Winter 2006 
Global Learning Opportunities
Save the Date-Commencement 2006
What's New at Fairfield U?
Student Club Spotlight - Student Alumni Association
Parents' Weekend
Important Reminders
Ways to Give
First-Year Student Send-off Parties
by Lisa Roberts
Students learn to restore works of art at Fairfield's Laurea program in Florence, Italy where a wide variety of courses in many disciplines have been offered since 1994.
From a career planning perspective, traveling overseas has emerged as a priority for college students everywhere. With nearly every industry impacted by the ease of commerce and communication through electronic technologies, job preparation has come to include an awareness of and respect for cultural differences in more courses of study than ever before. As Susan Fitzgerald, Fairfield's director of study abroad programs points out, "Even the smallest company receiving our students' resumes may very well be global."
As a Jesuit institution, Fairfield University seeks to awaken a deeper awareness in students' perception of diversity for a greater cause - social justice. Understanding, embracing, celebrating, and respecting cultural and ethnic differences is the hallmark of a Jesuit education, and has become an even higher imperative in a post-9/11 world. As consciousness is raised on the importance of global awareness, the number of Fairfield students interested in traveling abroad grows exponentially.
In response to this increased demand, the global learning opportunities available at Fairfield are varied and rising. From student club and service opportunities to academically challenging study abroad programs, the University seeks to expand its international reach for all students. A recent partnership with Universidad Centroamericana is evolving into numerous experiential learning opportunities in Nicaragua: in Latin America, an estimated 220 million of its 512 million population is at poverty level, according to Dr. Javier Campos, associate professor of modern languages and literatures. Dr. Campos, who teaches the popular Justice in the Developing World course, explains, "After one week in Nicaragua, students have told me that their lives will never again be the same. Imagine that - in one week you can change your life!" For Alejandro Martinez '06, a native Columbian, living in Beijing during the spring semester of his junior year was "mind opening and curiously inviting." Awarded $5,000 by the prestigious Freeman-Asia Scholarship program, Martinez joined 56 college students from all over the U.S. to study at The Beijing Center. "When I arrived in China," he says, "the Jesuit idea of the pursuit of knowledge kicked in for me. China became more than just a chapter in a textbook."
This year, the international student population at Fairfield stands at 76 students from 36 countries. For U.S. students looking to have a richer, broader Fairfield educational experience, opportunities to travel abroad are listed at www.fairfield.edu/global-learning. As new travel opportunities continue to become available through University partnerships, encourage your son or daughter to speak with their academic advisor, as well as the contact names listed on the website, for further exploration of Fairfield's pathways "to the world."
Save the date
56th Commencement
May 21, 2006
Need Commencement tickets? Every graduating senior receives five tickets, but parents may enter a lottery for two extra tickets by sending a letter requesting them, postmarked no later than Jan. 31, 2006, to:
Additional Commencement Tickets
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road, Box A
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
For more info, go to: www. fairfield.edu/commencement
Constitution Day
On Sept. 16, 2005, Fairfield University kicked off its first annual "Constitution Day" in an effort to educate students on the origin and continuing implications of the United States Constitution. A result of a new mandate approved by Congress for all educational institutions receiving federal funding, Constitution Day is required to be held on or around Sept. 17 each year, commemorating the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the Constitution. This year Fairfield's Constitution Day Committee encouraged faculty to use class time on Sept. 16 for discussion, sent out a StagWeb announcement to all students with information and links to access the Constitution, and showed the film The United States Constitution throughout the day and evening on the Ham Channel.
Parents' Committee
The Parents' Committee enhances the quality of student life and learning by raising funds from parents of current students and parents of alumni. The committee works to actively engage parents in a variety of activities and forwards parent comments and concerns to the University's administration. Sharon and Tom Lydon, parents of Jason Lydon '06, are chairing the Committee this year. For a full list of committee members, visit: www.fairfield.edu/as_gradfac.html.
Kathy Bergen and Alec Bastos P'08, '01 share ideas with Christine Larsen P'07 at the Parents' Committee Orientation.
Photo credit: Betsy Angeletti
Student Alumni Association
The SAA has grown as a strong force on campus, with more than 30 members and a host of recreational, educational, and networking activities that engage hundreds of prospective, current, and former Fairfield students every year.
"Students for four years - alumni for life!" That's the motto for the Student Alumni Association (SAA), an organization that helps promote a lifelong relationship between Fairfield University and your son or daughter. Bridging the gap between students and alumni, SAA reinforces the presence of Fairfield traditions by engaging students as active supporters at University events. In turn, these students are more apt to become active supporters of the Fairfield University Alumni Association and its varied social, informational, and service-oriented activities. "One of the best things about Fairfield is its alumni who are so generous in giving back to us," says Ada Sim '06, SAA member. "I enjoy updating alumni on how the University has changed, and hearing their accounts of successful careers and successful lives."
