Staff Editorial: Have Empathy for Fordham’s Financial Situation
April 29, 2020
UPDATE (9:55 a.m., April 30, 2020): The Observer has received feedback from students who are concerned about this editorial. We based our editorial on factual reporting of the university’s complicated financial situation; however, we did not intend to discount the very real experiences of students, professors and members of the Fordham family that are financially affected by this crisis. We encourage anyone who feels strongly about this topic to share their perspective by submitting an article or a letter to the editor to our Opinions section.
The switch to online classes has been a stressful time for the Fordham community as teachers, students and administrators juggle the demands of a digital education. While Fordham’s financial struggles directly impact the student body in regard to tuition and auxiliary costs, it is important that the Fordham community take the time to understand the financial repercussions caused by the virus and be compassionate in their requests from the university.
For the 2020 fiscal year, Fordham proposed $3.5 million toward on-hand money in the event of an unplanned expense, just as they would any other year. However, the outbreak of the virus could never have been foreseen, so understandably this money is not nearly enough to appropriately respond to this large-scale emergency.
In a November 2017 budget presentation, Martha Hirst, senior vice president of Fordham and its chief financial officer and treasurer, wrote that Fordham had “little cushion for unplanned costs” if it had an on-hand fund of $5 million or less. Hirst went on to explain that, ideally, Fordham should set aside around $6 million dollars or more to be kept on-hand.
Fordham also received $8 million from the CARES Act, of which 50% will be given to students. This money, while a great benefit to Fordham, will not alleviate all the financial strain that the school is under. Although it may seem like Fordham has an abstract, large sum of money to fall back on, that money is not easily accessible and not a viable plan for handling the financial losses caused by the pandemic.
While Elite Ivy League universities such as Harvard rejected the federal money, they benefit from some of the largest endowments in the country. Fordham does not have that luxury — it depends on this aid to help soften the heavy financial blow of this pandemic.
Many colleges and universities will not be able to survive the financial turmoil of this year due to their inability to liquidate enough money, and the Fordham community should be grateful that the university is in a relatively stable position compared to many small colleges.
Although students have begun to petition for tuition refunds, the reality is that the university is not in a financial situation to do so while continuing to pay and look after all the people who make Fordham Fordham.
Students, professors and faculty need to practice empathy and assist each other in transitioning to the new reality of the pandemic. Of course, financial issues are a serious concern that need to be addressed appropriately and promptly, but students and the Fordham administration need to recognize that everyone in the world is struggling right now.
In a time when we are encouraged to be empathetic to neighbors, family members, health care workers and many others, have some empathy for the leaders of Fordham University, too. We’re all going through a tough time right now.
Dave • Sep 27, 2021 at 4:12 pm
I would never donate to Fordham. This university is absolutely horrible. They say they are grading on a curve, but the curve is not transparent. Fordham wonders why its endowment is much less than its peers? Its because students hate going here. Going to Fordham Law was the worst decision I have ever made in my life.
Rey • Jun 19, 2020 at 11:53 pm
No freakin way. This piece is as tone deaf and artificial as the one sent by Fr. McShane regarding tuition increase.
Fordham be damned, it’ll probably be suing for bankruptcy once people realise they’re getting sucked dry for a sub par experience anyways. I’m joining CUNY or another public uni, see y’all there lol
Kendall • May 4, 2020 at 5:41 pm
This is bad. I can’t say I’m surprised to see this come from an all-white opinion editor staff. (Also the same opinion section that criticized the #FREEMTA movement “dangerous” and called fare-evaders “freeloaders.”) Disappointing and privileged.
erica • May 2, 2020 at 5:29 pm
No idea why this article is getting heat, y’all are absolutely right.
Jimmy DeSanta • May 2, 2020 at 12:12 pm
Wonderfully written article. Shows a fact based knowledge of the reasons why Fordham cannot pay back tuition. It is imperative that we understand that if Fordham were to pay back the students we will not have a school to go to next year. I think we all need to take a step back and realize that everyone no matter how much money someone has is struggling during this time.
C B • May 1, 2020 at 11:10 am
An anonymous writer telling students, facility, and parents to “go easy” on an institution whose tuition is over $50k is absurd. We have every right to be upset, not only because we did not receive what we paid for, but we are offered little to no support in a time of crisis. You can’t claim “care for the whole person” when you do not support the people of your community, especially low-income students.
Tim Whitford • Apr 30, 2020 at 11:49 pm
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Fordham should concentrate on its mission – providing a meaningful faith-based education for your students.
