Breakfast for Champions!

Veteran Jason Braase accepting SAAC donation

This morning, Fordham hosted its 12^th annual Breakfast for Champions in the McGinley Center Ballroom and Lounge. This event was created by the university to recognize the student-athletes that perform, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.  This year, about 67% of Fordham’s student-athletes were honored for having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

During the breakfast, Jason Braase was invited to speak on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project.  His story of his deployment and recovery touched the hearts of everyone in the room.  One of the messages stressed at Fordham is the Jesuit tradition of, “Men and women for others.”  It is one of the things that every student will take away with them from Fordham, the idea that we must be available and willing to offer assistance to others.  The Fordham Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) fulfilled this message today by providing Mr. Braase with a generous donation to support the Wounded Warrior Project.  The event came to an end, following the closing remarks of President, Father McShane, with the singing of the Fordham Fight Song, “The Ram” by all in attendance.  

The honorees from my team!

At Fordham, there is tremendous support for the students.  We are pushed to be the best person we can in all ways whether it's through athletics or charity, but particularly in the classroom.  In addition to this, there is an overwhelming feeling of community among the students and this event is just one of the many times that it is shown.  It is always fun to get together with your teammates and fellow Rams, especially while taking the time to congratulate each other on our hard work and making a difference in the lives of others. 



Back in the Swing

The Fordham Campuses are quickly filling up with students once again as classes quickly approach. Here at the Rose Hill campus, students are looking forward to more than just classes. On campus there are already a variety of activities going on. Many students are moving in early to prepare for the incoming freshmen and to prepare for the university clubs and sports. And just as quickly as students are moving in, posters are already going up to advertise upcoming events like the Annual President’s Ball. 

Poster advertising the upcoming President's Ball on September 12th.

I am a senior with a double major in political science and women’s studies. I just moved into Campbell Hall on Wednesday. My on-campus apartment is located on the sixth floor of the building and I have a great panoramic view of the Bronx. I am lucky enough to be spending the next nine months living with my three best friends before we all graduate! It goes by so fast! I moved in earlier than the rest of my peers to participate in training for the Rose Hill Society. RHS consists of about 180 volunteer student ambassadors who become experts on the ins-and-outs of Fordham in order to share our knowledge with prospective students. At our training, the society hears presentations from a variety of departments on campus. We are always up-to-date on the most recent changes and campus happening.

 

My single room in Campbell Hall!

Along with the Rose Hill Society ambassadors, students who are New Student Orientation leaders, student athletes, and residential assistants are back on campus preparing for the upcoming year. Even with all of the orientations going on, students still seem to make time to hang out of Eddie’s.  I even had a free moment to check out the new freshmen dorm building, Loyola Hall. The building has been completed renovated in order to house about 120 incoming freshmen. It is BEAUTIFUL! The first floor study lounge is very Hogwarts-esque.

It is great to be back on campus and to be surrounded by my friends and peers once again. The Fordham community is outstanding and it feels good to have everyone back on campus. It feels like home. And what better to kick off the new school year than with the first Fordham football game on Saturday?! Fordham will be versing Saint Francis University this Saturday at home. Hopefully they can do even better than their 12-2 (wins-losses) record from last year! It is good to get back into the swing of things.

Students lounging on Eddie's in between orientation and training!

Father McShane's Fordham Bucket List

A few times a year, the Campus Activities Board American Age Lecture Series invites various speakers to come and speak to the Fordham community. In previous years, they have invited speakers such as Leigh Ann Touhy, who's story was created into the movie The Blind Side, and Jerry Greenfield, the "Jerry" of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. This year, they invited our very own president, Father McShane to speak directly to the students. 

This was an incredible opportunity, and it was a very special moment for our university's president to connect on such a personal level with the students. He wanted to do the speech in the style of The Last Lecture, as if this would be the last time he would be speaking to the students. So, we were lucky enough to hear his Fordham Bucket List: all the things we should try to do before we graduate. (And as a sophomore, I am eager to try to finish it within my next two years). So here it is:

1. Thank your parents.
2. Take your best friend for dinner and pick up the tab. 
3. Tell the faculty member who changed your life what they did for you.
4. Take in a game at Yankee Stadium.
5. Eat food in an epic restaurant that serves food that you've never eaten before. 
6. Hit all five boroughs - "When you ride through the subway, you ride through the world."
7. Ride the Staten Island Ferry both ways, and look at the Statue of Liberty as you come back to Manhattan, the way it was meant to be seen.
8. Walk on the promenade on Roosevelt Island or the esplanade in Battery Park.
9. Take a walk through Wall Street or through Times Square before 11AM. 
10. Volunteer.
11. Go to a Fordham basketball game and cheer as loud as you can.
12. Prepare for your future by:
     a. going on a retreat.
     b. developing a habit of giving.
     c. preparing for the job interview.
     d. seeing the ocean.
     e. visiting and praying at Ground Zero.
     f. visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral.
     g. visiting the Jesuit cemetery. 

I didn't want to explain each one too much in depth because my summarized version would not do his eloquent speech justice. My favorite part of his bucket list, though, was the incorporation of not only the Fordham community, but New York City as well. Part of experiencing Fordham University is experiencing all of the wonderful things that our city has to offer, and Father McShane made it very clear that that was the best way to make the most of your time at Fordham. We are so lucky to have all the incredible things that New York City has to offer right in our backyard. 

Many of the things he spoke of seem implied, like thanking your parents and volunteering, but they were important to be reminded of. On behalf of myself and much of the Fordham community, thanks CAB and Father McShane for such a wonderful opportunity!