On Wednesday, April 17, the Fordham University Rose Hill United Student Government (USG) hosted “Meet the Candidates” to introduce candidates running for senator positions. The event was led by current class of 2024 senator Emily Kennedy, FCRH ’24, and moderated by Allison Schneider, FCRH ’26, managing editor of The Fordham Ram. Each candidate presented their platform to students and answered questions from both Schneider and the audience.
Candidate presentations began with the class of 2025. Luke Stitson, FCRH ’25, proposed introducing events and initiatives to help increase mental health awareness within the Fordham community, such as improving the Office of Disability Services’ (ODS) accommodations. The candidates for the class of 2026 senate presented next. Angel Madera, FCRH ’26, spoke about his vision to foster an inclusive campus community. Madera said that a supportive and diverse community is especially important to him as a commuter student and said that he wants to host at least two town hall meetings each semester and one forum each year to create a dialogue between students and administration. Additionally, Madera said that he wants to actively support initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) such as mandated DEI training for club leaders and professors.
MaryClaire McAdams, FCRH ’26, said she wants to improve accessibility to resources like Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), such as implementing a text line to schedule appointments with CPS and offering Zoom services. McAdams also said she wants to strengthen relationships between students in the same field of study.
Ava Cascella, FCRH ’26, stressed the need for increased transparency within the administration, especially regarding tuition. Cascella also said she wants to advocate for increased DEI awareness, heighten Bronx education among students and promote better student life activities on campus. Currently, Cascella’s largest proposal is implementing DEI training into first-year orientation.
Joshua Fiorentino, FCRH ’26, was the last candidate from the class of 2026 to present his platform. Fiorentino stated that there is too much food waste at Fordham, and he wants to add compost bins in the McShane Campus Center and across dining facilities on campus. Ananya Grover, GSB ’26, is also running for the class of 2026 senate but she was not in attendance.
After the class of 2026 candidates presented their platforms, senate candidates for the class of 2027 took the stage.
Mike Rodriguez, FCRH ’27, said he wants to prioritize USG’s accessibility to students and magnify the notion that USG is approachable. On the same note, Anna Brown, FCRH ’27, said that, if elected, she wants to open a more accessible line of communication between USG and students. Brown said she would accomplish this by sending out regular Google forms for feedback as well as tabling. Laila Sayegh, FCRH ’27, reflected on her two initiatives from this past year: improving ODS and installing more touchless doors on campus. Sayegh said she successfully passed a proposal to include an ODS statement on acceptance letters and she also played a large role in organizing the Out of Darkness Campus Walk. Sayegh said that, if elected, she will continue to advocate for students with disabilities and promote disability awareness campus-wide.
Carter Soderberg, GSB ’27, said that healthcare products, such as menstrual products and condoms, aren’t accessible enough on campus. Soderberg also stressed the poor quality of residence halls, stating that laundry facilities, air conditioning and water bottle filling stations need to be updated. Adivka Dushyanth, GSB ’27, pledged her dedication to addressing issues like the unequal distribution of resources between GSB and FCRH, especially the lack of resources allocated to STEM students.
Voting will occur between April 22-23 via the link sent to students over email from Rams Involved. Voting will open at 1 p.m. on April 22 and will close at 5 p.m. on April 23.