Liam • Apr 30, 2020 at 9:11 pm
Has Fordham applied for money through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in the CARES Act (Section 18004(a))? If so, the law states they must allocate no less than HALF the money ($8.1 million in Fordham’s case) to students to help cover unexpected costs and relieve financial strain caused by the coronavirus. Has the University received this money? How and when do they plan to provide student’s with their portion of the grant? This is of much larger concern to the student body than a plea to “empathize” with this nontransparent institution.
Megan • Apr 30, 2020 at 8:46 pm
What I find most appalling amid all this is the use of this Jesuit love-and-community pretense to disguise the truth of Fordham’s financial capabilities and responsibilities to their students, professors, and faculty. Don’t ever think for a second that we are naive, because we’re not. Tell us ten times over about the need of empathy for the institution, and we’ll raise you eleven of all the incidences when Fordham disserviced their low-income students, contract workers, and adjunct professors. Absolutely vile and disgusting. And as far as the responsibilities of The Observer to communicate the uncensored and unedited concerns of its student body, I’m not surprised that they’ve chosen to be sheep. How can they not be when they receive tens of thousands of dollars for funding? I repeat: it is not wise to think of your constituents as gullible and naive when this University has an unmistakeable history of catering more towards their own business endeavors and greed for profits then living up to their promises as a Jesuit institution. “Empathetic to neighbors, family members, health care workers and many others”? I would ask the University to take its own advice.
Wills • Apr 30, 2020 at 7:03 pm
This is one of the most tone deaf publications I’ve seen in a long time. Shame and pity to everyone who was involved in thinking that this was something worth saying to the Fordham community. Why should we have empathy for a school with a $750+ million endowment that is trying to come off as a small, vulnerable institution, now of all times? When emailing the financial aid department as to why I received a mere $138 refund from this pandemic, I received no response as to what it was for. In the same email, I asked if the tuitions fees for summer courses would change, but to nobody’s surprise Fordham does not plan to reduce any fees. Two years ago I wasn’t allowed to take summer courses online outside of Fordham, but now I’m expected to finish my final semester over Zoom, where no professor had been prepared for online teaching beforehand, and act as if a massive financial burden isn’t affecting my and every other students family? It is wildly disappointing to see this be Fordham’s gesture to its student body, but at the same time not at all surprising. Too many of us have been played this patronizing card before. Fordham does not deserve our empathy.
Michael Rubin • Apr 30, 2020 at 6:42 pm
Commenting on this is not something I would normally do. However, I feel obligated to stand with my fellow students in saying that this is ridiculous. Fordham as an institution is exactly the kind of thing we’ve been taught to resist in our classes. Frankly, I want a refund.
Andy Vega • Apr 30, 2020 at 5:47 pm
What is “empathy”?
Emalyn • Apr 30, 2020 at 5:02 pm
This is such bullshit. No wonder the article is written anonymously. Check your privilege love.
Angelica • Apr 30, 2020 at 3:04 pm
This article needs to be taken down—arguing repeatedly in defense of this piece by saying that it was “thoroughly researched” or is based on concrete numbers the editorial board dug up is irrelevant when the fact is that it is tone deaf, elitist, inconsiderate, and astonishingly privileged. Your numbers mean nothing. Students’ lives mean something. The fact that the university has failed to allot emergency funds to offer students any kind of financial aid at this time is not only disheartening but plainly selfish and unethical.
To those that take a position like that of the commenter “Susan,” I frankly pity their inability to see how backwards and corrupt this message is. This is not about showing empathy, it is about supporting students whose tuition money went nowhere and who are struggling to feed themselves and avoid eviction. Fordham isn’t just “taking time to issue refunds,” they are flat out refusing to issue them—they’ve stated so in multiple emails. We don’t need to twiddle our thumbs hoping that changes, we need to continue being vocal and engaged to change it.
Condemning us for doing so is appalling, and makes this newspaper sound quite apparently like it is happily in the pocket of administration. Unbelievable. Don’t tell us to be patient and understanding when very nearly every other university has already long since done what Fordham is refusing to do! We never planned for this as students, yes, but a university is supposed to have. Emergency funds, backup funding sources, endowments, smart budget cuts—universities use their resources to plan for potential disasters or major events, and if Fordham truly had no plan of action or available money for this scenario then severe mismanagement has been occurring.
