For the first time in Fordham Lincoln Center’s history, certain suites in McKeon Hall have four residents sharing a single bedroom. Thirty-eight converted living spaces were added to both McKeon and McMahon Hall. 

“Students have been positive for the most part,” said Senior Director of Residential Life Jenifer Campbell. “We tried to notify residents of their housing options as soon as we could, based on receipt of cancellations and ongoing assignments.”

The concept of a “forced quad” — four beds fit into a triple — was introduced in McKeon for the 2019-2020 school year. In a forced quad room, two sets of bunk beds are placed in a traditional three-person living space. 

According to Campbell, placement in a quadruple is accompanied by an adjusted room fee, which costs $4,875 per semester in comparison with the standard McKeon fee of $6,705.

In McMahon, standard double fees were lowered from $8,507.50 to $6,087.50 when made into a triple. Additionally, some single rooms were converted to doubles, dropping the price from $9,947.50 to $6,587.50. 

Eliza Pagel, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’23, was not expecting to be placed in a quadruple. 

“It’s not great, but we’re alright,” said Pagel. “It’s the same as any roommate dynamic, so we are fortunate that we like each other. We honestly think the whole situation is funny at this point.” 

Pagel added that she and her roommates were disappointed to learn that their quad was originally a smaller triple in McKeon.

Campbell predicts this is not simply a temporary fix: “We are prepared to communicate to students who will tour during the upcoming admissions cycle that triples in McMahon and quads in McKeon are a definite possibility for the future.”

Redistribution is expected during the spring semester, which would lead to the potential de-quading of rooms and reconfiguration of costs. Last academic year, the Office of Residential Life faced similar issues with the semester overturn, leaving students who had been placed in triples and their families confused by unexplained price changes. 

“Every year we try to improve services and are committed to implementing suggestions from our constituents in order to make their residential living experience more enjoyable,” said Campbell.

The post Time to Bunk Up: ResLife Introduces Quads to McKeon appeared first on The Observer.

After a nearly decade of working at Fordham University, former Assistant Dean for First-Year Students Joseph Desciak departed from Fordham to pursue a career as the Associate Dean for Boston College.  

Desciak said the decision to leave was far from easy, but ultimately he felt that it was the right step in his career. 

The former Assistant Dean expressed that it was hardest to leave behind the people in the Fordham community that he loves so dearly. “Fordham is far more than an outstanding academic institution,” he said. “It is a place of welcome for all who grace our hallowed halls.” 

As the new Associate Dean for Boston College, a fellow Jesuit university, he hopes to further his professional and academic aspirations. He explained that by focusing on his academic research — the impact of faith-based higher education on socialization — he hopes to see how an institution can shape future leaders to be concerned with the injustices of the world.

Desciak’s former responsibilities are currently being fulfilled by interim Assistant Dean Arleen Pancza-Graham while the administration continues the hiring process. Pancza-Graham worked as the Sophomore Dean for Lincoln Center students until she retired in 2017. Upon Desciak’s departure, she agreed to temporarily return to Fordham as the interim Assistant Dean for First-Year students until a permanent replacement is found. 

“My understanding is that the search for a new Assistant Dean is progressing and the new administrator will be in place for the Spring semester,” Pancza-Graham said.

Desciak started his tenure at Fordham in 2009 as a doctoral student in philosophy. He eventually took on the role as Assistant Dean for Juniors and Transfers in 2011 and finally became the Assistant Dean for First-Year Students in 2013. 

Over the course of 10 years, Desciak said, Fordham has served as the backdrop to his coming-of-age journey: it’s where he met his best friend and now wife, began his career and came to embrace the Society of Jesus. J,” he said. 

Desciak has friends within all departments of Fordham, from dining services to Jesuit priests. “These folks have all become part of my extended family,” he said. His colleague and “neighbor” in McKeon, the Rev. Vincent DeCola, S.J., spoke about the times when he would get together with Desciak and his wife, sharing meals on the balcony of the Law School while enjoying the free concerts in Damrosch Park. 

DeCola praised the former dean for his “student-centric approach” and how he worked to make the students at the Gabelli School of Business and Fordham College at Lincoln Center feel more connected to one another. “While it is a great loss for us at Fordham, this seems to be the right move for Joe Desciak at this point in his career,” DeCola said. “I can only hope that perhaps fate will cause our paths to cross again at some future time.”

The former dean emphasized that he is deeply committed to the futures of Fordham’s students, and hopes they know how much he cares about their well-being. He said he is still keeping them in mind in his daily prayers. 

As he welcomes the challenge of his new role, he invites the Fordham students to take on a challenge of their own: to “say hello and greet one another on campus.” With this challenge, he promises, “You will find joy and peace in knowing that kindness is the main ingredient for happiness.”

The post Starting Fresh: Dean Desciak Departs Fordham University appeared first on The Observer.

On Oct. 6, 2019, the bright white floor tiles outside of McKeon Hall on the outdoor plaza were repainted, after numerous complaints about the reflective glare on sunny days — this area is known as the Bickford Terrace.

Frank Simio, vice president of facilities for Lincoln Center, said, “On more than one occasion, the host of an event held on the Plaza handed out sunglasses to attendees.” 

The tiles were laid during the construction of McKeon Hall in 2014. Since they were installed, a misconception about the tile’s material has spread, largely as a rumor. Many students believe that the University installed roof tile to the plaza level that was designed to reflect sunlight, which is why they appear so bright in direct sunlight. 

“I’d heard that the University had accidentally installed roof tiles on the plaza,” said Carrington Gregori, Fordham College Lincoln Center ’22. “That’s why they’re so bright, right? To reflect sunlight.”

Simio said the tiles are not actually roof tiles, but considered to be “multi-purpose pavers.” 

According to Paul Frank, an architect and the Vice President of JP&C Construction, Inc., in Mount Vernon, New York and parent of a Fordham student, multi-purpose pavers can be used in any location and are durable enough to withstand weather, everyday foot traffic and even driving over, if necessary. 

Simio explained that the brightness of the tiles, however, was unintentional. “Unfortunately, the color selected did not work for us given the relatively large area covered by the pavers and the significant amount of sun exposure they receive,” said Simio.

According to Simio, “The Facilities Department was given the challenge of coming up with a solution to the problem. A test was performed for durability and now we are waiting for a sunny day to see how well our solution performs.” 

The new color chosen is an off-white with a grayish hue. “The color was selected to blend into the existing architecture and landscape,” said Simio. However, students aren’t noticing much of a difference to the new color. 

Molly Frank, FCLC ’23, said, “Honestly, I wasn’t here when they repainted so I didn’t even notice that they did anything. Although now I can kind of see it, but I think it’s still a little bright.” 

Reeya Vashist, FCLC ’23, said, “I walked past it and it wasn’t as blinding as usual. It was toned down a bit, but not much. It’s still bright.”

The post Fordham Repaints Plaza Tiles appeared first on The Observer.

It came in the month of October. Almost like the 1917 revolution, but infinitely worse. The Big Apple Circus. The resident of Damrosch Park. My fourth roommate. My obnoxiously loud, infuriatingly blue, pathway-blocking nightmarish fiend roommate who has issues with turning the lights out after it’s past bedtime and has a strange obsession with screaming children.

It was what could have been a beautiful Saturday morning. The unreasonably hot weather actually kept the tourists away for once, and the sun was rising in the cloudless, cerulean sky. I, after an eventful Friday, was peacefully asleep, undisturbed by the bright rays shining onto my bed from the window. Then, suddenly, it began. 

