By Ryan Di Corpo

Patrick Fox, FCRH ’20, does not have time for this.

It is 4:34 on a Thursday afternoon and Fox — walking down a rain-soaked Fordham Road in his usual business casual attire — is three hours past his Dean’s Council meeting, less than one hour from his United Student Government (USG) meeting and more than three hours from a well-rehearsed dance routine.

It is opening day of “The Addams Family,” the latest musical production from Fordham’s oldest student-run organization, the Mimes and Mummers — known in shorthand as “the Mimes.”

As set designer, pit coordinator and ensemble member, Fox holed up in Collins Auditorium and launched himself headlong into the taxing work of organizing and staging a quality musical, navigating budget constraints and managing a tight schedule.

A feat to behold was the production’s set design, which for a month found Fox fastening corner braces, drilling clapboard, sawing lauan plywood, assembling  “quarter-round open louvered arch top” shutters, hoisting an over 15-foot cupola onto a balcony and calculating the hypotenuse of a triangle platform until the time of night was both unclear and unimportant.

“‘The Addams Family’ was definitely … my biggest challenge since my time on the Mimes’ executive board,” said Fox.

Following the musical Sunday afternoon, the house lights had been brought up, the audience had departed and the Addams’ mansion had been disassembled.

“I wouldn’t have been able to get through (‘Addams’) without the help of so many people like the rest of the board and other dedicated members of the club,” said Fox. “At the end of the show I was exhausted but I couldn’t have been more proud of the work we had all done on what ended up being an amazing show.”

Exhausted or not, Fox isn’t taking a break. He cannot, because being caught between several meetings and juggling a head-spinning list of responsibilities is the only way of life he knows or desires.

On USG, Fox is Vice President of Fordham College at Rose Hill, in which capacity he also leads the FCRH Dean’s Council.

Additionally, he is a Resident Assistant (‍RA) in Finlay Hall, the Junior Class Representative for the Mimes, a University Ambassador for the Rose Hill Society and a third-year member of the Schola Cantorum.

An appropriate question here is: “Why?” It seems that taking on any one of these tasks would be sufficient. However, Fox has clear motivations.

“The reason I do so many things is because I love to watch people grow as individuals,” said Fox. “When I’m with the Mimes, I care about seeing my friends grow as actors and musicians and technicians and carpenters and so much more. As an RA, I want to see people grow in the communities where they live.”

Fox first became involved with the Mimes during the fall 2016 production of the musical “Gypsy,” in which Fox played tuba in the pit. He became a member of the Mimes’ executive board through a special election in Oct. 2017.

“(I) haven’t looked back since,” said Fox.

As for his involvement with USG last year, Fox served as a sophomore class senator and member of the Dean’s Council.

This academic year, Fox has been elected to a larger role which finds him working directly with University administration, including Dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill Maura B. Mast.

“Patrick Fox has been an involved and engaged member of the FCRH Dean’s Council during his time at Fordham and I’ve enjoyed working with him,” said Mast.

“… I continue to work closely this year with Patrick, in his role as Vice President for FCRH and Chair of the FCRH Dean’s Council, and I am impressed with the energy and organization that he is bringing to this.”

According to Fox, “As VP of FCRH, my main personal goal is to improve the academic experience for students.”

He also said, “… This year, I restructured the Dean’s Council to give a lot more leadership opportunities to people passionate about academics. With this new structure in place, my role is to be their direct link to the administrators that we work with.”

Fox’s well-documented work ethic and established trustworthiness have earned him the respect of both his peers and superiors.

“Vice President Fox has brought great leadership and passion to the FCRH Dean’s Council,” said USG president Connor Sullivan, FCRH ’19.

“Last year, his work on the Annual Research Reception was impressive and just one example of why … he will continue to excel as the Vice President of FCRH. … Fordham is so lucky to have a great leader in him.”

In concurrence with Sullivan’s sentiments, Assistant Dean for Student Involvement Cody Arcuri said, “I’ve had the honor of working with Patrick Fox over the past couple of years on United Student Government and have come to welcome his guidance and expertise on various areas.”

Fox, a philosophy major and music minor, is already looking ahead to postgraduate life.

“After college, I’m looking to go to law school and pursue a law career in an entertainment field,” he said.

As a noted superhero fan, Fox has also floated the following contingency plan: “Work for Marvel and have them pay me back for all the money I spend on their movies.”

The headline of this profile — “Dedicated Junior Is Happy to Be Busy” — was suggested, in part, by Fox himself. He may be happy to be impossibly involved, but the feeling is mutual for those who work alongside him.

“Patrick is the smiling face of the Mimes,” said Mimes’ president Madeleine Burrow, FCRH ’19. “He’s always happy and enthusiastic even when we’re in stressful situations. He inspires the best out of the people around him.”

This statement regarding Fox’s disposition is echoed by Arcuri.

“Through [Fox’s] various roles, I have always been able to rely on his calm … demeanor to assist with any situation that may present himself,” said Arcuri. “Patrick continues to be an outstanding student leader and I look forward to continue working with him in the future.”

Now in the third year of his college career, Fox advocates the virtue of persistence.

“The most important lesson I’ve learned at Fordham is to never give up,” said Fox. “One thing I tell all my tour groups is that at Fordham, you can do whatever you put your mind to and even those things you didn’t think you could do. …”

It is evident that Fox has heeded his own advice. But for him, the focus ought to be on the various communities which surround him — and the communities he has yet to enrich.