Editorials

Cheers to: Successful alumni As current students of the University, we take pride in the achievements of those who graduated before us. The success and achievements of alumni, such as Kathleen Murphy '84 and Ned Coll '62, are proof that the Fairfield education will take its students somewhere great.

Fairfield's student body has a long-standing reputation for being passive and apathetic, with regard to politics and global issues. The Mirror has commented on this time and time again. However, in light of the multiple noteworthy student activism ventures and voluntary involvement in social efforts, this reputation might need a rewrite.

Going green is the most recent trend. People are finally realizing the significance of taking action to preserve the earth and its resources. We can be proud of our University for joining this crucial movement and making sure it does its part in a campaign for environmental consciousness.

Fairfield students do not always pay close attention to congressional announcements. However, not all of these announcements have as direct an impact on our University as the one made by Christopher Shays (R-CT) last week, which revealed that Fairfield would be the recipient of a $29,011 grant through the Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program.

When one fails, one must try again. That seems to be Fairfield's mantra when looking back on the garden apartment plan, which failed early this summer due to insufficient funding. Although it is said that a new plan will be devised by a special committee, time is of the essence.

The campus is talking, and it's talking soccer. The men's soccer team beat cross-state rival Yale University in a 1-0 victory in front of approximately 800 fans. Students adorned in red Fairfield attire stretched across the length of Lessing Field, allowing the event to hold its ground against the Saturday night drinking culture.

When students visualize Spring Weekend, three images come to mind: booze, crowds of classmates and beautiful weather. Unfortunately for Fairfield, that was not the case this year. The Saturday event, which was intended to replace Spam Jam, was held in the area next to Lessing Field under cloudy skies.

Perhaps the warmer weather has brought more to campus than just warm temperatures. Over the past two weeks, we have noticed a great increase in the quality of events planned by campus programming. The Campus Center has been packed with undergraduates the past two Monday nights, first to listen to comedian Steve Byrne and most recently to hear the renowned group Black Violins.

The tragic events of the shooting at Virginia Tech, which caused more than 30 deaths, are immensely devastating, and our deepest condolences go out to all those who were affected. This recent event was extremely terrifying for those immediately impacted by the shooting and students across the country.

In recognition of the potential for HPV cases amongst college-age women, we applaud the University for holding a free GARDASIL clinic, which offers the vaccination to a limited number of students on campus. GARDASIL ultimately strives to decrease the number of cervical cancer cases.