December 2001

Index for December 12, 2001

Trustees call for new faculty compensation structure

By Douglas J. Whiting, Associate Vice President for Public Relations

The Fairfield University Board of Trustees has voted to direct the academic vice president, after consultation with the faculty and the academic administration, to develop a new compensation structure for faculty that will include an evaluation of individual performance in the compensation decision for individual faculty members.

In its resolution, which was proposed by the Academic Affairs Committee and passed unanimously by the trustees, the board put an immediate end to the present system of faculty compensation based on across-the-board increments by rank. The board directed the faculty and academic administration to work together to identify appropriate standards for evaluation. Academic Vice President Dr. Orin Grossman will prepare an interim report for the board in March, and a full plan is to be submitted to the board for its review in June.

According to its directive, full implementation of a new compensation structure will occur during the 2002-2003 academic year for setting compensation for the 2003-2004 academic year. However, the board directed the academic vice president to work with academic deans and the faculty during the current academic year to examine the present salary structure and make appropriate equity adjustments to individual salaries, if necessary.

Members of the board said that a compensation structure based on aspects of individual performance, commonly referred to as a merit-based structure, would advance faculty and institutional interests. The most compelling argument for such a system, the board said, was to assist the University in the continued recruitment and retention of the best faculty. The board also believed that it is important to place decisions on compensation for faculty in the hands of the individuals who have the greatest expertise - department members and chairs working with the deans.

In a letter to faculty last week, Roger M. Lynch '63, board of trustees chairman, said, "The board believes that the quality of the faculty has reached a level where merit pay will be particularly effective in continued recruitment and retention as well as in rewarding performance. From the tone of faculty arguments that reached the board, it would appear as if some faculty feared that the board had the opposite opinion - that merit pay was needed to punish an unworthy faculty. But it is precisely the high quality of the faculty, the improving quality of the students, and our new competitive position among our peer institutions that dictates the timing of this change in compensation. With the success of our capital campaign, the completion of major facilities that enhance our competitive standing, and the increasing quality of our faculty and students, merit-based compensation becomes one tool in advancing and rewarding excellence. It is imperative that the departments and deans have this tool to help retain the best faculty." The chairman said the board anticipates that a merit-based system would link compensation to shared administrative and faculty desires for fairness in the distribution of community resources.

University President Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. agreed with Lynch. "Through the joint work of faculty and the administration, Fairfield has evolved to the point where the high quality of our faculty is valued not only by us but by other institutions and outside organizations. Our present compensation structure does not give us the proper mechanisms to reward performance and retain the best of an excellent faculty. This is an appropriate moment to develop a structure that will address those concerns by assessing all aspects of faculty performance which impact the student experience in an out of the classroom - teaching, student advising, research, and committee service."

The board said this was an appropriate time for the University to develop a merit-based compensation system, given the excellence of the present faculty and the high standard of compensation currently in place for members of the faculty. Fairfield University maintains an average overall compensation for full-time faculty that is at or above the 95th percentile of the American Association of University Professors ranking of IIA comprehensive universities in each rank. This places Fairfield in the top 5 percent nationally of universities categorized as IIA comprehensive institutions by the Carnegie Corporation. The University is committed to maintain this average at the 95th percentile in the future. Assistant and associate professors at Fairfield are at or above the 95th percentile of the AAUP rankings even in terms of average salary alone.

Although a merit-based compensation system has been in use for administrative and staff employees for some years, until now the University has not used a merit system for faculty compensation. Instead it employed a system whereby every faculty member of a given faculty rank received the same percentage salary increase based either on the mean of their rank, or their present salary, if it was above that mean.

Lynch wrote, "Much has been made about potential mistakes or abuses in a merit-based system. Of course, all evaluative systems need careful monitoring. No system will be totally fair to everyone all the time, but strong universities have found that merit-based systems are fairer over time than simple across-the-board increments and do much more to advance institutional interests." The board recognized that evaluation of faculty does, indeed, already take place for promotion and tenure, but this normally occurs only twice and relatively early in the course of a faculty member's career.

In directing the development of a merit-based pay system, the board did not recommend a particular system, but instead asked Dr. Grossman, in collaboration with the faculty and academic administration, to design a plan that was appropriate for Fairfield. The board noted that virtually every top tier college and university across the country and all of the University's serious Jesuit and non-Jesuit competitors - peer institutions as well as those Fairfield aspires to emulate - employ some type of merit-based compensation systems for their faculties and encouraged the administration and faculty to design a system based on the best features of those university models.

Lynch said the board carefully considered faculty leadership arguments against the change. "To argue that merit pay represents an inappropriate corporate model," he wrote, "when it is the common model at our peer and reach institutions, flies in the face of reality.... No one was able to explain why all of these schools, from Harvard to Villanova, from Boston College to Georgetown, believed their interests were furthered by a merit pay structure and why their experience was not relevant for Fairfield." Dr. Grossman added that most nationally recognized institutions in the country have embraced merit-based systems, citing Lehigh, Loyola Maryland and Dickinson, among others, as examples of other colleges and universities that have done so.

Trustee Francis T. (Fay) Vincent, chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee of the board, said trustees had considered an argument from the faculty that merit-based compensation would impede faculty collegiality. He said that while collegiality is important, it should not be a goal for its own sake. Rather, he said, collegiality is a result of productive work and is developed because it is the most effective way to accomplish the goals of the department, school or university. In his letter, Lynch said, "A compensation structure linked to these goals will reinforce and strengthen collegiality where there is productive work taking place." Vincent added that board members believe that fairly developed and implemented merit-based compensation structures encourage faculty performance and help create a collegial atmosphere.

In June, the board postponed a vote on changing the compensation structure for faculty pending a report from an ad hoc committee appointed in June. That committee, consisting of Lynch, Vincent, Fr. Kelley, Dr. Grossman and faculty Drs. Lucy Katz, George Lang, Kathryn Nantz, and John Thiel, was charged with reviewing the governance structure and procedures of the University and to recommend possible governance changes to the board. The chairman of the committee submitted a report to the trustees on Dec. 6.

