New Student Orientation Never Ends

While orientation may seem like a long ways away, the preparations have been in the works for months. Yesterday, hundreds of students scrambled to finish their New Student Orientation Leader applications. Students applying for a leader or captain position eagerly filled out their applications and signed up for interviews before the deadline. Coordinators will review applications and screen candidates to create the perfect team of passionate leaders to orient new students.

Me and my orientation partner!

Each year, the New Student Orientation Leader and Captain positions are highly coveted. Many enthusiastic Rams want the opportunity to give new students the fun and memorable orientation experience they had, and to show that new students made the right decision in choosing Fordham. Those who have participated in New Student Orientation describe it has a great time making new friends, as well as a rewarding experience.

Leaders and Captains arrive at the end of August for training. Training involves listening to presentations from the Deans of Rose Hill and Gabelli, Office of Student Involvement, Residence Life, and Health Services to name a few. In between information sessions, leaders battle it out with other teams of leaders in favorites like the Olympics and Dance-Off. Everyone is dressed head to toe in their team colors, screaming and shouting for their teammates. Those who emerge victorious receive eternal bragging rights and hold a place in Orientation Leader history. 

Spring Weekend Update

Caroline Dunn

Brandon Stanton, founder of the wildly popular blog Humans of New York, spoke on Thursday night as part of CAB’s Spring Weekend. As Stanton stood at the front of Lombardi field house in front of a massive number of students he charmed the crowd by say, "I feel like I'm leading a pep rally right now, 'Let's go rams!"

Stanton, a former bond trader who took to photography when he lost his job, inspired students to never give up on the things they love. "It takes work," acknowledged Stanton, "but the only thing you can control is how hard you'll work."

Now Stanton's blog has over 12 million followers and his 2013 book made him  New York Times bestselling author.

Brandon Stanton

Shannon Donovan

This weekend was Spring Weekend here at Fordham, sponsored by Campus Activities Board (CAB).  On Friday night Solidisco, who just played at this year’s Ultra Music Festival, held a free concert for this year’s Spring Weekend DJ performance.  The show took place in the parking lot and it was a blast!

Solidisco

Marisa Diaz
This weekend, I enjoyed the Spring Weekend Concert, featuring Twenty-One Pilots. At the concert, my friends and I enjoyed the BBQ as well as Wafels and Dinges and smoothies while we watched the band perform. The weather was definitely perfect!

My friends and me hanging out at the concert

Nicole Cruz

This weekend, my friends and I took advantage of the nice weather and spent our last bit of time before finals with our fellow Rams. After the concert on Saturday, the Under the Tent Dance took place on Martyr’s Lawn. This year’s theme was The Last Illusion, and the decorations in the tent were gorgeous.

My friends and me enjoying the weather

Weekend Update

Cerisse Gabion

On Friday after all of my classes were done, I headed into the city to shop around for dresses for the Under the Tent dance, one of the main events of Spring Weekend that is coming up. After browsing around Chelsea, the Flatiron District, and Union Square for a bit, I finally found a jumpsuit that I thought suited the "Illusionists" theme of the dance, for a great price as well! Saturday was also a beautiful day, which I spent half of in the library preparing for finals and the other half enjoying Chipotle on our beautiful Eddie's Parade. I then concluded my weekend by performing in a voice recital in the University Church. As a music minor, I receive credit for my voice lessons and I finally got to experience a culmination of a semester's long work of these musical pieces from my colleagues.

The Flatiron Building

Deirdre Hynes

This weekend a few of my friends from Fordham and I decided to have an adventurous Sunday afternoon by trying an aerial yoga class (for only $10!). We had no idea what to expect going into it, but we all wound up leaving refreshed & excited about going back for another class!

Hanging around in aerial yoga

 

Cat Gallagher

This weekend was a big one for the Rose Hill theatre community! I went to see Fordham Experimental Theatre's Sketch Comedy and Standup joint show. They completely packed the Black Box, and it was a great show! I also went to see the Mimes and Mummers' production of Inherit the Wind. This show is based on the 1925 Scopes trial about freedom of thought and evolution in schools. This show was also wonderful, and I really enjoyed it!

