On Monday, Sept. 16, the Fordham University Commuter Student Association (CSA) hosted its first annual inauguration of its 2024-25 executive board.
“Our inauguration definitely set a precedent that this is a new year with new opportunities and new experiences,” said Crystal Wu, GSB ’25, vice president of CSA. “We definitely want to leave CSA in a good spot where rising seniors can take over CSA and lead CSA to a new level.”
Wu was inaugurated last week along with President Kellen Zeng, GSB ’25, Program Coordinator Sabina Zheng, GSB ’25, Treasurer Oscar Zeng, GSB ’25, Class Programmer Jasmine James, FCRH ’26, Marketing Coordinator Allison Moy, GSB ’25 and Outreach Coordinator Natalie Kamble, GSB ’25. Dean Catharine McGlade swore in the executive board members.
“This is the first time that CSA has ever done an inauguration, so we’re really keen on starting this long-lasting tradition,” said Zeng.
Zeng and Wu have many goals for the future of CSA as a part of the Fordham community.
“Since so many of us are New Yorkers, we consider ourselves to be a key resource for the university when it comes to bridging the gap between the university and the communities in which they occupy,” said Zeng. “So much conversation is had around campus about how we [the university] can connect ourselves more to the Bronx community, and a large percentage of our general assembly are native Bronx residents, so we are hoping to be a key resource for the university when it comes to those particular initiatives.”
The executive board began planning the inauguration during the summer, writing pledges and finding ways to further incorporate their class representatives and ambassadors.
“Even though we do a lot to represent the commuter community, there’s a lot of students that want to get involved that aren’t able to because of the way we are set up,” said Zeng. “The ambassador program is really opening the doors for more commuters to get involved on campus in a capacity that is equitable to them because the guiding principle of CSA is that we try to run in a way that is accessible to commuter students.”
CSA hopes to expand its role this year and make changes that improve the commuter experience.
“In the past, the Commuting Student Association has largely focused on its major programming events for each semester, such as the Thanksgiveaway or Commuter Week,” said Zeng. “We’re really looking forward to honing in [on] those policy proposals so as to ensure that we’re working to improve the commuter population and truly representing the constituents that voted us to our positions.”
Recently, CSA has had some success with its policy proposals. Two years ago, it pushed the class registration time later from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., and this year, it got Walsh Library to offer more conference rooms earlier in the day to support students who may have early online classes.
Currently, they’re working on assisting students traveling in more challenging weather conditions.
“Last year, when the governor issued a weather advisory and told people to stay at home, [the university] was still open, and commuters were still trying to get to campus, which was completely mind-boggling,” said Zeng. “We have anecdotes from commuter students who were stranded in Grand Central for hours just waiting for trains to open up.”
Wu and Zeng want to continue to grow CSA’s partnerships with other Fordham departments and establish the group as a real voice for change on campus.
Last year, CSA partnered with the Center for Community Engaged Learning to help host the Climate Summit for Climate Week, and they hope to continue collaborating with other organizations that may face commuter difficulties.
“With Fordham placing a lot of emphasis on strategic planning and civic and civility this year, that’s something we’re also looking to get our hands on,” said Zeng. “We don’t just represent commuter students — all of the staff are commuters since they don’t live on campus. There are initiatives we are crafting with them in mind as well.”