"The board had hoped the committee would identify some areas of shared governance that could be improved," Lynch wrote to the faculty. "But the faculty insistence that there were no structural governance issues made that identification impossible. As a member of this committee, I was disappointed by the lack of progress. I believed then and I still believe that our governance structure needs a serious examination to improve the conversation between faculty and administration, and to find a more appropriate balance between a centralized governance structure and the autonomy of the individual schools. Although the committee could not advance these issues, it is my hope that the faculty and administration will work together on them in the months ahead."

Martin Luther King Jr. events to feature Patricia J. Williams

By Nancy Habetz, Director of Media Relations

Patricia J. Williams, J.D., the James L. Dohr Professor of Law at Columbia University School of Law, columnist for "The Nation" and author of several books, will present "Seeing a Color-blind Future" on Thursday, January 24 at 3:30 p.m. in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, as part of Fairfield University's four-day Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. A reception and book signing will follow her presentation.

Williams' autobiographical first book, The Alchemy of Race and Rights: A Diary of a Law Professor (1991), sheds light on some of America's most complex problems. Her other books include The Rooster's Egg: On the Persistence of Prejudice (1995), and Seeing a Color-Blind Future: The Paradox of Race (1997).

The four-day celebration begins on Wednesday, January 23 with a Multicultural Marketplace in the Barone Campus Center from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open to the public, the Marketplace will feature multicultural items from several vendors.

On Thursday, January 24, Williams will be on campus to meet with students and deliver her address.

On Friday, January 25, area middle school students are invited to participate in a Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Leadership Workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Barone Campus Center.

Saturday, January 26, will welcome AHANA alumni back to campus for a reception in Alumni House from 4:30 to 6 p.m. A public closing ceremony, multicultural buffet, and Unity Ball will take place in the Barone Campus Center Oak Room, beginning at 6 p.m.

For tickets to the January 24 presentation, contact the Quick Center box office at ext. 4010.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Earlier this month, John Pekar and Chuck DeAngelis of the electrical department dressed Alumni House in green and red for Christmas.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Barbara Wanamaker: a friend of St. Francis

By Linda Gustavson, Publications Assistant

St. Francis of Assisi stands perennially caring for a flock of small birds on the plaza of the Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola. While his care of defenseless creatures is legendary, he seems to have a compatriot on the University campus. Barbara Wanamaker, operations assistant for the Office of Admission, recently found time in her busy life to emulate the saint's concern.

"Last month, as I was walking down to the Chapel, I saw a tiny green bundle - one of the monk parakeets - huddled up against a wall. It was clearly injured, couldn't fly or move quickly, and no one else seemed to see it," she explains. After deciding she would wait a while to see if the troubled bird would fly away, she went to mass. Returning from the Chapel, Barbara saw that the bird hadn't moved and that other people passing by still weren't noticing it.

Barbara's heart was touched by the exotic bird's defenselessness, so she found a cardboard carton and gently coaxed it into the safe container. All afternoon they kept one another company in Bellarmine's Great Hall. Barbara would look down into the open box and find the bird cautiously but serenely looking at her. "Those looks were enough to convince me that every avenue must be tried to save the parakeet," she says, and made the decision to pursue a professional to care for it. That afternoon, Barbara placed calls to animal shelters, the Audubon Wildlife Center, veterinarians, and animal help groups. None seemed to be able to assist her for one reason or another. Yet perseverance finally paid off and she found a local bird specialist who was willing to try to repair the bird's wing and nurse it to health, if possible. The specialist, who wishes to remain anonymous, spent several weeks attending to the parakeet's needs, and both she and Barbara are pleased that the bird has recovered.

In the meantime, Barbara was able to research more information and found that monk parakeets are not indigenous to the area, but are imports from Brazil. A truckload of such birds, on their way to New England pet stores, was involved in an accident several decades ago, and those birds that survived the accident established colonies in Bridgeport's Black Rock section, New London, Conn., and Rhode Island. The colony in Black Rock lost its tree-home during a winter storm in 1993 and relocated on campus. Now occupying several trees on University grounds, their most prominent nesting tree is a large pine just south of the Egan Chapel. Barbara rescued her parakeet not far from the tree. A brilliant green cloud of squawking parakeets often can be seen flying throughout the area as they search for twigs for their ever-growing nests.

Barbara and the local bird specialist who is tending to the bird are hopeful that the parakeet may be released soon to rejoin its flock. Surely the kindly smile on St. Francis's bronze face is in acknowledgment of such gentle deeds.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Dr. Mark Andrejevic, assistant professor of English, was quoted at length in an article about reality television, carried in Spectator, a newspaper in Raleigh, N.C.

Dr. Dorothea Braginsky, professor of psychology, was quoted in the Connecticut Post on the psychological impact of the anthrax scare.

Bridgeport's Socialist New Deal, 1915-36, a new book by Dr. Cecelia Bucki, associate professor of history, has been published by the University of Illinois Press. The book discusses the legacy of activist unionism, business manipulation of local politics and taxes, and a growing debate over the public good that revealed how working people viewed their government and their own roles as citizens.

On October 22, Dr. Paul Caster, associate professor of accounting, presented "Application of Digital Analysis to Assess the Reliability of the ATA Database" at the Transportation Research Forum in Williamsburg, Virginia. The paper is co-authored with Dr. Carl Scheraga, associate professor of information systems and operations management, and Dr. Barry Mittag of Western Connecticut State University.

Dr. Ralph M. Coury, professor of history, presented "Arab Nationalism and the Discourse of Postmodernism and Neo-Modernization in the Post Cold War Period," on October 5 at the Third World Studies Conference held at the University of Nebraska in Omaha.

