Campus Involvement: Celebrating Ignatian Week as a Resident Assistant

             One of my favorite parts about being a Resident Assistant at Fordham is getting to plan programs for my residents.  This week, I am hosting a talk given by Mrs. Carol Gibney, the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry for Faith Formation and Sacraments at Rose Hill.  Mrs. Gibney will be coming to my Residence Hall for dinner and a discussion about the life of Saint Ignatius.  She will also be leading a guided meditation and speaking about ways to live out Ignatian teaching as a college student.  This program is a timely event, since Ignatian week begins this Sunday, on October 30th, and lasts until November 7th.  

Fordham's Campus Ministry Staff

         As a Jesuit university, it is important to know about the history of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits) in order to grow in our tradition and celebrate our history. 

Ignatian Week Schedule, Rose Hill, 2016

This Igatian week will be even more special, because this year is Fordham’s 175^th anniversary.  The weeklong celebration, held by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities will include a students vs. Jesuits softball game, Opening Mass, Habitat for Humanity Build, and many dinners and discussions with members of the Fordham community, including Father McShane.  As a Resident Assistant and member of the Fordham community, I am excited to participate in the Ignatian Week activities, and teach my residents more about Fordham’s history and Jesuit heritage. 

Behind the Scenes of New Student Orientation: Preparing to Welcome Our New Baby Rams

Blog by Kaitlyn Powers

Me and my Orientation partner Jake ready to give out some hugs!

As I walk through campus for the first time on a scorching late August afternoon, I take in the view and sounds that I haven’t seen for three whole months: a green, lush Eddie’s, waiting to be sprawled on by its students, a magnificent Keating standing tall and proud just like in all the brochures, and the sound of pre-season football training coming from Coffey field. I smile and, for the millionth time that day, I’m reminded of how excited I am to be back to Fordham for the year. In the back of my mind is the reason for my early arrival: to get ready to welcome the incoming students to their new home.

Since my sophomore year, I have been a leader for New Student Orientation, Fordham’s official welcoming process for acclimating freshmen to campus and all things college. During the week before Orientation officially begins, I, along with almost 200 of my fellow students, prepare to welcome the incoming freshmen class, going through various training and community activities that bond us as a team and prepare us to be the best possible resources for new students. By listening to and engaging in presentations about topics like the Fordham Core curriculum, public safety, extracurricular and academic involvement opportunities, multicultural issues, mental health awareness, and career services offerings, we as Orientation leaders are able to refresh our knowledge about Fordham to ensure that we are capable and informative guides, mentors, and friends for our new fellow Rams.

My wonderful Orientation training team at our annual Olympics! Go Gray Team

The part of Orientation training that excites me most, however, is the new family I create with each new year I take part in the program; the team of 200 is separated into training teams of about ten people each and, over the course of the week, this team becomes a new family. We not only prepare to welcome the freshmen as a team, but also build each other up to be the best leaders we can be. We compete in trivia nights, dress up for formal, have dance competitions with other training teams, and participate in an Olympic tournament at the end of the week to show our pride for Fordham and our mounting excitement for the freshmen to arrive. It is one of the best events I have taken part in while attending Fordham, and something that has introduced me to some of the most compassionate, intelligent, and selfless people at this school that I never would have met otherwise.

Me and my Orientation training team on Move-In Day, ready to move in the new Rams!!! 

Flash forward to Move-In Day: it’s 5:15 in the morning. My roommate and I have snoozed our alarms 3 times so far. We roll out of bed, groggy and confused as to why it’s still dark out. One minute later, we remember why we are awake at this ungodly hour: to move in our new freshmen. We throw on our Orientation shirts, walk out of our apartment, and walk towards the rest of our 200-person family, half awake and ready to carry box after box up flights of stairs for the class of 2020. One large cup of coffee and a donut later, I am ready. At 7am, my Orientation training team walks to the building we are moving in that day and waits for the first car to pull up, dancing to the music blasting from the speakers around campus. At 7:12am, our newest Ram and her family arrive. We give her our loudest welcome, open her car, and I pick up my first box of the day. I smile, and remember how happy I am to be home.

GO! Set the World On Fire

One of the greatest ways to get involved in Fordham's campus community is through a program called Global Outreach, or GO!. Associated with the Office of Mission and Ministry, the Global Outreach program organizes short-term service and cultural immersion projects for Fordham students at both international and domestic locations. Usually about ten days in length, GO! projects are offered over winter break, spring break, and in the beginning of the summer term. Founded in the four pillars of community, social justice, simple living, and spirituality, GO! projects are meant to expose students to issues of social, economic, political, and environmental injustice, while living in solidarity with the communities they serve.

Half of my team - throughout the semester we go on GOcials, to get to know the members of our team!

 This semester, I have the privilege of participating in the GO! NYC project. While most trips involve a decent amount of travel (other project sites include India, El Salvador, and New Orleans, to name a few), this project is unique in that it allows students to implement the GO! mission in our very own New York. This January, we will be spending ten days working with partner organizations at various sites throughout the city, learning about issues facing the people with HIV/AIDs, working families, and the homeless. In preparation, our team has weekly meetings, socials (called GOcials, of course!), and fundraisers to help offset the cost of our trip. Already, we are building our own miniature community, and I cannot wait to get going on our project! I couldn't be happier that I decided to apply to Global Outreach, and encourage all Fordham students to do so as well! For more information about GO! and its projects, visit the Global Outreach website.

To offset the cost of the trip, we organize fundraisers throughout the semester. Last week, we organized a quesadilla delivery...sadly, guac was extra!

Popeapalooza: Fordham Edition

Flat Francis & Fordham bracelet giveaways

Fordham is always bustling with opportunities for students to get involved and immerse themselves in the school community.  The past few weeks have been no exception.  Leading up to Pope Francis’s visit to the United States, there was much planning and excitement around campus.  On Sunday, September 20^th, we had a Mass of Anticipation, centered on his arrival in New York.  There was a social on the University Church plaza afterwards, where Campus Ministry distributed ice cream and a variety of Pope-related handouts.  They gave out “Flat Francis” cutouts, just like the Flat Stanley project many students do in elementary school.  This was a fun idea encouraging students to take pictures and share their experiences on social media.  Students also received Fordham bracelets coining the phrase “Faith, Pope & Love.”

The exciting news

There was a packed schedule of events planned to help us experience Pope Francis’s visit to the fullest.  Programs included live streaming of his Address to Congress and to the United Nations, as well as prayer and reflection sessions.  There was also a Pope Francis House Build with Habitat for Humanity in Yonkers, NY.  As a Jesuit university, Fordham was allotted several tickets for students to see the Pope in person.  They held a lottery for his Mass at Madison Square Garden, and for his procession down 5^th Avenue prior to the Mass.  The Office of University Mission and Ministry also sent out an email informing us that New York City was running a sponsored program to give away tickets for the Central Park Papal Procession.  Fortunately I won the raffle, along with many other Fordham students!

My view of Pope Francis

On Friday, September 25^th, we headed down to the city on the Ram Van, Fordham’s intercampus shuttle service.  Our assigned entrance to Central Park was the “Green Zone,” which was conveniently right down the block from Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus.  We got in line among the thousands of other ticket-holders, surrounded by flags of Vatican City flying everywhere.  Eventually we got through security and entered the park, anticipation building with every minute.  Just standing in this massive crowd of people, you could sense the overwhelming excitement for what was to come.  The procession began around 5pm, and the next thing I knew Pope Francis was riding in the popemobile right before my eyes.  It was such an incredible and moving experience, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity.