Fun Activities for the New Semester

Imagine you've just come back to campus after winter break.  You are just starting your new classes and seeing your friends again after a few weeks away.  To help you get back in the swing of things, Fordham hosts a number of events that help returning students get ready for their new semester.

For students looking to become more involved with on-campus clubs or groups, there is a spring club fair that takes place during the first week of the new semester.  Various student groups gather in the McGinley Center, inviting other students to see what interests them and to join related clubs.  Additionally during the first few weeks, there are a number of auditions taking place for upcoming on-campus theatrical productions.

We weren't lucky enough to win Fordham blankets or a $200 Best Buy gift card this time,
but there's always next time!

If you're simply looking to spend a little time relaxing or unwinding during the beginning of the new semester, there are plenty of activities for that too!  From bingo to Cinevents movie showings (this week is Big Hero 6),  students can always find a way to enjoy their free time on campus.

Even though it's only the beginning of the semester, there's no shortage of ways to get involved or enjoy Fordham!

Back With a Bang: How Fordham Starts Off the New Semester Right

The first week of Spring Semester classes is officially over here at Fordham, and I’m so glad to be back in New York City with my friends and classmates. Beginning a new semester can be stressful at times, and at first I felt nervous about taking my Spring Semester courses at the Gabelli School of Business. However, as soon as I got to campus, I felt a lot better about beginning my new classes because of all of the fun, stress relieving activities that Fordham offered this past week.

Just as students jump back into their classes at the start of a new semester, they also have the opportunity to jump back into fun activities going on at the university. Starting during the very first week of this semester, students had the opportunity to attend promo dinners for fundraisers, club fairs, and Bingo! My personal favorite activity this week was the O’Hare Residence Hall Winter Carnival. Resident Assistants and Directors in O’Hare Hall organized a fun night of winter festivities, complete with hot chocolate, cookies, and even an ice skating rink! My friends and I had a great time at this event, and it was a fantastic way to welcome everyone back to Fordham.

The ice skating rink was right on the Rose Hill Campus for O'Hare's Winter Carnival! 

Here at Fordham, there is always something interesting going on. Even at the start of the new semester, Fordham Rams know how to hit the ground running and come back with a bang! Coming back to campus to start a new semester really feels like coming home for me. Every semester, I realize more and more that there truly is no place like Fordham. I am so happy to be back on campus again, and I am really looking forward to Spring Semester’s future Fordham activities!

My roommate and I strapped on some skates and hit the ice after we went to the gym! 

Spring Has Sprung at Fordham!

I know almost every Fordham student, like myself, has been yearning for the long awaited spring that we felt was never going to make an appearance.  However, as the temperatures begin to raise and the winter coats begin to disappear it seems that spring has sprung here in New York! One of the tell tale signs that the weather is nice here at Fordham is when you see Edwards Parade, the large grassy area in front of Keating Hall, filled with students soaking up the sun!  Students can just lay out, do some homework, or take part in the multiple frisbee or soccer games going on around you. 

Below are some pictures of Eddies and Keating on Thursday when it was packed with students!

Spending time on Eddies is not the only thing that Fordham students love to do once warm weather approaches.  If you are looking for a change of scenery one very easy option is to cross the street and wander in to the New York Botanical Garden.  All Fordham students are admitted free of charge to the gardens so no need to worry about what toll it may take on your wallet!  Here you can go for a run, walk, or just hang out and get some studying done while enjoying the amazing surroundings.  After you can take a walk down Arthur Avenue with your friends and enjoy a delicious meal or some gelato! 

Spring semester is my personal favorite here at Fordham, especially when the weather gets nice, because everyone is constantly outside and there are so many fun things to do! The spring semester includes the long-awaited Spring Weekend including fun events, such as concerts, dances, and speakers! All in all this warmer weather only means great things to come as the semester begins to wind down and I cannot wait to take full advantage of all Fordham's unbeatable location has to offer! 

Gabelli Is Giving the Sophomores $100,000,000!

In the fall, the other Gabelli sophomores and myself took a series of classes in cohorts. This means that the entire sophomore class was split up into groups of about thirty students who took all of their business classes together. These classes included Marketing, Financial Accounting, Strategy I, Management I, Information Systems I, and Business Communications I. This spring, we are taking the second part of many of these classes. 