On November 7, he gave a talk, "The War on Terrorism: Myths and Realities," to teachers at the Jockey Hill School in Monroe.

Also in November, the Hartford Courant published an opinion piece by Dr. Coury in which he objected to the awarding of the Nobel Prize in literature to V. S. Naipaul.

Victor D'Ascenzo, major gifts officer, and Craig Chindemi, campaign director, were members of a panel that discussed fundraising on November 1 at the Peppermill restaurant in Westport. The program was presented by the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) - Fairfield County Chapter, of which D'Ascenzo is a board member. More than 75 development officers from various non-profit organizations and educational institutions were in attendance for this monthly meeting of the Chapter.

Dr. Edward Deak, professor of economics, was quoted in many newspapers throughout New England about his projection for the unemployment rate. The comments ran in New Hampshire (West Lebanon, Concord, Nashua, and Manchester), Maine (Waterville, Portland, Biddeford, Kennebec, and Augusta), and Massachusetts (Worcester, Woburn, Fitchburg, Northampton, and Quincy), and in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Connecticut newspapers included the Hartford Courant, Hartford Business Journal, Middletown Press, Waterbury's Republican-American, Connecticut Post, New Britain's Herald, Torrington's Register Citizen, Meriden's Record-Journal, New Haven Register, Greenwich Time, and Stamford Advocate.

Dr. Philip Eliasoph, professor of visual and performing arts, presented "An Enduring Tradition: Life Drawing in Classical and American Art," a master class lecture, to the graduate students at The New York Academy of Art on November 8 at the Academy in Lower Manhattan. Earlier in the day, Dr. Eliasoph visited advanced life drawing and painting classes and discussed their works with students representing 20 states and 15 countries.

Fairfield University and its students got a "Thumbs Up" on the Connecticut Post editorial page for the student nurses who helped the Town of Fairfield Health Department in its annual flu shot campaign at the Senior Center on Mona Terrace.

Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures Dr. Robert Fedorchek's book Ten Tales (2000), a translation of three short novels and seven short stories by Leopoldo Alas, was included in a special book exhibit, "Clarin 2001: Leopoldo Alas and the Critical Imagination," at Yale's Sterling Memorial Library. The exhibit commemorated the centennial of the death of the great 19th-century Spanish poet.

Dr. Fedorchek's translations of fairy tales "The Devil's Mother-in-Law" by Cecelia Böhl de Faber, and "The King's Son-in-Law" by Antonio de Trueba appeared in the October 2001 issue of Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tales Studies.

Dr. Paula Gill Lopez, associate professor in the GSEAP, was the guest speaker for the Fairfield University Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children's quarterly dinner meeting on October 11. At the request of Dr. David Aloyzy Zera, assistant professor in the GSEAP, Dr. Gill-Lopez spoke about the recent tragic events in NYC and their emotional effects on Americans.

"Technology Trends in Faculty Development, Preprofessional Training, and the Support of Language and Literature Departments," an article by Dr. Joel Goldfield, associate professor of modern languages and literatures, was published in a special issue of the Modern Language Association's ADFL Bulletin (Spring 2001). This is the first time since the original 1994 publication that the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL) has updated the scholarly handbook and special issue, Chairing the Foreign Language and Literature Department.

Harold S. Forsythe, assistant professor of history and director of the Program in Black and Diaspora Studies, was guest commentator in October at the Colloquium of the Program in Agrarian Studies, Yale University. In November, Prof. Forsythe chaired and commented on the panel "Race and History in Film and TV," at the annual conference of the North Eastern Popular Culture Association (NEPCA), at Southern Connecticut State University.

Dr. Donald Greenberg, associate professor of politics, was quoted in the Connecticut Post regarding the connection between the events of September 11, the economy, and voter turnout.

Dr. Sheila Grossman, associate professor of nursing, presented "Providing a Self-Healthcare Model for Young Adults," at the American College of Nurse Practitioners National Clinical Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 20.

Dr. Martin Lang, professor of religious studies, and his students in the freshman seminar "Faith in the City," attended services at the Abyssian Baptist Church in Harlem, the oldest African American Church in New York, on November 11 to celebrate its 139th anniversary. The Fairfield University students received applause and commendation from the Rev. Calvin Butts for sharing in the celebration.

Eve Andrée Laramée, director of the studio arts program and assistant professor of sculpture, presented "A Permutational Unfolding: Art & Science" at Yale University School of Medicine on Nov. 8.

November 26 through 30, Prof. Laramée conducted a four-day workshop at Oberlin College as part of its series "Maverick Artists/Visionary Educators." The series, sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation, is a feature of Oberlin's Pedagogical Archives. As a leader of the workshop, Prof. Laramée demonstrated her innovative strategies for addressing the needs of today's arts students.

Dr. Doris Lippman, professor of nursing, was quoted in an article in the Connecticut Post that asked each "Woman of the Year" for the last 10 years how the lives of women have changed in the past 10 years. Dr. Lippman was the Connecticut Post's first "Woman of the Year."

Larri Mazon, director of the Center for Multicultural Relations, is a trainer with the Regional Youth/Adult Substance Abuse Project. He is working in an educational program that is presented in conjunction with the State of Connecticut Office of Policy & Management's Juvenile Advisory Committee and the United Illuminating Company. The program is offered to individuals and groups who work with youth ages 12 to 18.

Dr. John Orman, professor of politics, did a "Viewpoint" column for the Fairfield Minuteman on "Why vote?" He was also quoted in the Connecticut Post about President Bush's handling of the terrorism crisis.

USA Today interviewed Dr. Judith Primavera, professor of psychology, about terrorism fears and their effect on Halloween. She suggested that parents who have concerns should create alternate activities for their children. The article was also carried in the Tribune Review in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

"What Islamism shares with Nazism," an article by Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, assistant professor of history, was published in the November 9 issue of Jewish Forward.