A grand concerto of drills, hammers, chainsaws, buzzsaws and God-knows-what-else filled the air. I tossed, and turned, and groaned in my sleep, trying my best to keep the sound from penetrating my peaceful slumber. In the end, I turned a little bit too hard and fell out of bed.

As my face raced to meet the floor with a loud smack, my whole life passed before my eyes.  Unfortunately, I didn’t die. The drills, which were now harmonizing at an especially ear-piercing pitch, still penetrated my head.

Banished from my room by the cacophony, I returned to it late at night, hoping to spend a few hours reading in bed (a grandma-like pastime these days, I know). However, the circus just wouldn’t leave me alone. The erected tent that had the color of a reusable IKEA bag stood proudly in my McKeon backyard and taunted me with its pompous grandeur. Not only was it an eyesore because it spoiled the beige-brown-gray-red Manhattan landscape, but also because it literally shined a bright light in my eye with one of its roof projectors. Why the projectors would ever be positioned there is still a mystery to everyone who fell victim to them. Many still haven’t recovered from the trauma of wanting to observe beautiful cityscape as they fall asleep, but instead having to buy an eye mask, or worse, to physically move their bed.

A week later, I woke up with the throat of a 60-year-old chain smoker. Once more, the circus was to blame. It so happens that my wonderful body is very scared of the wonderful outside (city child problems), and to prevent me from exploring the wide plains of Russia, it had developed a myriad of allergies, including to every single animal that has fur — or doesn’t, since hairless cats still make my face blow up into a watermelon-sized sphere… Well, you can probably see where this is going.

The circus had moved in the dogs, ponies and horses a couple of weeks before the shows were to start. The animal dandruff was spreading through the air, into the air conditioning vents, which then circulated it through the room. Despite hating the animals for giving me a permanent red eye, I could nevertheless empathize with them, since I, too, had to move in a week early to go through a strange and elongated process of “Global Transition,” which I was forced to complete as an international student (the only transition it helped me with was my jetlag).

I have managed to fix my throat by overdosing on cetirizine, so the struggle has been turned over to my debit card: a 70-count pack of Zyrtec costs $35, and I’m still recovering after being forced into purchasing an overpriced meal plan (seriously, we could have used all that money to bribe the circus to set up shop somewhere else).

The circus won’t give up. It blasts alarmingly loud music for hours and hours at times when I most need to concentrate. In fact, it is doing so now, as I write this confession of hate. There is a bright side to my story: I’m moving out next semester. But my mind cannot rest, and I can’t help but worry about the poor souls that will continue their lives under the circus’s reign: It’s here to stay until February, and it’s only going to get worse.

So I suggest that we, McKeon residents, and other Fordham students willing to support our righteous cause, rise up and tear the circus down. Not literally (unless you know someone who owns a bulldozer), but with the power of our Jesuit souls. Join me in writing a petition to Father McShane, in which we ask him to perform an exorcist rite on the devils in the blue tent! It’s time to free ourselves from the circus’ reign once and for all, before it is too late…

The post Big Apple Circus Wants Me Dead appeared first on The Observer.

Take the Buzzfeed Quiz by Alison Ettinger-DeLong, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’23, to see which floor in McKeon Hall you really belong on.

The post Which Floor in McKeon Hall Do You Really Belong On? appeared first on The Observer.

Communication between the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) and residents has noticeably changed this semester. During a hot water outage in McMahon Hall in early October, ResLife was quick to inform students of the outage and encouraged students to reach out with any questions or concerns. The decision of the office to send a full outline of how all Fordham breaks will affect residence halls to residents also differs significantly from ResLife’s communication last academic year. 

At the beginning of the Spring 2019 semester, an email from the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) appeared in residents’ inboxes stating the dates McKeon Hall would close and reopen for spring break. With only two months’ notice and no information regarding alternative housing, a group of freshmen recalled their struggles over winter break, expressing similar concerns for how they’d fare in the spring. 

Rosa Schembari, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’22, said that Fordham’s policy to close McKeon hall during winter break cost her dad an extra trip to New York to pick her sister up from college as well. Likewise, Matthew Chen, FCLC ’22, had to buy expensive international tickets back to Taiwan and was forced to look for hotels in New York when he returned before the dorms reopened. Another student, who asked to remain anonymous, said they bounced between their hometown and Manhattan, couch surfing and exchanging sexual favors to have a place to sleep for two nights. 

Following the release of these winter break testimonies, ResLife sent out further emails restating McKeon’s closing policies and offered information about alternative housing. Freshmen who found themselves in “extreme circumstances” were encouraged to apply for temporary spring break housing in McMahon.

At the time, students who faced difficulties over winter break reported that they were encouraged by the new information but hoped that ResLife would be more upfront with such information in the future.

At the beginning of the following fall semester, on Sept. 11, 2019, ResLife sent a full outline to all undergraduate residents of how this year’s calendar breaks will affect residence halls. Another email was sent to residents on Oct. 28, restating the information from the first email, and inviting students to reach out to ResLife with any questions they had. Students affected by the lack of communication last winter break mostly commended ResLife’s efforts. 

“They definitely send emails more in advance now. I know they sent that one with the list of dates a few months ago, which was really helpful,” said Schembari. 

As for Chen, the increased communication didn’t make much difference. “To be completely honest, I haven’t noticed much of a difference,” he said. “But that’s also because I learned my lesson from last year and I don’t really trust them to look out for me anymore.”

The student who asked to remain anonymous, however, did appreciate the increased efforts by ResLife. “I definitely feel like they’ve been more transparent with information. I’ve gotten a lot more reminders for due dates and things like that,” the student said. “I really liked the email with the list of dates. I’ve also noticed signage around the residence halls, which has been helpful.”

Jenifer Campbell, senior director of Residential Life, said that “staff within the Office of Residential Life has focused on providing information and updates as early and in many cases as often as possible in an effort to make certain residents are aware of programs, events and facilities issues.”

“We endeavor to continue to investigate the best options for sharing information on an on-going basis,” said Campbell. 

The post ResLife Seeks Open Communication With Residents appeared first on The Observer.

A 36-inch water main servicing the Upper West Side broke at around 5 a.m. on Jan. 13, flooding 63rd Street and Broadway. The break prompted the closure of Broadway between 61st and 72nd Streets and suspended the 1, 2 and 3 subway lines from Times Square to 96th Street. At 7 a.m., Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) delayed all classes, and by 10 a.m., Public Safety announced that classes would be canceled. A final email at 2:30 p.m. informed students that the FCLC campus would reopen for evening classes at 5 p.m. 

At 11:26 a.m., NYC Water announced in a tweet that “there will be temporary water outages in the area,” as crews try to make repairs. Students on FCLC’s campus were advised not to use the water in McKeon Hall and the 140 West Building. 

GUS DUPREE/THE OBSERVER

The water in McKeon “is very scarce due to the breakage from our neighborhood,” Martha de Pumarejo, residence director for upper-class students, said in an email at 11:38 a.m. addressed to McKeon residents. “The water in the building is shut off and facilities are working their best to mitigate this issue.” 

McKeon residents were given permission to utilize the showers in the McMahon Fitness Gym. 

Water in McMahon Hall may have also been affected, and de Pumarejo warned residents of cloudy water, which she advised could be resolved by running their water until it clears. De Pumarejo also advised students to immediately submit a work request should they find their toilets running constantly due to the cloudy water. 

