Living on Campus as an Upperclassman

The thrill of living oncampus does die out after freshman year at Fordham. Upperclassman on-campus housing at Fordham allows for exciting new experiences and foreshadows the independence of impending adulthood.  Check out my view from the 12th floor of Walsh Hall!

As an incoming freshman, living on campus at Fordham means meeting new people in your hall, attending Res life sponsored activities, hanging out on Martyrs’ lawn, and all the excitements the coming with living on a college campus for the first time. As sophomore year approaches, these excitements tend to come to a simmer as the faces in your hall become more familiar and meeting up on Eddies is a part of your daily routine.

The housing options offered to upperclassman at Fordham promise to renew those freshman year feelings even for students who have been here for a few years. 

Finlay, O’Hare and Tierney Hall present their own diverse experiences that sophomore students tend to gravitate towards. Students who choose Finlay enjoy rooms complete with their own bathroom and not to mention a spiral staircase leading up to a private loft. O’Hare and Tierney appeal to many students because of the integrated learning communities these halls offer. All three halls still embrace a strong sense of community beneficial for second year students who may not know as many of their neighbors as they think.

 

A newly renovated kitchen in Walsh Hall

Campbell, Salice / Conley and Walsh (where I currently live as a junior) halls give upperclassman their own apartment style dorms while still having the convenience of living on campus. While Walsh Hall is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors alike, Campbell and Salice / Conley Hall are strictly junior and senior housing.

Home Sweet Home: the Basics of the Room Selection Process

It is already that time of year again when housing deposits for next year are due.  So for people who are not familiar with Fordham’s housing process, I thought I’d provide a little insight. 

For incoming freshman in June, you fill out a lifestyle survey and rank your preferences of which of the freshman dorms you would want to live in .  Residential Life pretty much takes over 

from there and notifies you of where you will be living in August. 

Finlay Hall, where I live now

After your freshman year, you have much more say over where you live; you can literally pick the exact room you’ll have for the next year.  The basic format for room selection is a lottery process, where students are randomly assigned a time slot on a certain day.  Groups are formed with people who wish to room together, and the person with the best time slot becomes the group leader.  The group leader is in charge of going online during the designated time and selecting a room for the group.  Seniors choose on the first set of days, juniors the next, and finally sophomores.  If students do not select a room during this time, whether because they chose not to select a room, there were no empty rooms available, or there were no rooms large enough to accommodate a group, these students are placed in Post Lotto.  If you are in Post Lotto, you are guaranteed campus housing; however, you are not guaranteed where you will be.  Residential Life makes every attempt to fulfill the requests of the survey you fill out with you building and roommate preferences, but you do not find out where you will be living until at least the middle of the summer.  

A panorama of my single in Finlay

Post Lotto may sound horrible, but I know many people, myself included, who have benefited from being in Post Lotto.  My friends who were not able to find a triple during the regular selection process were able to get a triple by taking a chance with Post Lotto that a group would withdraw.  I personally ended up in a nice single in Finlay Hall, and I have no complaints.  I mean, I have two closets and my own bathroom.  My advice about the housing process is not to worry.  If you’re lucky enough to get an early morning timeslot, then you shouldn’t have any problems, but even if you are forced to patiently wait through the Post Lotto process, I promise you it’s not as bad as it seems.  There have been multiple times when my friends have asked how I managed to get such a good room this year, and my reply is always “Post Lotto.”

Freshman Dorm Profile: Queen's Court Edition

Queen's Court is the best place to live as a freshman.

Few will tell you this, especially if they never lived there. They might tell you about the "Queen's stereotype" -- that Queen's kids are studious and straight-edge homebodies -- but even they do so with a glint in their eye. They know that's not the whole story. It's not even a quarter of the story.

Queen's Court is the wellness housing for freshmen who apply and promise to maintain drug- and alcohol-free lifestyles. You can see why stereotypes might develop from this. But the people I found at Queen's were among the nicest, most diverse kids I met at Fordham. During my freshman year, at least, Queen's Court housed musicians, taekwondo-ers, poetry slammers, baseball buffs, stand-up comics, and artists of all kinds. 

Best of all, we got to learn these things about each other through Knight Court. This program assigns each person a time slot during the year in which they will give a 5 to 10 minute presentation on literally anything they want to share about themselves, or anything they find interesting. We were only asked to attend twice a week (there were two presentations a night from Monday through Thursday), but some students actually attended more often. 

