Dodransbicentennial: A New Beginning for 1,192 Rams

This week marked a major milestone for the Fordham Family, not only for the 1,192 new students entering the class of 2020, but also as the University celebrated it's 175th birthday.

Yesterday marked 175 years to the date that Archbishop John Hughes (Dagger John) ushered in six students as the first class of St. John's College in the village of Fordham, Westchester County, New York. Since then a world of change has gone on in and around what was then just a small college eight miles north of New York City; from the city's own expansion in taking over the lower part of Westchester County, what we now know as The Bronx, to the group of Jesuits in Kentucky taking over St. John's College and transforming it into the world-renowned institution of higher education we now know as Fordham University, The Jesuit University of New York.

Father McShane entrusts six freshmen with the
Dodransbicentennial Banner

The Dodransbicentennial year gives Fordham more to be proud of than ever. Not only did the University welcome in it's most talented undergraduate class in history, but the accomplishments of Fordham students past present and future have given these new students something special to be extra proud of: joining in unity with a university known worldwide for creating intelligent, hardworking, and compassionate graduates who strive to leave the world and Fordham a better place than how they found it.

To celebrate the Dodransbicentennial, more than the usual festivities were in store for the class of 2020, who President Father Joseph McShane, S.J. dubbed as a "visionary" group of young minds. At the opening mass on Sunday when new students moved into their residence halls and kicked off orientation, Father McShane selected six new students and entrusted them with their class banner, a new tradition each graduating class from 2017 and on will carry from convocation to commencement, as well as the university's dodransbicentennial banner, which will be passed to the class of 2017 at the close of the dodransbicentennial year at commencement. And of course Father McShane ended this mass as he always does with students, by welcoming them "home" to Fordham.

Ally, FCRH '20 with her Orientation Leader and past
Ambassador/Tour Guide Teresa, FCRH '17

Apart from the dodransbicentennial festivities, Fordham welcomed in the class of 2020 in style as usual. New Student Orientation volunteers rolled out the maroon carpet for 1,192 freshmen and didn't allow them to lift a finger - more than 200 volunteers at both campuses unloaded cars, U-haul trailers and SUV's for the incoming class and moved all of their belongings into their dorm rooms - a tradition that has been centric to welcoming students to Fordham for years. This was followed by the yearly candle-lighting on the first night, encouraging the newest generation of the Fordham Family to live by the Jesuit values our university is grounded in, and to follow the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, to "Go forth and set the world on fire."

Now orientation has finally come to a close, and classes have begun at all 3 undergraduate colleges. These bright new students joining the university will only propel Fordham further upward from where we began 175 years ago, and on behalf the student admission ambassadors in Rose Hill Society and our counterparts in the Lincoln Center Society, welcome home.

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!

Welcome Class of 2015!

This year, I had the pleasure of being an Orientation Leader, joining about 200 of my fellow Fordham Rams in welcoming the new freshmen to our wonderful Rose Hill campus. Beginning on August 25th, all of the Orientation Leaders and Captains gathered in McGinley Ballroom for our first of three days of NSO Training. This training was led by the Orientation Coordinators, Emily Amato, Melissa Maturo, Phil Bellissimo, and Artie de Los Santos, and involved listening to lectures from various Deans, coordinators of different clubs, and even a talk from Father McShane. One of the main highlights of NSO Training was a talk given by the head of "Swift Kick" to discuss "Dance Floor Theory." The speaker led fun discussions and activities that helped us learn how to better communicate with the incoming freshmen. Other parts of training included having meals together and competitions among different groups of Orientation Leaders and Captains in order to facilitate bonding among the staff.

Unfortunately, Move-In Day was pushed back a day due to Hurricane Irene, but that didn't stop us from bringing our bright and smiling faces to all of the freshman residence halls in order to help the incoming freshmen and their families to move in! As cars filled with freshmen, their families, and many boxes and bags filled the campus, we OLs cheered and shouted the names of the freshmen and ordered their parents to not leave their cars until we gladly took everything out of their cars and brought them in from of their rooms.

After the freshmen were moved in and their families tearfully said goodbye, they were put into various small groups led by us, OLs. In these groups, we answered any burning questions they had, took them on a tour of campus, had icebreakers, and enjoyed a candle-lit ceremony in front of Keating Hall to formally welcome them to the Fordham family (seen in the picture above). Being an OL was such a rewarding experience, and I can't wait to be one again next year!

Orientation was also cut short so that classes can start on time, so the day after move-in was jam-packed with more small-group meetings, academic advising meetings, and speeches from motivational speakers such as Ed Gereghty and "Real World" star Mohammad Bilal. These were all held for the sake of helping the freshmen adjust and make new friends as they begin the next chapter in their lives. Overall, NSO was, once again, a success and we all hope that the freshmen are enjoying their time at Fordham!