The limited water services caused dining services on campus, including Argo Tea and Schmeltzer Dining Hall, to be closed for the day. The Ram Cafe was partially closed as well, only selling pre-packaged food and beverages. 

COURTNEY BROGLE/THE OBSERVER

“It’s really frustrating to have to go out and spend money on food right away because of the limited options at Ram Café,” said Larry Hertz, FCLC ’23 and McKeon resident. “Obviously the school has no control over it, but I wish there could’ve been better preparation and a clearer protocol for this situation.”

At 3:26 p.m., Pumarejo announced that water had been restored to McKeon, and that the Community Dining Hall, initially indicated to be closed for the day, would be open from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

The rupture interrupted steam services between the city and the Lincoln Center campus. As a result, some buildings may have to rely on emergency boilers for heat, including Lowenstein Center and the 140 West Building, until repairs are fully made. Students, staff and faculty were advised to bring an extra layer of clothing to campus on Jan. 14 tomorrow, according to the 2:30 p.m. Public Safety email.

Ram Van services were also disrupted, with service between Lincoln Center and Rose Hill suspended until 4 p.m. Students with classes at Rose Hill were still obligated to attend, most using the D train to get to class on time.

Gallery|10 Photos

ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER

The post Water Main Break Forces Closure On First Day of Spring Semester appeared first on The Observer.

McKeon Hall, home to approximately 400 freshmen, has one laundry room that inexplicably brings out the animalistic nature of the residents who use it. The luxury of free laundry comes at the cost of pure, unadulterated chaos and savagery. With only 10 washing machines and 12 dryers at the disposal of hundreds of freshmen, any social norms that may exist in a regular laundry room are completely disregarded.

As Fordham struggles to house the considerable number of freshman residents, McKeon would benefit greatly from improvements to the laundry room. Another laundry room may be wishful thinking, but encouraging students to keep the space clean while being more responsible for their belongings is a start. 

In McMahon Hall, the laundry rooms have previously been reported to be in far worse shape with broken machines, water spewing on the floor and a lack of machine availability. According to Fordham’s laundry app CyclePay, there are 18 washers and 24 dryers for the 773 students living in McMahon, but whether or not they work is a gamble. The poor state of McMahon’s laundry rooms indicates a grim future for McKeon if the community continues to let the laundry room deteriorate. 

Attempting to do your laundry between sunrise and sunset is an amateur move — it will almost always result in a pitiful defeat involving a long elevator ride to your room with a sack of dirty laundry in hand. There are simply not enough machines to accommodate the number of people living in McKeon, which results in intense competition for any that become available throughout the day. If you do make it in, walking into a laundry room full of anxious people sitting on the window ledge calculating the exact moment they will attack a machine is intense. The ruthless culture surrounding the claiming of machines is bound to make anyone crumble. 

The clothing removal policy in the laundry room is cutthroat. If you are not standing attentively at your washer or dryer the second your cycle ends, there is a strong chance someone will remove your clothes and put them on top of the washer or on the window ledge. The look of unfiltered defeat on a person’s face after they’ve waited too long to remove their clothes from a machine is a pitiful and sad reality of the McKeon laundry room. 

I’m ashamed to admit that I have had to take someone’s laundry out of a washer or dryer when all the other machines were full. Although I feel it is a minor invasion of privacy to take out someone’s laundry, the current state of the laundry room leaves no choice. CyclePay does let users see available machines in their laundry rooms and how long their cycles have left, but many students are unaware of its existence. 

The washing and drying machines endure so much use from students that their condition is noticeably deteriorating. The green mold that lines every washing machine has been an issue for months. I am also convinced a demon possesses certain machines because every time I am using two at once, there is a guarantee one of them will add an extra 10 minutes to the cycle. One washing machine was also broken for the entirety of last semester, which made a significant impact on the already overcrowded laundry room. 

By far the most astonishing part of the laundry room is the assortment of clothes and trash left behind by students. It is constantly covered with piles of clothes students forget about when doing their laundry. Although the clothes left behind get donated, according to emails sent to freshmen from ResLife regarding the state of the laundry room, the sheer amount left behind is unsettling. I can’t help but wonder how someone can leave their laundry and never come back to get it — how can these people afford to lose their clothes so casually and not seem to care? 

I encourage residents to be grateful that laundry is free on campus, and to not take advantage of it by leaving clothes and trash in this shared space. Do everyone a favor and set a timer when doing your laundry — or do it at 11 p.m. instead of 11 a.m. We can all work together to make the laundry room better. It’s time to wash away the past, dry our tears and finally end the cycle. 

The post The McKeon Laundry Room is a Lawless Land appeared first on The Observer.

After a five-year debate about the rights and safety of transgender and gender non-conforming students, Fordham College Lincon Center (FCLC) announced that it will offer gender-neutral housing to its residents for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year.

In the past, Fordham has only offered rooming assignments based on sex assigned at birth, regardless of students’ gender identities. The Office of Residential Life (ResLife) claimed to work on a case-by-case basis with students who inquire about their gender identity. Most often, transgender students were offered a single room in McMahon Hall as an alternative to sharing rooms. 

Beginning in 2015, groups on campus including United Student Government (USG), Rainbow Alliance and The Positive pushed for inclusivity of all genders on campus by advocating for gender-neutral bathrooms, use of chosen names on official Fordham documents, and safe housing for gender-netural and transgender students. 

Now, in the 2020 room selection process, students will have the opportunity to select their preferred gender identity for the housing process instead of being forced to room based on sex assinged at birth. ResLife said they will reach out to students who indicate that they would like to discuss their gender identity, and work with them on a case-by-case basis.  

At a trans rights rally in 2018, student advocates accused Fordham of enforcing transphobic policies that isolate and put transgender and gender non-confirming students at risk.

Many gender-neutral and transgender students have expressed the detrimental effects of having to live with someone of the opposite gender. Aria Lozano, even wrote an op-ed for The Observer in 2018, where she claimed that Fordham’s transphobic and bigoted policies made her feel like she had to transfer to another university.

Keith Eldredge, assistant vice president and dean of students at Lincoln Center, said that he hoped the change would “make students feel more safe in their living environment.”

Jenifer Campbell, senior director of ResLife at FCLC, said that the decision is a result of a greater number of students seeking additional options compared to the students in prior years.

The Office of Student Affairs has been working with student leaders at USG, Residential Housing, Rainbow Alliance and the Positive since the Fall 2018 to discuss how Fordham could better provide gender-neutral options for students. 

“The student perspective was extremely important because their insight provided the experience of those who identify as a gender-nonconforming or transgender student,” said Campbell. 

Margaret Cohen, FCLC ’20, who is a member of The Positive and an advocate for gender-inclusive accommodations on campus, said that this change is a huge step forward for Fordham.

“Non-binary folks are still going to be put in vulnerable situations in this process, which won’t be resolved until there is gender-neutral housing — meaning anyone of any gender can live with anyone of any gender. Fordham is not willing to make that choice at this time despite students’ persistence that it is the safest for students of all genders,” Cohen said. “I hope to see this enacted in coming years, as it is crucial to the safety of students in navigating the already confusing and stressful process of securing housing.”

Lu Aubin, FCLC ’23 — who identifies as genderqueer and uses she/her/hers pronouns — said the change was a long time coming.