I chose a double in Queen's as my first choice on the housing application. Sure, I was attracted by the amenities -- the possibility of a private bathroom, extra-large room, or walk-in closet thrilled me, and no other residence hall has a study lounge as beautiful or as Hogwarts-like as Bishop's Lounge -- but I also thought I'd find like people at Queen's Court. And I did. I befriended many of the girls on my floor (shout-out to John's 3rd!), and we still hang out now that we all live in O'Hare.

One of the best parts of Queen's for me, though, was my room. As someone who tried to find photos of Fordham dorms online before freshman year started, I know that they're scarce. I hope you find these photos helpful! You can click each one for a larger view.

There weren't any outlets in this little nook by the front door, so I turned it into a vanity/coatroom space.

Christmas lights = cheap, pretty, and great for mood lighting!

A bit blurry, but it's the only photo I took that encompassed my roommate's side of the room! Our room had tons of natural light.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of our walk-in closet--only a photo of the closet door. The closet was incredibly spacious. We had more room than we knew what to do with!

We had a great view of the Queen's Court courtyard--and also a perfect spot for spying on the many weddings that occurred at the University Church right next door!

Living at Lincoln Center during the Summer

Having a campus in Manhattan provides many great benefits for the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. In addition to being able to take classes at both campuses throughout the academic semesters, Rose Hill students also have the ability to live in McMahon hall for the summer sessions. Most students who decide to do so intern in Manhattan as well as take classes during the evening courses. By living in Manhattan for several months, students can take advantage of everything the city has to offer during the summer.

Unlike most universities, this is a very unique opportunity. McMahon has four or six person apartments and students can specifically request to live with their friends when they fill out the summer housing application. It also provides a great opportunity to meet new Fordham students. Furthermore, the Lincoln Center campus has an ideal location between MidTown West and Upper West Side. It is near several subway lines, including A, C, D, B, and 1, and it is one avenue away from Central Park. This location boasts a wonderful variety of restaurants, activities, and events.

I have lived at McMahon Hall for the past two summers, between my sophomore and junior year and between my junior and senior year. Several of my friends and I took advantage of the nearby attractions. For example, the Harry Potter 7 Premiere was at Lincoln Center and we were able to see this from our room and easily walk over to star-gaze. The summer of 2010 involved all of the restaurants along 9th Avenue promoting the World Cup in South Africa with special discounts. There is also free kayaking located at 12th Avenue and 56th Street as well as biking or running down the west side highway along the waterfront. In addition, being so close to Central Park

made it fun to picnic on the weekends as well as attend the free summer concert program, or SummerStage, put on by the City Parks Foundation. The most spectacular part about living at McMahon was the view of the Hudson River. Every night, we had a clear view of the sun setting on the river and on the Fourth of July we were able to watch the amazing fireworks.

I would highly recommend to every Rose Hill student that they spend a summer living at Lincoln Center's McMahon Hall.

Business Livin’, Business Lovin’

As a student at Fordham, there are some unique residential life communities in which students have the option of living. Fordham offers the opportunity for students to live in an integrated learning community (ILC) during both their freshman and sophomore years. As a freshman, students can choose to be a part of the Wellness Community in Queen’s Court, the Manresa Scholars Program in Jogues Hall, or the Science ILC in Alumni South. As a sophomore, students can choose to be part of the Global Business ILC, Science ILC, West Wing Community, or Wellness Community, all found within O’Hare Hall.

This year, I chose to spend my sophomore year living in the Global Business ILC. With my intended major being accounting, I saw this as an excellent opportunity to become involved in the business community and begin building a professional network. The community consists of approximately 35 members who all share a strong interest in business. Our floor meets twice a week for different meetings and events. Every other Wednesday during the fall semester, we had the opportunity to hear from successful alumni through the Lecture Series Event. Speakers from a wide variety of professions including partners from the Big 4 Accounting Firms, investment bankers, and asset managers shared their stories and were available for networking after the event. Not only was this an excellent opportunity to begin building a professional network, many of the speakers shared advice on resume and interview tips.

Members of the Global Business ILC also compete in a business plan competition throughout both semesters of the academic year. The community is split into two groups of approximately 17 students each. Two captains are chosen for each team and fortunately for me, I was selected to serve as a captain of my respective team. Each group is to develop an idea for a small business that can be conducted right here on the Rose Hill Campus. During the first semester, teams meet with an esteemed Gabelli School of Business faculty mentor to present their idea and receive feedback. After the idea has been approved, students create both a formal written business plan and business plan presentation. Before departing for winter recess, the business plan is presented to the faculty mentor, sophomore class dean and resident assistant of the learning community.

