Fordham Lincoln Center’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) held their annual fall cookout on Sept. 21 on McMahon Lawn. The event gave undergraduate students the chance to celebrate their community through food, games, raffles and music.
Jillian Bruno, vice president of BSA and Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’26, expressed the importance of cultural and community-oriented events like this on Fordham’s campus, especially as one of the cultural clubs operating within a predominantly white institution (PWI).
“Cookouts are very near and dear to Black culture in general. We’ve all grown up doing cookouts with our families, and BSA is our family on campus,” Bruno said. “So many of these students are from out of state, and so this is your home away from home … especially at a PWI.”
Nate Rodriguez, FCLC ’26, said he enjoyed the social aspects of the cookout.
“Dancing and talking to people has been my favorite part of the event,” Rodriguez said.
Gabriel Guy, FCLC ’28, shared similar sentiments as Rodriguez, specifically about the sociability that is inherent in BSA’s programming and said that there is significance in a community coming together for events like these.
“I think a sense of community is an important thing … We all make time to hang out together,” Guy said.
Bruno also said she was appreciative of the turnout and the event running smoothly after learning what works for the club’s gatherings over time.
“We’ve just kind of worked out the kinks where now it goes very smoothly,” Bruno said. “We have such a nice freshmen turnout this time and it’s just nice to have everyone here with no hiccups or anything.”
BSA hosts programs throughout the year that provide students with the opportunity to connect with their peers and alumni to help advance their careers and make lasting, meaningful connections. These events range from game nights to alumni speakers coming to speak to students.
“We do have another cookout planned for the spring semester, we do game night,” Bruno said. “We have a ‘love your hair’ event coming up, during Black History Month we do tons of networking events.”
“I’m excited, I’m looking forward to the new events. Last year I wasn’t able to make the weekly events as much as I wanted.” Nate Rodriguez FCLC ’26
Last semester, BSA held a career day event in collaboration with the Career Center in which students were offered free professional headshots as well as general internship advice, resume building aid and LinkedIn tips. Their general meetings last semester consisted of a variety of discussion topics, including Black hair, code switching and diversity and inclusion in media.
Rodriguez said that despite not being an official BSA club member, he hopes to attend the upcoming events they have to offer for the year.
“I’m excited, I’m looking forward to the new events,” Rodriguez said. “Last year I wasn’t able to make the weekly events as much as I wanted.”
Guy said that the meetings he has been to so far as a first-year have been enjoyable for him as everyone is interactive during them.
“I’ve been to two or three … I like that they’re participatory,” Guy said. “We’re all different but we have a lot in common.”
This event had a similar set-up to the cookout with yard games, a DJ and food on McMahon Lawn. However it was interrupted when a non-Fordham member of a local residence made a noise complaint about the volume of their music.
Jemima Monga, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’25, who goes by the stage name “Ms. Worldwide,” was the DJ for the cookout and frequently works at BSA’s events. She provided music at an event in April of last semester, which was a collaboration with BSA, Student Organization for Latines and Caribbean Students Club entitled “The Family Reunion.”
This event had a similar set-up to the cookout with yard games, a DJ and food on McMahon Lawn. However it was interrupted when a non-Fordham member of a local residence made a noise complaint about the volume of their music.
Public Safety arrived on the scene first, asking the event managers — student workers from the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) — to lower the music. The New York Police Department (NYPD) arrived after, telling students that they would need a sound permit despite turning down the music after Public Safety had left.
This has occurred in the past. Prior to the family reunion event, Wavelengths hosted their annual “Ravelengths” event, also held on McMahon Lawn. Christina Frankovic-Sepsi, director of OSI, shared that Wavelengths also received noise complaints from the community.
In order to remedy this, the school has decided to purchase noise permits with the city of New York, despite not being technically required to do so on university property.
“We’ve decided to purchase them on behalf of the clubs for any events with amplification on the McMahon Lawn,” Frankovic-Sepsi said.
This year’s fall cookout went undisturbed by both Public Safety and the NYPD, giving students an uninterrupted opportunity to celebrate their community and each other.
Additional reporting by Shelby Williams
