“I’ve always been aware that I had students who had to work to help their families while they were in class. But I don’t think I understood in a richer way, what that might look like,” said Fernald. For faculty, conversations about equity and needing to better understand their students’ ability to complete assignments led to broader conversations regarding empathy in general.  

As New York City gears up for the mayoral primary election, Fordham University students provide a sample of political opinions that the city’s youngest voters may hold. 

The Senate discussed the issue previously brought up by Vice President Maya Bentovim, FCRH ’23, about vaccination concerns during final exams.  Bentovim raised the concern two weeks prior after Fordham students who received their first doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine realized they would receive their second shot during final examinations. Many students who have received the vaccine have noted feeling symptoms the day after their second shot, said Bentovim.

Discussions of racism and the importance of anti-racist action have been heighted  this year following the global Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. The Fordham Ram has since covered numerous statements disavowing racism released by academic departments at Fordham in the fall semester. Many department heads described their plans to ensure their department plays a role in the continued dedication of Fordham University to social justice and standing against racism.

In a recent Student Life Committee meeting, professor Judith Jones discussed an ongoing project spearheaded by the Diversity Action Coalition (DAC) to help Fordham University acknowledge the Native American tribes that used to reside on the land the university is built upon. 

Thomas Reuter, FCRH ’22, and Arianna Chen, FCRH ’22, were announced as the executive president and executive vice president of Fordham’s United Student Government for the 2021-2022 academic year. 

Originally, the university planned to host 15 separate graduation ceremonies for Fordham undergraduate students over the course of three days. However, Fordham will now hold seven ceremonies over four days and allow each graduating student to bring up to two guests, according to Michael Trerotola, assistant university secretary and special assistant to the president.

Fordham Dining is working to bring operations back to a normal level, but because of the decrease of students physically on campus, there is a financial struggle, said Deming Yaun, the Fordham dining contract liaison. 

Omagu said that the flexibility afforded to American college students when it comes to changing majors and experimenting with new subjects was a big reason she chose to study in the United States. 

More than 10 students in 15-course sections at Fordham received A’s last semester, some of which were undeserved, according to Dr. Maura Mast, dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, and Dr. Laura Auricchio, dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center.