairfield. Attending the program were middle management executives from all over North America. Loren Smith, visiting assistant professor of marketing, led the first class on marketing management; Dr. Nikiforus Laopodis, associate professor of finance, led the second class on financial and marketing metrics; Dr. Chaudhuri led the third and fourth class on advanced market research methods and consumer behavior, respectively; and Dr. Mark Lingas, assistant professor of marketing, led the fifth class on branding and brand equity.
In October, Dr. Ralph Coury, professor of history in CAS, presented "The Demonization of Pan-Arab Nationalism" at the annual conference of the Third World Studies Association at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. Dr. Coury also published a chapter, "Nationalism and Culture in the Arab and Islamic Worlds: A Critique of Modern Scholarship," in Islamic Thought in the Twentieth Century, edited by Suha Taji-Farouki and Basheer M. Nafi (I.B. Tauris, 2004).
As 2004 came to a close, the economy and job growth were in the headlines and Dr. Edward Deak, the Roger M. Lynch Professor of Economics in CAS, provided commentary for several news organizations: Nov. 4, The Advocate (Stamford) and the Greenwich Time, in an article about lower Fairfield County benefitting from President Bush's pro-business policies; Nov. 9, Dr. Deak participated in the panel discussion, "Humming or Hurting? Economists and Business Leaders Assess the Region's Economy," in Norwalk, which was covered by several media outlets, including the Connecticut Post, The Advocate, and the Greenwich Time; Nov. 11, The Hartford Courant, and the Hartford Business Journal both reported on Dr. Deak's participation in the New England Economic Partnership Economic Outlook conference in Westborough, Mass.; Nov. 15, Business New Haven published an editorial on the conference and Dr. Deak's revised figures; Nov. 17, Dr. Deak contributed to a Hartford Courant article on the holiday travel rebound; Nov. 19, Dr. Deak's comments were in a Connecticut Post front-page story on the U.S. debt limit hitting another record high of $8.8 trillion; Nov. 24's Hartford Courant article on electricity costs, which also appeared in The Advocate; an Associated Press article on slow job growth, which appeared on Dec. 2 in The Boston Globe, Newsday (Long Island), and several Connecticut newspapers; at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association's discussion, "The Fairfield County Economy: The Decade Ahead" held on Dec. 2 in Stamford, an event covered by Connecticut Post, The Advocate, Greenwich Time, the Middletown Press, and the Greenwich Citizen; two articles in Dec. 5's Hartford Courant; Dec. 6, in the Hartford Business Journal, Dec. 4, in the Connecticut Post, and Dec. 8 in in the Middletown Press, the New Haven Register, and several other area papers, about job growth; Dec. 16, the Hartford Courant on slipping consumer confidence in New England; Dec. 18, a New Haven Register article about a website entrepreneur; more job commentary in a Hartford Courant article on Dec. 21; Dec. 22, a Hartford Courant article on the state's population growth; on Dec. 24, an article in The Day (New London) Dr. Deak praised former Gov. Rowland's efforts to bring Pfizer to New London; and an Associated Press article on the sluggish job market in Connecticut, which appeared in Newsday on Dec. 26 and The Boston Globe on Dec. 27.
Dr. Ben Fine, professor of mathematics and computer science in CAS, was one of several area teachers nominated by former students to appear in the eighth edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers, which was announced in the Fairfield Citizen-News on Dec. 17.
Andrew Foster, associate director of financial aid, delivered a financial aid presentation at Southington High School.
Dr. Donald Gibson, associate professor of management in DSB, commented for a Journal News (N.Y.) article on employees' differing responses to tragedy, published on Dec. 6. Dr. Gibson said a tragic event does not need to be geographically close to affect workers and their productivity, noting the wide affect of tragedies such as 9/11.
"Developing classroom communities for understanding through social interaction," an article by Dr. Jennifer Goldberg, assistant professor of Education in GSEAP, was in the November 2004 issue of Journal of Research in Science Teaching. The paper was co-authored with Dr. Noel Enyedy from the University of California, Los Angeles.
An article by Dr. Joy Gordon, associate professor of philosophy in CAS, "The U.N. is US: exposing Saddam Hussein's silent partner," which was in the December issue of Harper's magazine, was referenced in an article on U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's resignation, the Dec. 21 issue of In These Times. Dr. Gordon has another article in the February issue of Le Monde Diplomatique, an international relations journal published in Paris.
She has also interviewed for several media outlets about the UN's Oil for Food Program and the role of the Security Council. These include: "Democracy Now" with Amy Goodman; the Marc Steiner Show in Baltimore, Md.; KVMR in California; WEOA in Indiana; KAAA in Arizona; WZBC in Boston; KBOO in Portland, Ore.; WUSB in Long Island; KGAB in Cheyenne, Wyo.; WBAI in New York; Junge Welt, a German newspaper; and Berria, a Spanish newspaper.
In a Nov. 14 New York Times article, Dr. Don Greenberg, associate professor of politics in CAS, said the high election turnout was surprising because Connecticut was not a battleground state.
Dr. James He, assistant professor of information technology and operations management in DSB, co-authored the research paper, "Logistics Information System in China: An Overview," published in Communications of the IIMA in October 2004. Dr. He and co-author Dr. Myron Sheu of CSU, Dominguez Hills, received the "Best E-Commerce Paper Award" for their research paper, "Measured Decision Support for Online Customers," presented at the Annual Conference of The Western Business & Management Association in October 2004.
Dr. Wendy Kohli, associate professor and chair of curriculum and instruction in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, recently presented a paper on "The Feminist Educational Researcher: A Conceptual Framework" at the annual meeting of the American Educational Studies Association in November in Kansas City, Mo. Dr. Kohli was also appointed to the editorial review board of Educational Studies, the official journal for the Association.
