Who is the man behind the curtain? In the movie The Wizard of Oz, the man behind the curtain was a compassionate, but seemingly inaccessible individual. In his words, “Do not arouse the power of the great and powerful Oz. I said come back tomorrow.” The answer as to who is behind the curtain here at Fairfield is Father Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. our seemingly absentee president who, while quite adept at fund-raising and overall vision, scores few points in terms of connecting with students. A man who by finalizing the axing of varsity hockey and football has declared there are no more tomorrows for these teams.

The scene last Thursday was one of confusion, anger, betrayal, and fleeting hope. A hockey player who is in my philosophy class popped in and said simply, “The hockey program is cut” and then left. A football player of impressive build approached me and all other students he and his compatriots could find in the Campus Center and pleaded that we sign his petition. He told me how he wasn’t trying to save the program but rather just show that “people care.” People do care. The real question is does the University?

The University dropped its bomb on players and coaches of both teams with little warning and even less in the way of damage control. The way that most students found out the news was in a formal looking, seemingly all-important University “News Break.” This “News Break” was a bombshell of a document that provided little in the way of support for the affected University community.

Ambiguous language was peppered throughout with one standout phrase coming from Father Kelley, “…this is a decision that will give us greater opportunity to maintain our ambitious goals in the area of Division I intercollegiate athletics.” This is a University focused on glitzy sports (at least in their eyes). A million dollar state-of-the-art arena goes up and basketball comes in. Hockey is kept out, except for two games. A solid football field has never been achieved. It seems as though Fairfield, with its absurd “tier” (read favoritism) system is envious of small schools like Gonzaga University who have used basketball as a major recruiting tool.

So we save $570,000 dollars a year and scrap two important programs. It is quite possible that what the administration really wanted to save was the fact that success on these teams was what they feared the most. The football program has been on a steady up tick and hockey is the quintessential sport of New England. If both programs were to continue to excel then new questions would be raised. People would clamor for the hockey games to be played in the Arena at Bridgeport and for a quality football field to be maintained along with better advertising for both teams and really more money. If these programs succeeded they would smash the tier system and force the University to divert more funds to athlete-scholarships, which might derail cosmetic projects like the million dollar boulevard.

The affected care, but who can they turn to? Well, the best person would seem to be Father Kelley. But, alas, he eludes us at this difficult moment. There is no doubt that he has been an enormous force in building this school, but there is also no denying that he is extremely disconnected with students. This paper used to run a feature where students would write and tell of sightings. To be a President is to be of the people and not an almost faceless “Big Brother” figure. The University has created a mess that it may or may not escape. Students, Faculty, Administration, and Alumni have the chance to override these cuts if a cohesive voice in opposition forms. However, it is unlikely that this will happen. So, rather I point to a less ambitious goal-demanding greater presence and accountability from Father Kelley. As a student and future alumni I have utmost respect for you Father Kelley. I, just as most on campus, would just like to see your face and realize that you do exist and you do care. As the Wizard of Oz said, “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.” Wise words.