Hundreds of other universities have already offered refunds or emergency aid to students, including universities with much less formidable endowments. Do not tell us to “have empathy” for a faceless institution that is perfectly capable of providing us with aid and has plainly chosen not to do so. Nearly every other university had offered returns to students, so why are you ignorant enough to believe that somehow Fordham is unique and deserving of patience in needing time to figure things out or being unable to do the same? In example, nearby university The New School has an endowment of 399.3 million dollars compared to Fordham’s 728 million, and they have already refunded all service/facility fees and set up an emergency fund offering $1,000-3,000 per application, with multiple applications allowed over time. Where is Fordham’s money going? What pockets have been filled with the money from my three years of college loans? If the school’s situation is truly so dire with an endowment of this size, then changes should be made and a serious look at where money is leaking should be taken. It is astounding, disheartening, and enraging to see how this situation has been handled, and those feelings are amplified tenfold after hearing clearly privileged students condemn the feelings and words of upset students like myself in this article. I am entitled to call for compensation. Frankly, I am entitled to be fuming. We do not need to have empathy for an institution that exists BECAUSE of us, FOR us. We are hurting. They can show some empathy for us for once, and then we’ll talk.
This has been a long comment (with our livelihoods and educations at stake, I hope my intensity is understandable), but I would like to add that it is affirming to see other students commenting here with valuable information and thoughts, and holding their ground. Comments like that posted by Sophie make clear that we as a student body are informed and engaged, we will not be quiet, and our opinions are based not only on our desires and feelings but on facts. We cannot be dissuaded or hushed. I salute all other students fighting for urgently necessary financial compensation at this time.
Finally: stop telling us to just submit our own articles if we have a problem with this opinion. Take it down. It is ignorant, it has hurt people, and it renders the calls from students for refunds/aid less potent when administration sees that we are clearly not a united front and voices like this will let them continue to get away with swindling and short-changing us. We don’t have time to waste writing articles, we’re fighting for our funding. Consider doing the same, instead of kneeling at the feet of an institution that has displayed no consideration for our wellbeing despite us being the very reason it exists.
Sophie • Apr 30, 2020 at 2:14 pm
Hi,
That Fordham itself shouldn’t be taking the blame for the position it’s in is a ridiculous notion. Tuition goes up every year. Administrators and some coaches are overpaid. Adjuncts are underpaid, and there are still complications with their benefits that come directly out of their paychecks. Our university president got a majority vote of no confidence in the 2016/2017 school year. I’m sure he wants us to forget that. There is no way in hell we should forget that, and there’s no way in hell the Observer should forget that, either.
It’s literally the school leaders’ job to have sufficient funds for any kind of crisis. What else are they there for?
Sofia Anjum • Apr 30, 2020 at 12:05 pm
As a student, I’m ashamed of the Observer editorial board. How dare you use your platform to boost those least hurt by this strange new world that coronavirus has occasioned, in OUR name? How dare you slap your fellow students in the face by inviting us to feel good towards the people who have screwed us over, in OUR name?
I am slow to anger and quick to forgive. I’m way too empathetic. I mean, I recognize there is a way to say ‘take it easy on overworked people, even higher-ups, who seriously advocate for students and workers in the face of immense institutional malaise because they actually care.’ But this institution-lauding, utterly blind, pat-on-the-back way is ineffective and insulting.
I’m reserving my empathy those who are genuinely suffering. I’m sick of pastoral messages and group chat invites. Fordham needs to do everything they can to alleviate immediate, material distress. There is a difference between fighting red tape and using it as an excuse. Fordham’s actions have been PR strategies more so than dedicated, expedient, organized efforts.
Have you seen the Fordham Student Emergency Fund? (https://www.givecampus.com/schools/FordhamUniversity/student-emergency-fund#updates) A pathetic 92k has been raised, by 376 donors. I applaud the members of the Community who donated even if it was difficult for them. Still, I cannot help but fixate on the fact that if the most highly paid staff put up donations that reflected their ability to contribute, this sum would be several times greater. But that would require action beyond self-interested signaling of concern, wouldn’t it?
And as someone who writes, who has even contributed to this paper before, I find this very frustrating:
The editorial board claimed authorship. This functions to completely misrepresent student opinion and grants whichever individual who pushed this article a neat getaway. Really pathetic. Again: how dare you run this story in OUR name?!
Whoever was most responsible for this story should come forward. This is now the most basically decent thing to do. Though here I use the term ‘decent’ very loosely.
Do not try to tell me ever again that I should empathize with the complacent and oblivious as though they are equally deserving members of my University community.