Dr. Nikiforos Laopodis, associate professor of finance in DSB, co-authored "Volatility Linkages Among Short-Term and Long-Term Interest Rates: Implications for the Conduct of Monetary Policy" published in the International Journal of Applied Business and Economic Research, 2004.
Summer Stock! An American Theatrical Phenomenon (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), a book by Dr. Martha LoMonaco, associate professor and chair of theatre in CAS, has been cited by CHOICE Magazine as one of the Outstanding Academic Titles of 2004.
Dr. LoMonaco was also recently elected president of the Theatre Library Association for 2005-2006.
Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell, director of choral and liturgical music, was the subject of "Women on the Rise," an article in The Advocate on Dec. 12 about female conductors becoming a growing force at the orchestra podium. Also on Dec. 12, The Mendelssohn Choir, which was founded 20 years ago by Dr. Maxwell and Fairfield University alumni, performed Messiah with the Norwalk Symphony at the Norwalk Concert Hall. Dr. Maxwell conducted at the Celebrated Annual Messiah Sing-in at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on Dec. 21. She was quoted in the third and final installment of a Connecticut Post series on Fairfield University senior Kara Rovelli's transition from the University to the working world, which ran on Dec. 20.
In a Connecticut Post article on Dec. 26, Larri Mazon, director of the Multicultural Center, commented on the popularity of Kwanzaa, the seven-day festival that celebrates African and Pan African cultures. Judging by the number of calls to the Multicultural Center for information on Kwanzaa, Mazon said teachers are genuinely interested in including it in their curricula.
Dr. Lisa Newton, professor of philosophy and director of the Applied Ethics Program, was interviewed by News 12 Connecticut on Jan. 7 about a website called www.freecycle.org. The Freecycle Network is a grassroots movement of people who give away still usable possessions within their own towns to reduce waste.
This fall, Dr. John Orman, professor of politics in CAS, provided insight to news organizations covering the presidential and local elections. Dr. Orman commented about the need to revise the Electoral College in a Nov. 1 Connecticut Post article. In the same edition, the Connecticut Post quoted Dr. Orman for an article on the 4th Congressional District race, where the incumbent faces a strong challenger. On Election Day, Dr. Orman talked about the influence of young voters and new voters in the Connecticut Post. The Trumbull Times covered on Nov. 4 Dr. Orman's interactive program for fifth graders at Booth Hill School on the American voting process, which included a mock election. On Nov. 5, MSNBC reporter Michael E. Ross quoted Dr. Orman. He commented on political scandals in a Nov. 14 Waterbury Republican-American article. In a Dec. 24 article in the Connecticut Post, Dr. Orman commented on former Gov. John Rowland's guilty plea in court, and was quoted in an Associated Press article about former Rowland's legacy, which appeared in The Advocate Dec. 30.
Dr. Ray Poincelot, associate dean for CAS, was appointed to the Town of Fairfield First Selectman's Task Force on 2010 Energy Conservation Initiatives. This task force is in response to the town's "20 percent by 2010 resolution," which strives to use 20 percent renewable energy by 2010.
An article about Germany's ongoing confrontation with its Nazi past in the Dec. 12 issue of The Economist, quoted Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, associate professor of history in CAS, and cited his research on the city of Munich's evasion of its history as the birthplace of Nazism, focusing particularly on the many problematic features of the city's more than 100 postwar memorials.
Brian Torff, director of the Music Program in CAS, presented "Blood, Sweat and Tears: Seeing through the Past Darkly" at last month's International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Long Beach, Calif. He also performed at Fairfield University's Vision Awards dinner in January.
The Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., University President, commented for ABC Radio's national program Thoughts of the Week for programs that aired on Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 on WSTC Radio, AM 1400. The National Jesuit News announced his presidency at Fairfield University in the December 2004/January 2005 issue.
Dr. Michael White, associate professor of English in CAS, discussed his novel, The Garden of Martyrs: The Tragic Story of Two Irish Immigrants, at the Irish Ancestral Research Association at Boston College on Dec. 10.
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February 2005
5 years
Debra Johns
20 years
Janet Diaz
Condolences
Ann Rideg, most recently a former secretary in Fairfield Prep's Development Office and Alumni Office, died on Dec. 8. Prior to her position at Prep, Rideg worked as a temporary employee in various University departments, and was a member of the Staff Association.
Rev. Walter J. Kane, S.J., died suddenly on Dec. 21. A 1955 alumnus of Fairfield Prep, Fr. Kane joined the Fairfield Jesuit Community in fall 2004 as a spiritual director.
Nicholas Giaquinto Sr., M.A.'63, who coached Fairfield University's track and cross-country teams for many years, died on Jan. 1.
Rev. Donald Barry, S.J., who taught at Fairfield Prep for more than 35 years, died at Campion Health Center in Weston, Mass., on Jan. 5.
Fr. Barry joined Prep's social studies faculty in 1969. His teaching honors include the Secondary School Department Award from the National Catholic Educational Association and a special award from Prep's Students for Education Excellence through Diversity (SEED) program, recognizing his innovative teaching methods in reaching out to students of color.
In addition to teaching, he coached the cross-country and track teams and sold tickets for the school's football, basketball, and hockey games. He was a member of the National Association of Social Studies Teachers, the Connecticut Council of Social Studies Teachers, the Massachusetts Track and Field Officials Association, and the Knights of Columbus. In 1975, he was named Knight of the Year for the State of Connecticut and received the Outstanding Service Award in 1979.
