Students are accustomed to finding coupons for local restaurants on their dorm room floors. This week, however, many came home to find something different.
Late last week, the Fairfield Student Guide was distributed to students in the residence halls and townhouses. The guide, which was not provided by any student organization, featured a map and listing of the names and addresses of many of the beach houses, as well as ads from local businesses offering discounts to students.
Michael Cipollino, Fairfield class of 2004, produced the map along with a partner.
“Myself and my partner came up with the idea for a list of houses for juniors and seniors at the beach last year,” said Cipollino. “We thought it would be useful for sophomores to find housing and for students to get good discounts from local businesses.”
Cipollino said he compiled the list of houses during his two years of living at the beach while attending Fairfield. Cipollino lived at the Exit and the Toolbox as an undergraduate student.
With town/gown relations already a topic of conversation, President of SBRA Dave Parrott ’05, spoke out against the map.
“Many student beach residents are upset over the map,” said Parrott. “It would be one thing if it was distributed solely to the students at the beach, but since it was handed out all over campus, juniors and seniors are scared that large groups of underclassmen will show up at their door anytime looking for a party.”
“People know which houses are student houses,” said Cipollino. “I don’t think having the names on a map will attract more students to parties.”
Cipollino said that he and his partner planned to create the map last winter when he lived at the beach, but it didn’t come together in time.
“The maps were distributed on campus by current students because living at the beach is part of the atmosphere of living at Fairfield University,” he said.
Not much money was made in the sale of ads on the guide.
“The point was really just to provide discounts for students at local businesses,” Cipollino said.
The Chef’s Table is one of the establishments that placed an ad in the guide.
“We were approached four or five months ago to place an ad by two guys,” said Dave Griffiths, manager of The Chef’s Table. “They said it was for Fairfield University to be distributed to students. They explained how students party at the beach. We may have assumed it was associated with the university. I deal with a lot of advertisers so we thought it was legit.”
Griffiths said they gave a $100 deposit on the ad and agreed to pay $900 in total. The rest of the money has not yet been collected.
“Had we known that the map was not in conjunction with Fairfield University we wouldn’t have placed the ad,” he said. “We want to stay in the good graces of Fairfield University and its students.”
There are a total of 16 ads on the map from businesses in Fairfield and Westport.
Cipollino said he and his partner used the skills they learned while students at Fairfield to produce the guide.
“It took many hours at the media center to produce the ads,” he said. “The people at the media center and some business school professors were happy to see students use what they learned in the real world.”
Many beach residents are not happy about the distribution of the maps on campus.
“Once activities at the beach begin, underclassmen are going to know where to go,” said Caitlin Winters ’05. “And we had this huge meeting telling us not to have underclassmen at our houses- now they are going to show up because of a map we didn’t give them. Are they [Fairfield University] going to punish us now if underclassmen show up?”
“[Students] were upset and concerned because this brochure was not produced by any recognized student organization. In addition, students living off-campus at the beach were concerned because the brochure provided information about their private, rented homes,” wrote Mark Reed, dean of students, in a letter released to students via Stagweb.
In regard to solicitation on campus, Reed added: “Students found to be involved in solicitation on campus in the past have been in the Dean of Students’ Office, and the same would be true now and in the future.”
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