An emotionally disturbed man entered campus through the Walsh Gate turnstiles and entered a suite in Walsh Hall on Nov. 3. The man was subdued by Public Safety officers and then transported by NYPD to a local hospital where he was later arrested. No students were physically injured. Public Safety notified students of the incident in an email shared with the Fordham community on Nov. 4.
According to the Public Safety advisory email, the man entered campus by squeezing behind a student returning to campus through the Walsh Gate turnstile. The email states that Public Safety has increased security at Walsh Gate.
“Public Safety cars are now located at the Walsh turnstile to prevent ‘piggybacking’ when they are not on an assignment. We also have a video monitor at our security base that is fixed on the turnstile,” said Robert Fitzer, associate vice president for Public Safety.
Nov. 3’s proceedings aren’t the only occurrence of subjects gaining unauthorized access to campus. On two separate occasions in spring 2022, a man used a ruse to enter campus and stole scooters from Loschert Hall. The subject gained access to campus multiple times by asking students to swipe him onto campus. In the Public Safety alert email sent to students in April 2022, Public Safety reminded students to only swipe themselves onto campus.
Fordham’s website states that all campus entrances are staffed by campus security personnel. The Walsh Gate turnstile used to have a guard stationed outside the gate 24 hours a day. In 2015, the turnstile with an ID card reader was installed and the guard was reassigned to a different location. Currently, the Walsh Gate turnstile has an anti-passback feature that prevents students from tapping in more than once. However, Public Safety is considering implementing newer technology to prevent “piggybacking.”
“We are also exploring the feasibility of installing a new product that utilizes technology to detect when two people enter the same compartment of a turnstile,” said Fitzer.
Amy Herd, FCRH ’25, said she thinks that there should be campus security personnel stationed at Walsh Gate 24 hours a day, similar to all other campus entrances. Herd lives in the apartment suite that was entered on Friday evening.
“I think there should be a guard out there [Walsh Gate]. I would like it to be something more like at the Bathgate entrance where you tap your ID,” said Herd, “Especially because it’s right next to a dorm like the other campus entrances, it doesn’t make sense why Walsh Gate should be an exception.”
Alexis Hurchalla, FCRH ’26, a resident of Walsh Hall, also said she thinks implementing campus security personnel outside of Walsh Gate will benefit the future safety of students.
“I think Walsh Gate is usually safe but after the incident that took place I think a security guard couldn’t hurt to prevent this from happening again in the future,” said Hurchalla.
Herd also stated that there should be a guard considering the frequency of mass shootings in the U.S., particularly in schools and on college campuses.
“This is something that they [Fordham University] should take very seriously because we could have died. He could have brought a handgun in the building — especially with the number of mass shootings happening recently,” said Herd.
Although Herd and her roommates still feel relatively safe on campus, they said they’re hoping to see Public Safety implement more security changes. Similarly, although she said she continues to feel safe on campus, Friday’s occurrence has led Hurchalla to be more aware of her surroundings.
“While Friday’s incident didn’t make me second guess my safety on Fordham’s campus, overall, it definitely was a reminder that anything can happen even while inside the gates. As a resident of Walsh, I am definitely more aware of people entering the building,” said Hurchalla.
In order to promote the safety of the Fordham community, Public Safety advises students to take extra precautions to keep themselves and their peers safe, especially when entering campus.
“If anyone — a stranger or not — asks students to swipe them in, the student should direct the person to the guard at Bathgate if it feels safe to do so, or call Public Safety as soon as it feels safe to do so. If someone follows them through the turnstile, students should call Public Safety again,” said Fitzer.
“I think this should be a wakeup call to them. They’ve been pretty nice with reaching out to us and I haven’t really had enough time to see if they’re implementing the things my roommates and I are asking for, but this isn’t something they should be sweeping under the rug,” said Herd.