Born in Dorchester, Mass., Fr. Barry entered the Society of Jesus in 1953. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy and a licentiate in sacred theology from Boston College. He earned a second master's in history from Tufts University and completed post-graduate work in history at Johns Hopkins. He was ordained in 1966.
Faith Alexandria Dohm, mother of Dr. Faith-Ann Dohm of the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, died on Jan. 8.
Jerry Doros, brother of Dr. Benjamin Fine of the Math and Computer Science Department, died on Jan. 17.
New Employee
Judson Saviskas - Alumni Career Administrator, Alumni Relations
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Keith Moran (pictured center), admission counselor in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, meets with students in his Ignatian Residential College mentor group over dinner in the John A. Barone Campus Center.
By Nina M. Riccio, Publications writer
The greatest gift you can give a student is time outside the classroom that complements what is learned in the classroom, says Jeanne Di Muzio, director of Wellness and Prevention. It's a valuable lesson her parents and professors modeled, and now, as an Ignatian Residential College mentor, she's trying to do the same. After meeting with her group for the past five months and joining them on a retreat, "it's amazing to watch them explore issues outside of their comfort zone," she says. "The gift of being included in that is extraordinary."
When sophomores join the Ignatian Residential College program, they know they will be striving throughout the year to discover insights into three key questions: Who am I? Whose am I? Who am I called to be? The mentoring program helps them work through the questions. "Students meet with their mentors in groups of six to eight each month," explains Joe DeFeo, associate director of the Ignatian Residential College. "There's an assigned reading plus reflection questions and journaling. Mentors offer to students their lived experience outside of University life, and challenge them to a deeper level of reflection." Mentors, who are also challenged to struggle with the questions themselves, can be of any faith, DeFeo says, but they must share Ignatian ideals.
The College strives to engage mentors from different areas of the University. Currently, there are 29 mentors, drawn from the ranks of faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. The commitment is something each of them takes seriously: mentors undergo training in the beginning of the year, meet monthly with their students for as long as two hours, then convene again with their peers to share ideas and learn from each other. In addition, they are invited to join students on the twice-yearly, off-campus retreats that are an essential part of the Ignatian Residential College experience. "Spending time with students in this way has reaffirmed my commitment to Fairfield University and recharged me, much as doing the Spiritual Exercises recharged me years ago," says Di Muzio.
"Mentoring allows me to be part of the students' development on a level that's deeper than what I do at work," says Dennis Amrine, interim director of Career Planning and a three-year veteran of the mentor program. "Plus, there's a strong personal assessment piece that appeals to me." This year, Amrine has been lucky to have a co-leader in Grace Bermudez '05, who went through the program in her sophomore year. "Having her in our discussions has been fabulous," says Amrine.
Katie McLaughlin '07 finds the mentor groups helpful in guiding her through the choices she's facing - in her case, it's deciding on a major from among her many passions. "It is beneficial to sit in a small group with people you don't necessarily know well," she says. "Dennis and Grace ask us questions that make us go deeper. Having a mentor means there's always someone to help guide you."
Overall, says Amrine, mentoring "ties in beautifully with the mission of the University." DiMuzio agrees. "It's the living example of what a Jesuit education is all about." To learn more about the mentoring program, contact Joe DeFeo at ext. 3325.
Photo by Rev. James Mayzik, S.J.
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Florence was the heart of the Renaissance, a time of great change in the way people perceived themselves. So it's a fitting setting for The Ignatian College Abroad program, which seeks to deepen each student's ability to understand his or her own self. The month-long program runs from May 17 to June 20 and is open to students from across the University. Students take one Visual Arts course, and select another from the regular offerings at the Lorenzo de'Medici Institute, for a total of six credits. For more information, contact the Study Abroad office at 254-4332.
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By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor, & Nina M. Riccio, Publications writer
The fifth and final installment in a series to introduce Fairfield's newest faculty members to the University community.
Dr. Timothy Heitzman
Dr. Heitzman joins the Psychology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences as an assistant professor. Prior to Fairfield, he was most recently at Children's Hospital in Boston as a fellow and staff psychologist in the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics. Additionally, he trained psychologists and pediatricians in neuropsychological assessment. Dr. Heitzman also has taught at the University of Rhode Island and Loyola College.
He specializes in cognitive-neuropsychological development in children and adolescents, and the neuropsychological, emotional, and social deficits associated with ADHD, learning disabilities, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Heitzman has expertise in pediatric psychology and school psychology.
Dr. Heitzman moved to Fairfield with his wife and newborn son to return to teaching and research at the university level. Through supervised student involvement and consultation, he also hopes to work with the community to help parents and teachers understand child behavior and development.
Dr. Heitzman earned a B.S. from La Salle University in psychology and marketing, a M.A. in clinical psychology from Loyola College, and a Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Rhode Island. He also completed an internship in neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Dr. Lily Khadjavi
In a sense, Dr. Lily Khadjavi has come "home" to teach at Fairfield University. Her mother, Sunny, teaches French in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, and her late father, Abbas, taught physics for years.
Dr. Khadjavi received a B.A. from Harvard and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley. She joins CAS as an assistant professor of math and computer science.
Dr. Khadjavi's focus of interest is algebraic number theory, which can be applied to cryptography. "Every time you use your ATM card or make a purchase electronically, your personal data is kept secret by being scrambled, then unscrambled by the receiver at the other end," she explains. "Behind the scenes, there's number theory in action." The main research she is working on is called the ABC Conjecture, considered one of the major open problems in number theory. She is also interested in civil rights and racial profiling, and is currently working on a statistical analysis of the people the police stop and search in Los Angeles. Before coming to Fairfield, Dr. Khadjavi was a professor at Loyola Marymount University, where she was named Advisor of the Year for her work with the student association for gay and lesbian awareness.
