United Student Government (USG), Campus Activities Board (CAB), Commuter Students Association (CSA) and Residence Hall Association (RHA) hosted the first-ever “Core Four Town Hall” to share their recent initiatives, foster collaboration between the clubs and provide a space for students to voice their concerns on Feb. 26 in G76.
Many of the concerns expressed at the event centered around policies in residential halls, the possibility of a student MTA discount (an initiative USG is currently working on) and the lack of “third spaces” on campus for students to hang out.
Daphne Mei, president of USG and Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’26, delivered opening remarks outlining the ethos of the town hall, which is to recur every semester.
The nearly two-hour event allowed the presidents of each club to explain what their club does, clarify how each is distinct and recap their recent achievements and ongoing initiatives.
“We’re here to build a campus culture that reflects the needs, voices and values of our students,” Mei said. “We hope (the town hall) becomes a space where dialogue is open, where ideas are welcome and collaboration grows stronger each semester.”
The nearly two-hour event allowed the presidents of each club to explain what their club does, clarify how each is distinct and recap their recent achievements and ongoing initiatives.
USG is the governing body of Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) and advocates for student needs, oversees club funding and mediates between students and the administration. Some recent projects they highlighted include extending library hours to 24 hours during exam times and launching Ram Perks — a network of student discounts in cafes and restaurants near campus.
CSA represents the commuter student population of FLC — which makes up about 50% of students — and aims to build community through events and programs.
CAB organizes large-scale, campus-wide events like Winterfest and outings that give students discounted tickets to live performances and cultural events. Upcoming events by CAB include a 2016 bingo on March 5 at 6:30 p.m., the spring farmers market on April 9 outside Ram Café and “Fordham’s Got Talent” on April 16 at 6:00 p.m.
RHA funnels residents’ grievances to the administration, organizes on and off-campus events and works with Fordham’s community partners. Some of their recent projects include fixing the stairs in McMahon (which were broken in several places) and the installation of new laundry machines.
Right now, USG is sending around a campus-wide survey to collect data on how much students spend on transit per month.
Anna Eckelkamp, FCLC ’26 and secretary of CAB, attended the event and expressed her enthusiasm about RHA’s initiatives, particularly the stairs.
“I think I submitted that complaint,” Eckelkamp said. “(With) all the broken stairs, I was like, ‘I’m going to fall,’ (so) I’m glad they’re doing something about it.”
RHA is working on adding irons and ironing boards in the laundry rooms in McKeon and getting music in the dining halls.
After a break for food, attendees were given the floor for an hour of questions.
Mackenzie Saenz De Viteri, an event manager for the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) and FCLC ’27, said that the prospect of MTA discounts stood out to her amongst all the initiatives mentioned.
While still in the beginning stages, the program would likely involve Fordham putting down a lump sum to the MTA and students paying around $300 a year as part of their tuition for discounted transport. While constituting a small tuition increase, the fee, like the student activities fee, would only be used for this program, and would cut overall commuting costs.
“I’m very excited. … I’d rather walk 30 blocks than pay for the subway at this point because it’s $3. That’s so much money. And I know other schools around us like the CUNY schools all have OMNY card(s), so bringing that to this school is really fun,” Saenz De Viteri said.
Right now, USG is sending around a campus-wide survey to collect data on how much students spend on transit per month.
Linda McGrory, FCLC ’28, described the need for third spaces on campus. Other than Saxbys and the residence hall lounges, which can be a hassle for commuters to access, McGrory said, ‘there’s nowhere where you can just sit down and have fun.’
Some other audience questions centered around residence hall policies, such as why McMahon and McKeon residents cannot freely access both buildings. Christina Frankovic-Sepsi, director of OSI, explained that the policy comes from concerns about safety and security should residents have access to both.
Frankovic-Sepsi said the Commuter Student Affiliate Program is an exception that allows commuter first-year students to access McKeon without having to be signed in. However, commuters in the affiliate program also must leave residence halls by 6 p.m., around the time a lot of on-campus events happen.
A couple other questions also reflected the needs of commuter students. One audience member requested that the lockers at Fordham be free so commuters can have an easy place to deposit their belongings.
Linda McGrory, FCLC ’28, described the need for third spaces on campus. Other than Saxbys and the residence hall lounges, which can be a hassle for commuters to access, McGrory said, there’s nowhere “where you can just sit down and have fun.” One solution USG is working on is implementing napping pods in the library.
Around 40 students and members of the host organizations attended.
Leaders of the Core Four all reflected fondly on the success of their first-ever town hall and looked forward to improving efficiency and collaboration between their representative clubs to best serve the student body.
