One town. Two medium-sized universities. Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University don’t correlate often, but per an article written and published by a SHU student there is a rivalry between the schools. This tension is not felt widely or deeply by university students, aside from a healthy competition displayed at school sporting events.

Published on January 22, 2017 the article titled, “11 Reasons Sacred Heart University Is Better Than Fairfield U,” not only published information that was factually incorrect but was beset with angry and shallow tones. Her Campus would like to set the record straight.

Fairfield University’s National and Regional Standings

U.S. News has ranked Fairfield University #2 in Regional Universities North and #1 Best Colleges for Veterans (Regional North). Our nursing program was actually ranked #10 nationally by College Factual and will be implementing a midwifery program in the near future.

Campus Updates as Part of Fairfield Rising

In reflection of our nationally ranked nursing program, the brand new Palliative Center will open this coming fall. This is just a few months after the grand opening of the Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Recreation Complex with state of the art equipment.

Those are just two of the many updates coming to our Campus-Wide Master Plan. Already underway are updates to the Barone Campus Center which will include “The Tully”, our new dining hall, and a parking garage next to the Kelly Center. Fairfield will also be opening a brand-new residence hall for occupancy in August of 2018.

Strong Athletic Programs

Over the last year, Fairfield University has achieved some impressive sports highlights. Our Volleyball team won the MAAC in the Fall of 2016 and our Baseball team won the MAAC in the Spring of 2016.

Taking Ownership and Promoting Tolerance Last year, students at our university held an alleged “Ghetto Party”. What happened in the following days was what we see every day in the media: reports circulated and the story grew larger reaching from here to the west coast. But, that’s the name of the game. Whether you report for Her Campus Fairfield, The Odyssey, or the New York Times it is our duty to our readers to report news as it impacts our community. As a reporter, it is equally important to ensure we are producing news content that is factual and impartial.

In the aftermath of this campus event, the students of Fairfield University came together to address the underlying issue. Within hours, FUSA had responded to the off-campus event in a university-wide email. In the days to follow, a student run forum took place where our community came together to express opinions and share grievances. The goal was—and still is—to create tolerance on campus.

Since then, Fairfield has created the Bias Response Team. This program developed from the President’s Institutional Diversity Council where faculty, staff, and students can report incidents on campus that they feel are “bias-related discrimination within the Fairfield community”.

In the face of intolerance and adversity our school came together as a community, regardless of race, and worked to resolve the situation.

A Beautiful Campus

Atop the hills at McAullife and Bellermine Hall, you can see the Long Island Sound that is just a mile away. In fact, Cosmopolitan.com rated Fairfield University one of the 18 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America.

Beauty is everywhere on Fairfield’s campus. We don’t need tweets from @SMACKEDCOLLEGE to prove we have “sexy” or “good looking” people on campus. We started the “Campus Beauty” trend, and our “Campus Cuties,” make the national chapter page on Her Campus.

Our Historical Roots 

We are a Jesuit University with a rich history in education that is reflected every day in our core values. Our connection to this fuels enrichment programs and a style of learning that remains unparalleled. Fairfield students can see this manifested in devotion through the arts, living learning communities, and service learning classrooms—to name a few.

At Fairfield, our students and faculty preach and live by Jesuit values.  We value the idea of cura personalis, which means “care of the whole person.” Our Stags work every day, in their classes, service work, jobs, and daily activities, to live as the best people we can be.  Our beloved University fosters an environment where we work together with our peers and higher-ups to be fully socially aware and responsible, leading to kinder and more accepting students.

According to our website, “At Fairfield, we believe that no matter what’s going on in the world, more unites us than divides us. When we respect and value each other, we find the common good rooted in us all, and we work together to bring out each other’s potential.” Love one another, and show people the respect that they deserve. We still love our neighboring university, but let’s keep our rivalry light-hearted and courteous.