Joyce Shea, DNSc, APRN, BC
For two years, Assistant Professor Dr. Joyce Shea '79 has been an adjunct professor in the School of Nursing. In September, this Fairfield University alumna joined the staff on a full time basis. Her responsibilities include providing clinical supervision for the undergraduate students in their psychiatric nursing rotation and teaching nursing research courses at Greenwich Hospital.
Dr. Shea is a nationally certified clinical specialist in adult psychiatric-mental health nursing, with a special interest in older adults with severe and prolonged mental health issues, such as schizophrenia. "The geriatric population is especially interesting to me, because it's a group about whom not much is known," she says. "I'm looking forward to doing some exploratory research with Bridgeport Hospital on the needs of elderly individuals with severe mental illness, and whether or not these needs are being met."
Prior to her arrival at Fairfield, Dr. Shea taught at Quinnipiac University and Yale University. She received her MSN and DNSc degrees from Yale. In 2002, she received the Podium Presentation award from the Eastern Nursing Research Society for her dissertation study, "Coming Back Normal: The Struggle for Self in those with Schizophrenia." She has worked as a clinical nurse specialist at Danbury Hospital for seven years.
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 During the Christmas season, we celebrated with joyous family reunions and celebratory dinners. These reunions offer us the opportunity to visit with relatives we may not have seen for a period of months or years. However, during these visits, you may have, for the first time, noticed changes in one or both of your aging parents. Perhaps Mom forgot your child's name or confused your current position. Maybe your parents needed more help with everyday activities than they used to, such as assistance with grocery shopping or shoveling snow. Or perhaps your parents mentioned that they stopped some of their regular activities, such as a weekly visit to the hair stylist or church.
In fact, none of these changes are unusual; they fall within the category of normal aging. As we age, memory tends to decline to a certain degree, and physical changes such as health problems or decreased flexibility, stamina, and night vision may have caused an increased functional dependence and reluctance to participate in usual activities. Nevertheless, these changes they may seem overwhelming to members of the "sandwich generation," adults who are faced with simultaneously caring for their own children and aging parents. Carol Abaya, a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and expert on the sandwich generation, breaks the definition of this generation into three categories: Traditional Sandwiches are adults who have parents and children who both require a degree of care; the Club Sandwich refers to 30- through 60-year-olds with the need to care for aging parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren; and the Open-Face Sandwich includes everyone else involved in elderly caregiving.
If you fall into one of these categories, it is important to know that you are not alone. The Profile of Older Americans (AARP, 2002) estimates that family members provide approximately 80 percent of the care for older adults. This care may be episodic, such as when an older adult is recovering from an acute illness. However, in some cases, the prevalence of chronic physical disease, such as stroke or diabetes, or cognitive problems, such as depression or dementia, require the caregiver to assist the dependent older adult with all activities of daily living or to find other means of assistance.
There are many potential resources which may enable you or another family member to continue caring for an older loved one despite many other responsibilities. Most local hospitals have geriatric outreach workers who can assist in obtaining needed services within the community. Connecticut is especially rich in elderly services. Many of these are free or very low-cost. In addition, local senior centers are often staffed with qualified nurses and social workers who can assist the family in obtaining services and monitoring the older adult on a daily basis.
Caregiving, which is very stressful, has been shown to result in the onset of depression, grief, fatigue, decreased socialization, and health problems for the caregiver. It is important for caregivers to seek the support of family and community members, as well as skilled providers to aid in the care of an older adult relative.
Most importantly, take care of yourself throughout this challenging task.
Dr. Wallace is filling in as Health Tips columnist while Dr. Philip Greiner is on sabbatical this semester.
Dr. Meredith Wallace, APRN-BC, assistant
professor and the Elizabeth DeCamp McInerney
Professor of Health Sciences
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By Nina M. Riccio, Publications writer
 Jim Fitzpatrick is a serious guy. So when he finally made up his mind to ask a pretty blonde co-worker named Phyllis Rogge to dinner, he wasn't thinking of a burger and brew. Instead, he opted for the most romantic restaurant he knew: the Cobb's Mill Inn in Weston, which comes complete with a waterfall and swans. It must have worked, because two years later the couple was married in Loyola chapel, with the Rev. Henry Murphy, S.J., dean of freshmen, officiating.
"I came to Fairfield University in 1966 and never left," says Jim, who today is assistant vice president for student services. The Fall River, Mass., native graduated with a degree in English in 1970 and immediately took a job on campus, eventually taking over the operation of the campus center and later earning a master's degree in educational administration. Phyllis, in the meantime, left her teaching job at an Ohio junior high school to join Fairfield in 1975 as the assistant director of residence life, having earned her undergraduate degree in English and a master's in student personnel through the University of Dayton. Their first interaction came at a Fairfield luncheon, when Jim mentioned that he was looking for a tennis partner. Phyllis was game, and the two arranged a Saturday afternoon match. "It was the first and last time we've ever played tennis together," says Phyllis.
The couple admits that their "similar jobs with parallel responsibilities" initially made for some bumps in the road. "The first year we were married, we had to work closely to put the summer conferences together," says Phyllis, referring to the various groups that come to campus to use the facilities after the academic year is over. "Jim would book a group, and from his point of view could be flexible as to numbers and dates. But I was in charge of getting the dorms ready for them, and those last minute changes drove me crazy! Needless to say, our organizational styles are very different." Some time later, when Phyllis was pregnant with daughter Katelyn, they were both called back to campus one night for emergencies. "A student had started a fire in his dorm room," recalls Phyllis. "At the same time, a generator went down somewhere and Jim was needed. Neither problem was serious, but it made us realize that we couldn't both be available like that once the baby was born." Shortly thereafter, Phyllis requested a transfer over to academics; she's now the director of management information in the academic vice president's office.