Inherit the Wind's show poster

Weekend Update

Caroline Lebranti

Keating Hall on a bright and sunny day

This weekend at Fordham was pretty exciting since it was the first couple of days where it was super sunny and nice enough to be outside without bundling up! On Saturday CAB hosted a County Fair around Eddies where students could play carnival games and get free popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream. After hanging out there for a while some friends and I hopped on the D train and made our way to Brooklyn where we basked in the glorious weather, played bocce in Park Slope, and got ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery (highly recommended... try their Mexican hot chocolate flavor!). Sunday was also great because not only was everyone out on Eddies playing Frisbee and sunbathing, but it was also the President’s Spring Preview! Campus was buzzing with current and prospective students and families which made for quite a lively afternoon.

Our delicious brunch

Caroline McCue

This past weekend, I had a great time celebrating my friend Rachael’s birthday with a delicious Sunday Brunch.  We went to the Gansevoort Hotel which has a delicious menu. Although it is a little pricey, I would highly recommend going for a special treat! Afterwards, we walked around the Meatpacking District for a little and enjoyed the crisp spring day.  I got the eggs Benedict which was to die for!  Although I have a lot of papers and assignments to finish up before the end of the year, I am glad I got to spend an afternoon relaxing and celebrating with my friends in such an amazing city!

Lake Michigan

Megan McLaughlin

This weekend, besides chatting with some prospective students about Fordham and the best places to eat on Arthur Ave, I visited Chicago. The weather was great, but this view of Lake Michigan doesn't quite beat the view of Central Park stretched out below you at Top of the Rock (30 Rockefeller Center's rooftop).

Great night for baseball

Madeline McDermott

On Friday night, I went to the Yankee vs. Red Sock game. I got $10 tickets through the CAB raffle and the game wound up being the longest game in the history of Yankee Stadium.

Another lovely shot of Keating

Claire McGonigle

This past Sunday was Admitted Students Day here at Fordham! It was great to talk

to prospective students and give them a chance to talk to current Fordham students

along with administrators to give them a better sense of what life at Fordham is like.

Weekend Update

Kaitlyn McWha

Fordham has a lot to offer, but some of its most interesting affiliations are outside of campus. This weekend, I went to an event organized through the Concourse Group, a micro finance organization located just outside of Fordham's campus. I currently work for the Concourse Group as a micro finance consultant to small Bronx business owners. This Sunday, I went to a business called Scenyc in the Bronx with my colleagues in order to collaborate with entrepreneurs and to work on a business plan for one of our current clients. Scenyc is an awesome and innovative business incubator, and I'm so excited to continue working there and in Fordham's business incubator!

Scenyc's awesome logo

Linda Mule

This past week it has been quite busy at Fordham! One of the exciting points for the end of semester blues however was a part of this week- class selection! I look at this time of year as a way to plan out all of the exciting classes that I can take here at Fordham. Classes are added all the time- an English class pertaining directly to my major was added just this week! Another really awesome end of semester event coming up is Spring Weekend! Spring Weekend is the weekend before finals and is a jam packed (literally, there's a DJ and a band) with fun events from Friday night until Sunday night! It will not be long until we find out who will be our musical guests this year, but we know it will be amazing!

Martyr's Lawn during Spring Weekend 2014

Gianna Rosamilia

This weekend, I had an incredibly busy weekend. Friday and Saturday night, Expressions Dance Alliance (the dance club I am in) had their spring semester showcase. The show went about an hour and a half, and featured The Satin Dolls, Fordham's incredible women's a cappella group. Overall, it was a huge success and all of our hard work over the semester really paid off! On Sunday, my Global Outreach team had its retreat. Global Outreach is a really popular program at Fordham for cultural immersion and service, and my team's project is traveling to Bethel, Alaska. It was a really great bonding opportunity for my service project community, and I cannot wait to go to Alaska with them!

Expressions just before the show Saturday night

Nicole Pieri

On Saturday, my friends and I went to Ram's Got Talent, a Fordham talent show sponsored by the Commuter Students Association that was held as part of Commuter Week. The talents varied from beatboxing to singing, and everyone who competed was extremely talented. It was really fun to watch and was a great way to spend a Saturday evening!

Some of our talented Rams

Weekend Update

Anna Romagnoli

This past weekend was the end of our spring break at Fordham. I spent this last week in West Palm Beach, FL with my two roommates. It was great to relax, enjoy the warm weather and spend time at the beach. Now that we are back, we are excited to enjoy spring and the rest of our last semester at Fordham!

