THE MIRROR Week of February 28, 2024 | Vol. 51 Issue 5
Independent student newspaper
fairfieldmirror.com
FUSA Presidential Election Takes Surprising Turn
BY ASHLEY DEVLIN Head News
Bridget Keohane/ The Mirror
A flyer urging the use of condoms hanging in Bannow Science Center. The same flyers have been spotted in several buildings on campus despite the availability of condoms on campus.
Flyers Promote Use of Contraception on Campus
BY CLAIRE DEMARCO Copy Editor
ERICA SCHINDLER
Assistant News Editor
Among the many club and academic posters that we see littering our academic buildings’ halls, is an anonymous poster titled “Top 10 Reasons to Use Condoms.” Labeled “In Honor of World Aids Day” (which is Dec. 1st), the poster is complete with 10 reasons to use a condom. In descending order, the University’s unapproved poster lists reasons – some cheeky, some genuine and some borderline offensive – to use condoms. Benefits covered in the list include the lower price compared to birth control pills, the ease in comparison to a shot of Penicillin – commonly used to treat Syphilis – and that it can save your life. Some other points take a more playful approach, with the complicated spelling of many STDs and the fact that parents may not be prepared to be grandparents yet. However, where the sign’s messaging may get clouded by its wording is number two, which may earn a laugh, but is not necessarily appropriate. The messaging is entirely distracted by the language choice in points five (“Your date was lying when he said he was a virgin”)
and six (“Your date was lying when she said she’d never done this before”), which branch into the use of universal shaming and fear to encourage the use of condoms. This poster had raised eyebrows in Canisus and Egan (where it has been seen since as early as December) not necessarily because of its topic, but because of its method of expressing its message. When the university’s campus is littered with posters and messages about health and wellness, this being the university’s only messaging on contraception is cause for student and faculty concern. Current University policy states the following regarding contraception or birth control on campus: “Fairfield University, a Jesuit Catholic institution, is committed to the dignity of the human person and the goodness of sexual expression as found in the teachings of the Roman Catholic faith … as a Catholic institution committed to the dignity of the human person we (Fairfield employees, students or club members acting in an official capacity, organizations
and events sponsored by the university) will not sell or offer any contraceptive devices or birth control … ” The full statement on contraception can be found on page 104 of the 202324 Student Handbook. As explained in the handbook, it is against University policy for anyone to sell or give out condoms or other forms of birth control on campus. But what about hanging a poster like the one recently found around campus? According to page 14 of the Student Handbook, students are permitted to post items such as posters around campus. However, they should check with the administrative offices of their desired building before doing so. The policy also reads that all posters should have a University disclaimer and that posting f lyers in violation of university policy is prohibited. This indicates that the “Top 10 Reasons to Use Condoms” poster would not have gotten university approval. Fairfield University’s official stance on sexual health promotes little other than abstinence. This type
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Fairfield University’s Student Association elected a new president on Feb. 27. In a turn of events Andrew Mejia ‘26 and his running mate, Bryan Santos ‘26 won the presidency through write-in votes. Prior to this announcement FUSA hosted a debate on Thursday, Feb. 22 in the lower level of the Barone Campus Center. Although the audience presence was fairly low, most members had many questions for the candidate. Throughout t he p rocess, there was only one candidate officially r unning f or p resident: Giovanni Young ‘25 and his Vice-President Connor Hernon ‘25. Due to this circumstance, the debate was very one-sided, where Young answered the majority of the questions and Hernon contributed at points. While Hernon is currently in Australia, he was present on Zoom and added to the discussion. The debate was divided in-to sections. Young began with an opening statement that detailed why he was running for president. Young said, “We all came here for a specific reason: one-onone engagement with professors, a tight community of peers and strong academics.” However, with the growing number of applicants and students, many are worried that the school environment is changing, making Fairfield an institution that they might not have applied to if they were in the current applicant pool. Young reassured that he is trying to preserve the nature of the university in his opening statement. When he was asked about over-acceptance and a severe lack of housing, he explained that “the University is aware of the problem” and they are trying to fix it through current construction projects, but they still should be doing more. Regarding concerns about academics, Young described that the Dolan School of Business currently has programs that allow easy career exploration that he hopes to bring to the College of Arts and Sciences and the Engineering School. These would help build upon the current career
offerings each school has. The FUSA committee then moved on to the next portion of the debate, where members of FUSA asked about Young and Hernon’s campaign platform. Junior Devone Martin asked why Young wants to be FUSA President and what makes him a unique candidate fit for the role. Young stated that he is part of every aspect of student life and can tell specifically where “the student body is hurting”. The committee continued to ask questions regarding his platform, where he revealed that he wanted to reduce the overall cost of textbooks for students to $250. Currently, textbooks can cost up to $1,000 each semester. For many, this is a heavy financial burden that Young and Hernon wanted to alleviate. Young and Hernon were hopeful to create many new, progressive programs, including latenight food trucks from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. throughout the week. This would provide students with latenight classes a dining option. Currently, many students are forced to order food after their late-night classes. Students agree with Young’s plan for dining options on campus and Sophomore Gabriella Fideleo stated, “This would’ve been really nice to have last year and this year.” The current budget for FUSA is $400,000. They believe they can utilize this better by cutting smaller programs that have historically low attendance rates. When asked about how he would respond to students who excitedly attend these smaller events, Young said, “we can incorporate similar ideas into bigger programs that have high attendance so we’re not wasting any resources and we can allocate more money to larger events, like Pres Ball.” When asked about the rising ticket prices of events, like President’s Ball and Clam Jam Young said, “an expanding student population allows us to lower prices for events, like Pres Ball and Clam Jam” and cutting smaller programs allows for “a reallocation of the budget that better benefits the CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
News
Opinion
The Vine
Sports
Accounting Honors Society Participates in New Iniative
Is Pope Francis Progressive?
What Are Stags Doing Over Spring Break?
Women’s Basketball Secures MAAC Title
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