The Commuting Students Association (CSA), not the Commuter Student Services (CSS), is often overlooked, just as commuter students typically are when it comes to Fordham University’s policies and campus culture. CSA is an organization that works toward implementing policies and services to reflect the needs of commuter students at Fordham, making it a perfect opportunity to join for those who have held leadership positions in high school and wish to continue using their voice, or even for those who haven’t and wish to gain leadership experience. “The Commuting Students Association’s mission is to foster community within the commuting student population at Rose Hill and create changes in policy that have a substantial, positive impact on daily commuter life,” said Executive President Hector Cruz, FCRH ’24. “We are a student government organization and it is our responsibility to hear our fellow students’ concerns and ensure that we bring awareness to the school’s administration and inspire change,” said the Executive Program Coordinator Crystal Wu, GSB ’25.
There are five boards for the club — Executive, Senior, Junior, Sophomore and First-Year — with each board being composed of a president, vice-president, treasurer, program coordinator and marketing coordinator. Membership is through an election process that takes place every year, at the start of the fall semester for first-years and at the end of the spring semester for upperclassmen. Members are required to attend weekly General Assembly meetings, taking place on Mondays from 1-2:15 p.m. These meetings are open to the public for anyone to voice their concerns or just to be present.
CSA further engages both the commuter and general population through “small board” events, hosted by each individual board and occurring throughout the semester, as well as larger scale ones. These include the annual Thanks-Give-Away (TGA), which is a major fundraiser event meant to raise money for donations in the Thanksgiving season. The most recent one in November 2023 raised over $1,000 in addition to books and canned goods. Another large-scale event, which occurs during the spring semester and is coming up during the week of April 15-19, is when each board has their major event on a day of the week, centered around one major theme. “Not only did we get a huge turnout, but you can also see how commuters and even residents genuinely enjoyed these events with their friends,” Wu said. Previous years’ Commuter Weeks, as well as general information about elections and other informative updates, can be found on their Instagram.
As for the policies mentioned earlier, CSA forms Commuter Life Committees (CLC) in which members discuss overlooked issues that commuters face in their Fordham experience, such as the orientation schedule, absence policies and campus closures (especially during inclement weather) and increased printer accessibility. Wu worked on the alteration of registration times in order to increase accessibility for commuters. “With the collaboration of USG, my board and I brought attention to commuters’ challenges with academic registration, met with the school administration to discuss potential ideas, and made the change. We are proud to say for the first time in many years, we changed registration time… CSA and USG are still collaborating to refine registration time to satisfy our student body,” Wu said. It’s that time of the semester when members are currently working on their policies, creating surveys to gather data for each issue to then use as evidence for needing new policies to pass. These surveys, along with a description of each issue, can be found online. Talking about issues that matter and being able to create change for the commuter population is what the CSA is all about, and CLC is where this mission fully takes form.
Every member has their own experience with CSA, and joining was definitely a change in the right direction for them all. Cruz shared, “Entering college during [COVID-19] was particularly challenging for me as a commuter. By the end of my sophomore year, I knew that going strictly from home-to-class-to-work-to-home wasn’t going to cut it anymore because of how much I yearned for community. The CSA Outreach Coordinator at the time, Nishi Akter… plugged me into the community and, after running and being elected as a marketing coordinator during fall 2022, [it] changed my Fordham experience entirely for the better!”
Wu recalled her own experience, saying, “I tried being part of a few clubs, but I did not feel like I fit in until my friend mentioned her role at CSA. I volunteered for one of CSA’s events, and I loved how everyone was innovative, collaborative, welcoming and most importantly, I felt I belonged… After being on CSA for over two years, there has never been a dull moment as we continue to think of ways to help foster meaningful experiences for the commuter population.”
I am currently the marketing coordinator on the First-Year Board, and I can say much of the same. The feeling of having this community of commuters is unmatched, and I’m grateful I was able to join CSA in the fall semester. It’s definitely shaped my Fordham experience for the best from the very beginning, allowing me to meet new people and constantly learn new things, developing leadership skills I was too shy to channel before. I hope to continue being a part of CSA through the years and do more for the commuter population at Fordham.
