Editorial

It takes more than a coach
No facet of a leading university gets more national attention than a Division I athletic program. It is for this reason newspapers throughout the country have written about Fairfield’s decision not to renew the contract of men’s basketball Head Coach Tim O’Toole. O’Toole lost his job because he failed to deliver a MAAC championship in his eight-season run. But even though his two predecessors, Paul Cormier and Mitch Buonaguro, took the Stags to the NCAA tournament, neither left Fairfield on his own terms, and neither had what could be considered a successful tenure. We understand the administration’s decision, but given the fact that O’Toole is not the first to fail at this job, the administration needs to ask itself a critical question: what does the next coach need to succeed? Is a new coach going to solve all the problems facing the men’s basketball program? Die-hard fans, in addition to the university community at large, are eager to know.

Gimme Shelter

Despite the dissatisfaction of many underclassmen, we stand by the Administration’s decision to alter the University housing options for the upcoming academic year. The decision to house only freshmen in Campion, only sophomores in Jogues, and a combination of underclassmen in Gonzaga has upset many students who fear being housed in the same dormitory for two years in a row. Though we sympathize with the students who feel cheated out of their deserved housing “upgrades,” this decision is a solid one. Frankly, a dorm is a dorm, is a dorm. Ultimately, we should consider ourselves lucky to have accommodations offered for all four years. However, this decision is indicative of larger obstacles the University faces, including over-enrollment and the obvious need for more on-campus housing. We strongly urge the administration to move forward with plans for the proposed dorm on the quad, as outlined in the Master Plan. Not only would this additional housing alleviate forced triples on the quad, it may relieve the crowded townhouses, which were originally meant for four and six people.