On October 24, Dr. Carl Scheraga, associate professor of information systems and operations management, presented "Value Chain Strategies of European Airlines in the Liberalized Environment of the European Economic Union" at the Transportation Research Forum in Williamsburg, Virginia. The paper is co-authored with Dr. Paul Caster, associate professor of accounting.

Dr. Kurt Schlichting, professor of sociology and anthropology, stated in an interview with the Fairfield Minuteman that he thought voters were subdued this year.

The Eastchester Arts Council in New York invited Professor Jay Sommer to speak at the Bronxville Library in November about his book, Journey to the Golden Door. The book chronicles his journey from a small Czechoslovakian village through Nazi occupation and eventually to his being named National Teacher of the Year.

A recent book by Dr. John Thiel, professor of religious studies, was the subject of a panel discussion at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion held in Denver, Colo., last month. Three panelists critiqued the book, Senses of Tradition: Continuity and Development in Catholic Faith (Oxford, 2000), Dr. Thiel responded, and the session was opened to audience questions and remarks.

Dr. Michael White, associate professor of English, was one of five authors who spoke at Heritage Academy in Longmeadow, Mass., before an audience of more than 200.

Dr. David Aloyzy Zera, assistant professor in the GSEAP, who served as lead editor for the 2001 conference proceedings of the International Association of Special Education (IASE), will have his work translated into Chinese for distribution throughout China.

Welcome to the Weil Café
On December 6, the library café was officially named for University Trustee William P. Weil '68 and his wife Nina in recognition of their generous gift to Our Promise: The Campaign for Fairfield. Pictured above (l-r): James Estrada, vice president for information services and University librarian, Bill Weil, and University President Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Births

Allen Gibson, assistant director of facilities and equipment - daughter, Aleesa, born October 10.
Diane DeVellis, assistant director of financial aid - son, Michael Anthony, born October 24.
Linda Gustavson, publications assistant - grandson, Samuel Roland, born November 8.

Condolences

Cornelius Wanamaker, father-in-law of Barbara Wanamaker, operations assistant for admission, died on October 29.
Donald W. Paxton, retired director of energy services, died on October 30.
Estelle L. Muzin Sternchak Packer, the mother of Janet Marino, department of controller, died on November 13.
James L. Hill, the brother of Dr. Nick Hill, modern languages, died on November 20.
Catherine N. Civitella, the mother of Louise Capasso, secretary in the School of Continuing Education, died on December 1.
Kevin F. Smith, the brother of Shirley Klein, operations assistant in financial aid, and the uncle of Christopher Klein '05, died on December 1.

New Employees

Patricia Carlson - Mail distribution assistant
Carmel Carroll - Secretary, Foundations Relations
Robert Chop - Computer technician, CNS
Sylvia Hurlburt - Circulation media assistant, Library
Joseph Laucella - Security officer, Security
Frank Mingrone - Computer technician, CNS
Patrick Moran - Assistant director of sports information
Patrick Murphy - Associate director, Athletics
James O'Leary - Dispatcher, Security

The College of Arts and Sciences

 

Dr. Shelley Phelan: uncovering the AOP2 gene's role

By Carolyn A. Malkin, Contributing Writer

When she was a teenager, Dr. Shelley Phelan lost several family members to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and aids. "I had a hard time watching them suffer, and I knew I couldn't go into medicine because of that," says Dr. Phelan, a cell biologist and assistant professor of biology at Fairfield. "But the whole experience got me interested in what causes disease."

Today Dr. Phelan is pursuing that interest by studying the molecular and cellular events associated with heart disease. Her postdoctoral work at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, the world's largest mouse genetics research facility, led to the identification of several genes involved with cardiovascular disease.

When she came to Fairfield from Jackson Labs two years ago, Dr. Phelan brought one of the genes, AOP2, and relevant mouse tissue samples to her new lab. How the AOP2 gene functions and what role it plays in heart disease is a mystery she intends to solve.

"Identifying a gene is just the first step in understanding its role in a disease," she explains. "Complex diseases like cancer are difficult to treat because they involve multiple genes and environmental factors, rather than just a single gene defect. We need to understand the underlying mechanisms of these diseases by learning about the function of every gene involved."

Heart disease may involve more than 50 genes and countless environmental factors, such as diet and smoking. Genes themselves don't cause a disease; they contain the biochemical instructions for making proteins that carry out the day-to-day functions we need to survive. When a gene is damaged or mutated, it can affect the body's production of certain vital proteins. This is the true causal agent in disease.

For example, some people with diabetes have lost the ability to manufacture the protein insulin, which regulates the body's uptake of glucose from the blood. Since scientists cloned the gene responsible for making the insulin protein, diabetic patients can now replace their missing insulin. In fact, human insulin was the first protein to be synthesized in 1965.

"In every disease, it's a protein that causes the problem," says Dr. Phelan, who has also studied diabetes. "It's the gene that mutates, but it's the protein that malfunctions."

Dr. Phelan discovered that AOP2 is an antioxidant gene that makes an antioxidant protein. Antioxidant proteins are like security guards in the body's cells; they search for and capture highly reactive oxygen molecules, or free radicals, that can cause extensive damage to cell membranes, proteins, and DNA. Free radicals are constantly generated in our cells through normal functions like eating and breathing and environmental exposure to sun and pollution.

Dr. Phelan's research on the structure and function of the AOP2 protein was published two years ago. She will soon publish a paper with Dr. Beverly Paigan, a staff scientist at Jackson Labs and the first person to establish the high fat diet model for the study of atherosclerosis in a mouse, on how the protein is linked to heart-disease resistance in mice.

"Oxidative damage is part of so many diseases," says Dr. Phelan. "It's really important that we understand how antioxidant proteins work."

