On Thursday, Feb. 18th, Fordham United Student Government (USG) spent the majority of their weekly meeting discussing rising COVID-19 cases on the Rose Hill campus.  

The validity of anonymous reporting was questioned by Vice President of Sustainability, Maggie Tattersfield, FCRH ’22, Fordham Public Safety is supposed to allow anonymous tips of off-campus behavior that goes against COVID-19 guidelines, but Tattersfield alleged that there has been a lack of the promised anonymity. 

President Olivia Quartell, FCRH ’21, said that the best way to stay anonymous is by calling and not giving your name. Public Safety does not require students to give their name when calling in a tip. Quartell also encouraged students to report any inappropriate COVID-19 behavior. 

On Feb. 17th, the University sent all students an email regarding the rising COVID-19 cases. The email from Christopher Rogers, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students, included potential policies that could be put into place if COVID-19 numbers do not lower during the pause. 

President Quartell offered some further information regarding these policies. She said that there is no “magical number” that means the nightly gate closing and “further limits on visitation within residence halls,” as Rogers’s email had said. 

These policies are just ideas the university has come up with to control the spread of COVID-19 and are not necessarily all going to take place. The university’s biggest concern is keeping its students safe, said Dean Arcuri.

Rumors that the university has run out of isolation rooms in its designated isolation hall, Faber Hall, have been flooding social media. President Quartell said that she has yet to hear an official statement from the university on the matter. 

Senator Cole Mullins, FCRH ’24, brought to the attention of the Senate that one of his constituents came to him concerned due to the number of exposed students continuing to live in Alumni Court South. 

Resident Assistants (RA’s) have signs on their bulletin boards asking exposed students to please double mask when in common areas of dorm buildings. Many freshmen students who otherwise would not have been exposed are testing positive for COVID-19 due to the amount of shared spaces in dormitories, according to Senator Mullins. 

For further questions and information about the University’s policies on COVID-19 email [email protected].