Long ago, the Fitzpatricks made a commitment to live in town, and today they're just a few blocks from campus. With the kids grown (son, Jimmy, is an acupuncturist and is married to Jodie, coordinator of the Ignatian Residential College; Katelyn is a junior at the University of Notre Dame) they walk together every morning, then drive in to work. That, however, is generally the last time they see or speak to each other until the end of the day, "in spite of the fact that we made a resolution to have lunch together once a week!" says Phyllis. Weekends are defined by Jim's volunteer responsibilities. He coaches girls' basketball at Wakeman Boys' and Girls' Club in Southport and announces the men's home basketball games. He also coordinates dinners for Prospect House every Friday and Sunday during break. They spend free time at the beach, and two weeks each summer on Nantucket. This spring, they plan to travel to Ireland to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
"Higher education is a great environment to work in, and neither of us is bored in our positions," says Phyllis. As for their combined 65 years of Fairfield University expertise, Jim views it as a definite plus. "With Phyllis's current position, I'm able to see academics through her eyes," he notes. "It helps make me more knowledgeable about what's important so we can collaborate on the mission of the University."
Photo by Jean Santopatre
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By Alejandra Navarro, Publications writer
We all know what it's like to get bad service: our questions aren't answered, we get no response, or we can't connect with the right person on the other end of the phone. When we're in the thick of it, we wonder, "Doesn't anyone care about my business?"
In recent years, Fairfield University has elevated its customer service to new heights, taking into consideration the needs of off-campus and on-campus "customers" - visitors, prospective students, current students, and co-workers. And so far, the efforts are making campus more user-friendly.
Adult students
Not long ago, graduate and continuing education students had to hopscotch across campus to complete all the administrative tasks necessary to register and begin the semester. This was no easy feat for a group of mostly full-time professionals with tight schedules.
In response, the University started "Back to School Day" in 2003, held the week before the beginning of fall semester. Representatives from several campus offices - the bursar, the registrar, and vehicle registration, among others - gathered in the John A. Barone Campus Center on one day to give graduate and continuing education students a convenient way to get tasks done. This year, more than 350 students attended the event. Next year, the new Kelley Administration Building, which will house several of these essential departments, will offer the same "one-stop" service for the entire student body.
"We provide excellent educational services, but we need to back that up with efficiency and good customer service for all of our students," says Cathy O'Donnell, director of marketing. She is working with the University Strategic Marketing Committee's ad hoc committee on customer service, which is focusing on the needs of our growing population of graduate and part-time undergraduate students. In addition to "Back to School Day," recommendations have included:
- Placing kiosks around campus to distribute academic program brochures (implemented fall 2004)
- Creating a brochure aimed at graduate and part-time students that outlines the registration process and provides a map and contact information for relevant departments (completed spring 2004)
- Finding parking solutions for students who take evening classes, such as changing the time of events at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts to 8 p.m. to give students an opportunity to find parking before guests arrive to alleviate traffic congestion. (Shuttle service is currently offered to and from the Quick Center and from various parking lots during well-attended campus events.)
"We're thinking creatively," O'Donnell says. The committee, made up of 10 representatives from across campus, is also working on finding solutions for the parking crunch in other areas of campus, reviewing possible options to provide food service at some remote classroom locations, and exploring the possibility of providing graduate housing.
Contributing to improvements, the Dean of Students' Office, which serves as a facilitator for students' non-academic lives and needs, produced a student handbook for graduate and part-time students last fall.
The offices of the Bursar and Registrar are also looking into providing adult students with online registration, which is already available to undergraduates.
Campus community
Some changes on campus serve the entire University community, such as the recent naming of campus roads, the addition of new building signage, and the redesigned website. Undergraduates, in particular, have benefited from the move to maximize the use of StagWeb for announcements and communication.
"All of the departments are always looking for ways to improve, and I think they do a remarkable job," O'Donnell says. "People understand in this competitive (higher education) environment, customer service is the name of the game in attracting and retaining students."
But "good" customer service also applies to how we treat co-workers, says Mark Guglielmoni, director of human resources. "From my perspective, everyone is your customer. No one should ever walk through our door feeling uncomfortable." You have to be respectful to everyone with whom you come into contact, he adds. Crediting University employees for often taking the extra step to help, Guglielmoni says. "Every member of our community is an ambassador of this University. And I believe, as individuals and as a campus, we provide excellent customer service. I encourage people to keep it up."
Fairfield has an advantage, in that during the hiring process, the University looks for candidates with skills - such as good communication and cooperation - that bolster customer service, says Rita Duda, associate director of human resources. Human Resources is looking into the possibility of providing additional training in the future, to gently remind people of ways to be more efficient and provide better service, she adds.
Responding to inquiries
"In general, the offices are very responsive," says University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., noting a consistent effort among everyone to provide "considerate, effective service."
There are always ways to improve service, he continues. For example, Fr. von Arx prefers to have a person answering the office phone during working hours to provide answers immediately.
Still, there are times when we have to say no, Fr. von Arx says. "You need to be understanding with people who are frustrated," he says, particularly in situations when we can't give them what they want. "It is important to deal with people cordially, even when people are not in the best of moods. If you deal with people in the right way, if you are patient, low key, quiet, if you give off the impression you want to help them, then, it diffuses their frustration and anger."
Ultimately, customer service begins on the individual level with basic things like courtesy, consideration, and treating people with respect and dignity, Fr. von Arx says. Respecting people is a very important part of the Jesuit way, he adds. "We must treat all people as children of God."