Several students are assisting Dr. Phelan with her research on the AOP2 gene. Two of them - 2001 alumnae Mary Lucia Lombardi and Ellen Neylon - presented a paper on the regulation of the AOP2 gene at a national cell biology symposium in Colorado last spring. Others are attempting to clone additional genes by searching for those that are differentially turned on in mice shown to be resistant or susceptible to heart disease.

Dr. Phelan is also collaborating with Jackson Labs on a "knock out" mouse, or one in which the AOP2 gene has been removed. Research on this mouse will determine whether the AOP2 gene is responsible for the animal's resistance to heart disease.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Dr. R. Kevin Lacey of SUNY-Binghamton and Dr. Ralph Coury

Dr. Ralph Coury named co-editor of new academic journal

By Jill Kasiewicz Caseria, Editor

Dr. Ralph Coury, professor of history, has been named co-editor of The Journal of Middle Eastern and North African Intellectual and Cultural Studies, a new scholarly publication copyrighted and funded by the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The first edition, published this month, features articles in Arabic, Spanish, and English by professors and scholars from the United States, Spain, Syria, and Egypt. Topics for this inaugural edition are wide-ranging. They include stories on Disney's portrayal of the Middle East in animation, the role of science in medieval and modern Arab societies, and medieval Arabic writings about Christianity.

Publishing articles in Middle Eastern languages with accompanying English translations will be a special feature of the journal. "Providing translations will introduce Western readers to some outstanding Middle Eastern and North African thinkers and scholars who write only or largely in indigenous languages and who are therefore not well known in the West," says Dr. Coury. "The translations will also be helpful for those learning to read such languages."

Dr. R. Kevin Lacey, chair of classical and Near Eastern studies and the director of the Middle East and North African program at SUNY-Binghamton, is Dr. Coury's co-editor. The two first worked together in organizing a panel at a conference on North Africa held at SUNY-Binghamton. They then collaborated in organizing additional scholarly programs and in publishing a co-edited book based on the conference. "We both shared a number of interests, including a desire to promote knowledge of the rich scholarship being produced within the Middle East," notes Dr. Coury. "Producing a journal was a natural next step for us."

Millie Jones: one tiny stitch at a time

By Barbara D. Kiernan, Director of Publications

Millie Jones and some of her miniscule-stitched creations.

She threads her needle and guides it through the back of an empty square of linen. In her mind's eye, Millie Jones can already see the beauty to come. For now, however, she's quite content to stitch ... and stitch ... and stitch.

For more than a decade, Jones, secretary in the Office of Planned Giving and for the capital campaign, has found the creativity of cross stitching a perfect way to relax. "It's a pick up activity you can do anywhere," she says, unable even to guesstimate how long a given project actually takes her. "I do it watching TV, waiting in doctors' offices, traveling - anywhere I find myself with a bit of time."

Time is what she needs, given the number of tiny stitches that comprise her creations. Pieces in her 5" x 7" Santa collection, for example, require 14 stitches across per inch (that's 196 x's per square inch); other favorites run to 18 stitches per inch (324 per square inch). "The pillow top I'm working on has been two years in the making," she says, holding a 14-inch square of linen now covered with flowers done in muted pinks and greens. Its border and reverse will be of rich green velvet, assembled by Jones, who says she's sewn forever.

"I learned to sew from my grandmother on a foot treadle machine," she recalls with a smile. "We used to make doll clothes together, and that's when I discovered my creative side." To fine-tune her talent, Jones later took courses in dressmaking, lingerie making, and tailoring. As a newlywed, she focused her creative energies on dressmaking, a career she then put on hold while raising a (well-dressed!) family.

By the mid-'80s Jones had begun working a part-time job that allowed her to be home when daughter Debbie returned from school. "At the time, I was looking for a creative outlet, and I remembered how much I enjoyed working on tiny things with my grandmother," she says. "I decided to try cross stitch, and found it so enjoyable that I'd hurry through my housework so I could spend two hours cross stitching without feeling guilty."

In the years since, Jones has made pillows, wall hangings, pincushions, table covers featuring floral sprays at the corners, Swedish embroidery of natural berries, and of course, her Santa collection. It's a series by Prairie Schooler Needleworks which has added one Santa per year since 1984. Jones is currently in the process of filling in her collection and, since August, has made three: 1984, 1987, and 2001. To do so, she uses single-ply Danish flower thread, originally dyed with extracts from flowers and herbs to achieve a muted look. "I prefer working on linen because it's more of a challenge," she says. "It's not as evenly woven so you really have to focus."

Working from a chart drawn on graph paper, she translates the design to cloth by counting to where each stitch belongs, changing threads frequently to achieve the desired look. Turn one of Jones' finished pieces over and two amazing discoveries await: it's almost as beautiful in the reverse, and there's not a knot to be seen.

"I use a knotless technique, where the stitches actually anchor the thread," she explains. It's also what elevates what began as a hobby to the level of fine craftmanship. Jones buys most of her fabrics, specialty threads, and charts at Thistle Needleworks, a shop in Glastonbury, Connecticut. How does she choose? "The pattern has to catch my eye," she says.

Speaking of eyes, she smiles at what she calls the natural progression of things. "When I began, I could hold the piece in my hands and do the stitching. Then I had to move it further back, into my lap. Then my arms weren't long enough, so I had to get glasses. Now," she quips, "I have to look through a magnifying lens that I hang around my neck."

As one who takes pride in her workmanship, Jones has been known to rip out whole sections of finished work to correct a misplaced x. "I'm very picky; I never gloss over mistakes," she says. She's taught Debbie, now 23, to do the same and marvels at the beauty of Debbie's handiwork.

"I like the fact that I'm nimble-fingered, and that a blank cloth and some thread can become so exciting. Creativity is a real blessing," says Jones, noting one of her favorite quotes: "In an imperfect world, cross stitch is perfect."

Photo by Jean Santopatre

Bio-what?

