To the Fairfield Community:

This year in the commentary section of The Mirror there have been two issues that featured the opinions of a diverse selection of the Fairfield community. The first was the Oct. 7 issue that featured the responses of club leaders to Election 2004 voting issues. The second was the Oct. 21 issue that featured the reactions of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff to Fr. Jeffrey von Arx’s plan for the university. I want to increase the use of this format for the following reasons. The Mirror is a completely independent enterprise belonging to the students, and as such, is in a unique position to express the opinion of the students. The students who choose to work on The Mirror are the ones who control the voice of the newspaper. This year, I want it to express more than just the opinion of those students working to produce it. A subscription to The Mirror is part of your school tuition, so this is a perfect opportunity to put in your two cents. Moreover, any commentary section of a newspaper or magazine should represent diverse opinions and a wide variety of persons. Many of the issues that might arise throughout the year would do well to express the opinions of a range of different people. I would like to be able to print those opinions in short, 2-3 paragraph pieces. Therefore, when there is a timely issue, either Fairfield related, national or international that would deserve a page of opinion in the commentary section, I would like to be able to contact and request pieces from the appropriate students, faculty, administrators and staff. To accomplish this, I am inviting all of the Fairfield community to submit to The Mirror your name, e-mail address, and relevant position, major, or status on campus if you are interested in participating. All of this information can be sent to The Mirror’s account at TheMirror@stagweb.fairfield.edu.

Sincerely, Eileen Arnold ‘05 Commentary Editor