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By Nina M. Riccio, Publications writer
It's no secret that New England will require more power plants and high-voltage wires unless electricity consumption is reduced. To this end, energy companies have created a program called "demand response" that pays customers to reduce usage during times of crisis. Not only is Fairfield University one of those customers, but Ric Taylor, associate vice president for campus planning and operations, learned recently that the University will receive a plaque for outstanding performance during a shut-down drill last August.
"We were the highest performer in the area," explains Taylor.
ISO New England, the organization that sits above the New England utilities, makes sure the grid is reliable. "When it sends out an event warning to avert an impending shortage, the customers who have signed with the demand response program have 30 minutes to shut down all non-essential functions and/or revert to generators," says David Brewster, president and CEO of EnerNOC, the company that works with ISO and the customers to help regulate usage. "Fairfield did an outstanding job." The ability to reliably and quickly lower usage is both "incredibly important and environmentally responsible," Brewster adds, noting that the University curtailed usage by 2.3 megawatts during the event, an amount that greatly exceeded the University's pledged load reduction.
"The demand response program generates a substantial revenue stream every year to the University," says Taylor. And while the recognition is terrific, it's all in a day's work for Taylor, who has been working to cut energy usage on campus for the past seven years.
In 1998, the University contracted with United Technologies Carrier to study the campus's energy usage. "The company suggested measures to cut back on our consumption that would have payback within a reasonable amount of time," says Taylor. Over the next few years, he and his staff replaced 880 exit signs with those using LED displays, substituted energy-saving T-8 lamps for 7,700 older fluorescent fixtures, installed occupancy sensors so that lights go off if the room is empty, and fitted showerheads and toilets with low-flow, low flush options. "Then we did another study which concluded that it would be more beneficial to upgrade the central utilities rather than have individual systems in all the new buildings," explains Taylor. "That's when we decided to go with higher efficiency heating and cooling systems throughout the campus. These allow the units to throttle up when the need is high and throttle down again when it's not." The results of all these changes? "Fossil fuel usage per square foot has dropped by 22 percent, and our kilowatt hour per square foot usage has dropped by 11 percent," says Taylor.
"We didn't set out to do conservation, but when the campus needs grew, we decided to meet those needs as energy-efficiently as we could," he adds.
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School of Nursing wins $25,000 federal grant for graduate student program
The Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Fairfield University's School of Nursing $25,000 for a project to prepare advanced practice registered nurse candidates to work at local community health centers that care for underserved populations.
Fairfield has teamed with Sacred Heart University's Nursing School and the two federally qualified health centers located in Bridgeport - Southwest Community Health Center and Bridgeport Community Health Center - for the project.
The one-year grant will allow these graduate students to train and work with doctors and nurses at local health centers and develop culturally appropriate, community-based primary care interventions that consider the values and beliefs of the diverse population served. Students will: examine the impact of patients' assets, lifestyles, home, and community environments on patients' ability to participate in their care; learn about the mission and role of these health centers in meeting the health care needs of underserved groups; incorporate national, evidence-based practice guidelines in care management; participate in the governance and quality improvement mechanisms of these health centers; and explore the role of state and national associations in advocating for funding of center services.
The ultimate goal of the project is to encourage more nurses to take jobs at FQHCs and to provide the skill sets and experience the nurses will need to be successful there, says Dr. Jean Lange, RN, associate professor of nursing and project director.
The grant will also provide funds to integrate information on federally qualified health centers into the nursing school curriculum at Fairfield and Sacred Heart.
Louisville Institute awards a $20,000 Lilly Endowment grant to study the Holy Spirit
Has the Holy Spirit gotten short shrift in comparison with the Father and the Son? Dr. Elizabeth A. Dreyer, professor of religious studies, will explore that question in a new book with the help of 12 pastoral leaders from the greater New Haven area, thanks to a $20,000 Lilly Endowment grant awarded to her by the Louisville Institute. The grant will fund the projected volume, The Holy Spirit is Not Cinderella: Narratives of the Spirit in the Western Christian Medieval Tradition.
Dr. Dreyer and local religious leaders from several Christian faiths will discuss Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective by Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Baker 2002) and will read Dr. Dreyer's manuscript on the topic.
Many scholars contend that the western theological tradition has been remiss in its treatment of the Holy Spirit of Christianity, says Dr. Dreyer, neglecting it in favor of greater emphasis on God the Father and the Son, who may seem more accessible, perhaps simply because people can relate better to persons than to spirits. "Descriptors of the Spirit include 'personally amorphous,' 'faceless,' 'forgotten,' 'upstaged,' 'ethereal and vacant,' 'unclear,' and 'invisible,'" she notes. But Dr. Dreyer's research on the Holy Spirit has uncovered a robust tradition of references in mystical texts, prayers, sermons, Bible commentaries and other sources.
Dr. Dreyer received grants from The Louisville Institute twice before. One supported her work on one of her several books, Passionate Spirituality: Hildegard of Bingen and Hadewijch of Brabant, which will be published in March by Paulist Press.
Grant to put geriatric nursing certificate program on the Web
The success of a geriatric nursing certificate program launched by the School of Nursing last fall has enabled Dr. Meredith Wallace, RN, the Elizabeth DeCamp McInerny Professor of Health Sciences, to garner a second $10,000 grant from The Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation, this time to develop an online version of the program. The Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Foundation was established in 1983 and focuses its giving on education, health care, and human services.
Last year, the Foundation awarded the School of Nursing $10,000 to develop a Geriatric Nursing Certificate Program for nurses who are seeking to increase their skills in working with older adults. The course ran last fall and graduated 18 students. The School of Nursing hopes to begin offering the course online next fall.
