By KATHERINE VALLES
Throughout the week of April 8, people may have noticed Comic-Con-themed attractions all throughout campus, from a full arcade set up in McGinley to inflatable castles on Eddie’s.
These events were sponsored by the Commuting Students Association (CSA) as a part of Commuter Week, a week of free daily events geared to commuters and residents alike.
“The biggest goal for my administration is to bridge the gap between commuters and residents,” Anthony Tochet, GSB ’13, president of CSA, said. “Commuter Week is meant for everyone because Fordham is all about fostering a community among all students.”
CSA began planning for the event long in advance, as early as the summer.
“We started discussing ideas for the theme in the summer,” Jessica Giglio, FCRH ’15, and CSA’s publicity director, said. “Ever since January, we focused on all aspects of planning the event.”
This year’s Commuter Week was inspired by Comic-Con, with events themed around comic books, video games and movies.
As a further attraction, every event also featured free food, T-shirts and raffle tickets for prizes such as game consoles and Comic-Con passes.
Commuter Week ’13 kicked off on Monday, April 8 with “Jedi Jam,” a Star Wars themed evening program that included a free martial arts trainer and life sized gyroscope.
“I saw a good number of commuters and residents [on Monday],” Julian Atienza, FCRH ’14, said. “It was a good opportunity to see people who I don’t ordinarily see. I don’t participate in many CSA sponsored events and this was a very positive experience, so I will definitely go to future events.”
Many events were scheduled for commuter friendly hours, including a Quidditch game held around noon on Wednesday, and “Throwback Thursday,” an early afternoon event celebrating several childhood video games with a game of life-size Pacman.
The festivities on Eddie’s Parade drew students curious about the lineup of events for Commuter Week.
“I saw the Quidditch game on Eddies,” Josellin Aldana, FCRH ’16, said. “I didn’t get to play, but seeing it drew me to go to future events.”
There were also video game themed programs, including an old school style “Über Arcade” in the McGinley ballroom on Tuesday and a Halo themed laser tag competition.
Students generally agree that the events successfully brought together commuting and resident students alike.
“I think it’s a really nice way for commuters to meet residents,” Ellysa Smith, FCRH ’15, said. “It’s great to come out to these events and have a chance to meet commuters, especially since they’re so busy with their schedules.”
Other students, however, disagreed.
“I personally feel like I’m more connected to the commuter students but not to residents that participated,” Juan Portem, FCRH ’16, said. “It seemed to me that almost a majority of the students that participated during commuter week were commuters.”
The details for each event were available on Facebook, which were only viewable by those who joined a Facebook group created specifically for Commuter Week.
Thus, publicity for the events also relied on group members spreading the word to their friends.
Members of CSA emphasized that the week’s events were open to all students.
“The one thing that I would like people to know is that just because it is Commuter Week, it does not mean residents are not welcomed,” Chris Cepeda, FCRH ’13, executive vice president of CSA, said.
Another drawback, according to students, was that some of the events were held at inconvenient times.
“I felt like many of the events may have been late for commuters,” Manuel Caballero, GSB ’15, said.
Indeed, some events such as a talk by Young Lords Party activist Felipe Luciano, and a screening of Wreck-It Ralph, began after 6 p.m.
Nevertheless, Caballero felt that the week was a positive experience overall.
“I think Commuter Week means a lot because it’s a week dedicated to commuters,” Caballero said. “Many feel like they get the short end of the stick when it comes to student life, so it feels nice to be appreciated.”
The week culminated with a version of Comic-Con itself — Commuter-Con, which started Friday afternoon and continued to the evening.
While students competed in a Halo tournament and watched a performance by magician Mat Franco, Club organizations and ¡GO! Teams tabled at the event, selling fundraising items and showcasing club activities.
“I think the week’s events have been pretty cool,” Aleli Zaavedra, FCRH ’14, said. “I like the free food, and free giveaways.”
CSA members were also deeply satisfied with the success of Commuter Week.
“We had over 1,000 students attend despite that it was in the midst of bad weather,” Tahmid Choudhury, FCRH ‘13, executive program coordinator, said.
Members of CSA received positive feedback about the festivities.
“We had hundreds of students attend our events and tell us how much they enjoyed them,” Giglio said.
“We saw a lot more residents [than previous years] and commuters who normally go home, and I was really happy to bridge that gap,” Tochet said. “I feel like this year’s Commuter Week brought the message that commuters can stay on campus and still have a great college experience.”