By Joanne Choly, Biology laboratory supervisor and adjunct lecturer

We share our planet, country, hometowns, and workplace with millions of living things - a diversity of biological species. Of this biodiversity of species - up to 100 million (no one knows for sure) - a large percentage are becoming extinct.

How concerned should we be about this loss? Consider this cycle: when species lose habitat, they can die out. As ecosystems lose species, they can collapse, therefore affecting the development of other life cycles. Sounds bad. Is it?

On the one hand, more than 99% of all species that have ever lived are now extinct. Each time biodiversity has been lost, evolution has restored the diversity with development of new species. On the other hand, the greatest extinctions took 20 to 100 million years for recovery of diversity - with totally different species replacing those lost.

The expected extinction rate is about 1 species per million per year. Estimates are that in tropical rainforests (the ecosystems with the current greatest rate of loss), we have increased this rate to a loss of nearly 27,000 species per year.

Why care about biodiversity? Biodiversity is considered a treasure, an asset, a resource, and a library (with all of the information stored in the DNA of living things). We obtain foods, medicines, and energy sources from the diverse organisms of our planet, with more benefits being discovered all the time.

How can we preserve biodiversity? What steps can we take, on a personal level? Here are a few ideas:

• Make time. As we go about our daily lives, we need to be conscious that our personal actions have a direct connection to the planet on which we live. Although there are no easy answers to questions of appreciating and protecting biodiversity, if we work to incorporate small steps into our daily activities, we can begin to make a global difference.
• Encourage wildlife. On our own property, we can grow native plants and encourage other native wildlife, birds for example, to share our environment.
• Donate. We can send a holiday donation to a conservation organization or one working to save a rainforest.
• Shop wisely. Purchase products that require an intact ecosystem to grow, such as brazil and cashew nuts. Avoid buying tropical hardwoods (ebony, mahogany, rosewood, teak) if they have been harvested by clear-cutting the rainforests. Also, look for foods that are produced by sustainable agriculture - agriculture that, among other attributes, does not deplete or erode soil.

These things are a start. We can learn to select products that preserve ecosystem integrity. We can examine our own environmental impact. Beyond that, we must teach ourselves about these diversities - so we may appreciate them - so we may make better choices about materials and energy use. Let us make haste.

All data from The Diversity of Life, by E. O. Wilson.

Holiday eating 101

Oh, good grief! I've gained weight again!" I exclaimed the other day.

My wife is used to hearing me complain about my weight, so she gave me the usual response, until she saw that I really was having difficulty making the ends of my waistband meet. With the holidays fast approaching, I knew I was in trouble.

Most people gain weight over the holidays. It begins with decreasing activity levels as the daylight fades and the darkness encroaches on our free time. Holidays are also associated with comfort food - foods that are traditional for our families or cultures and that are high in fats and calories. But it is not just the type of foods that we eat on holidays that contributes to weight gain, it is the frequent meals and snacks tacked on to the amount of food and calories that we consume. Added to all of this, we tend to eat more when we are either happy or sad - two common emotions during the holidays. And, we tend to consume much more food when we eat outside of our home environments.

So now I know I am in real trouble, because I fell off of the exercise wagon a few months ago and have not found my way back on. I went from exercising four times each week to once - at best. Stress has found its way back into my life, forcing those snacks and cookies into my hands. Recent travel has disrupted my normal routines and meal patterns. And I love traditional holiday foods!

What we need is a holiday eating plan:

First, exercise must become part of weekly activities. Whether it is walking or another aerobic activity, we all need to exercise regularly. Exercise must also be done quickly enough that it causes you to breathe heavily and break a sweat, and last for at least 30 minutes. Bending and stretching exercises should be included to warm up and cool down.

Second, make stress reduction a goal each week. Stress surfaces in different ways. Migraine headaches, stiff necks, anger, short tempers, sleeplessness, and fatigue can be signs of increasing stress. While exercise can help with stress reduction, it is important to examine your life and pinpoint the activities that cause increased stress. The holidays are also a period of time when we tend to try to do too much. Look at your commitments. Talk with your family to organize travel and activities around periods of inactivity. If parties or family visits will be stressful, build in time to be alone or to get away with a few people you enjoy being with.

Third, be aware of what you're eating. If you know that a party or meal will have many food choices, decide what you will eat and how much before you start, staying as close as possible to that goal. Eat until you feel moderately full, then stop. Do not eat just because someone put out more food. Look at food as a balance between intake and expenditure. If you eat a piece of pumpkin pie and ice cream, you will need to walk about three miles to work off the calories! Choose to eat the pie only if you will take that walk. Ask for smaller servings. Eat less bread during a meal and drink more water. Try not to eat and just sit afterwards. Be active. Enlist your spouse or a loved one to help monitor your choices. Stay away from situations where there are many food choices. And definitely stay away from those bottomless bowls of snack foods (peanuts, pretzels, chips, etc.) where you lose track of the amount you have consumed!

So look for me at the RecPlex or walking around campus. Ask me how the plan is working, and I will return the favor! If we can begin this plan, and stick to it through the holidays, it should be easy for us to get rid of those extra five to ten pounds. Your heart will thank you!

Philip A. Greiner, DNSc, RN

Associate Professor of Nursing; Director, Undergraduate program; Director, Health Promotion Center; and Health Partners Fellow, International Center for Health Leadership Development

news Briefs

Employees and alumni assist those in need

In this season of giving, and in the Jesuit spirit of "men and women for others," members of the University community generously contributed to several collections to benefit those in need.

Annual Employees' Thanksgiving Collection

University employees donated a total of $689 to the Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Collection held in November. The contributions will be shared equally among area shelters including Thomas Merton House and Prospect House in Bridgeport, and Operation Hope of Fairfield. Kay Martin, Campus Ministry operations assistant, led this year's collection, and 23 University building representatives assisted with the Dollar Drive.