"We had extraordinary interest in the fall," says Dr. Wallace. "Now we will be able to offer the program to a much broader population."
The certificate program provides students with 24 contact hours of work. With six more hours, registered nurses with two years of experience working with older adults can then sit for the Gerontological Specialty Nursing Certification examination provided by the American Nurse Credentialing Center. The credential provided by the center is a nationally recognized benchmark for excellence in geriatric nursing care, Dr. Wallace says.
Fairfield University wins NEH grant to fund preservation assessment of special collections
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded Fairfield University a $5,000 grant for preservation assessment of special collections in its DiMenna-Nyselius Library. Congressman Christopher Shays (R-Bridgeport) announced the award in December. "I am grateful for the NEH's support, which will help the University preserve its history to share with the community and future generations of students," says Shays. The award will enable Fairfield to hire a conservation consultant to assess the humanities collection, archives, and special collections, and help plan for their organization and preservation.
"We are very excited to have won the NEH Preservation Assistance Grant, which will help us establish long-range goals for collecting and preserving university material in paper, audio-visual and digital form," says Elise Bochinski, access services librarian and University archivist. "Since we are a relatively young University, the time to create an effective and workable long-range plan for the archives is now, while most of our material is in good condition and can be preserved for future generations."
Grant funds speaker on spirituality and nursing
"When we as nurses stand behind patients and their families, God is also present," emphasized Sr. Mary Elizabeth O'Brien, Ph.D., RN, FAAN of the Catholic University of America. Sr. O'Brien spoke on spirituality and nursing at the School of Nursing on Dec. 14. The event was funded by the John J. Barcklow Foundation, as part of a $5,000 grant to the School of Nursing with the aim of finding ways to integrate spirituality into the geriatric nursing curriculum.
Traditionally, nurses have turned their patient's spiritual needs over to a minister, priest, or rabbi, said Sr. O'Brien. It wasn't until the 1970s and 1980s that the medical profession began to emphasize holistic care, assessing the patient's spirit and determining how that might impact his or her health. Today, she is seeing a new role for nursing, "not to take over the work of ministry, but to work hand in hand with chaplaincy," she said.
A noted expert on the subject of nursing and spirituality, Sr. O'Brien's many books include Nurse's Calling: A Christian Spirituality for Caring for the Sick and Spirituality in Nursing: Standing on Holy Ground. "When the nurse takes the hand of a frail elderly person who is trying to adjust to her life in a nursing home, she is standing on Holy Ground," she said. "All nurses should be comfortable enough to assess a person's spiritual needs."
The Barcklow grant will allow 10 selected students and faculty members to be educated in faith-based nursing care with experts in the field.
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Tara Hansen '06: Softball superstar
By Jack Jones, Director of Sports Information
 Stellar softball player Tara Hansen '06 presents Head Softball Coach Julie Brzezinski with an interesting dilemma: Where should Coach place her on the field? Hansen can easily play several positions, making her a rare exception to the highly specialized game.
Hansen will anchor the 2005 pitching staff this season, which begins Feb. 25, after spending her first two campaigns as a part-time hurler. She contributed as a starting third baseman in 2003 before moving across the diamond to first base in 2004. Her diversity to play those positions, and pitch effectively, is certainly the exception among softball players, rather than the rule.
"I enjoy it," Hansen says. "I think that playing different positions has helped me learn the game even more. It has made me a stronger player mentally and adds variety to my softball career. It also means a lot to know that my coaches and teammates have confidence in me to play more than one position."
This year, Hansen hopes to pitch more, and has worked to ensure her place as a regular in the rotation.
"I worked extremely hard over the summer and the fall to develop new pitches and enhance the ones I already have," Hansen says. "In fact, my whole pitching style has changed, and I am very excited to show this off."
If she does gain more starts in the pitching circle, you can be sure that she will not lose any at-bats. While most coaches use the designated player (someone who hits for a defensive player each time she is scheduled to bat) for the pitcher, Coach Brzezinski does not want to lose Hansen's bat.
Hansen has consistently been one of the team's top hitters through her first two seasons, ranking among the leaders for batting average, RBI, and extra base hits each year. "I have always been a pitcher who has hit in the lineup," she says. "It takes a lot of extra time to be a hitting pitcher. Not only do I have to take time to pitch, but I have to work on my hitting just as much. A lot of players aren't willing or don't have the desire to put the extra effort into it. I love all aspects of the game, and it wouldn't be the same if I wasn't a hitter as well."
That desire to excel on the softball diamond is echoed the classroom. Hansen has a 3.87 GPA in mechanical engineering and is proud of making the dean's list every semester. For her efforts, she received Fairfield County's American Society of Mechanical Engineers award last year.
Hansen will need those grades if she has any shot of getting her dream job at NASA or the CIA."Most people find that pretty crazy, but I would love to get a job with either agency," she says.
But that's down the road for this student-athlete, who is concentrating on the upcoming season, her third. Last season, Hansen helped the Stags capture the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular-season title. The Red and White came up short in the MAAC tournament, which ended their hopes of getting to the NCAA tournament.
"My main goal is for us to make the tournament," Hansen says. "I went and watched my sister, who plays at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, in the tournament and it was one of the hardest things to watch as a player. I wanted to be there on the field. I don't think many people truly understand the amazing atmosphere and experience that the NCAAs bring."
Fairfield has a good chance to accomplish that goal this year, as nearly the entire lineup returns in 2005. And with no seniors on the team, the Stags will be in a good position in 2006.
"I am very excited for this season," Hansen says. "We have six strong freshmen joining the team who are going to add depth in the lineup. They, along with the rest of the team, have an immense amount of enthusiasm for the game and for this season. We have meshed well with each other on and off the field which was apparent in the fall when we played comfortably with each other. That doesn't always happen when a team first comes together."