My roommate and me enjoying the beautiful weather

Erica Restaino

Over Spring Break, I went on a Gabelli School of Business Study Tour to Santiago, Chile! In addition to exploring the city, we attended lectures at a Chilean Jesuit University and visited several companies. Since the Chilean economy is largely connected to its copper export, one of our visits was to Codelco's El Teniente Copper Mine, which is the largest copper mine in the world. It was quite the experience to go into a copper mine and see how the whole mining process works from start to finish. After the cold winter at Fordham, it felt so great to spend a week in the sun and the heat!

Some of us in all our mining gear

Danielle Smith

While I was sad to see Spring Break end I was happy to get back to Fordham to see my friends. Before my parents headed back home after dropping me off at school we stopped at Palumbo Bakery on Arthur Avenue for delicious pastries!

We love all the colorful treats

Weekend Update

Emily Tanner

Last weekend, my friends and I from the Exec Board of the College Democrats went to Washington, D.C. for the College Democrats of America conference. The experience was amazing, and we got to see President Obama speak along with a private tour of the Capitol! While I missed Rose Hill, it was definitely an experience that I'll never forget.

Enjoying the Washington Monument

Emma Eccleston

After the constant snow we have been having here in New York I couldn't have been happier than when I saw this weekend was supposed to be a little warmer! My friends and I took advantage of the nicer weather and decided to spend Sunday in Manhattan! We spent the day walking around, getting some yummy food, and shopping.  We happened to walk right by Dylan's Candy Bar on the Upper East Side and couldn't resist, they have endless delicious treats! It was a great day and definitely made us want spring weather more than ever!

Some of my lovely views for the day

Jessica Timko

This weekend I met some of my friends in the city, and we went to the 9/11 Memorial.  It was such a nice day out, so afterwards we decided to walk along the High Line, which is an elevated set of train tracks that has been converted into a public park on the West Side.  We finished the day by having some delicious dinner in Chelsea Market.

Freedom Tower

Teresa Swindal

This weekend was very relaxing because midterms are almost over! On Saturday, a few of my friends traveled to a doughnut shop called Dough in Flatiron, which is in Lower Manhattan. The donuts were amazing! Then, we shopped in the area and checked out Chelsea Market, which is a collection of unique shops and restaurants. With the weather getting warmer and the snow beginning to finally melt, the atmosphere in the city and on campus at Rose Hill is more exciting than ever!

Delicious chocolate with chocolate nibs donut

Yuliana Veyberman

A lot of Fordham students come from across the country or even from around the world, but if you're like me, you enjoy living just an hour away from campus. I usually take trips back to my house on weekends when I have a lot of studying to do - or when I really crave a homemade meal, like banana toast and some fresh delicious coffee! It's satisfying to know that my family -- my largest support system -- is just a short car ride away.

A great snack from a relaxing day 

Weekend Update

This NJ Transit map shows you how to get anywhere

Caroline Dunn

I spent the weekend at home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. While the Bronx and my hometown are only a 2 hour drive, without a car traveling from NY to PA can take much longer than expected. My other students and commuters from Philadelphia believe their only affordable option is a Mega or Bolt Bus which can cost as little as $6, but can take up to 5 hours (not to mention the extra trains from the Bronx and/or to the suburbs). An Amtrack train can take you into center city in about 90 minutes, but can cost almost $100. The hack from getting for NY to PA is not to go to PA at all! The New Jersey transit, which costs $15.50 can take you directly to Trenton Transit Center in anywhere from 60-90 minutes. Then from NJ, SEPTA transportation lines offer routes to Philadelphia and its surrounding areas. If you're lucky, maybe you can even manage for a parent to make the drive to Trenton!

The wonderful cast of Rent

Vanessa Agovida

This past weekend I performed as Joanne in the Mimes and Mummers' production of RENT. After a whirlwind rehearsal period of just five weeks, we finally got to present a show that had become very special to all of us in deeply personal ways. RENT is about love and survival, but most of all, it's about community--and our cast really became a family during this process. There's nothing like singing "Seasons of Love" with people you love. This was my fourth show with the Mimes, and maybe the most talented cast I've worked with at Fordham. Yesterday at the traditional Sunday cast dinner, I realized how grateful I am for the theatre community at Rose Hill and for the opportunity to work with fantastic professionals, like our director Brendan Stackhouse and music director Sean Forte.

One of many incredible speakers

Matt Calhoun

This weekend, along with my floormates in the Integrated Learning Community for Global Business (ILC-GB) in O'Hare Hall, I attended the European Conference at Harvard University. We left straight from campus on a special Ram Van and headed up to Boston where we stayed the night at the Revere Hotel, and attended the conference at the Kennedy School where we networked and shared ideas with members of the European Parliament (governing body of the EU) and professors from Harvard's Kennedy School.