“I think it’s an incredibly important advancement in the Fordham housing policy, especially since its past is so atrocious,” Aubin said. “I am hoping that the new policy will bring me a more comfortable living space at Fordham and trust it will make the responsibility of Fordham housing easier.”

Another change in the housing application is a new question in the lifestyle question that will ask all students if they are comfortable living with a trans or gender non-confirming student. Eldredge explained that they placed, what he is referring to as the ‘“ally question,” in this section of the application process because they wanted to “normalize the question.”  

However, some have raised concerns that the new change is limited. Cohen clarified that the university has not yet achieved completely gender neutral housing.

Lincoln Center housing can now be classified as gender-segregated, as opposed to sex-segregated, according to Cohen. Students who identify as non-binary will still face obstacles in the housing application process.

Fordham is one of few Jesuit colleges to offer students more options in regard to gender neutral housing. As of April 2019, five Jesuit universities offered gender neutral housing options across the country. 

While there is no official Catholic doctrine on the status of transgender people, the Vatican did reject the transgender identity in a document titled “Male and Female, He Created Them,” in 2019. The Positive and other clubs have expressed that they have had to negotiate within the university’s Jesuit ideals in order to try and propose compromises.

The post Five Years Later, Gender-Inclusive Housing Options Announced appeared first on The Observer.

“Without the dorms, I would be living in the streets,” Isabel Piazza, FCLC ’23, said.

Piazza is an international student from Peru who depends on student housing to provide a secured home.

On March 9, one week before spring break, the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) sent an email encouraging all residential students to return home after the Office of the President announced that it would suspend all face-to-face instruction for two weeks with the hope to resume classes on March 30.

When the novel coronavirus outbreak in New York City reached a state of emergency on March 13, Fordham University made the decision to cancel all face-to-face instruction for the rest of the semester. ResLife emailed residential students to return home immediately and not come back to campus.

At Fordham University, many students, both domestic and international, consider the University to be their primary residence during the academic year. The emergency move-out mandate left some students struggling to coordinate last minute travel plans during the ongoing pandemic. 

Piazza originally had plans to travel to Hawaii for spring break leaving on March 14. After Fordham suspended classes on March 9, Piazza moved her Hawaii trip up two days and scheduled a flight home to Peru on March 30, in the case that the university moved to online classes for the rest of the semester. She had received authorization from ResLife to stay in the residence hall until March 30.

While in Hawaii, Piazza received an email from the university revoking her authorization to stay. “I responded with an email stating that I needed to stay in the dorms until my flight home as I didn’t have anywhere else to stay once I got to New York,” she said.

According to Jenifer Campbell, senior director of ResLife, when approving students to stay in the residence hall, ResLife asked “students to explain any severe personal circumstances and evaluated every request individually.”

Piazza said the response she received to her request for housing was an automated message repeating the policy for students to be moved out by March 20. 

“I had to book an overnight flight to New York and made it to the dorms on the 20th to get all of my essentials out of the dorm,” she said. When she arrived at McKeon Hall to retrieve her belongings, she was informed that the friend she brought with her to help carry her belongings was not able to be signed in to the building and that she only had 15 minutes to access her dorm.

Campbell explained that in order to uphold social distancing procedures for the students and staff’s safety, ResLife is capping the number of students approved to move out per day, and residents are responsible for managing their own belongings.

SOPHIE PARTRIDGE-HICKS
The “Express Check-out” process through ResLife.

The residence halls also utilized the “Express Check-out” process, which entails filing a room report and depositing room keys into an envelope, according to Campbell.

While in McKeon, Piazza came in contact with one of the resident directors who was on duty at the time. She explained to him the same circumstances that she included in her housing request, which was turned down. “He was very sympathetic and helpful, however he couldn’t give me more than 15 minutes at the dorm that day,” she said.

The resident director filed a report on behalf of Piazza, explaining her situation and requesting a later date for her to officially move her belongings out of the dorm. She required a later date to move out because the Embassy of Peru told her they will only allow flights into Peru until March 31 — after that, she would not be allowed back to her home country.

Piazza received confirmation from the university to officially move out of the residence hall on March 25, and in the meantime, she managed to find a temporary place to stay in a studio apartment with a family member in the city until her flight. 

The premature closure of residence halls left many other students without a guaranteed residence for the rest of the academic year.

Anna Moneymaker, FCLC ’22 and staff writer for The Observer, already scheduled a flight back to California for spring break and stayed in McMahon Hall until March 12, packing enough of her possessions with the expectation of returning in one week. 

As she relies on student housing for a permanent address, she submitted a Google Form with ResLife requesting permission to come back to campus on March 22, which she was granted.

The day after Moneymaker returned home, March 13, ResLife mandated all students to move out of the residence halls “no later than Friday, March 20,” with the exception of international students.

ResLife said their change in policy was a part of the university decision to protect the “health and safety of all members of the Fordham community.” 

Moneymaker, who is not an international student, had her return request revoked, and back in California, she did not have a permanent place to stay. “My parents take care of my grandparents so they live with them in an apartment. And so not only would that be a little tight, but also at this time it would not be safe if I stayed with them because of COVID-19,” Moneymaker said. 

Moneymaker’s aunt and uncle have been able to take her in during this time. She expressed her gratitude for having the opportunity to have a place to live for the moment, but feels as though Fordham should not have offered her the option to come back to campus if they were considering closing for the rest of the semester. 

“They shouldn’t have told me I was able to come back. Even though it would have been extremely inconvenient for me to try and pack everything in three days, I would have rather done that than leave all my stuff across the country,” Moneymaker said.

Being a Resident Assistant (RA) adds an additional layer of complexity to the emergency move-out situation. RA Danielle Eisenberg, FCLC ’21, said ResLife student staff received instruction around midnight on March 14 that they were required to be on their respective duties until March 16 at 10 a.m. Afterward, they would be officially relieved from RA duties for the rest of the semester.

Eisenberg is an international student from Austria and struggled to find time to pack up her things and find a storage unit in the short window of time. She was also scheduled to be on duty until March 15, which prevented her from leaving the residence hall. 

Amid managing her responsibilities as an RA, she had trouble organizing travel plans out of the city to meet the required March 16 deadline.

There were no flights to Austria, so she was going to go to Israel to be with her sister who is a resident there, but “due to the rapidly changing situation, there were new travel restrictions put into place for non-citizens of Israel,” she said. 

Not knowing how long it would take until she received permission from the Israeli embassy to enter the country, she emailed ResLife asking for an exemption from the move-out.

“This was particularly stressful seeing as I was staying at a friend’s apartment for the time being, but was eager to go at least somewhere I could stay for the remainder of this crisis,” she said.

ResLife responded that she needed to fill out a form and then would receive further information about her request.

“Given that there were no flights to Austria and European countries were increasingly restricting traveling in the Schengen regions as well, I was stressed,” Eisenberg said. 

In the end, she had to organize a flight to Munich, Germany, and take a train from there to Vienna, Austria, elongating her public transportation time, even though Americans are being told to socially distance themselves from others.

Eisenberg said that she does not blame the university for their decisions in the moment, as “they didn’t have more information.” However, she added that if RAs were relieved of responsibilities earlier that week, it would have been easier for her to coordinate flights before the pandemic concerns began to escalate.

“I could have taken an earlier flight and made it to Israel to be with my family instead of by myself in Austria, with a little Tom Hanks-like stint in New York at the airport,” she said.

