On Wednesday, Nov. 15, the university held its third Student Life Council (SLC) meeting of the semester. The council welcomed the Office of Residential Life to discuss the university guest pass policy.
Charles Clency, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, spoke on behalf of the office. He said they are looking to approve a more accommodating guest pass policy as early as January 2024, but are still in the planning phases.
Following the introduction, Clency opened the meeting for public questions and concerns regarding the guest policy.
A member of the council raised concerns about long-term stays due to emergencies or personal crises, specifically when stays violate the approved number of days.
Clency said that while they deal with matters on a case-by-case basis, they have temporary housing funding in place to cover students dealing with emergencies. Clency also stressed that these emergency accommodations are offered for both on- and off-campus students.
Chair of the USG Operations Committee, Lauren Walczyk, FCRH ’25, said the biggest criticism she has heard is that the policy only allows residents of the same sex to host.
Assistant Director for Student Conduct, A.J. Coppotelli, said that the Office of Residential Life is exploring a policy change to allow students to host individuals regardless of their sex. Coppotelli said the university is looking to change the policy as soon as January.
A representative from the Campus Activities Board (CAB) raised concerns about the heteronormative language of the university’s current policy.
Coppotelli agreed that the policy language is outdated and said that the university is working to update the policy so it is applicable for all students.
Another member of the council raised concerns about the current policy. He said that in the past, his sister has been denied an overnight guest pass.
Coppotelli said that immediate family members within the approved age range are allowed to visit overnight, regardless of sex. Coppotelli also explained that the university limits students to immediate family, because they have run into problems about partners being framed as cousins.
Executive Vice President for the United Student Government (USG), Ava Coogan, asked about the possibility of allowing Fordham students who are residents of other halls to spend the night.
Clency said that at this stage the university will not allow it, but they are willing to look into changing the policy to reflect Coogan’s concerns.
Coppotelli also stressed that the university ends up waiving the majority of student fines, specifically in September and October.
Associate Director for Campus Center Operations, Stephen Clarke, raised concerns about the possibility of policy changes causing roommate issues.
Clency said that the university is aware that this could be an issue. He said that they are anticipating the policy change to be more of an issue for first-year students, and said that they will prioritize roommate comfort by emphasizing the importance of the annual roommate surveys. Clency also added that they will handle problems on a case-by-case visit.
A member of the council raised a concern that the policy change would violate the moral code that the original policy was based on.
Clency said that there is no indicator that the policy changes are going to violate the moral code.
He also added that when updating the policy, the Office of Residential Life will keep in mind the Jesuit Catholic values of Fordham.
A representative for CAB asked the next steps for the policy change.
Coppotelli said that the Office of Residential Life is planning to speak to residential assistants and students and then compose a written proposal.
Following the discussion, the council presented monthly reports.
On behalf of the Office of Residential Life, Clency shared the monthly intoxication report.
Next, the USG provided a monthly update.
Executive President for USG, Briana Al-Omoush, gave updates on USG programming. Al-Omoush spoke about the Committee on Sexual Misconduct’s bi-annual Week of Action and USG’s Sustainability Week.
Al-Omoush said that USG hosted their first town hall and are hoping to host one more before the end of the semester. She also said that USG will host several special elections in the coming weeks.
Following Al-Omoush’s updates, Coogan presented proposal updates. Coogan said that USG recently passed a native plant proposal. She also said that both an academic registration proposal and a commuter proposal are in the works.
Walczyk presented updates on behalf of the operations committee. Walczyk said that the university currently has 161 clubs and will be releasing the official list soon. Walczyk also added that a new VP will be taking her place for the spring semester.
Vice President of Finance and Budgets Eron Maltzman, GSB ’25, said that 113 budget packets have been submitted. Maltzman also added that a new VP will be taking his place for the spring semester.
A representative for the university’s Residence Hall Association (RHA) said that they will be hosting elections soon.
A representative for CAB said that Halloween and Family Weekend programming events went well. The representative also gave a thank you to the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) and Dean Rodgers for their assistance in the event planning.
A representative for the Office for Multicultural Affairs highlighted recent programming events. The representative also said that students who are interested in participating in the racial solidarity network should have received an email about the programming.
Representatives for the Gabelli School of Business and Fordham College Rose Hill both reported that class registration went well.
Representatives for OSI congratulated CAB for a successful Family Weekend and reported that they are looking to hire three new orientation coordinators.
OSI also said that they are planning to host a program for seniors interested in apartment hunting and are looking to get approval for an ice skating rink on Edward’s Parade.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of upcoming important dates.
Updates to these agenda items will be discussed at future USG and SLC meetings.
