Women hate it. Class discussions have been devoted to it. It is the bane of one tour guide’s existence.
It is the column, “He Said.”
“This time he’s gone too far” is what one Facebook group had to say about the feature writer, Dan Stanczyk ’08.
“He Said,” which is traditionally a sharp, humorous criticism about a college-themed topic, is printed every week in the Coffee Break section of The Mirror.
Ordinarily, this sort of ‘college’ column is a magnet for trouble. In fact, just over a month ago, Paige Usyk, a columnist for the University of Florida’s Independent Florida Alligator, had to write a piece in her own defense over a prior column about the act of hooking up.
But Stanczyk hasn’t spawned disdain for writing with graphic sexual detail. Instead, his critics’ main contention is that he is a bigot toward women at Fairfield. Opponents of “He Said” often reference lines such as “You [women] catch STD’s better than footballs,” and “Girls, if any of you wear Uggs this year, you are going to get a swift kick in the shins.”
Some students, such as Brenton Roman ’10, argue that Stanczyk would be in much more trouble if he were writing about any another group, be it racial or religious.
“He’s lucky he hasn’t had his ass beat,” said Roman.
Mirror Editor in Chief Stephanie Lauto ’08 has so far refused calls to eliminate the column. She instead cited it as an example of free speech.
“He [Stanczyk] has the right to say what he wants to say. He’s protected by the First Amendment in that aspect,” she said. “It’s not libelous and can, therefore, legally be printed.”
Lauto, who is a classmate of Stanczyk’s, insisted that he does not have ill intentions.
“I know from my personal experience that he’s trying to provide readers with stereotypes, and he wants that backlash to see the general commentary of students on campus,” she said.
Last week, an Introduction to Feminist Thought class wrote a letter to the editor.
The project, entitled “We Said,” argued that Stanczyk “perpetuates a chilling climate of negativity” toward women.
But Stanczyk disagrees.
“I think that everyone just needs to relax a little bit and learn how to take a joke,” he said. “Everything that I write isn’t exactly how I feel about the situation. I’m not a male chauvinistic a**hole all the time. Every guy has that side to them, and I’m writing to guys.”
In a separate interview, FUSA President Hutch Williams ’08 seemed to agree with Stanczyk on that note.
“The Dan that I talk to and enjoy is not the same Dan that’s in ‘He Said,'” said Williams. “I never hear Dan verbally saying what he writes in his column.”
According to Stanczyk, he has nothing to hide. Addressing the authors of “We Said,” Stanczyk said: “Why not just invite me to [speak with] the class? I’m more than willing to do that.”
But individual students have been upset by the column as well. Jenn Lawlor ’10, creator of the Facebook group, “He Said Sh*t,” explained that she’s normally open-minded about the column.
“Usually, I find it humorous and entertaining, but lately, not so much,” she said, adding that she enjoyed the “He Said” column that poked fun at stereotypical costumes that men wear.
Stanczyk was quick to react to Lawlor’s position.
“The Halloween piece is making fun of guys, of course she’s going to think it’s funny,” he said.
Stanczyk expressed disagreement with feminists’ arguments.
“They take what I write and make bad conclusions from it,” he said.
However, “He Said” is not without a fan base.
The Facebook group, “He Said is Why We Read The Mirror,” currently has more members than its counterpart.
The group’s creator, Chris Gardner ’10, declined an interview for fear of being misinterpreted.
Fairfield administrators have long complained about “He Said/ She said,” saying it degrades the school’s image, whether read on campus or online.
The Mirror has a print circulation of 4,000 and even more than that online.
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