Leaving campus within the time constraints has become a financial burden for some students. Moneymaker feels that Fordham has not been transparent about potentially refunding housing fees and has written an Opinions piece on her thoughts. Other universities, such as Loyola University Maryland and St. John’s University, are working toward granting their students partial housing and meal plan refunds.

Because of the swift departure from campus, and the original expectation to return, many students still have belongings left in the dorms. In Moneymaker’s eyes, “I’m basically paying for the most expensive storage unit in the world right now.”

SOPHIE PARTRIDGE-HICKS
With little notice, students moved out of McMahon Hall.

The university originally set a window of time between March 30 and May 17 for students to return to the campus and retrieve their belongings left in the dorms. Those plans changed after Gov. Cuomo issued an executive order closing all non-essential businesses and non-profit institutions on March 22. 

The Office of the President notified students that due to the order, students will not be able to return to the university to retrieve their belongings until the order is lifted, with the exception of returning briefly for “critically important belongings (i.e. medications, academic materials, or important papers).”

For students who live farther away from campus, even the important belongings left in their dorm rooms may not be worth the flight. Native California resident Drew Bernstein, FCLC ’22, has yet to make any plans to return to the residence hall. 

“I’m not comfortable with flying right now,” she said.

Bernstein left for the weekend on March 13 before spring break with plans to finish out the week on campus. During her flight, she received a text message from her friend informing her about the news to not return to campus for the rest of the semester. 

“I had to leave my job without giving notice. All my food I just bought is going bad in the fridge. Most of my stuff is still in the apartment,” she said. 

Students like Bernstein and Moneymaker who live far from campus and have left their belongings will have to assume the financial burden of an additional round trip flight, one that they never knew they had to make. Although on-campus student workers will still be getting paid, students with jobs off campus like Bernstein have lost their means of income. 

Graduating seniors at Fordham University, whose last semester was cut short, had to leave the campus prematurely with no reason to return to campus other than to collect their belongings. 

Madelaine Diaz, FCLC ’20, was planning on staying in the city during spring break for her internship. Upon receiving the emergency move-out notification from ResLife, Diaz booked a flight home to Panama, scheduled to leave the city on March 16.

She couldn’t bring all of her belongings with her on the flight but packed up her dorm in the case she needed a friend to move her boxes for her. “My ideal plan is to return in early May provided the health situation in New York has calmed down,” she said.

“My time at home has been plagued with mixed feelings,” Diaz said. “It is, of course, nice to be home with my family, but in these circumstances it makes everything easier and harder at the same time.”

Other students have expressed similar thoughts on the unanticipated abrupt ending of the semester and having to continue classes online.

“While I am lucky to have a home and parents that I love, it is nonetheless strange to suddenly not have in-person class, clubs, interactions with friends, or the same living environment that we had just so recently,” Ali Bernstein, FCLC ’22, said. 

International students are also struggling to adapt to the time difference that comes with resuming regular classes at home. “My whole life and schedule has been turned upside down,” Eisenberg, who has been in Austria, said.

“As a graduating senior, the uncertainty levels are anxiety-inducing regardless of how resilient you might be,” Diaz said. “Forget about not being able to say a proper goodbye to your friends, not knowing when you’ll see them next and not knowing if you will have a graduation or not. 

“Add to that the layer of being an international student and having your return to our playground (New York) be postponed indefinitely. I’m still looking for a job post-grad in this wack economy.”

To assist with the transition to online learning, the Dean’s Office of Fordham College at Lincoln Center and its Rose Hill counterpart compiled a list of “Quick Tips for Online Learning” sent to Fordham students on March 23. Additionally, the Office of the President has issued surveys to students to inform the university on ways they can make the transition simpler for students.

“If I had my pick, I would have never left in the first place,” Diaz said. “But everything is out of our control except for taking the right precautionary measures: stay home and beat this virus.”

The post Abrupt Ending to the Spring Semester Sparks Move-Out Dilemma appeared first on The Observer.

McKeon Hall, the new residence hall at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) with amenities such as a game lounge, movie theater, a dance studio, and a full kitchen, is finally open and to the dismay of the upperclassmen who are only allowed access after being signed in by someone who lives in the building, is exclusively for first year students.

Laura Paone, FCLC ‘16, said, “It’s weird to be a junior and living here for so long and then all of a sudden have to sign in to go somewhere.” 

Dean of Students at Lincoln Center Keith Eldredge said, “we are trying to figure out ways to make the new building accessible but the priority is for the students that are living there. It was built for first year students to build a sense of community.” 

According to the Fordham website, “McKeon Hall will house approximately 400 students in either double or triple rooms on twelve floors”.  The double or triple room rate is $5,772 per semester which is less than the double room rate at McMahon of $7,315 per semester. 

All non-McKeon residents must be signed into the residence hall with the exception of freshmen commuter students. According to Eldredge, visitation policies in McKeon will remain the same as visitation policies during previous years in McMahon where freshmen can sign up to get a sticker put on their ID allowing them access into McKeon between the hours of 10 a.m and 6 p.m.  Without a Commuter Affiliate Sticker, commuter freshmen would have to be escorted by a resident in order to gain entry to McKeon during the hours of 10 am to 6 p.m, according to Director of Residential Life Jenifer Campbell.

This policy follows those in place at Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) where resident students who are visiting others living in another residence halls have to sign in and out according to the Office of Residential Life Handbook. 

According to Campbell, Resident Freshmen Mentors (RFM’s) and Resident Advisors (RA’s) will be allowed to enter McKeon as officials while on duty and in facilitating programs and educational initiatives. “If they are visiting, they will have to sign in like any other student,” Campbell said.  

Eldredge anticipates “there will be growing pains–for a lack of a better word. We recognize there are some amenities in the new building that are attractive and that don’t exist in exactly the same ways as anything else on campus,” he explained. 

The new building includes the integrated learning community lounges, a reflection room, a movie theater, a dance studio, a game room, a full kitchen and a mini kitchen which all can only be accessed by non-residents through the sign-in process. The fitness center which is a place of public access in McMahon can be accessed by any current members of the Fordham community.

“We don’t just want to throw open the gates and say okay anyone come in and use it. Then the students that are paying to live there are going to be pushed out,” Eldredge said.

Eldredge continued, “we encourage club leaders who are interested in using the new building  to contact Res Life and the Student leadership office.” 

“You have to be a registered club and work through the office of student leadership and community development (OSLCD) to book a room and work with our office to see if there is availability to use the room,” Campbell said.  

“I’m curious to see when [McKeon residents] move [to McMahon] how they’re going to adjust to not having access to those facilities,” Molly Hellauer, FCLC’ 16, said.

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By TYLER MARTINS, IAN McKENNA & SARAH HOWARD
Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor & Multimedia Co-Producer, Photo Editor
Published: August 28, 2014

To celebrate the opening of the Fordham Law School and the new freshman residence, McKeon Hall, Observer photographers snapped some shots of what life might look like inside Fordham’s newest building.

The post PHOTO: Inside McKeon Hall appeared first on The Observer.

Security has adapted with Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC), expanding with the opening of the new Law School building, McKeon Residence Hall and the Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC).

According to John Carroll, associate vice president for Public Safety, this expansion has only brought a small addition of security guards on campus due to the relocation of guards from the now closed Benjamin A. Javits Law School building.

“The guards that we had, both at the desk and patrol positions at the old law school, were moved to the new law school. Then we still had to add another post up at the Plaza, so there was an addition of one. It was a redistribution plus a small addition,” Carroll said.