My schedule for the Spring semester

For the Integrated Project, the students were then further divided into teams within their cohorts. Each cohort had six teams of five to six students each. Each team was then assigned a company to research throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, each team presented a business plan that they came up with themselves to their company. In March, the six best teams will be competing for first place in the competition with a prize of $1,000! 

Unfortunately, my team did not make it to the final round (even though we had an awesome idea for Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.), but that's okay because with the new semester comes the next Integrated Project! 
 
So, what is this semester's big project?

Like last semester, the sophomores are once again in teams of five or six students within their cohorts. However, each team has been given $100,000,000 (unfortunately, it's not real money) to invest in the stock market. Throughout the semester, each team will be faced with a series of investment decisions, which will involve researching a group of six companies within an industry. After researching the various companies, each team will have to choose which company they will choose to invest in. However, other than having to make these specific choices, the teams are free to invest in any companies they choose, and they may buy and sell as they please.

This project ties in well with a new course that the sophomores are taking this semester. While most of our classes this semester are simply the second part of the Fall semester's courses (i.e. We are taking Management II this semester, but took Management I last semester), the sophomores are taking our first Finance class. Therefore, we will be applying what we learn in Financial Management to our Integrated Project for this semester. Hopefully my team this semester will have better luck than my last team!

My textbooks for this semester!

Traveling Rams: Study Abroad at Fordham

The fall semester at Fordham is almost over which means the end of classes, finals, winter break, and for some students, preparing to study abroad during the spring semester!  While spending time on Fordham’s campus and NYC is great, a part of the Fordham experience is the opportunity to study abroad.  Many students who decide to study abroad go during the spring semester of their junior year.  There are also options to study abroad during the fall semester and over the summer.  Being in New York there are so many opportunities, but going abroad for a semester will be an entirely new adventure!

I have always wanted to study abroad, and I went to a couple study abroad fairs held at Fordham during my sophomore year.  At the fair, I learned about different programs and options, and was able ask lots of questions.  Another resource that I used quite often was the International Study Abroad Programs (ISAP) office.  Their website lists all the programs that Fordham students have gone on in the past, different types of programs, and pictures.  I made several appointments and got to ask even more questions, and finally decided to go to Paris! Below is the link to the ISAP website:

http://www.fordham.edu/academics/office_of_the_provos/international_educat/international__study/index.asp

After landing on Paris, I picked a program.  I decided to go to Paris through the Academic Programs Abroad (APA).  I was even able to get in touch with Fordham students who had gone to Paris with APA in the past and hear about their experiences.  APA will give me the opportunity to meet new students, speak French, go on trips, and take classes. I can't wait to live in Paris for a semester, and travel around Europe and meet up with other Fordham students who are also studying abroad.

After the planning process, I am getting so excited about my decision to study abroad in Paris, but I will definitely miss being at Rose Hill! I would definitely recommend looking into study abroad, using the many resources available, and seeing if it is something that will become a part of your time at Fordham!  

Gabelli School of Business Service Learning Program

No Fordham alumnus can say that her or she has never heard professors or administrators mention the phrase "men and women for others" at least several times throughout his or her academic career. The words "Jesuit education" and "service" are practically synonymous with one another. Fordham University is reputed throughout not only the New York City area, but throughout the entire United States for both its dedication to selfless service to others, as well as for the plethora of service opportunities that it offers. Listing the sorts of opportunities that are available to students would take an entire blog.

One program in particular, however, offers students attending the Gabelli School of Business the unique chance to combine the lessons that they learn while serving the Bronx community with their academic coursework. This program is called the Gabelli School of Business Service Learning Program, and I had the opportunity to participate in it during the spring semester of my junior year, which was Spring 2011. Through the program, which operates through Fordham's Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, enabled me to to become an active contributor to the welfare of the Bronx community by helping me discover the local charity organization Yes! The Bronx. This organization is dedicated to promoting to Bronx residents lifestyles that are conducive to optimal physical health. The focal point of student participation in the program was the organization and promotion of a 5-kilometer running event that embodied the principle of the charity's cause.

The tasks required for this included traveling to various community establishments throughout the Bronx, such as youth centers and places of worship, with the objective of not only garnering participants and financial support for our event, but also to freely spread the awareness of health that our program advocates. My fellow program participants and I undertook this by explaining the importance of maintaining proper nutrition and steady participation in physical activity specifically while living in the Bronx. Though we succeeded in gaining many participants for the event, as well as an unexpected surplus of financial support, our words alone are not what helped us to succeed.