During the second semester, teams actually implement their respective business plans. Each team is given a budget of $500 and works to earn a higher profit then the other team. The team with the greatest profits at the end of the year is named the winner of the Business Plan competition. Both teams this year have chosen to create businesses to raise money for charity. As a reward for participating in the learning community, students are given a pass/fail grade worth one credit per semester, respectively.

Living in the Global Business ILC has been an excellent experience thus far and I am very excited to begin conducting our business at the beginning of next semester. I would strongly encourage interested students to apply for an ILC as they are each unique but all have so much to offer. For me, being a part of an ILC has helped me to connect with some of my closest friends here at Fordham. Not matter what your interest, find ways to get involved on campus and make the most of your college experience.

Check out the Rose Hill Residential Life website for more information about Integrated Learning Communities at http://www.fordham.edu/student_affairs/residential_life/rose_hill/integrated_learning_/index.asp

Fordham Lincoln Center Dorm Profile!

Being an FCLC student has numerous perks...like a ton. Not only do we get to be a part of the amazing Fordham community and live in the middle of Manhattan, but we have pretty much the best dorms ever! As a tour guide one of my favorite moments is bringing families into a McMahon Hall apartment and seeing their reactions. I've gotten everything from speechlessness to a plea from the mother to let her live there. Thinking back on my college search those three long years ago, I wanted nothing more than to see where I would be living at each school if I attended before having to visit. I am going to help you with this issue, my lovely prospective classmates. So without further ado welcome to 9J!

My comfy, cozy bed!
Desk area...I do my work out in the living room so excuse the mess!
Dresser and Closet...the girls of 9J love their clothes.
A bathroom all to ourselves...one of my favorite things about these dorms!
Common area...where we hold our weekly Biggest Loser Tuesdays.
Dining Table...and our out of season Orchid.Foyer area and the view into our kitchen...and my prized Hello Kitty water cooler.
Our little kitchen complete with oven, stove, fridge and sink...microwave not included

Thanks for checking my crib
Now you don't need to go home, but you gotta get out of here!

The Life of a Resident Assistant

Being a Resident Assistant, a Residential Life live-in staff member, is both a blessing and a curse. I'm living in a freshman dorm this year, and being back on campus with freshmen has been endlessly rewarding: I am cried on, loathed, laughed with, poked, prodded, teased, relied on, and loved. Granted, I am also pulled out of my bed to let residents into their locked rooms at all hours of the night, required to meet various conditions so that Res Life has favorable statistics at the end of the year, and responsible for sending overly-drunk students to the hospital, which, at one particularly poignant moment, happened while I was dressed up as George Washington and NOT on-call. That's the thing about being an RA: you're always on-call. Even when you're just taking a stroll across campus on an average Thursday night, sipping lemonade, dressed up as George Washington, with two staff members back in your dorm officially on duty for the night. There's just no escaping it.

The RA Staff of Alumni Court South this year.
Photo c/o Erin Swide/Caitlyn Pedone

Aside from my list of bizarre RA experiences, though, there are some pretty cool things about the job. As I like to put it, the responsibilities of Resident Assistants essentially fall into three categories: 1. Creating programs/events for students to attend (this includes, but is not limited to, organizing, budgeting, marketing, and facilitating said programs); 2. Appropriately confronting and/or referring counseling/psychological concerns; and 3. Making sure that students are following University/state policy, and documenting the situation (i.e. telling your boss about it) when they aren't. You'll notice that these duties all contribute to the same goal, that is, making sure that residents are having an awesome year. Providing fun (and sometimes free!) stuff to do, encouraging -relatively- sanity, and ensuring safety and moderate tameness can only enhance the good times, right?

My flyers from RA-ing last year (sample programs)

Of course, I encourage you to take my sanity comment with a grain of salt; this founding father's perception of "relative sanity" is very, very relative.

Off Campus Living

Since my sophomore year, I have made the choice to live in off-campus housing. The choice to undergo the additional responsibilities that this would require (cleaning my own bathroom, paying my own bills, etc.) was weighed with the additional rights gained by living in my own place. Another aspect that had to be weighed was the proximity to campus. While being on classes allowed you to be close to class, the cafeteria, and dorm-living students, being off campus allows you to access the rich bounty of the Arthur Avenue Little Italy section of the Bronx. This includes gourmet restaurants, authentic markets, and fascinating history surrounding the “Belmont” Neighborhood, where the large majority of off-campus students reside. All of this within a 5-10 minute walk from Fordham’s gates.


- - Ian Powell
FCRH 2013

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