Existing safety procedures have only been enhanced, including the full implementation of technology. Radio frequency identification cards (RFID) scanners have been placed at every entrance on campus, including in the McKeon dining hall, so students can swipe in and out more conveniently, according to Carroll. 

The use of technology allows for cost saving, compared to the higher cost of guards. “We want to make the students safe and comfortable and at the same time, save money or not spend money that we don’t have to,” Carroll said.

With a higher population on the FCLC campus, the position of Director of Security and Safety at FCLC was created. “There was always an associate director that reported to me, but that associate director also doubled as a daytime supervisor which didn’t allow the guy to do all the tasks that I needed him to do,” Carroll said. 

Robert Dineen, who was the assistant operations manager, has been promoted to director, and now has oversight over “the fire safety piece of the operations, the environmental health piece of the operation, and the emergency management piece of the operation,” Carroll said.  

In addition to the creation of the director position, the numbers of duty supervisors were doubled, from five to ten, according to Carroll. Duty supervisors are former NYPD law enforcement officers who oversee security personnel.  

Modifications in security procedures come at a time of change within the department. Formerly known as Safety and Security, the department is now called Public Safety, which is more in line with the department’s purpose, according to Carroll. “The departments mission, frankly, has been changing in an evolving way in the last ten years. We have been taking on more and more responsibilities,” Carroll said. 

The department is not only concerned with the security and safety of students, but also manages fire safety on campus. “The guards assigned to these front desks are now qualified to be deputy fire safety directors,” Carroll said.

To be qualified as a fire safety director, guards must complete courses, exams, and be knowledgeable about facilities. 

“More than just moving and adding numbers, we’ve added quality,” Carroll said in regards to the security force.

“Fordham University is growing at Lincoln Center, and we’ve increased by 60 percent the square footage, “ Carroll said, “so we’ve had to do some enhancements of our safety programs and security programs. We’ve done it at the same time, trying to maintain a cost effective department. We have a budget like everybody else, and we have to live within that budget.” 

The post Public Safety Expands with Campus appeared first on The Observer.

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)’s newest residence hall was dedicated. Robert A. Milici, Jr., vice president for development and university relations, Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of FCLC, among others. Because of rain, the dedication occurred inside of McKeon Hall at the Skadden Conference Center.

“Wisdom and knowledge is being made here,” Grimes said of the new residence hall. “This building is becoming a house, becoming a home, as it welcomes new students to the community that is Fordham.”

On behalf of the McKeon family, Robert B. McKeon, Jr. told a story about his father’s times at Fordham and how his father wished that FCLC had a dormitory. His father “would have loved this building. He would have loved it for its bold and impressive architecture. The statement that it makes about the quality of the Fordham experience.”

At the end of the dedication, Rev. John J. Shea, S.J., director of campus ministry, blessed McKeon Hall, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Construction of the hall began in 2011 and was recently completed. McKeon Hall currently houses around 400 freshman and will remain the freshman dorm.

The post McKeon Hall, FCLC’s Newest Residence Hall, Dedicated appeared first on The Observer.

Both McMahon and McKeon Halls of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) are conveniently located in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper West Side—pharmacies, restaurants and slightly overpriced grocery stores are all within walking distance. With the Metropolitan Opera House and Central Park just steps away, residents are fortunate enough to live in such a culturally rich neighborhood. However, thanks to Fordham security, residents cannot as easily show off their New York City apartments as they can the surrounding area.

While policies enforced for safety, especially in a big metropolitan area, are justifiable, Fordham’s Catholic tradition is clearly the influence on the slightly absurd and outdated guest policy. An overnight guest entails paperwork 24 hours in advance and overnight guests of the opposite sex are forbidden. Presumably a deterrent for sex among residents with their partner of the opposite gender, the policy often leads to creative schemes in attempts to bypass it.

On Sept. 14 2014, in an official ceremony at the Vatican, Pope Francis wed couples who cohabited previous to marriage and bore children out of wedlock. Many see this as symbolic of the direction Pope Francis wants to take the Church—that is, towards modernization and acceptance of today’s social norms. Fordham and other Catholic institutions need to follow Pope Francis in his understanding and progressive ways in terms of his realistic attitude toward social issues.

When residents do not file for a guest pass 24 hours in advance it is either time to beg the Residential Assistant (RA) for an exception or to sneak the guest past the security guard. Unfortunately, hardy efforts to avoid the policy are not always successful. Yet, residents should not be obligated to deviously strategize how to have a guest over. Yes, paperwork is not that big of a burden and is understandable for precautionary reasons, but it is only acceptable if the 24-hour rule is eliminated in the name of spontaneity. However, to prohibit opposite gendered guests based on the assumption that residents’ motive is sex is prejudiced and ignorant. Moreover, residents are all adults and should be entitled to the freedom to have a friend, regardless of gender, stay over—whatever their motive is.

When Pope Francis married the couples that, according to the church, sinfully had sex outside of marriage, he presumably sought to have the Catholic Church become more forgiving regarding premarital issues. This ceremony proves one aspect of the Pope’s leniency with Catholic teachings compared to his predecessor, Pope Benedict. He is also more open on the subject of homosexuality, for example. In fact, according to “The New York Times,” he suggests that he does not judge the sexual orientation of priests and asks, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Catholic institutions need to adopt Pope Francis’s ways of continuing Catholic traditions, while also remaining relevant and in touch with today’s people.

Not only is this guest policy outdated, it is redundant, useless, and potentially dangerous. Both resident halls are co-ed and thus, in practice, residents can have sex whenever they want. It seems almost counterproductive to prevent a long-term couple practicing monogamous, safe sex from seeing each other, while residents have the option to engage in meaningless sex right under Fordham’s nose. Additionally, FCLC has a considerable gay population, making Resident Life’s attempt to regulate sex even more of a failure. Considering a RA cannot question residents’ sexual orientation when granting guest passes, it would be more logical to eliminate the permittance of overnight guests entirely. While this is the more equal option, it is certainly even more undesirable and would place Fordham in an unreasonable situation. Furthermore, forcing all guests without guest passes to leave by 3:30 A.M. with the threat of fines and disciplinary action has the potential to endanger both the guest and the resident—taking the subway to another borough or a bus to another state at such a late hour is generally not a good idea but a sacrifice many make to see the resident of his/her choice.

Residents respect Fordham’s living tradition of Catholicism and the Jesuit education. We are not heretics; we simply believe Fordham should take all of these factors into consideration and re-evaluate the guest policy. Reassessment is not only necessary for our relationships and sanity, but also in the name of the freedom that comes with college and the policy’s questionable basis and intentions

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The crowded ascending elevator comes to an abrupt halt as a violent ding commands the doors to open on the second floor of McMahon Hall. A girl with a backpack hanging off one shoulder steps into the elevator and hits the fifth floor. The doors close as she proceeds to take out her iPhone and look down at it. Little does she know that right behind her, a crowd of upperclassmen are staring at the back of her head with angry eyes, unhappy with the fact that she’s taking the elevator up three floors. Some furrow their brows while others roll their eyes; this action is a carnal sin at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC).  A minute later, the doors open, and the girl scurries out with iPhone in hand and leaves the rest of the upperclassmen having to endure extra elevator time on their journey up through McMahon Hall. 