Ahmari Alford • Apr 30, 2020 at 10:45 am
I wish I could say its unbelievable to see an article like this go to print, but given the appalling history of this “newspaper” that would be a blatant lie. I have never taken time to sit down and respond to one your previous egregious articles, but this is beyond anything I’ve seen before. It is disgusting that this newspaper had the audacity to call the students, staff, and employees being left out in the cold ungrateful and lacking compassion, because we are rightfully petitioning for the return of the money we’re owed, while administration continues to take home large paychecks. It is completely unethical to present Fordham as a vulnerable small institution that we’re trying to bleed dry, when their endowment fund is millions of dollars deep. Instead of playing watchdog for Fordham’s shortcomings, you should be assisting in advocating on behalf of the student body that allows your newspaper to exist at all. Your previous racist, elitist, and plain distasteful articles already made this true, but the observer never has and never will be the voice of the student body when this is the type of content you choose to produce.
sarah • Apr 30, 2020 at 9:55 am
First of all, how do you expect me to “empathize” with a multi-million dollar institution when I am at home with unemployed parents just barely getting by? How dare you side with the institution when there are students and families who won’t be able to return to school because of this financial crisis. It’s true that some institutions will not survive this crisis, but what about the PEOPLE who won’t survive? We do not owe Fordham any empathy right now, especially if they refuse to empathize with students, contract workers, and families. This article is so disappointing. It is completely unrepresentative of Fordham students’ voices and realities. I cannot believe something so distasteful was published.
@anuuk_collective • Apr 30, 2020 at 1:11 am
It’s clear even “student journalists” have their masters. Would this article have actually spoken to the needs of the Fordham Community if the Observer wasn’t entirely reliant on the administration for it’s funding? The administration is clearly not showing much “empathy” toward vital community members like its contracted workers, having essentially told them to ‘try your local unemployment office.’
Jay Goodman • Apr 30, 2020 at 12:03 am
Unicycles only have one wheel! Bicycles have two wheels! Tricycles have three whole wheels! Absolute madness if you ask man. I saw many handsome boys (dogs) while I was on a walk earlier. I find it kind of hard to believe that Atlantis had no red light district! I think the next time I see a cow I will give it a name regardless of how close to it I am. I will probably name it Edgar unless I am close enough to identify that it is a female, in that case I will still name it Edgar. “Rob & Big” was probably funnier overall, but the increased scale of “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory” made it a little more unpredictable and overall more enjoyable in my opinion. How many? Not sure but I would probably say around eight (8) or so. “You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone” was painfully true when I no longer had a garbage disposal. Gratis means free in a handful of other languages as far as I can tell!
Susan • Apr 29, 2020 at 11:12 pm
This is a student newspaper and I commend the students for showing more empathy than the adults around them during a time of darkness. No one is saying the students shouldn’t be refunded. Students absolutely need to be refunded. This article clearly states that it takes time to issue refunds and instead of getting angry about it, students should be understanding. Everyone is struggling, many people are in terrible financial situations, but we have to be realistic about what the university staff can do remotely. We never planned for this and neither did they. The least we can do is not bash each other on the internet and understand that times are difficult and everyone deserves empathy. I encourage people to read the article instead of jumping to radical conclusions
tess • Apr 29, 2020 at 9:51 pm
I’m sorry, but why should we have empathy for fordham?
We’ve gotten 0 support (telling me to go to a CPS zoom call doesn’t count…). My advisor has not once reached out; the deans spit out the same rehearsed excuses for everything. There are public unis both in nyc, the u.s, and around the world doing the real work to help their students, while fordham complains that their 800$ mil endowment isn’t as big as harvard’s? are you kidding… Why doesn’t fordham have enough empathy for their students to refund and reduce tuition? Why doesn’t fordham have enough empathy for their contracted workers to pay them? Stop taking us for idiots, we know how money works; we know how “finances” work; we know fordham doesn’t deserve our empathy.
This is a student newspaper— let the students say what theyre actually thinking.
Diane Greg-Uanseru • Apr 29, 2020 at 7:58 pm
You guys have made some questionable articles but I haven’t seen something this tone deaf in a while. You have the audacity to ask students who are struggling to have empathy for an administration that has countlessly hung is out to dry. This should have never been published it is an insult to all the staff they laid off and refused to pay. A school worth millions of dollars yet they can’t find money to bail themselves out that’s laughable. When has Fordham ever shown anyone empathy???? When? This article is appalling and I expected batter from an outlet that claims to be for the student body.
Luke Farrell • Apr 29, 2020 at 7:48 pm
This article is unbelievably tone-deaf and should have never been allowed to make it to print. Why should students have empathy for the leaders of Fordham when they are clearly not getting what they paid for? Why should students have empathy when Fordham doesn’t have empathy for its contract workers who are without pay during this pandemic and have families to feed? Why should students have empathy for those at the top while they trample the ones at the bottom? Students and employees trust that their university will support them in times of crisis and Fordham has done the bare minimum. The Observer should be advocating for students and employees not patronizing them with an article about the need for us to empathize with the institution we pay for or work for. Shame on the editors who allowed this to be published and shame on the authors.