Fordham’s United Student Government (USG) met to hear from Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) and review proposed by law changes on Feb. 20.
Dr. Jeffrey Ng, director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), joined the meeting via Zoom to share CPS’ missions and initiatives with the United Student Government (USG). Ng is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked at Fordham for the past 17 years and spent 12 of those as director for CPS. Ng shared that the CPS office aims to support and promote students’ mental health confidentially and at no additional cost. Some recent initiatives to further their purpose are a peer counseling program that launched last year and a partnership with BetterMynd, a platform that offers 24/7 virtual mental health support to college students. Ng noted that CPS incorporated BetterMynd into their services to address student mental health concerns that occur outside of the office’s hours, as CPS is not open overnight or on weekends.
Executive President Eron Malzman, GSB ’25, asked about initiatives that the department is currently working on. One of the primary initiatives Ng is focusing on with Senator Grace Shin, FCRH ’28, is a wellness space at Fordham.
Vice President of Health and Security Aidan Costella, FCRH ’27, inquired about how the office balances the level of care assigned to each student. Ng explained the process as akin to a triage: the department assesses each student based on the problems they present, the help they require and their ability to receive help elsewhere. While serving students on a longer term basis is a core part of CPS’ purpose, Ng also noted that there are always staff on call to see walk-in appointments during business hours, although wait times vary.
Following Ng’s presentation, Malzman proposed a change to USG bylaws that would require any person running for the Executive Ticket to have previous experience with USG. The change, if approved by USG, would also need to gain approval from several deans before being implemented permanently.
Senate Pro Tempore Anna Brown, FCRH ’27, shared that she proposed this change alongside a group of senators and Executive Board members. Brown stated that the proposal was not an attempt to be exclusive, but noted that it would make sense for anyone with the potential to serve as executive president or executive vice president to know the functions and flow of USG.
Several Executive Board members were vocally on board with the proposal. Vice President of Fordham College Rose Hill Emma Blake, FCRH ’25, argued that it isn’t aimed to create exclusivity, but, just like any other job or position, one needs experience to qualify. Vice President of Operations Megan Ruzicka, FCRH ’27, noted that even with the change there are 20 other positions across USG that someone looking to get involved could run for.
Adding to the conversation, Vice President of Facilities and Dining Mike Rodriguez, FCRH ’27, reflected on his recent exposure to other college student governments while attending the Student Government Association Leadership Summit on Feb. 15. According to Rodriguez’s experience at the summit, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a school with a similar undergraduate population to Fordham, has requirements for students to run for their student government.
Current executive ticket winners and other USG members expressed opposing opinions.
On the other hand, Executive Vice President Ava Cascella, FCRH ’26, pointed out that inexperienced tickets offer something that experienced tickets don’t — that is, groups of students who aren’t a part of USG already.
When asked about his experience with the Executive Ticket, Malzman shared that everything he learned was passed down from the preceding ticket, making the argument over qualifications moot in his eyes. Malzman also noted that he has had experience with senators who haven’t progressed initiatives or enacted any change to the student experience. He argued that it is unfair for some senators who don’t contribute to have eligibility over students with other experience who are more dedicated.
Vice President of Budgets and Finance Peter Grimes, FCRH ’26, shared that he believes it’s interesting to see people who don’t have experience run because it’s democratic and more of a fight.
To this, Rodriguez responded, “Are we here for entertainment or are we here to promote change and actual improvement in student experience?”
Following the bylaw discussion, Malzman also reflected on the Student Government Association Leadership Summit he attended alongside Cascella, Rodriguez and Shin. Malzman briefly noted a new initiative that the summit inspired him to start working on, which would involve a potential partnership with Nada Essentials, an advertising and marketing startup.
Malzman and Cascella addressed the recent controversy over a USG Instagram post about ICE agents in regard to Fordham. Malzman reflected on the poor choice of wording and shared an updated version of the post. The new post can be viewed on Instagram @fordhamusg.
Regarding executive reports, Ruzicka and Grimes shared that operations and budget packets opened Feb. 21 and will close March 14. Club failure to complete operations packets will result in a 100% sanction with a risk of going defunct.
Rodriguez shared his experiences at the summit as well, noting that many organizations don’t have a specified person in student government for campus dining. Rodriguez also commented on a recent article published by The Fordham Ram, saying the article had a misleading headline informing students that the Così Coca-Cola machine had mold in it when in reality, the issue was that the pipes were rotting. Rodriguez mentioned that the information in the article was correct and that he had spoken with The Ram to address the issue.