What truly enabled us to gain support was the spirit of our presence in the community to freely help residents while expecting nothing in return. This is the attitude of service that Fordham seeks to instill not just in all student community service participants, but in all students in general. The Gabelli School Service Learning Program, which has access to numerous charity organizations throughout the borough and throughout the entire city, succeeds in fulfilling this task.

The Best Weekend of Your Life

Spring Weekend. Those two words alone make every Fordham student so happy, so very happy. It is hands down the best weekend of the year. And every year seems to top the one before it. Why? Here’s the lowdown on what spring weekend is and why it’s the best thing in the world:

1. It’s Free. Almost every single event of spring weekend is free. Once you’re in college you’ll agree: no matter what it is, free is good. Our Campus Activities Board and Residences Halls Association take care of everything for us.

2. It’s not just a weekend. It starts on a Wednesday and goes until Sunday. That’s 5 days of fun (free!) things to do, all planned out for you. There’s no sitting around with your roommate asking each other “What do you want to do?” “I dunno, what do you want to do?” Everyone goes to the events so you don’t want to miss out.

3. Campus Movie Fest. Campus Movie Fest is a national organization that Fordham participates in. They give you a camera, laptop, and editing software for you to make a 5 minute movie. People then submit their movies to the executive board where they are judged. The movies are played for all the students on Wednesday night of Spring Weekend followed by an Oscars-style award show. The top two Fordham films are then sent to the national Campus Movie Fest board where they are reviewed and played for some very notable people in the film industry.

4. Lectures by awesome people. On the Thursday of Spring Weekend, Campus Activities Board (also known as CAB) holds a lecture-style talk hosted by a pop culture icon. This past year we had the cast of MTV’s The Buried Life. They talked to us about their motivation to create the show and the incredible things they’ve been able to do so far in life. In the past, cast members of MTV’s The Real World have come. The lectures are extremely popular. They are so inspirational and motivational, and always, very, very funny.

5. Concert by a famous DJ. Friday night of Spring Weekend hosts a concert by a DJ. 2011’s Spring Weekend featured The White Panda (who if you haven’t head of yet, go look it up- they are amazing!). 2010 saw DJ Earworm (the guy behind United State of Pop) which was a ton of fun. The concert is at night and outside so it’s nice and cool. This is definitely a Spring Weekend event not to miss.

6. Saturday’s Concert. The music continues into Saturday afternoon where CAB hosts another free concert. This one features a musical artist. In the past we’ve had Third Eye Blind, MGMT, Ghostface Killa, Guster, The Roots, OAR, and Yellowcard. Saturday’s concert is outside on Martyr’s Lawn. It’s great because it’s really for everyone. If you like to dance or mosh and jump up and down, you can go up to the front of the stage. If you just want to lie out in the sun, you can lay down on a blanket in the grass and just listen to the concert.

7. Food. At every event there’s food. On Saturday, there’s a big barbecue that happens throughout the afternoon. Again, completely free! You can eat as much as you want. There’s always tons of water and soda as well as little snacks for everyone to enjoy.

8. Under the Tent Dance. The Under the Tent dance is hosted by Residences Halls Association. Every year the dance is themed. RHA goes all out on its themes too. One year the theme was “Willy Wonka” and the entire tent was decked out in candy and 3 foot tall gummy bears as well as really vibrant colors. Another past theme was “Winter Wonderland” which was a refreshing cool break from the hot May sun. “Hamptons White Party” was another crowd favorite theme.

9. Comedians. On the final day of Spring Weekend, CAB hosts a comedy show for all the students. The comedians are always extremely well known and are guaranteed to have you laughing the entire time. Past comedians include Dave Coulier (the loveable Uncle Joey from Full House), Finesse Mitchell, and John Mulaney (writer for SNL).

The one bad thing about Spring Weekend…

It’s the last weekend of the year. With Spring Weekend comes the impending doom of finals week. Spring Weekend is on the last weekend of the semester before reading days and finals begin. It’s the last time everyone is all together before summer.

It’s not possible not to have a good time during Spring Weekend. Get ready!

K.C. Jones

GSB 2013