THE MIRROR Independent student newspaper
Week of February 22, 2023
Vol. 49 Iss. 13
Fairfield Expands Southwest with Opening of Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies in Austin, Texas Kimpel also shared the nature of the program and doubled down on the fact that the opportunities in Austin will be the same as the ones in Fairfield. “The Austin program is the same program as the second-degree nursing program [SDNU] offered at the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies in Fairfield,” she stated. With the Nursing program being “second degree,” students with degrees in different academic disciplines will have the opportunity to pursue a Fairfield University nursing education. The program, according to Kimpel, will be accelerated, meaning that the Egan School of Nursing will look to “speed the launch
“ Photo Contributed by FairfieldNews
I would add that the Austin Campus will extend Fairfield’s geographic reach and support Fairfield’s rise as a Nationally Ranked institution.” - Jennifer Anderson,
VP of Marketing and Communications
The Austin campus will mirror the program offered in Fairfield and will feature classrooms and several simulation labs, including a simulated intensive care unit and a surgical suite. By Tommy Coppola Editor-in-Chief On June 22, 2022, Fairfield University announced that it would be expanding into new territory with its new Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies facility in Austin, Texas, according to an official press release. On Jan. 27, 2023, however, the program, which will be admitting its primary cohort of students this upcoming May, leaped to new heights as the Texas Board of Nursing approved the program being offered. The new Austin Campus seeks to fulfill the need for the “critical shortage of nursing professionals around the country,” according to the press release. According to Dean of the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies Meredith W. Kazer, Ph.D., APRN-BC, FAAN, the idea to expand the school came all the way back in 2019, in which she
claims that “Geographic expansion was among the priorities grounded in Fairfield’s Jesuit values.” In order to begin the expansion process, Kazer worked alongside Huron Consulting, LLC in order to conduct research that “prioritized those areas of the country in need of nursing care.” Ultimately, the decision to choose Austin, Texas as the landing point for the new campus was made due to the alumni network in the area and the clinical partnership possibilities. According to the Egan School of Nursing program overview, many clinical opportunities are made available for nursing students in order to give them real-world experience in the nursing field. These partnerships include “hospitals, outpatient department, rehabilitation and community health centers, public health departments, long-term care facilities, health care clinics and the Fairfield University Health
Promotion Center” according to the website. In short, Austin was the right place for Fairfield University to “make a strong impact,” according to Kazer. With the Nursing program being approved by the Texas Board of Nursing (TBON), it also marks a growing national presence for Fairfield. As the Egan School of Nursing intends to turn its students into leaders in the healthcare field, Kazer notes that they are bilaterally working to “educate men and women for others.” The Nursing program offered in Fairfield, states Kazer, will be replicated in Austin. Lucina Kimpel, Ph.D., MSN, RN and Program Director for the new Austin campus, weighed in on the program itself, as well as its recent approval. “It feels exciting to have TBON approval!” Kimpel shared. “The process was much like writing and defending a dissertation.”
of new nurses into the critical Austin market.” Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Anderson echoed the ideas that Kazer shared. “I would add that the Austin Campus will extend Fairfield’s geographic reach and support Fairfield’s rise as a Nationally Ranked institution,” Anderson stated. “The first cohort of students will begin in May, with a second cohort in January of 2024.” In the aforementioned press release, Kazer stated that she is “confident that the residents of Texas will benefit greatly from the care of Fairfield-educated nurses.” Now, with the approval of the Texas Board of Nursing, the program is officially set to begin in May, as Anderson stated.
Dean Johnson Surprises Students With Email Regarding Clam Jam Guest Passes By Brooke Lathe Executive Editor
INSIDE
“The University has decided no guest tickets will be sold for Clam Jam this spring,” Dean of Students, William Johnson, Ph.D. sent out in a school-wide email Monday, Feb. 13. The mass message served as a long-awaited follow-up to a previous email sent on Tuesday, Dec. 20 of last year that discussed “Santa Con,” a student-organized holiday-themed gathering that took place ten days prior. In Johnson’s letter, he brought attention to “poor behavior” that circulated throughout the Fairfield student body crowd during the afternoon of the event. Johnson noted three reasonable expectations that were broken: avoiding any disorderly conduct, carrying open alcoholic containers and trespassing on private, residential property. Sp e c i f i c a l ly, he w rote
“Individuals were observed urinating in public and misusing alcohol to the point of being incapacitated. Additionally, there were reports of physical assault, littering and trespassing.” The more troubling result of Santa Con was that the high numbers of intoxication “resulted in a significant and unnecessary strain on town resources–namely the Police Department and Emergency Medical Response System,” which reportedly put the health and safety of both Fairfield students and town residents at risk. At the end of his original message, Johnson noted that “The University will take action to address the collective behavior of the student body [but] at this time, we have not determined exactly what measure(s) will be taken.” Almost two months after the original email was sent, Johnson declared the University’s decision: “Individuals who are not current Fairfield University students will be unable to gain admittance.” While the event has always been strictly designated to be a junior, senior or graduate student event, these guest tickets have not
only been used for non-Fairfield affiliates but have also been used to invite underclassmen in previous years. Those who are not a part of the 2023 or 2024 class year at Fairfield, however, will not be able to attend the event this year as the additional passes are prohibited. In t he d ay s t hat have fol l owe d Joh n son’s email, upperclassmen have been voicing their frustration with the new and unexpected rule. Junior Meghan Morrissey noted that “While I understand the Dean’s concern about the safety of the students, especially at another big event like Clam Jam, I think Clam Jam is a very different event because it is monitored by the University, unlike Santa Con.” Morrissey continued that she believes “students should still be allowed guest passes as the behavior at Santacon can not all be blamed on Fairfield students. There were several students from neighboring schools, as well as non-college students.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
News
Opinion
Vine
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In DeSantis’ Florida, Educational Freedom is a Myth
A Day in the Life of a Fairfield Nursing Student
Men’s Basketball Eyes the MAAC Playoffs
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