According to Marc D'Angelillio '06, president of the SAA, the organization fosters campus-wide pride in the University by facilitating relationships among prospective students, the current student body, and the alumni of the University. "In spring 2004 we revamped the organization with a new membership structure and re-written Constitution," says D'Angelillio. "Many of our members who have been with us since then have witnessed firsthand how their hard work and dedication have paid off to benefit the entire Fairfield community." Among the on-campus activities SAA members support are: co-sponsorship of the annual "Dodge 'Til You Drop" Dodgeball Festival, held the first Friday of the school year; provision of "school spirit" during Reunion and Homecoming Weekend; hosting the informative Life 101 Series, which invites alumni back on campus twice a year to discuss topics of practical interest to Fairfield's students; and partaking in numerous career planning, mentorship, and volunteer events. If your son or daughter is interested in learning more about the Student Alumni Association, they may contact Marc D'Angelillio at 06_mdangelillio@stagweb.fairfield.edu, or Lisa DeBellis, SAA Advisor, at ext. 4280.
Hundreds of families celebrated Parents' Weekend on campus Oct. 22 and 23. Parents took part in many interesting workshops and fun-filled activities together with their sons and daughters. Some of the weekend's events included:
- A welcome address by University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
- Numerous faculty and administrator-led sessions on topics such as internships, study abroad, career planning, and the Ignatian Residential College.
- An afternoon jamboree in the John A. Barone Campus Center showcasing a variety of student musical performances and touring the offices of: the Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA); The Mirror, the University's independent student newspaper; and WVOF, Fairfield's non-commercial, educational college radio station.
- Parents' Weekend Mass, celebrated by Fr. von Arx, during which the junior class rings were blessed. The rings were distributed afterwards at the Junior Ring ceremony.
- Parents and students showed their school spirit at a unique evening University event which featured men's and women's basketball games complete with performances by the dance team, pep band, and the cheerleaders.
- A Sunday afternoon concert with the 100-voice Fairfield University Glee Club, under the direction of Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell. They performed exciting and innovative music, giving parents and students alike a taste of what's ahead for the year.
We hope all who attended enjoyed these campus activities. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding Parents' Weekend, please e-mail ose@mail.fairfield.edu.
Important Reminders
Financial Aid - March 1, 2006
FAFSA applications and other financial aid documents are due.
Study Abroad - February 1, 2006 / March 15, 2006
Sophomores must file a statement of intent to study abroad their junior year by February 1; contact University College at (203) 254-4332. The study abroad application deadline for fall 2006 for all students is March 15, 2006.
Off-Campus Housing Lottery - November 2005
This November lottery for seniors and juniors (a.k.a. OCB lottery) is the only way a student may be released from their on-campus housing obligation.
R.A. Application Deadline - February 2006
Applications are available in December; manager applications are available in February, due in March.
Ignatian Residential College - January 2006
Applications are available in December and due end of January.
Members of the Fairfield Glee Club entertained parents at a concert on Sunday afternoon.
Photo credit: Betsy Angeletti
Stag Spirit was heightened on Saturday evening with the help of men's and women's basketball student-athletes, the dance team, pep band, cheerleaders, and all the Fairfield families in the stands.
Photo credit: Jim Scholl '07
Michelle Fry P'09 and Michael Hanson meet Fr. von Arx at the President's Circle reception on Saturday morning.
Photo credit: Robin Fellows
By making your Parents' Annual Fund gift during the first part of the academic year, your dollars will be put to work earlier to benefit your son or daughter and other Fairfield students. The Annual Fund is an integral part of Fairfield's operating budget, targeted to contribute $2.7 million this year.
Please make your gift by December 31, 2005, to take advantage of the tax deduction for this calendar year - which has been temporarily increased by President Bush in the wake of Hurricane Katrina for all charitable contributions. Gifts of stock are also welcome. Call Fairfield University toll-free at (877) 748-5123 for information on transferring your stock. Check www.fairfield.edu/matchinggifts to see if your employer will match your gift. Matching gifts count towards gift society memberships. You can also make your gift online at www.fairfield.edu/give or by calling (877) 748-5123.
Send-off parties are a long-standing tradition at Fairfield, providing an opportunity for incoming first-year students and their parents from the same geographic area to connect with each other and begin to build relationships even before the start of the academic year. Representatives from the Academic, Student Services, and Advancement divisions attended several send-off parties, along with local Parents' Committee members. This past summer, the Parents' Committee recruited 19 parents (some of whom are also alumni) from all over the country to host these events at their homes. Almost 1,000 people attended the send-offs! Visit http://www.fairfield.edu/parentsfund and click on "Photo Album" for a full list of send-off hosts and a terrific collection of photos. We extend a warm thank you to these hosts for opening their homes to the extended Fairfield family.
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The Hartford Alumni Association organized a send-off hosted by Don '79 and Julie Bodell, P'09 at their home in Simsbury, Conn.
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Students pose for a group photo at the send-off hosted at the home of Juan and Tami Rocha P'09, near Chicago.
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The Advancement Division of Fairfield University publishes Parent Ties three times a year for parents of undergraduate students. Letters to the editor, address changes, and correspondence should be sent to:
Parent Ties
Bellarmine Hall Room 307
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
e-mail: parentties@mail.fairfield.edu
Editor
Lisa M. Roberts
Editorial Committee
Claudia B. Nielsen
Eileen Bossone
Tom and Sharon Lydon, P' 06
Clare (Carney) Schimpf '76
University Photojournalist
Jean Santopatre | 
