FREE | Take one Week of February 29, 2012 | Vol. 37, Iss 8
The
Mirror fairfieldmirror.com
The Independent Student Newspaper of Fairfield University The Reflection of Fairfield
Bridgeport Clubs Threaten Student Safety By Courtney Todd Contributing Writer
Students who frequent clubs in Bridgeport might want to think twice the next time they decide to head out there for the night. Police are now investigating a drive-by shooting that occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on the morning of Saturday Feb. 25 near Club Lo on the corner of Bostwick Avenue and Pine Street. Of the two men that were wounded, one died late Tuesday night, according to the Connecticut Post. Bridgeport police said the victim is a 23-year-old Bridgeport resident. The other victim, who was shot in the buttocks, was also treated at Bridgeport Hospital and later released, reported by the Connecticut Post on Monday. Police on patrol heard multiple gunshots shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday and found the two suspects sitting in their car in front of the nightclub. On Sunday investigators said that a vehicle with passengers was waiting for one of the victims, and when the victim approached the car the suspects opened fire. Sources say the shooting could be gang related but no police officials could be reached for comment. This raises the question; will students still feel comfortable going to clubs and other events in Bridgeport post shooting? “I definitely don’t want to go to
Peter Caty/The Mirror
With a recent shooting in areas close to clubs frequented by Fairfield students, the question remains: Is Bridgeport a safe place for students to spend their weekends?
Bridgeport clubs anymore,” said Nicole Kizielewicz ’14, “I heard about it being sketchy sometimes but I didn’t think there was any harm in going and thought it would be fun, but now after the shooting it is way more dangerous than I thought.” This shooting comes at an interesting time. It was released on Tuesday afternoon that musical events Avicii and Barstool Blackout will both be coming to Bridgeport’s Webster Bank
Arena this April. Others disagree with Kizielewicz. “I would still feel safe at Webster Bank Arena because it’s not a shady setting. We go there for basketball games all of the time,” said Kristin Dangler ’14. Nevin Zais ’14 says he would definitely still feel safe as well. But what many students might not realize is the close proximity of the site of the shooting to Webster
Bank Arena. The corner of Bostwick Avenue and Pine Street is a mere five minutes from the Arena. John Ritchie, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety, said that after sending out an alert about the shooting he can only hope that students will be more aware of their surroundings. “This brings awareness to the forefront, but I don’t think students are scared,” he said.
Ritchie also advises students to always travel in groups, avoid areas with high crime rates and stay in welllit areas. “Going to the club itself isn’t nerveracking,” said Kelsey Mullane ’15, “The worst part is getting to the club from your car or a cab. People know that there is a lot of crime in Bridgeport but most students are in denial that anything bad will happen while they’re there.”
Canisius Bomb Scare Reassessed 10 Years Later
By Tom Shea Assistant Sports Editor
Martin O’Sullivan/The Mirror
Guess Who Won?
FUSA Election | page 2
A shoebox. Tin foil. Wire. That was all that was needed to send panic through the region and destroy a university’s sense of security. Ten years ago this m o n t h , Patrick Arbelo walked into Dr. Elizabeth Dreyer’s “Voices of Medieval Women” class in Canisius Hall, and with an apparent bomb in his hands, held the class hostage for over six hours. With the help of Fairfield Police, as well as federal agencies including the FBI, all of the hostages were eventually released, and Arbelo was brought into custody shortly before 11 p.m. “The first experience (I felt) was surprise,” said Dr. Dreyer, talking about when Arbelo came into her classroom, “The second feeling was disbelief. We were thinking ‘Is this really happening?’ because it was so out of the ordinary.” Since that day, there have been no incidents here on campus that have garnered nearly as much state and national attention, but the event does bring forth some interesting questions. How effective was that hostage situation actually handled? What
Danica Ceballos/The Mirror
Hostages were held on the third floor of Canisius during the bomb scare.
could’ve been better or what could have changed? Is Fairfield ready in the event that another hostage situation were to occur on campus? There are mixed responses when it comes to these questions. According to Todd Pelazza, the director of Public Safety at the University, “We are much better prepared for a crisis situation today than we were back in 2002.” Despite being overall pleased
with how the negations went and how the situation turned out, Pelazza did admit to some areas that could have been better handled. “First and foremost, we would’ve gotten the message out,” says Pelazza. “For example, we told our dispatchers to not give out any information. We realize today that is not the right method. You want to get the word out as
Anniversary| page 3