When I was applying to colleges, Fairfield seemed like a great place for so many reasons. First, it has great academics, but more importantly it was a great campus that offered different options for each year. Everyone wants a suite sophomore year, and a townhouse junior year, and most importantly, the option of living at the beach as a senior. Also, since the campus isn’t that big, but there are a lot of things to do in town, it was really important that as a sophomore I could have a car. So, these were all the things I asked during my interview at campus and with all the right answers I decided to come to Fairfield. Well, I should have known better. I am now a sophomore and I have NO CAR. Even when I get one next year, chances are good I won’t be able to park near where I live if I end up in the suites or the “new” dorms they are building down by Kostka. THEN, by the time I am a senior there’s the possibility I may not even be allowed off campus, or with my luck, they’ll take senior housing away. So Dee, please tell me, WHY did I come here again?
— It Was a Scam
You pose a really great question. I think recently we are all asking ourselves that same question. What happened to the Fairfield University that I applied to? I am not saying it isn’t still a great school, but the things that made Fairfield above the rest is the ability to live with your friends in suites, apartments, and yes, at the beach. Many alumni of Fairfield that I know are my friends’ parents and they STILL talk about how great it was to live on the beach.
They loved Fairfield, but most importantly they loved the opportunity to live at the beach and have a special experience as a senior. I’m not exactly sure why not all seniors aren’t let off campus, but I do know a lot of people who applied to Fairfield applied not only because it is a great academically challenging school, but because it one of the only campuses where seniors get to live not only off campus, but on the beach!! I would hope that they wouldn’t take that away (for your sake, and theirs). Our relationship with the townspeople may not be the greatest, but that doesn’t seem like a reason to take away one of the best things about this school (as well as revenue the town gets from seniors renting houses …).
As for your other points, I understand the need for additional housing (as long as they are going to keep accepting more students than they can fit) but then perhaps they need a parking garage so students can have cars. The shuttle on campus has been cancelled, and you are right, there are so many places in town you need to go and without a car, it is almost impossible.
Even for nursing students, or people who volunteer with Hunger Cleanup or other organizations; these activities require cars. Now, juniors that don’t live at the townhouses have to park at Regis with the new construction. They do say, however, that you can call security at any time and they will drive you to your dorm if you don’t feel safe. I don’t think Public Safety really signed up to be a taxi service, but they might soon be in that business.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much control over any of this. In fact, we have almost no control over all of this. So, the best advice I can give you is to make the best of it. We only get four years here (even if it doesn’t seem like the same school we applied to), and we may as well accept what we can’t change. So let’s continue the drunken walks from Regis to the suites and the adventures at the beach with a grain of salt, a lime and a shot of tequila.
Disclaimer: This column is for entertainment only. The author is a student, not a licensed therapist, and this column is not intended to take the place of professional advice. The views expressed are the author’s and are not necessarily shared by The Mirror or its staff.
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