Fordham University Rose Hill’s United Student Government (USG) met with Fordham Women’s Basketball and heard budget proposals on Oct. 24.
The Student Experience Committee submitted a budget request for $715 to purchase the licensing required to show “The Nightmare Before Christmas” at their upcoming Halloween Night event on Oct. 28 from 6-9 p.m. in the Keating Rotunda. Vice President of Student Experience Joseph DaProcida, FCRH ’25, noted that Fordham is required to purchase a license to show the movie. This event will also include candy and arts and crafts for students. The budget proposal passed after a vote.
Executive President Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, said that USG will use discretionary funds from the USG budget to support catering for Commuter Student Services’ (CSS) “Mid-Day Breakfast.” Because the traditional Midnight Breakfast event held around finals is late in the evening, many commuter students can’t participate. CSS hopes to hold a separate event so commuter students can participate in the tradition.
Hjertberg shared that President Tania Tetlow said that the Office of Disability Services (ODS) will soon move to an accessible building. However, the new location has not yet been announced. Hjertberg said there will be new paid positions for student workers within ODS. USG hopes these student jobs will mitigate the understaffing issues ODS has faced while increasing student work experience at Fordham.
Two Fordham Women’s Basketball members, Miya Giles-Jones, FCRH ’27, and Camila De Pool, FCRH ’28, asked USG for advice and ideas to increase game attendance. Ideas proposed by USG included an ugly sweater night for their game on Dec. 8 and a jersey day on Feb. 8 in celebration of National Women and Girls in Sports Day. The team’s first game is on Nov. 4 and is set to be a white-out game where the team will be giving out free shirts.
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Nyla Patel, FCRH ’25, announced several updates on Bronx Appreciation Week and related initiatives. Bronx Appreciation Week is expanding outreach to local artists for a concert planned for next semester and will invite clubs to sponsor and support the week’s events. Efforts to improve accessibility include follow-ups on past proposals and plans for a fundraising tabling event. The Cultural Thanksgiving Potluck with Campus Religious Services is also in the works. Bronx integration efforts have also progressed, with the team’s first volunteer outing to Part of the Solution this past Wednesday.
Vice President of Health and Security Aidan Costella, FCRH ’27, shared recent and upcoming initiatives from the Committee for Sexual Misconduct (CSM) in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. CSM will host a screening of “It Ends With Us” on Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the O’Keefe Commons in Loyola Hall, discussing its portrayal of domestic violence, real-world implications and audience reflections.
Vice President of Facilities and Dining Mike Rodriguez, FCRH ’27, recently met with new committee members to discuss ways to rotate the breakfast menu and address portion limitations in the cafeteria. Rodriguez also raised concerns with Aramark over students being limited to one serving, emphasizing that students paying for meal plans should receive additional portions upon request.
Senator Grace Shin, FCRH ’28, said that the Class of 2028 Senate is researching student subway usage to explore providing MetroCards through USG. The senators also worked with a dean to add an accessibility statement to the “Admitted Students” and “Fordham Bound” pages; they did not state which dean they met with. Shin said it will be implemented by December.
Dean Catharine McGlade recently met with Aramark to discuss food safety for Feel Good, a student-run organization aiming to establish an official chapter at Fordham in partnership with The Hunger Project. Previously, USG tabled Feel Good’s application due to safety concerns with cooking equipment. Aramark recommended either fully overseeing food distribution and training for the group or having Feel Good complete food safety training with Aramark, though distribution logistics would still need separate handling.