You might even say it is rare.
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Fairfield University and Stags athletics received significant media coverage following the Dec. 16 news conference in which University President Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., announced the results of an investigation by outside council and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). No major violations were found in the men's basketball program. On Dec. 17, the Connecticut Post carried a front-page article on the announcement, a column by sports writer Chris Elsberry, and a story in the sports section on the reaction of Tim O'Toole, men's basketball coach, and Gene Doris, athletics director. "We're very grateful that this concluded the way it did," O'Toole said in the story, which also appeared on MSNBC.com.
"We had confidence when we brought Tim (O'Toole) into the program, we had confidence in him when we extended his contract, and we have confidence in him now," said Doris in an Associated Press article, which also appeared in Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.), the Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.), the Bristol Press, The Enterprise (Brockton, Ma.), WNBC-TV (Channel 4, New York City), WCBS News Radio 880 and its webpage (wcbs880.com), Boston.com, and WNBC.com. The New Haven Register's article described the scene at the news conference, with Doris offering O'Toole "a firm and emotional handshake."
"We are very happy the investigation has come to a close," Doris said to The Advocate (Stamford). "As we stated from the beginning, it has been business as usual, but this now permits us to go forward in a positive manner."
Media attention on athletics wasn't limited to the investigation. In addition to the regular coverage of games, a Dec. 19 Connecticut Post article highlighted Fairfield University's efforts to increase its fan-base for men and women's basketball, describing the development of the "Stags in the Stands" campaign to get students to the games and the "Sixth Man Club" aimed at alumni and off-campus fans. "We're moving in the right direction, but a lot of things have to fall into place," said Doris.
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Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Feb. 23, at 8 p.m.
Co-presented by the Center for Multicultural Relations
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is CNN's Johannesburg bureau chief and correspondent. She joined CNN in 1999 after spending two years as National Public Radio's chief correspondent in Africa. For 20 years, Hunter-Gault was a national correspondent for PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She has anchored the award-winning Rights and Wrongs, a newsmagazine dealing with human rights, and has won two Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and several honors for her work. She has also written for The New Yorker, spent a decade at The New York Times, and is the author of In My Place, a memoir of her role in the Civil Rights Movement as the first black woman admitted to the University of Georgia.
John Irving
March 20, at 3 p.m.
Novelist John Irving has spent more than three decades writing some of the country's best-loved books, including The Hotel New Hampshire, The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and A Widow for One Year. Winner of the O. Henry Award and the National Book Award, he won his first Academy Award for his adapted screenplay of The Cider House Rules in 2000. In addition to writing, Irving has a passion for wrestling and has coached at several private preparatory schools. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992.
Helen Prejean, C.S.J.
April 6, at 8 p.m.
Third annual Ignatian Residential College lecture, funded in part by the Lilly Endowment
Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J.'s work counseling death row inmates led to her best-selling book, Dead Man Walking, and the Academy Award-winning movie of the same title. Sr. Prejean, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, began her prison ministry in 1981, when she dedicated her life to the poor of New Orleans. She used her experiences with condemned inmate Patrick Sonnier as the basis for the book, Dead Man Walking. Sr. Prejean continues her crusade to educate the public about the death penalty and to counsel inmates. She has received countless awards for her work, which continues with an upcoming book on two possibly innocent men on death row.
Lectures take place in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. For tickets, call the Box Office at ext. 4010.
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Walsh Art Gallery presents "Ethiopia: Religious Pageantry and Tribal Traditions" through March 20
The Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery hosted an opening reception on Jan. 27 for "Ethiopia: Religious Pageantry and Tribal Traditions," a collection of stunning photos depicting the daily life and customs of Ethiopians by Westport photographer Barbara Paul. The exhibit will be on display through March 20. Attending the opening were His Excellency Ambassador Teruneh Zenna, permanent representative for the Mission of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations, Mesfin Endrias, counselor and acting head of diplomacy for the embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and Peter Tse, director of Ethiopian Airlines. Endrias attended on behalf of His Excellency Kassahun Ayele, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United States.
Photo by Jean Santopatre
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 Paul Duffy '05 was the first student to use his StagCard at Chef's Table at 1561 Post Road, and owner and chef Richard Herzfeld was happy to accept it. Last month, this new program made it easier for students to make purchases at area businesses.
StagCards, also known as the University ID cards, work like debit cards. Cardholders can deposit money onto their StagCards, which is electronically deducted from the accounts through a special machine when a purchase is made.
To date, six businesses, including Chef's Table, have signed on to the program: CVS/Pharmacy, 961 Black Rock Turnpike; CVS/Pharmacy, 700 Post Road; La Salsa, 580 Post Road; Nutmeg Bowl, 814 Black Rock Turnpike; and Rye Ridge Deli, 2267 Black Rock Turnpike.
This off-campus service is in addition to the cards being used in the on-campus bookstore, vending machines, and dining venues. Fairfield University contracted with BbOne, a subsidiary of Washington D.C.-based Blackboard, Inc., to make it possible to use StagCards at participating businesses off campus.
Photo by Jean Santopatre
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Campus Currents is the official news publication of the Fairfield University community. It is published monthly. The editorial office is located in Bellarmine Hall, Room 203. Telephone: 254-4000, ext. 2556. Fax: 254-4167. E-mail: jcaseria@mail.fairfield.edu.
Editor
Jill Kasiewicz Caseria
Assistant Director of University Publications
Editorial Board
Martha Milcarek
Assistant Vice President for Public Relations
Barbara Kiernan
Director of University Publications
Jean Santopatre
University Photojournalist
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