Dear Incoming First-years,
Welcome to Fordham!
In the next couple of weeks, you’ll be presented with a multitude of clubs, societies and teams to join. No matter what your interest or passion, there’s something here for everyone. And while it may seem overwhelming at first, we would just like to take this opportunity to invite you to join The Fordham Ram.
Originally established in 1918, in order to provide updates on campus happenings to Fordham students fighting abroad in World War I, The Fordham Ram has served as Fordham’s journal of record for over a century. In that time, the Ram has provided a forum in which students could express themselves, reporting not only on campus events, but also acting as a voice for student opinions on political and cultural issues. The Ram is entirely student-run; the writers, photographers and editors are all undergraduates.
The Ram is a great way to get involved on campus, allowing you to explore your different interests and see parts of Fordham you might otherwise miss. It’s a great opportunity to build up your resume. Finally, and most importantly, the Ram is a chance to meet an amazing community of writers and editors who are passionate about what they do.
Interested in writing for the Ram, but not sure where to start? The Ram is divided into four sections: news, sports, opinion and culture. Each section writes about different things, and you can pick the section that best suits your interests.
News reports on events happening on Fordham’s campus — everything from administrative decisions to student research projects. If you’re a journalism major, or someone who’s just passionate about journalism, then news might be the right section for you. You’ll gain experience conducting interviews, doing research and writing in a journalistic manner. Don’t have any experience? No worries. The Ram accepts all writers, regardless of past experience, and our editors will be happy to provide any guidance that might be needed.
If you’re interested in sports journalism, or just a big sports fan, then you might want to check out our sports section. Not only do we cover Fordham sporting events, but you can find articles talking about sports from all over the globe — everything from F1 racing to World Cup soccer.
The culture section deals with cultural events happening in New York City, as well as wider cultural events happening nationwide. In culture, you can find articles about museum exhibits and concerts happening in New York City, as well as reviews of movies, books, albums, TV shows and more. If you’re a lover of the arts, then the culture section might be right for you.
The opinion section provides a space for Fordham students’ voices to be heard. In opinion, you can find students talking about their thoughts on domestic and international politics, societal issues and Fordham policies.
If you are passionate about politics, or have some thoughts you really want to share with the world, then opinion wants to hear your voice.
Don’t have any ideas for what to write? No worries. Every week, our editors send out a list of suggestions for articles that you can volunteer to write (or suggest your own). What’s more, you can write as much as you want— we have some writers who do weekly columns, and others who only write once a semester. It’s up to you.
If you want to get a closer look into the newspaper process, then consider coming to copy editing. Copy editors are responsible for reading through articles, looking for errors in grammar and spelling. Not only is there free pizza, but you also get the opportunity to improve your editing (and by extension, writing) skills.
If writing is not your thing, then The Fordham Ram still has plenty of other opportunities, regardless of interests. If you love taking pictures, then our photo team offers plenty of opportunities to capture moments on or around campus. If you like business, then you could join our business team, and gain experience with advertisements and budgeting.
There are also plenty of opportunities to become more involved in the Ram. We’ll be hiring new staff in December. If you want to be a full-time member of the Ram, then we recommend getting involved now. Come find us at the club fair on Wednesday, Aug. 30, come to one of our interest meetings, or email us at:
We can’t wait to meet you.
