On Thursday, March 25, Fordham United Student Government (USG) held their weekly Senate meeting and discussed club support on campus.

Senate members expressed the desire for USG to be more involved and supportive of clubs outside the larger, most well-known clubs. 

Due to COVID-19, the Operations Committee has gotten rid of the rule that clubs need to prove 15 active members in order to remain an official club. Vice President of Operations Audrey Felton, FCRH ’22, stated that the Senate needs to prioritize boosting smaller clubs. Many clubs only last a few semesters because there has not been a promotion of new clubs, she said. 

Vice President of Student Life Elizabeth Vernon, GSB ’22, said the House Committee would love to co-sponsor events with any club. Interested students can email her at [email protected] to plan an event.

Commuting Students Association Advisor, Stephen Esposito, suggested USG create a portal that holds all clubs looking for new members or leadership positions. Vice President of Gabelli Dean’s Council Reilly Keane, GSB ’21, added that there needs to be a clear way to see how students can get involved outside the club fair. 

A new club passed this week. Orthodox Christian Fellowship Fordham University chapter is now an official club. OCF is a Pan-Orthodox club that holds events, discussions and Orthodox church services. 

Senator Flannery Brown, FCRH ’22, Senator Kristen Ronan, FCRH ’22 and Vice President of Health and Security, Lindsey Sullivan, FCRH ’22, presented their Mental Health Initiative to the Senate.  

The initiative includes the implantation of a wellness week. It would be a week with classes as scheduled, but professors would not be allowed to assign assignments or have them due during this week. 

The goal is to have this wellness week be the week before midterms so students can have more time to study for examinations and work on midterm assignments. 

The second part of the initiative is the addition of a mental health day or concern to the list of excused absences. Unlike a physical illness, you would not need the health center to approve this absence. 

The senators and vice president in charge of this initiative feel it is important for the university to acknowledge a need for mental health days and not encourage students to push their mental health out of fear of a lower grade. 

This initiative has passed in the Senate and now will be brought to administration for further approval.