Charitable Sharing Campaign

Thanks to the generosity of University faculty and employees, more than $17,000 was donated to the 2001 Charitable Sharing Campaign. The gifts will be distributed to organizations and agencies. Community Health Charities works with 26 health care agencies, including the American Cancer Society, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. United Way supports groups including the American Heart Association, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and The Salvation Army. This year's campaign was led by Ray Bourdeau, University bursar, and Mark Reed, dean of students, and more than 50 University volunteer captains.

September 11 Memorial Scholarship Fund

Fairfield University has established the Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of the 14 alumni and the many family members of the University community who died in the World Trade Towers on September 11. The University has restricted $1 million of its own institutional endowment for this endowed scholarship fund. While the University has not actively solicited contributions, 81 alumni and friends have added more than $15,000 to the endowment to date.

This fund will help underwrite full tuition for the following groups who have financial need:

• Current Fairfield University students who lost a parent in the September 11 disaster;
• Sons and daughters of Fairfield alumni who were lost in the September 11 disaster, should they become Fairfield University students;
• Children of rescue workers from the New York Police Department, the Fire Department of New York, the New York City Emergency Medical Services, and the New York Port Authority Police who were lost in the September 11 disaster, should they become Fairfield University students.

As an endowed scholarship, this fund will continue to provide assistance to eligible students as long as necessary. After those directly associated with the disaster have completed college, funds generated by this scholarship will benefit exclusively children of Fairfield University alumni.

Hartford Foundation supports SON's geriatric efforts

The School of Nursing has received a three-year $90,000 grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation to support curriculum enhancements that will strengthen the School's offerings in gerontology and geriatric nursing. The grant comes at a propitious time, as the School has just begun phasing in a series of curricular changes that will, in a four-year timeframe, incorporate changes related to health care needs of an aging population, the trend toward community-based care, and technological advances.

Gerontology will be a key component of the revised curriculum, which includes a community-based geriatrics course for seniors, that ensures person-to-person contact across the health-illness continuum. "We are grateful for the support of the John A. Hartford Foundation," says Dr. Jeanne Novotny, dean of the School of Nursing. "Through this grant and the faculty and curriculum development that it will make possible, our faculty will develop the necessary expertise to provide the kind of classroom and clinical learning environment that will engage and stimulate student interest in working with the elderly. Fairfield students will graduate with the knowledge, experience, and commitment to advocate for and address both the health and quality-of-life needs of older adults."

Project directors for this grant include Dr. Jean Lange, assistant professor of nursing, and Dr. Joan Fleitas, associate professor of nursing. Together they will work with Dr. Novotny and other faculty colleagues to expand the number of geriatric clinical partnerships, secure the resources of leading gerontology experts for faculty summer workshops in 2002 and 2003, establish a permanent advisory board, develop faculty expertise, and enhance library resources. Dr. Philip Greiner and Dr. Anne Manton, associate professors of nursing, were also key members of the grant proposal team.

Sports

Basketball season opens in the Arena
November 27 marked the date for the men's basketball team's inaugural game at the Arena at Harbor Yard against the University of Rhode Island. A special pre-game ceremony included a ceremonial pass between University President Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. and Director of Athletics Gene Doris, the Arena's Executive Director Harold Bannon, Mary-Margaret Weber, president of the Alumni Association, and alumnus Joe Miko '51, who scored the program's first basket in 1951. Miko passed the ball to co-captains Sam Spann '02 (pictured above) and Kyle Walsh '05, who finished with a lay up. The women's team opened their season on Nov. 16.

Crew shells dedicated
At the men's game's halftime, the crew team dedicated three racing shells. The shells were named for and christened by William J. Lucas '69 (pictured above), vice president for finance and University treasurer; Roger M. Lynch '63, chairman of the University's Board of Trustees; and Al Donahue. Mr. Donahue joined the Board of Trustees in 1974 and became a Trustee Emeritus in 1987. The University named him an honorary alumnus in 1983 and awarded him an honorary degree in 1987.

Photos by Jean Santopatre

Sports Shorts By Jack Jones, Director of Sports Information

Stags to play upcoming championships

Congratulations to the field hockey and volleyball teams, as each captured its respective conference championship. The field hockey team won the Patriot League title, knocking off top-seeded Holy Cross and second-seeded Lafayette. Jeannine Harp '02 was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after scoring the game-winner in the semi-final win against Holy Cross (2-1) and setting up the game-winning goal in a 2-0 final win over Lafayette. The conference title sent Fairfield into the NCAA tournament, where the Stags met up with second-ranked University of Maryland. The Stags fell to the two-time NCAA champion by a 7-1 score, with Iza Kotowski '01 scoring the team's lone goal. The volleyball team captured the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship for the fifth straight season with a 3-1 win over St. Peter's in the final match. The victory placed the Stags into the NCAA tournament against nationally ranked Penn State (17th), with a 3-0 loss.

Athletes earn top performance accolades

Several Fairfield University athletes garnered major awards following the fall season, as the conferences announced the annual honors. In men's soccer, Danny Atwell '05 received the MAAC Rookie of the Year award. Mark Dietz '02, Aaron Kingi '02, Rob DeFaveri '02, Bryan Harkin '03, and James Gledhill '04 also received All-MAAC honors in the sport. In women's soccer, Julieanne Forman '02 and Meghan King '05 were voted the MAAC's Player and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Erin Porter '02, Kelly Chapple '04, Megan Miller '04, Lindsay Pulito '04, and Pamela Cluff '02 were distinguished with All-MAAC accolades. In field hockey, Kiki Bruggink '05 received the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award. In addition, Karen Zanleoni '02, Iza Kotowski '01, Alexia Kennedy '01, and Dani Brown '03 picked up All-League honors for their play. Joanne Saunders '02 and Conny Paul '03 earned All-MAAC honors in volleyball.

