The Student Life Council (SLC) met for the first time this year on Jan. 29 to discuss school-wide updates and potential improvements to student life at Fordham University.
To begin the meeting, Kellen Zeng, GSB ’26, executive president of the Commuting Students Association (CSA), brought up President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to freeze federal funding, and the potential impact it would have on Fordham students. The executive order was later rescinded by the Trump administration. Juan Carlos Matos, the assistant vice president for Student Affairs for Diversity and Inclusion, noted that it will be a while before changes can be decided on, much less implemented, due to government uncertainty at the state level. Additionally, Matos shared that many lawsuits have already been filed, so to declare Fordham’s policy on this executive order would be premature at this point. Catharine McGlade, assistant dean of students, mentioned that Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham University, has released a statement concerning the order and will release another once more information is gained.
Following this conversation were updates given by the attending groups.
Assistant Dean of Students Charles Clency reported that so far this year there have been six instances of intoxication, as compared to eight at this time last year. Clency noted that resident assistant (RA) applications for the 2025/2026 school year have now closed. Further, Clency shared that there were around 200 new applicants for approximately 37 open positions, as about 60 previous RAs have decided to stay in their roles. The applicant seminars and interviews will be coming up in the next few weeks.
Clency mentioned that the room selection process began Feb. 3 with a $200 deposit needed to secure housing, due Feb. 18. Integrated Learning Community (ILC) housing applications for upperclassmen in O’Hare Hall opened Jan. 29, with a due date of Feb. 14.
Adeyinka Maddy, FCRH ’25, president of the Campus Activities Board (CAB), noted that CAB is putting all efforts towards Valentine’s Week, which will be the week leading up to Feb. 14. Updates will be posted on their Instagram, @fordhamcab.
Eron Malzman, GSB ’25, president of the United Student Government (USG), reported that several senators are working on a proposal to expand meal plan options for commuter and off-campus students. Zeng noted that CSA tried to push for a similar idea last year, with a potential once-a-month social event for students to sample the meal plan food. The goal of this event would be to aid students in deciding what plan they would want. Zeng suggested that USG should work with CSA on their proposal, to which Malzman agreed.
Peter Grimes, FCRH ’26, vice president of budget and finance, shared that due to an issue with RamsInvolved, there are about two weeks worth of backlogged requests that need to be taken care of. Grimes additionally noted an upcoming event in collaboration with Vice President of Operations Megan Ruzicka, FCRH ’27, titled Coffee and Club Leader Conversations, where club leaders can ask questions and discuss problems with each committee. Ruzicka noted that new club applications closed Jan. 29, with presentations to come in the following weeks.
Matos reported that the Office for Multicultural Affairs (OMA) has been planning to test out a partnership with campus dining, where the Chef’s Table in the Marketplace will occasionally serve heritage-based meals, starting with Black History Month. This partnership will include lunch and dinner options.
Jenna Cook, assistant dean for seniors at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business (GSB), mentioned that Knack Tutoring services are currently down due to technical difficulties. Additionally, the GSB Graduate Degree Program has open and virtual office hours for students interested in the program. Cook noted that the Fordham Foundry’s Pitch Challenge application closed on Jan. 31. Cook also mentioned that the Woolworth Awards Ceremony, recognizing first-year GSB students with a GPA of 3.6 or higher, is set to take place from 1-2 p.m. in Keating First on Feb. 6.
Arielle Duran, assistant director for Leadership and Commuter Student Services, shared that the Fordham University Emerging/Experienced Leaders (FUEL) program applications were due Feb. 3. The first workshop for the program will take place on Feb. 11.
Stephen Clarke, associate director for Campus Center Operations, reported that there is an event booked for every day in April, and urged event coordinators to look into rain dates in case of conflict. Additionally, Clarke noted that the last day of programming is April 30.
The next meeting of the SLC will be held on Feb. 19.
