Fairfield University - Manor Yearbook (Fairfield, CT)

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,Xxyi A, 18s Politics on a federal scale gained momemtum as the candidates began their long struggle to attain the Presidency. Economics progressed as the number one issue, and a tricky issue at that. Ronald Regan, fighting the incumbent Gerald Ford for the Republican bid, launched a notice- ably neutral compaign, and became noted for his sophistication and polish on the campaign trail. The Democratic party offered both incred- ible diversification and confusion with their col- lection of contenders. As the primaries passed jimmy Carter, the fifty-one year old ex-Gover- nor of Georgia, moved into the limelight, and seemed the most credible candidate. introspection characterized the campus mode as the scandal exploded over the Student Asso- ciation fraud. Three students were placed on two-semester suspension as the result of a ludi- cial Review Board recommendation. These stu- dents, accused of theft and falsification, held the positions of Student Body President, Stu- dent Entertainment Commission Director, and Student Body Treasurer. United States Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Butz, confronted the issue of feeding the world's growing population in April, during a lecture in the Oak Room. Mr. Butz cited the problem of feeding the masses as being the world's most pressing concern for the future. Dther international concerns centered in Rho- desia, Angola, and the Middle East. Henry Kissi- nger, United States Secretary of State, attained world renown as the great peacemaker. Patricia Hearst was found guilty of armed robbery in May ending a trial that fascinated the nation for more than eight weeks. The nation devoured the newest Watergate informa- 1 i , tion with steady and avid interest. This narrative took the form of a personal account of the downfall of the Nixon administration, and was titled The Final Days. The year ended with the selection of Dean Rusk, the former U.S. Secretary of State, as the graduation speaker. Our nation moved closer to its bicentennial and towns and cities all over the countryside buzzed with plans for its cele- bration. We see that our nation like ourselves is enveloped in a spirit of transition. America, in its brief existance has experienced war from within and from without, and has known both the tides of despair and waves of hope. Yet, she has flourished, and this same prosperity is our destiny also. The times that lay ahead of us house uncertainty, but this dubious future will be greeted with the confidence of knowledge and the strength of perserverance. 1975!1976? A most profic year, hopefully a xear of new beginnings and memorable con- clusions, and certainly a time to cherish. li

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The Year in Review Well, you say, tell me of the year that has passed. This year of 75776 which has so pro- foundly changed the world. And, we smile just to think of it, for the world is oblivious to the fact that the university of Fairfield exists. Yet, it is there, resting in Fairfield county, in Con- necticut. lt's location is somehow appropriate, on the brink of the ages, leaning towards the overwhelming motivation of New York City, while still firmly ensconced in the tradition and reserve of New England. These incongruities pinpoint the trend of our age group, the pro- gression in time which we will fulfill. Our many activities further characterized this. September saw the passing of the old activities board and the institution of the Student Enter- tainment Commission. This Commission brought personalities such as Melissa Manches- ter and lames Taylor to campus. At the same time we were cultivating the pleasures of more classical forms of music through the Evening's of Music program. The Search Committee made its entrance in October and began to initiate lasting changes in school policy. Extra reading days during exam weeks was one of their changes, as was the introduction of a student run co-op. The craze for nostalgia did not escape the campus and the Broadway players from the show Grease bopped their way into the hearts of a full-house audience. October also saw the allocation of govern- ment funds for the construction of a new nurs- ing building. This structure will be added to the existing Bannow Science Center, and will pro- vide much needed room for the University's Nursing students. November's key issue was the construction of a parking lot. The lot will be able to accommo- date 142 cars, and was the institutor of numer- ous heated and lengthy discussion about the merits of comfort over the necessity of ecology. ln the sternest speech of his Presidency Ger- ald Ford nixed aid to aid to defaulting New York City, and the main questions in the minds of Americans became: Can the city avoid default, and Will Congress intervene? Later in the month Ford reneged upon his original vow, and the city found itself back on the way to recovery. By Geraldine Morrissey Arthur Miller's The Crucible assumed the po- sition of the University's cultural contribution to autumn, and again we faced the problems of progress as seen through the eyes of the main character lohn Proctor. Proctor lived in a time of superstition and unreason, and this drama about the dignity of man commands men to speak out against immorality. Enrollment in the University on both the un- dergraduate and graduate levels reached its peak in December. The controversial parking lot broke ground despite staged student protests. Squeaky Fromme, the would be assassin of Ger- ald Ford, was pronounced guilty as charged in a federal court in Sacramento, California. Presi- dent Ford flew off around this same time for a summit in Peking, and loseph Papp and Marvin Hamlisch hit the top of the success ladder with their Broadway hit, A Chorus Line. The winter months passed leaving behind a flu epidemic which resulted in the closing of the school for several days. The fate of McAuliffe Hall, which has become a campus landmark, was sealed as the Board of Trustees planned for the future of the Prep without the aging structure. The results of a survey aimed at determining the drinking patterns and attitudes of students at Fairfield became February's haunt with the publication of a fifty page report done by Dr. Genevieve Burch of the Sociology department. The results of the survey were not particularly alarming, but they were cause for concern. This report resulted in immediate action. Student services Dean, Anne Marie Samway, in an effort to stem the tide of alcohol abuse slapped a fifteen keg limit on all university functions, and also required that soft drinks must be available along with the beer. The university newspaper, The Voice responded with articles explaining the effects of alcohol upon the human body, and also became the pipeline for student criti- cism to this newest restrictive action. The Board of Trustees approved a tuition hike, and raised the salary of the faculty on a average of 7.52. Brian Visokay was elected as the new President of the student association, and in March he began his internship, learning the ins and outs of campus politics from the former President Ned Burt.

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