This situation is perhaps the most obvious pet peeve at FCLC, for we depend on our elevators to get us to where we need to be at the very moment we need to be there. Pet peeves lurk around every corner at FCLC and slither through the creaks and cracks of every student’s experience here. I asked students what their worst FCLC pet peeves were, and this is what they said: 

FCLC Pet Peeve #1: The Library

Jalen Glenn FCLC ’16 says that his pet peeve would definitely have to be the library. “It’s too small, and it doesn’t have any windows,” Glenn said. Glenn agreed that students would be more eager to spend time in the space if it had a better set up and a different location. As a worker in the law school library, Glenn said that “it’s perfect. There are windows, study rooms, outlets in convenient places, and above all, a café. Quinn is sorely lacking in providing an inviting place to study, so I think it should move into the old law school library.” 

FCLC Pet Peeve #2: Wi-Fi Connection 

The be all end all of our technologically driven lives! When asked what her biggest FCLC Pet Peeve is, Gloria Bassani FCLC ’16, remarked with a furrowed brow and zero hesitation, “the Wi-Fi!” Bassani notes that it is custom to have to turn her Wifi on and off consistently until she finally gets connected. Bassani said that whenever this happens, “it takes [her] nearly 15 minutes to get everything working up to speed.” Connecting to the Wi-Fi at FCLC is like playing a game of Russian Roulette, constantly uncertain of what you’re going to get.  “IT needs to figure out a better way to handle this” Bassani said. 

FCLC Pet Peeve #3: Laundry Rooms and Hot Temperatures

The horror story of every FCLC student: leaving your clothing in the dryer for 10 minutes too long and coming back to discover that someone has pulled it out and thrown it on top of a washer. Director of Public Relations for the Residential Housing Association in McMahon Nate Coffey, FCLC ’16, said that his biggest pet peeve is when “people move your stuff” in the laundry room. It’s understandable that you have the responsibility of timing your laundry and not leave it there for hours, but when someone pulls out your clothes toward the end of a dryer cycle, it’s not okay. This is a pretty inevitable feat, but Coffey agreed that students should be more aware and respectful of other people’s items. 

There are also issues amongst utilities in McKeon Hall as well.  “It took me three hours to do my laundry last night,” Annuziata Santelli , FCLC ’18 said. It is important to note that these laundry machines located on the 11th floor of McKeon are brand new. Santelli continued, “The washing machines wouldn’t rinse my clothes so I had to keep putting them back in.” Santelli also said that there is trouble with the heat in her dorm room and that it is extremely sporadic. These heating systems, like the laundry machines, are brand new as well, so it is troubling that there are already many kinks to work out. 

FCLC Pet Peeve #4: Commuters visiting McMahon and Inconvenient Club Hours

A sophomore and commuter from Queens, New York, Melissa Alamilla ’17 says her biggest pet peeve at FCLC would have to be “the policy about commuters signing into McMahon Hall.” Frustrated, Alamilla argued that it is unfair that commuter freshmen are allowed into the building with a sticker, while the rest of the underclassmen and upperclassmen have to be signed in traditionally. It brings up a good question: Why are only freshman commuters allowed to use the study and soft lounges in McMahon Hall when it is an upperclassmen residence hall? 

Additionally, Alamilla noted that another one of her pet peeves is the “fact that popular clubs do not meet during the allotted club meeting blocks on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.” This especially obstructs an FCLC commuter’s ability to participate in and attend clubs like Amnesty International or Soccer Club, especially because these meetings are held during the evening hours when trains and bus schedules do not run as often. In order to change these peeves, Alamilla agreed that Office of Residential Life should create stickers for all commuting students, and clubs should start using the midday block. 

FCLC Pet Peeve #5: Vending Machines

When asked his biggest pet peeve of FCLC, George Kostal, FCLC ’16 stated that it would have to be that “there are no regular Skittles in the 14th Floor Lounge vending machine in McMahon Hall, just Wild Berry.” Perhaps not as pressing as other pet peeves, it still should be noted that snack variety is very important to any hungered and hard-working college student. When asked how he thinks this should be fixed, Kostal replied, “The student body should make administration aware of this, and hopefully they can contact whoever runs our vending services.”

The post Pet Peeves at Fordham: What Makes You Tick? appeared first on The Observer.

According to Jenifer Campbell, director of Residential Life at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), McKeon Hall will be officially shut down for winter break and freshmen will be able to stay in McMahon Hall free of charge.

Rumors circulated last week that freshmen would have to pay over $1000 to stay on campus over break. “The rumors started because we were still trying to figure out whether there was going to be a charge associated,” with freshmen winter housing, Campbell said. Contributing factors to the decision were meal plan costs and the fact that, “meals are not available during the break period,” Campbell said.

Shilpa Basu FCLC ’18, McKeon resident, would prefer to stay in McKeon over break. “That is all that we know and where we are comfortable,” Basu said. “I personally haven’t ever seen a McMahon room and wouldn’t feel at home or comfortable if I had to stay there.”

According to Campbell, there are too few students staying to accommodate a meal plan and therefore, consolidating students in McMahon was the better option. McMahon’s kitchen access allows students to prepare their own meals and takes the pressure off the school.

Some freshmen residents were more understanding. Ninett Rodriguez,  FCLC ’18, said, “I’m sure Res Life has their reasons to move freshmen into McMahon. It must be easier to keep track of people and it’s one less building to maintain.”

If students have not filled out the winter housing form, they must be out of their rooms 24 hours after their last final. Finals end Monday, Dec. 22. The campus will re-open for spring semester on Monday, Jan. 12.

Additional reporting by Justin Rebollo

The post McKeon to Close Over Winter Break appeared first on The Observer.

According to Dean of Students Keith Eldredge, the number of student transports by emergency medical services to the hospital due to alcohol consumption has more than tripled, rising from four incidents this time last year to 14 this year.

Many students were unaware about this increase. “I haven’t heard of anyone getting hospitalized here at all,” Megan Zuckerman Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’16, said. “Walking around the dorm on a weekend night is basically the same as on any weeknight.”

As of this publication, 16 students have been evaluated by Fordham staff after looking visibly intoxicated. Thirteen of the 16 were freshmen, a 40 percent increase from last year. Two of the 16 students were able to refuse medical attention. Each student was only hospitalized once.

Many students speculated that the spike in medical attention requirements was due to the increase in the freshman class size. Lincoln Center welcomed around 100 more residential freshmen than in 2013. “A lot of freshmen are new to a big city, away from home for the first time, and get a little wild,” Andrew Milne, FCLC ’16, said. “More students just means this happens more often.”

Eldredge agreed with that sentiment and added that the structure of the new building, McKeon Hall, may have been a causing factor. The building is only open to freshmen and was designed to have larger sense of community than McMahon Hall. “It’s not this crazy, wild party house,” Elderdge said. “I don’t think this year’s group of freshmen are any wilder or crazier,  but I think there is a different level of atmosphere.”

Levels of drinking on college campuses have increased dramatically nationwide and are continuing to rise. According to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA), young adults aged 18-24 saw a 25 percent increase in hospitalization from 1999 to 2008.

Each year, 1,825 college students aged 18-24 die from alcohol-related injuries or alcohol poisoning, according to CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov. “The first six weeks of freshman year is an especially vulnerable time for heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year,” the NIAA wrote. Of the 13 Fordham freshmen who were transported to the hospital, eight of the incidents happened within the first six weeks of school.

