As students walked to their classes in Canisius Hall this past week, many questioned their safety at Fairfield University in light of new information regarding a murder-for-hire plot set to occur on campus last February. Many students expressed shock, fear for their safety and confusion as to why they were left in the dark.
The two men charged for their involvement, Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn, New York, and Jonathan Loadholt, of Staten Island, New York, traveled to Fairfield University on or around Feb. 15 in a murder-for-hire plot that targeted Masih Alinejad, a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin.
Alinejad, a human-rights activist, was set to present at FUSA’s Annual Open VISIONS Forum; however, just hours before she was to present alongside JuJu Chang, the event was abruptly canceled. Alinejad is an Iranian-American journalist, who the New York Times describes as “the woman whose hair frightens Iran.” She heads a movement called “My Stealthy Freedom” that has inspired many to challenge compulsory hijab laws.
Senior Bianca Piniero has attended Fairfield for all four years and after hearing the news, she claims, “I’ll be walking around more alert, especially of those who do not look like students. It’s easy for people to get on campus and my level of concern is heightened.”
Even though students were unaware of the situation unfolding on the day of the plotted assassination, Fizz noted the increased police presence on campus that Feb. 15, with a user noting “many DPS and Fairfield Police” parked in the Dolan School of Business and posted at entrances to the school, such as the Fairfield College Preparatory School’s gate.
Evidence collected by the FBI includes photos taken by the suspects of the Lower Level BCC, specifically of the mission statement posted below the taxidermy Stag’s head.
“That’s actually really scary. What the hell. I didn’t even know about this,” states Kris Soares ‘28. “But it makes sense they got on campus, they don’t check our ID or anything coming into school,” she continues.
In a post on X by News 12 reporter John Craven, he shares a statement from Fairfield University which states that the event scheduled for last February was canceled “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
The statement maintains, “With regard to the criminal complaint filed in the New York federal court, the University does not comment on federal investigations.”
Even though Fairfield University stated that they do not comment on federal investigations, students still believed they could have been alerted earlier, and that the university had an obligation to its students.
“I understand why students were not notified, they probably didn’t want to freak anyone out. But to find out about it from a news article versus from our school is kind of odd,” senior Nohea Breeden believes, as she notes her concern to have learned about the assassination attempt from an outside source.
First-year Rebecca Almeida also comments on the lack of transparency: “This isn’t the first awful incident I’ve heard about on campus that’s been swept under the rug,” she continues. “I do think the students have an obligation to know what was happening because their safety was at risk.” Although a first-year, Almeida has been a part of the campus community for years through the Upward Bound program hosted at Fairfield University.
However, Almeida adds, “Obviously, when it was happening we didn’t need to know so we wouldn’t freak out. But it’s been months and we should have the right to know if our safety was at risk. It’s crazy that they didn’t let anyone know.”
Other students brought up concerns about safety and the lack of security when entering campus. “We don’t know if they went to [the] security gate in the front,” states Piniero. Fairfield University has three gates that are open throughout the day, however, the main gate on N. Benson road is the only one with university personnel stationed.
On Feb. 14 last semester, The Mirror posted an article titled, “Do You Feel Safe on Campus,” critiquing the ease of entry to Fairfield’s campus during the day: “Even though Stag cards are checked by DPS at the main gate in the evening, the assumption that a danger to the campus is only posed after a certain hour is irresponsible,” the article writes.
Piniero offers a possible next step forward to promote transparency: “The school should hold a meeting about it if people have questions; a meeting that kind of goes over security precautions, they don’t have to say exactly what happened, but just being a resource reminding students what to look out for, sharing what they do on campus to keep us safe, and examples of what to do if this were to ever happen.”
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