Field hockey players rank in the record books

Seniors Iza Kotowski and Alexia Kennedy, both members of the field hockey team, etched their names into the school record books this season. Kotowski became the school's all-time leading scorer with an assist in the Monmouth game, as she ended her career with 108 points. She also finished the year as the program's all-time leader in goals scored, netting 42. Kennedy tallied more career assists than anyone in program history, finishing her four-year stay with 27. It seemed only fitting that the two seniors capped their careers in the NCAA tournament game against Maryland, as Kotowski scored the team's only goal off an assist from Kennedy.

The RecPlex unveils a new name

Fairfield University receives Pfizer gift
Pfizer has presented a gift of $1,500 to Fairfield University to support the AHANA Bookloan Scholarship Program, which assists students with course book fees. The gift is part of Pfizer's Adopt-A-School program, through which the company seeks to develop additional ways to foster students' business skills and knowledge of available career options after graduation. Presenting the check to University President Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. at the Christopher B. Love AHANA Student Achievement Awards Dinner on November 1 was Neil Epstein, district manager of Pfizer - Hartford; Roger Clark, district manager; and Timothy Holick, regional manager.

Photo by B.K. Angeletti

Men and women for others
As part of National Hunger and Homelessness Week last month, members of the Campus Ministry Council conducted canned food collections on November 13 and 15. Fairfield University students generously contributed an abundance of non-perishable food items, all of which were donated to Operation Hope of Fairfield and Bridgeport Rescue Mission. Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J., University chaplain, and Stacey Sampieri '01, co-president of the Campus Ministry Council (pictured above), loaded the Campus Ministry van with several baskets of food collected from students in residence halls across campus.

Photo by Jean Santopatre

The Arts on Campus

OVF welcomed three guests in November

Jeff Greenfield
Prior to his Open VISIONS Forum presentation on November 4, CNN's Jeff Greenfield met with journalism students Bridget Hennessey '02 and Gwen Nolan '04 at a reception in the Thomas A. Walsh Art Gallery.

Photo by Ron Bruner

Orin Grossman
Fairfield University's very own Dr. Orin Grossman, academic vice president, entertained the Quick Center audience on November 9. Playing from his classical and jazz repertoire, he performed the music of composers George Gershwin and Isaac Albéniz.

Photo by B.K. Angeletti

Richard Holbrooke
Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, presented "Humanitarian Challenges to World Diplomacy Past, Present and Future" on November 12. His talk was sponsored by the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies as its fourth annual Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture.

Photo by Susan Warner

Director of Guggenheim Museums to speak at next OVF

Thomas Krens, director of the Guggenheim Museums Worldwide, will present "The Art Museum in the 21st Century," an illustrated slide lecture, at the Open VISIONS Forum on January 27 at 3 p.m. in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. This talk will launch the "Insiders' Insight to the Art World" spring semester series sponsored by the School of Continuing Education.

As Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Krens oversees five Guggenheim museums worldwide: two in New York City, the others in Venice, Berlin and Bilbao. He has dramatically increased the visibility of the Guggenheim and upped attendance from 450,000 visitors in 1990 to almost three million worldwide last year.

A museum as a brand name? An art show devoted to motorcycles? These are just some of the groundbreaking ideas of Thomas Krens, the man who Forbes magazine says is "rewriting the rules of how museums are run." Krens has invented unique ways of funding and supporting his projects, from joint ventures with corporations and national governments, to conceiving accessible shows and merchandising products associated with major exhibits.

For tickets or more information, call the box office at ext. 4010.

Media Center receives national award for campaign video

By Nancy Habetz, Director of Media Relations

The Videographer Awards, a national program created by communications professionals to honor talented individuals and companies in the video production field, has presented Fairfield University's Media Center with an Award of Excellence (Video Productions, Educational Institution category) for "Mission Possible: The Promise." The video, which was produced last year to launch the University's capital campaign, also received an Award of Distinction in the category for creativity, use of special effects/animation.

Chosen from some 2,400 entries from around the world, Fairfield University was, among 300 recipients, the only awardee from Connecticut, and one of 11 colleges and universities nationwide.

All the elements of the video were produced by the Media Center, with Rev. James Mayzik, S.J., director, serving as executive producer. Key players also included Brian Merry (producer), Karen Connolly (script writer), Jean-Henry Mathurin (production manager), Jason Kapell (editor), and Scott Volpe (production assistant). Peter DeMarco '83 wrote the musical score, adapted from the MI television theme.

The MI-2 spoof is a 13-minute, fast-moving, high-tech piece interlaced with campus humor. Among its performers are Thomas Zingarelli, director of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, University President Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., and Thomas C. Quick, campaign chair.

This is the second honor for "Mission Possible: The Promise." Earlier this year, Communicator Awards recognized the video with an Award of Distinction.

Dance ensemble Philadanco to perform at Quick Center

One of America's foremost dance ensembles, Philadanco (The Philadelphia Dance Company), will perform "Messages from the Heart" at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on January 26 at 8 p.m.

Philadanco will celebrate its 31st season with a full evening's program heralding women, in the modern dance idiom, created by four of today's most eminent female choreographers: Eva Gholson, Bebe Miller, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and Elise Monte.

Each work explores the connection and sanctity of body, mind, and spirit and the cultural traditions that inform the female response.

Philadanco was named an honor company of Regional Dance America and is a member of Dance/USA, American Dance Guild, the Philadelphia Dance Alliance, the Coalition of African-American Cultural Organizations and the Performing Arts League of Philadelphia.

For tickets or more information, call the box office at ext. 4010. Ticketholders are invited to attend an "Art to Heart" question-and-answer session with the company following the performance.

Campus Currents is the official news publication of the Fairfield University community. It is published on the first Tuesday of every month. The editorial office is located in the Public Relations Dept., Bellarmine Hall 220. Telephone 254-4000, ext. 2556; fax: 254-4167. E-mail: campuscurr@mail.fairfield.edu.