Stranded in Pittsburgh in action

Brendan Burke

On Saturday night, I went to an improv comedy show put on by Fordham Experimental Theatre in the black box theatre in Collins Hall.  FET is entirely student run, and their improv troupe, Stranded in Pittsburgh, had a great show. The organization has different kinds of performances nearly every weekend, including improv comedy, standup comedy, spoken word performances, and plays and musicals that are written, directed, and produced by students. Plus, all FET events are free!

Juliette Arcodia

Cute little brunch spot

This weekend a few friends and I went to the Upper East Side for Saturday morning brunch. We took the 4 train right on Fordham road to 86th street and it was just a short walk to the restaurant. We went to Penrose, a great spot for brunch or dinner. The atmosphere was casual yet classy and the food did not disappoint. Afterwords we went thrift shopping before taking the train back to Fordham. It was a great Saturday out in the city!

Rent's amazing set

Amy Caffrey

This weekend, I got to see two different shows on campus. On Friday night, I went to the Blackbox Theater to see Fordham's Improv Comedy troupe, Stranded in Pittsburgh, perform.  The group is absolutely hilarious - my friends and I were in stitches for the entire show! Then, on Saturday night, I got to see Rent, which was performed by the Mimes and Mummers, Fordham's largest theater group. It was fantastic!

Delicious dinner

Victoria Cappucci

This weekend I took the Ram Van into the city and explored the Upper East Side with my roommates. We stumbled upon an organic Shake Shack-meets Five Guys burger restaurant that was sure to satisfy any appetite! Since it was all clear skies in Manhattan, we decided to take an early evening stroll through Central Park.

Our show flyer

Cat Gallagher

This past weekend I started tech week for Theatrical Outreach Program's (TOP's) production of The Laramie Project. This club does edited versions of full length shows and performs them for members of the community. For this show, we will be performing for LGBT youth. This is an incredibly talented group of students that I am so lucky to be a part of, and I can't wait to see how the show turns out next weekend!

Weekend Update Super Post

Check out the fun Fordham students have been having for the past couple weekends!

Some new friends from the retreat

Nicole Chiuchiolo

This weekend I went on my first Fordham Retreat, Emmaus 114. The retreat took place at Fordham’s amazing retreat house in Goshen. I had an amazing weekend full of prayer, personal reflection, and lots of fun! This was one of my favorite Fordham experiences so far. I made so many new friends who I can’t wait to hang out with outside of the retreat. It was the perfect way to recharge before midterms.

The retreat house's peaceful backyard

Shannon Donovan

This weekend I also went on the Emmaus 114 retreat. We stayed at Fordham’s own beautiful retreat house in Goshen, NY. There are various retreats available for students throughout the year, each with a slightly different focus.  It was a very fulfilling experience, and I definitely recommend signing up for one!

Rolf's beautiful decorations

Deirdre Hynes

The cold weather couldn't stop me from heading into Manhattan this weekend for a delicious dinner at Rolf's, a German restaurant known for its awesome food and Christmas decorations (that stay up all winter)!

My delicious Cuban dinner

Marisa Diaz

This past weekend, I went into Manhattan and had dinner at Havana Central, a Cuban restaurant in Midtown. After dinner, I stumbled upon a really good cookie place called Schmackary's. On the menu were 45 different types of cookies. The one I got was chocolate chip with a hint of sea salt.

My awesome new boomerang

Cerisse Gabion

This weekend was a great opportunity for me to hang out with friends from both on campus and off! I took the Ram Van downtown and went to see the musical If/Then with a friend and also met up with a friend from Australia at the theatre who gave me this really cool boomerang!

My friends and me enjoying dinner

Kayla Giampaolo

I went to see the musical Wicked on Broadway with my roommates. Out of the five of us, only three of us had seen it before so it was a really exciting trip. We began the evening by going out to dinner at Enzo's, one of our favorite restaurants on Arthur Avenue. After that we grabbed some dessert at Palombo and sprinted to catch the next Metro North Train to Grand Central. After quickly navigating through the city we made it just in time for the show to begin. Although I have already seen Wicked once before, it was an amazing performance. After the show, we decided to take the subway home to save some money and came back to Fordham. One of my favorite aspects of attending Fordham is how easy it is to explore and experience Manhattan. There's no better feeling than escaping the Bronx for a little while and enjoying the endless opportunities that lie just 20 minutes away.