Published: April 9, 2009

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, recently delivered his annual State of the University address, in which he announced a campaign to raise $500 million for the University over the next five years and outlined a number of uses for these funds. In his page 3 article “Father McShane Delivers State of the University Address,” Ray Walsh outlines McShane’s plan for this money. Of the $500 million goal, $100 million will be used as discretionary funds, to be spent as the administration decides. The Observer would like to make a few suggestions to the administration.

First: the cafeteria. Many students long for more meal options. Of course it is impossible for the cafeteria to please every student all the time, but Fordham could certainly invest in a wider variety of foods. Students would also like to see the cafeteria open for longer hours. College students keep strange hours, so some late-night meals would be greatly appreciated.

Second: the gym. In the April 2 issue of the Observer, sports co-editor Rob Beatson’s article “FCLC has a chance to show new concern for athletes in Master Plan” calls on University administrators to “remember the athletes.” He explains that many Fordham students feel ignored because of the limited resources in the fitness center and the destruction of the tennis and basketball courts in the Master Plan. At the very least, the University should invest in an expansion of the fitness center, which is used by both serious athletes and those who just want to stay in shape.

Third: commuter grants. We’ve all heard about the dreaded subway fare hikes, and many students are concerned about going broke paying for transit costs, as Anndrew Vacca found in his article “MTA Fare Hikes Costly for Fordham Students” on page 4. Fordham could use these funds to provide transit grants to more commuter students. If the University cannot provide more full transit grants, even distributing funds to cover the cost of the fare increase would help.

Finally, at least some of this money should go directly to students. We understand that it may not be possible to reduce tuition, but a tuition freeze for all current students would help ease the growing annual burden. If that is impossible, the University could offer a credit toward books or any of the other relatively small costs that add up throughout the course of an student’s undergraduate career.

Fordham should consider the immediate needs of its students. We are lucky to have a staff of extraordinary professors and a great campus in the heart of New York City, but it would be wonderful to see this money put towards improvements that directly benefit the student population. No matter how the discretionary fund is spent, please, Fordham, remember your students.