Opinion • The New Performative Nature of LinkedIn Page 5
Vine •
What’s Leading the Lead Team? Page 8
Sports • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2026
FAIRFIELDMIRROR.COM
INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Women’s Golf Prepares for MAAC Championship Page 15
Stags Go Green: A Week of Earth Day Action at Fairfield By ELYSE CUCCARO Contributing Writer
Earth Day is more than just a date on the calendar for Fairfield University students this year. From late-night information sessions with festive treats to hands-on cleanups that leave a visible impact both on and off campus, students are stepping outside of the classroom to support the environment. These events offer more than just participation or program credit – they create spaces for students to connect while simultaneously learning how their individual actions can contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet. “As a freshman at Fairfield, I am really proud that I chose a university that is so dedicated to giving back to the environment,” says Jack LaPella, a first-year student at Fairfield University. Today, Wednesday, April 22, students can take part in two separate Earth Day initiatives. From 3 to 4 p.m., sophomores are invited to join RA Anna Abel for a campus-wide garbage pickup as part of the Sophomores Give Back community service program. All participants will meet in the lobby of Meditz Hall before heading outside to clean
Zachary O’Connell/The Mirror
Earth Day celebrations include a range of events on campus. The festivities kicked off with an Earth Day Extravaganza hosted in Regis Hall, a first-year res hall in The Quad.
up the grounds of Stag Country. The cleanup is expected to last only about 30 minutes, making it a quick yet effective way for students to give back to the environment. Trash bags and gloves will be provided, and to foster a little bit of friendly competition, a prize will be awarded to the participant who collects the most trash. All participants will also receive an SGB service credit. This evening, junior students living in either the townhouses or Dolan Hall have the opportunity to take part in the Earth Day Door-to-Door initiative.
The program will focus on sharing environmentally sustainable living tips, as well as distributing wildflower seeds, which students living in either of these two areas can plant to support pollinating insects. The celebrations kicked off on Monday, April 20, with an Earth Day Extravaganza hosted by RA Ava Grosso from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Regis Ground Floor Lounge. The event offered students a chance to learn more about issues facing our environment in an interactive setting while enjoying delicious Earth Day-themed desserts.
The Earth-friendly week’s events will conclude with an off-campus service opportunity on Saturday, April 25, from 1 to 3 p.m at Cove Island Park in Stamford, Conn. In partnership with SoundWaters, a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Long Island Sound, students will engage in a coastal cleanup. Volunteers will help to remove debris from the shoreline while reflecting on their responsibility to care for the planet as best as they can. All participants are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and clothes that they don’t mind getting dirty. By the end of the week, the impact of these events will be visible not only in tidied campus spaces or newly planted wildflower seeds, but in the sense of shared purpose amongst students. As Earth Day festivities conclude and Stags begin returning to their everyday lives, the hope is that these efforts towards sustainability do not fade, but rather continue to shape how Fairfield U students care for not only the campus, but the external world around them.
‘SINGING FOR A GRADE’:
Glee Club Turns Extracurricular Group Into For-Credit Class By ABIGAIL SALO Contributing Writer
The Fairfield University Glee Club is closing out the 2025-2026 academic year as a for-credit course. After years as an extracurricular club, Dr. Michael A. Ciavaglia, Director of the Glee Club and Director of Choral Music, decided to make the change. Students have now been taking Glee Club as a course and receiving one credit per semester for meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30 pm. They perform a variety of music, from classical to popular, and from opera to musical theater. Members perform in mandatory performances throughout the year, including the Alumni and Family Weekend Concert, the Christmas Concert, the Spring Concert and the Pops Concert. Failure to attend a performance without a valid reason results in an automatic failure for the course, which students like junior Jenna Walsh say is not an issue. “I don’t think there’s too much of a change,” said Walsh, who has been a member of the group since her first year at Fairfield. “Attendance is always important for the Glee Club, but now that it’s a course, people care more about it.” Last weekend, Glee Club performed ‘Big River In Concert,’ which featured a collaboration between the group, Fairfield University Theater Program and professional actors from the greater Fairfield community. The performance was a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Hucklebury Finn.” The Glee Club will be performing in
their annual “Pops” concert on April 29th. The Y2K-themed concert featured popular music from the 1990s to the early 2000s. Students audition to perform solos for the Pops concert. “The show is really about students getting to show off their solo singing skills and have the chance for the spotlight to be on them,” said sophomore Margueritte Brady. “It’s a little GPA booster which I enjoy,” said Brady, who has been part of the Glee Club for the past two years. Senior Emma Maselli has been a member since the fall of 2022 and has watched the club grow over the past four years. She told The Mirror she wished the club had been a for-credit course when she joined, admitting that the extra credits would have helped her obtain priority registration.
“
This year, the Glee Club turns the extracurricular club into a for-credit course for students. It now compares to other musical ensembles that have historically earned one credit per semester.
Although having a credited class has its benefits, Maselli said members still join for the club’s essence. “It seems like everyone who is there is there to truly have a good time and make beautiful music,” added Maselli. Junior Jane Coppola acknowledged the possible negative effects of the club being a course.
“Some people in the group might feel obligated to stay if they decide they don’t like Glee, because quitting would mean you receive a W on your transcript,” Coppola said. However, she says it is not a problem for her, as she feels people now see the Glee Club as a more serious organization rather than a passive club. Glee Club Advisor Michael A. Ciavaglia explains that Glee Club, as a for-credit class, is similar to other musical ensembles that have historically earned one credit per semester, such as Band, Orchestra, and the Jazz Ensemble.
It seems like everyone who is there is there to truly have a good time and make beautiful music.”
- Emma Maselli ‘26
Photos Courtesy of Glee Club
“The Glee Club is educational and enriching, both in the experience of singing music and learning about the music, its composers, and the history surrounding it,” Cavaglia said. Now that Glee Club has been offered as a for-credit course for the entire academic year, members are recognized for the time and dedication they put into the club. As Coppola put it, “It feels nice to have our organization recognized, as we rehearse for three hours a week and perform throughout the semester.”