THE MIRR R Independent student newspaper
Week of October 26, 2022
Vol. 49 Iss. 6
C&PS Offers Resources to Manage Stags’ Semester Stress By Max Limric Head News Editor
Photo Contributed by Sara Colabella
A crowd gathered at the ribbon cutting ceremony over Alumni Weekend for the official unveiling of the Innovation Annex. This space will give engineering clubs and students the ability to collaborate, work on projects and hold club events.
Fairfield University Unveils Innovation Annex By Brooke Lathe Copy Editor, Head Vine Editor
Fairfield University’s School of Engineering unveiled its newest inclusion to their academia as they performed a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 22 for the modern Innovation Annex located on Coughlin Road, built in what was previously the PepsiCo Theater. While the building had a soft opening for engineering students on Sept. 15 where they were able to access most of the area, the afternoon consisted of mingling with drinks and breakfast, a speech from University President Mark R. Nemec, Ph.D., a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside and a formal opening of the remainder of the building for attendees to explore. In the short address, Nemec shared that “We’re not just opening the Innovation Annex for the School of Engineering, in many ways we're
putting yet another stake in the ground on our path to being a 21st-century university of national prominence.” He goes on to further state that “If you are going to be a great modern Jesuit Catholic university, you need to have a great modern Jesuit Catholic engineering school. And under Dean Carrano’s leadership and with this facility, we are taking another step forward in that direction.” The Dean of the School of Engineering, Andres Carrano Ph.D. notes that in addition to university funding through strategic capital investment, a handful of donors including Bob Sobolewski ‘70 and his family also contributed to the financial commitment needed to renovate the space. Before the two years of planning and seven to eight months it took to create the Innovation Annex, it was known as the PepsiCo Theater.
Now, however, it is the first location on campus that provides engineering students with a unique space that they weren’t provided with before. Carrano further explains that the Innovation Annex is made up of multiple sections. “The main area, called the Design Studio, is a flexible multipurpose space that is meant to foster student collaboration,” Carrano said. Students are provided with tables, whiteboards, televisions and projectors where they can work on whatever is needed such as classwork or even their own projects. The Maker room, which is located in the back of the building, is still under construction. Nevertheless, the proposed plan wil allow the space to include prototyping of fabrication. It g ive s stu d e nt s t he CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Fairfield students have only just completed midterms season, and with that, the mad dash to the end of the semester has started. The second half of a semester is a notoriously stressful time, where burnout and other mental health issues can ensue. To provide an outlet to students, The Office of Counseling and Psychological Services provided The Mirror with information on resources available. C&PS offers an assortment of resources throughout the year to support students, and offer additional resources during finals and midterms. During the year, students can take advantage of free individual counseling sessions as counselors are available to students during regular office hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ap p o i n t m e n t s c a n be made online or by phone at 203 254-4000 ext. 2146. Students also detail additional resources they would like to see implemented on campus, as well as an overall lack of knowledge on many of the resources offered. Many students make use of individualized counseling, as Angelus Mendoza ‘25 states how she “feels comfortable turning to them in times of stress.” Likewise, Skye DeRaffelle ‘25 has utilized the counseling and psychological office. She found them to be “useful and easily accessible” and that she also “feels comfortable turning to them for life stresses.” In addition to individual counseling, group therapy sessions are
also offered throughout the school year. “I am attending grief group therapy sessions this semester after struggling with academics and have found that listening to others in these sessions is very beneficial, and is very accessible as they [C&PS] try to work with your schedule,” Chris Pozzuto ‘25 shares. Additional resources outside of traditional therapy sessions are offered to students throughout the year, as throughout the semester, C&PS collaborates with other departments on numerous wellness initiatives. Health and Wellness Coordinator Pam Paulmann states that “Our team gives presentations and offers programming to smaller groups through the Health & Wellness Committee.” “Some examples include, stress relief yoga at the RecPlex on Wednesdays at noon, and on location office hours at the [Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs] office,” she says. Paulmann continues to mention that, “Mindful meditation is offered through the Fairfield University Museum twice a week with Jackie DeLise in person or virtually.” DeLise is a master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management expert. Furthermore, events and initiatives that bring awareness to specific movements are another way that C&PS creates and sustains conversations about mental health on campus. Sophomore Daniel Buck touched upon the importance of these events.
“I find the events and
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Students Express Success of Dolan Career Night
INSIDE
By Samantha Russell Contributing Writer The Charles F. Dolan School of Business faced an overwhelming turnout at its annual Dolan Career Night on Oct. 20. Hosted in the Dolan Event Hall, this networking event allowed Fairfield University business students to meet with eight members of the Dolan Advisory Board and four industry professionals to receive career advice and discuss career strategies. Fairfield alumni represented a vast r a n g e o f c o m p a n i e s i n c l u d i n g E S P N , We b ster Bank, J.P. Morgan Private Bank and JetBlue. John Hottinger, the associate director of the Dolan Career Development Center, shared that “The emphasis in this program is to create an engaging interchange with students.” As student guests entered the room, preliminar y mingling and networking opportunities sprouted within individual groups. Students were soon invited to sit at any of the 12 tables set up on the left side of the event hall. A short presentation preceded the event’s main attraction: a rotation of featured representatives to two tables each, followed by a spontaneous networking conversation. With many representatives being Fairfield alumni themselves, there was a very profound element of connection and understanding which embraced the environment. Many speakers recognized the familiar feeling of being
News
in a Fairfield University student’s shoes and used that understanding to establish more thoughtful dialogue within groups. As a retired pharmaceutical employee for both Pfizer and Zoetis, Michael Bentivenga ‘82’s continuing respect for Fairfield University ultimately drove him to the event.
“
Fairfield helped me with a lot, and I wanted to give back.” Michael Bentivenga ‘82, Chair of Marketing Adivsory Council
“I’m on the Dolan Advisory Board, and when I found out there was a session with students, I wanted to be there to help them navigate,” Bentivenga said. “Fairfield helped me with a lot, and I wanted to give back.” A t ot a l of 1 3 1 s tu d e nt s att e n d e d t h e career night. This unpredicted influx created a sure wedge in the premeditated seating arrangement,
Opinion
requiring a supplementary line of chairs against the back wall: a clear indicator of the event’s attraction and legitimacy. Lauren Garvey, a senior marketing and management major, declared her participation in the event stemmed from her eagerness to grasp professional employment. “I am entering the job force soon and trying to get my name out there, I want to put my foot in the door,” Garvey said. S ophomore At he n a R amo s sh are d a similar reason for attending the event. “As a sophomore business major, now’s a crucial year to start thinking about my career and network,” she said. “When I saw the invitation, I thought it would be a great way to talk to professionals in their field and ask about their path.” The dynamic of group discussion varied from representative to representative. While some took ten minutes to speak on their own experiences and provide personal insight, others allowed student-led questions to dictate the discussion. C olleen Tycz ‘04 was present to represent Franklin Templeton as their senior vice president of Retirement and Insurance Strategic Accounts. Like her fellow representatives, Tycz wanted students at the event to find a career path that is fit for them. “I hope [students] learned skills on networking and exploring what motivates their authentic self,” she explained.
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Sports
Students show their documentay “Johana.”
Are you registered to vote?
A review of Fairfield’s new eatery, Il Pellicano.
Have you tried the brand new Stag Shack?
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