The Student Life Council (SLC) met for the third time this year on Nov. 13 to discuss improvements that could be made to the student experience at Fordham University, specifically the First Year Experience.
To begin the meeting, Dean of Students Christopher Rogers brought in a team from Proto, who joined remotely via Zoom. Proto is a company that assists in program redesign and thus was consulted for redesigning the First Year Experience at Fordham. Proto joined the meeting in order to hear straight from the SLC what specifically Fordham University should highlight in the redesigned First Year Experience.
Philip Rackin, Proto chief strategy officer, suggested three specific goals to focus on within the redesign. To gather information from SLC, Rackin asked the council for their input on a few questions. The first question was, “What was your biggest challenge in your first year at Fordham?” Dana Kien, FCRH ’25, staff development and training coordinator for Commuter Student Services, shared that she is a commuter student, and so belonging was a big issue for her within her first year. Kien noted that a few years ago, there was a lack of shared space for commuter students to really enjoy. The commuter lounge was in the basement of the McShane Campus Center and made commuters feel very ostracized, as “the basement room/lounge was very small and pretty congested; it was very in your face that we were separated from everyone else.”
Kellen Zeng, GSB ’26, executive president of the Commuting Students Association (CSA), shared similar feelings. Zeng was considering transferring after her first year due to the combination of commuting and being in the Gabelli School of Business (GSB). Zeng noted that the first-year programming for GSB is centered around core requirements and not actually what students are interested in pursuing, making it less engaging.
Adeyinka Maddy, FCRH ’25, president of the Campus Activities Board (CAB), mentioned that as a Black student from California attending a predominantly white institution, “the imposter syndrome never really goes away.” However, Maddy also noted that there are more people of color in higher roles, which has felt empowering for students of color to feel that they can speak up.
The second question asked by Proto was, “What helped you realize that you belonged here?” Reese McDonnell, GSB ’26, vice president of budgets for the Fordham Rose Hill United Student Government (USG), answered that she got involved in clubs and activities early on due to her network of friends, which helped her to find her community.
Jocelyn Defex, FCRH ’25, a senior Resident Assistant, noted that she was also considering transferring out of Fordham during her first year but ultimately didn’t due to the sense of belonging she found from becoming a part of clubs on campus.
The third question asked was, “What should the First Year Experience focus on to help you thrive?” Proto gave several thought starters for this question, with avenues such as helping to create a network, helping students find their own way forward, and assisting in finding ways for students to use what they have learned. Defex mentioned that it is hard to make friends, so if students feel like they don’t know enough people they might feel the need to transfer, emphasizing the importance of social networking.
Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, executive president of USG, noted that GSB does a good job of helping students find their own way forward, but Fordham University College at Rose Hill (FCRH) lacks the foundation for career and academic advising.
The Proto team took all of the advice into consideration and will continue working with Rogers moving forward to finish the redesign.
Robert Fitzer, associate vice president of Public Safety, also joined the SLC for this meeting. Rogers brought Fitzer in to discuss the recent accounts of incidents reported at Fordham. Fitzer gave a brief account of the report, sharing that there were two instances during one weekend where hate speech was found written on whiteboards in Fordham classrooms. Fitzer noted that these reports would be labeled as possible bias-related incidents instead of hate crimes, as in accordance with the law, hate crimes must target a specific person and incur permanent damage.
Assistant Dean of Students Charles Clency mentioned that he worked alongside Residential Life to reach out to students who reported the incidents to ensure they were okay and felt supported. Rogers also noted that the whole university would respond to this issue, as “when something like this happens, it is a whole institution problem.”
There were several updates given from each attending group.
Clency reported that the monthly intoxication report numbers are declining when compared to last year.
Mary Hawthorn, FCRH ’26, vice president of the Resident Hall Association (RHA), mentioned that RHA has recently become a member of the North East Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls and that RHA attended a conference from Nov. 15-17 in order to learn how to improve. There will also be food collection bins available in every residence hall from Nov. 17-22 for residents to donate food for Part of the Solution. Whichever residence hall collects the most donations will receive a community service award.
CSA noted that their fall semester programming will be this coming Thursday, Nov. 21, and will be themed around Nickelodeon’s Teen Choice Awards. There will be live student performances and raffles.
CAB mentioned that Halloweek wrapped up, and that they held a pumpkin patch which sold out of 250 pumpkins in 30 minutes. CAB is also preparing for the holiday week and will host a toy drive.
USG shared that special elections will occur for students going abroad this coming Thursday, Nov. 21, at their weekly meeting. USG also noted that the Office of Disabilities Services is moving to Loyola Hall’s first floor in order to be physically accessible.
Dean Jenna Cook and Dean Ashlee Burrs shared that registration for both GSB and FCRH has opened for select students. Both deans noted the number of questions being asked that had been answered in prior emails and encouraged students to read their emails thoroughly.
Clency noted that following the previous SLC meeting, there are now 122 washers and 154 dryers that are fully functional throughout the residence halls. Clency also mentioned the Thanksgiving Break Stay form, which will close on Nov. 22, and that the residence halls will be staying open for the first time ever during winter break, with details forthcoming.
The next meeting of the SLC will be held on Dec. 10.