Kelly Schumacher, assistant director for Alcohol and Other Drug Education (AODE), helps to provide students with information about drug and alcohol use, especially after a student has been documented for violating Fordham’s policies. Schumacher said the programs, such as AlcoholEdu, give students a chance to educate themselves about alcohol consumption and reflect on their own use. Currently, she is working on creating a Wellness Committee with students to help educate Fordham’s population about health issues, including alcohol and other issues such as stress.

Both Jenifer Campbell, director of residential life at FCLC, and Eldredge highlighted surveys as incredibly useful to both students and administrators. The surveys, administered by organizations, such as Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) and AODE, inform the administrators of students’ habits while the programs conducted such as AlcoholEdu, give students helpful tips like alternating alcoholic drinks with water.

 “Our emphasis is on harm reduction and the ways in which students can drink safely instead of binge-drinking,” Campbell said.

Eldredge emphasized the importance of students helping other students. Most of the students who were transported to the hospital were returning to campus after drinking when a staff member noticed the students seemed intoxicated. 

For students who are afraid to seek medical attention for themselves or a friend because of possible reproductions, the medical amnesty policy protects students from getting in trouble when someone requires medical attention. Students can call for themselves or for other students and will not get in trouble with Fordham for consumption and possession of alcohol and other drugs, but students are subject to disciplinary action if found violating other policies, such as physical abuse or property damage. The amnesty policy only applies for a first-time offense for both the student who requires medical attention and the student who seeks medical attention for a friend.

“I really want students to take care of each other,” Eldredge said. “Sometimes students make bad decisions and find themselves or their friends in a situation where they’ve over consumed. Any student can call for help.”

The post Alcohol Incidents Tripled—Mostly Freshmen appeared first on The Observer.

Part of McKeon Residence Hall is acting as an academic building this semester with two sections of Math for Business Calculus being held on the 22nd floor. The lounge, already equipped with a projector and whiteboards, officially doubles as a classroom. Although this is a first for McKeon, the concept of class being taught outside the classroom is not a new one for Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). 

“In the past, professors would occasionally teach a class in fifth floor lounge in McMahon Hall, if they needed a different setting,” Dean of Students at FCLC, Keith Eldredge said.

Jenifer Campbell, director of Residential Life at FCLC, said, “It was a natural segue with McKeon Hall that we continue the same tradition. Professors teaching integrated learning community courses [now] have the option to have sessions in the [McKeon] building if they choose to do so.”

According to Rev. Vincent DeCola S.J., assistant dean and program advisor for the Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC), who is teaching the class, the decision to use McKeon 2205 resulted from both the necessity for space and the drive to facilitate integrated learning. “[The decision was made] partially out of default. McKeon Hall has allowed for us to grow our numbers; however, we haven’t grown our space yet – especially our classroom space,” he said.

Timing also contributed to the decision to hold the classes later in the afternoon. Eldredge added, “As classroom availability is tighter in the night than it is during the day, with graduate school and professional continuing studies classes being taught [in Lowenstein], we were looking at a class time later on in the day.”

The two sections are being held back-to-back on Mondays and Thursdays, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. For those living in the building, including DeCola himself, it will mean a short commute.

“Another reason why I thought it would be a good idea to teach a calculus class [in McKeon] was because the vast majority of students taking the class are in their freshman year,” he said. 

For commuters taking the class, Eldredge said, “It is simply a matter of signing up. Father Vin has given a list of those students [enrolled] to public safety.”

“The security guard has been very good about keeping that list,” DeCola said.

Beyond the need for space, DeCola sees the decision as a way to realize the concept of integrated learning. He said,  “Using the room is homage to the idea that learning should be able to take place in all aspects of life, beyond the cube known as the classroom.”

According to Eldredge, “Having a classroom in a residence hall has some attractiveness to it. There is [certainly] a distinction between your academic life and intellectual pursuits, and your social life and living space. To some extent, we want to a see a merger [of these], as the hallmark of Jesuit education is being a well-rounded person.”

Campbell, on her initial reaction to DeCola’s proposal, said, “Wonderful. It gives an opportunity for learning to take place outside the traditional classroom setting.”

The class already experienced a bump in the road during the first week of class, when issues with room reservations forced the class to be held in an available room in the Law School. 

As for the rest of the semester, DeCola affirms that McKeon Hall will be reserved for the classes during that period. 

Even though 2205 will be used as a classroom, Eldredge maintains that “first and foremost, [McKeon 2205] is a residence hall lounge, and we want it to be available for students living in the building who need the space. It is a pilot experiment. We don’t know how many professors are interested, or what bumps we’ll encounter, but if it works well, it’ll likely continue.” 

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The housing process has officially begun at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). Whether you’re a freshman and this is your first time at the rodeo, or you’re an upperclassman checking up on Residential Life (Res Life) policies,  here is the basic information you need to know to stay on track:

Tuesday, Feb. 3 kicked off the housing process when students received a preliminary email alerting them of the impending process and initial housing deposit. The $200 deposit for housing was due on Feb. 13, 10 days following the notification of the payment. 

Another note for freshmen to keep in mind is that McMahon rates run higher than those for McKeon. The rate for a single room will be $17,605 per semester for the 2015-2016 academic year. The rate for a double room will cost $15,065 per semester, costing $3,180 more than a double or triple room in McKeon Hall, which will cost $11,885. These rates are subject to change, though the Office of Residential Life doesn’t anticipate these rates changing for the 2015-2016 year. 

Both new and returning residents to McMahon have been placed in Overflow Housing if they failed to meet the deposit deadline. Jenifer Campbell, director of Residential Life, explained that in addition to students who failed to meet the deposit deadline and any who may fail future deadlines, “any student who didn’t participate in core programming or [has] sanctions relative to the student conduct process” will be placed in Overflow Housing. Students in Overflow Housing are unable to personally select their rooms or roommates, though they still participate in an online lifestyle survey and are still guaranteed housing for the 2015-2016 year. “We assign [housing to] those students normally around the middle of July,” Campbell added. “We try to do the best match.” 

Phase Two of the housing process began on Feb. 18. During this time, students completed an online housing application available at my.fordham.edu. Through the application, residents sign a housing agreement and provide basic personal information such as graduation year. As noted in the housing manual sent to students, this phase concluded on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.

Phase Three is the group formation process. Beginning on Monday, March 2 and lasting until the following Friday, March 6, residents must make the decision of whom they want to live with for an entire academic year. This process is new for rising sophomores, who, for the most part, had been assigned roommates by the Office of Residential Life. 

In the event that students find themselves in a position of not knowing who they want to live with, there will be a roommate mixer. Campbell explained that “it’s an opportunity for folks to mix and mingle and figure out if they can be roommates and form a group.” The roommate mixer will take place on Thursday, February 26.

Also during phase three, students must also designate which type of apartment they wish to live in. Offered in McMahon for the 2015-2016 year are, as outlined in the housing manual, three-person single apartments, four-person double apartments, four-person partial apartments (one double and two single rooms) and six-person double apartments. As a way to streamline the process, each group will designate a group leader who will create a group page on my.fordham.edu, adding group members and designating that group’s desired room.

Phase Four of the room selection process begins Monday, March 9 and is the the actual room selection process, in which groups are able to select the actual rooms they will be living in. It is important to note that this process isn’t available to freshmen until March 12. As Jenifer Campbell explained, “This last phase basically goes through according to class standing from rising seniors, then juniors, then sophomores.” This means that the rooms available to the Class of 2018 will be those left over following the room selections of upperclassmen. Groups will either luck out and receive their first choice of room or, due to either room or group conflicts, will be placed by the Office of Residential Life over the summer. 

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