The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

The Observer
The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

The Observer
The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

The Observer
Gabe Samandi

GABE SAMANDI, News Editor Emeritus

Gabe Samandi, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’22, served as a news editor for The Fordham Observer in 2019. Starting as a freshman reporter covering race, economics and student organizations, Gabe worked for two years at the Observer’s News desk.

Following his study abroad in South Africa, which coincided with Fordham’s 2020 shutdown to a digital campus, he left his E-Board position to specialize on stories about racism, culture and inequality – and to practice his photography. Gabe Samandi is majoring in international studies and is a native of San Antonio, Texas.

All content by GABE SAMANDI
two students with personal protective equipment on and VitalCheck on their phones

[Photo] VitalCheck, Fordham and You

By GUS DUPREE • August 20, 2020

Students returning to campus in the fall are required to use a daily screening app called VitalCheck. Fordham's preventative measures against COVID-19, however, are ultimately dependent on how seriously...

a black hand scrolling past an Instagram photo of a black square posted by Fordham with the caption "Black Lives Matter #blackouttuesday #theshowmustbepaused"

An All-Online Student Community Wrestles With Racial Injustice on Campus

June 7, 2020
As protests and demonstrations swept over the country, nearly all of Fordham’s online student circles engaged in the conversation. Social media platforms were buzzing with livestreams, stories, posts and comments about George Floyd and police violence. For once, it seemed like other people in America were listening.
A man wearing a mask and carrying a trash can walks along the middle of Columbus Avenue in front of a shuttered Lincoln Center.

Fordham Forced to ‘PAUSE’: NYC Shuts Down

April 1, 2020
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new executive order, “PAUSE,” on March 20 that urges New Yorkers to stay home to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, dramatically impacting the lives of Fordham students who are still in the city. Student journalists capture life in the desolate city.
Ian Smith, Fordham College Lincoln Center ’22, considers the impact of the 1976 Soweto uprising, sitting just a few feet away from where the first student was shot on his way to school.

Living Within the Divide

February 29, 2020
For most university students in South Africa today, the legalized form of segregation and disenfranchisement of the majority of the population is not just the obscure history of their grandparents: It is the history of the years leading up to their birth. Since 2012, Fordham has sent a group of students to South Africa for its smallest study abroad program, the Ubuntu Program in South Africa.
TikTok is a popular social media app among Fordham Students, but the U.S. Army believes it could be a risk to their security.

Students React to TikTok Investigation

December 4, 2019
The app, which many students have dubbed “the next Vine,” has gained mounting scrutiny from American tech executives and government officials in recent months.
The Fordham Lincoln Center Campus has gone through a number of changes since it was founded in the late 1960s. The Board of Advisors was one element of continuity from 1989 to 2019.

What Was the Board of Advisors?

October 16, 2019
“I think one of the unfortunate things, and I think I might have done this differently if I could go back and do it over, was that the board was very quiet. They didn’t trumpet what they did, but they did an awful lot,” said Grimes. “I would hate for anybody to think that they were do-nothing board. They really quite a bit.”
Members of SOL sell colorful bracelets from Nicaragua and Guatemala to raise money for communities in Central America as part of the Pulsera Project.

What Does It Mean to Be Latinx?

October 16, 2019
Two people who identity Latinx sit down and have a conversation about what it means to to be part of the community during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Board assisted the Dean of FCLC in overseeing how the entire college was run. Dr. Wertz (left) served as interim dean after Fr. Grimes (right) stepped down due to a medical emergency. Last Spring, Dr. Auricchio (center) was appointed to the position.

FCLC Board of Advisors Disbanded

October 16, 2019
Two nights before their quarterly meeting last April, the secretive “Board of Advisors” received an email tacitly announcing the Board’s termination. Since then, the influential alumni who made up the board’s members have been caught in a state of limbo.
Students and faculty approaching the University from the Columbus Circle metro station reported alarm upon seeing the crowd gathered outside.

UPDATED: Fire Drill Interrupts Midterm Schedules

October 8, 2019
A fire safety drill in the Leon Lowenstein building impacted students and staff alike on Oct. 8, disrupting classes during midterms. The drill, originally set for 10 a.m., took place at 11:15 a.m with little warning.
Fordham Faculty United members protesting at an event at the height of tensions during their campaign in April 2017.

Fordham Faculty Fights for Fair Pay

September 18, 2019
On Aug. 28, 2019, every professor instructing a class at Fordham University knew exactly what their salary was going to be for the upcoming academic year. This wasn’t the case just two years ago.
Students from the Class of 2023 who participated in Urban Plunge had an early start learning about all New York City has to offer, as well as the mission of Fordham University.

New Class, New Dean, New Fordham

August 25, 2019
Plenty of online lifestyle articles, high school counselors and nostalgic relatives can offer advice about adjusting to a new life on a college campus, but only few know what it’s like to be new to FCLC.  
Next year's USG President and Vice President, Tina Thermadam (second from right), FCLC ’20, and Robert Stryczeck (right), GSB ’21, rang the bells at commencement.

Transformation: The Class of 2019 Departs Fordham

July 7, 2019
It was the first warm day after an odd May cold front. After a stretch of days begging for coats and sweaters, the notoriously fickle New York weather had decided that, for no particular reason, Fordham’s graduation was to be a ceremony marked with sweat, sunburns and sunshine that would thankfully be partially-blocked by one’s square cap.
Photos, candles and flowers line the steps of Keating Hall, the building where the accident occurred, to honor the life of Sydney Monfries.

Reflections on Sydney Monfries’ Passing

May 1, 2019
In the eyes of most students close to her, Monfries was the victim of a series of tragic events, with her death becoming the target of intense scrutiny nationwide drawing criticism and commentary from the furthest reaches of the country. Misperception of the events and a national search to place blame quickly overshadowed the impact of Monfries’ loss to the Fordham community.
Rafael Zapata, chief diversity officer of Fordham University, has used this year to begin the planning process for policy overhauls. These initiatives aim to decrease discrimination and exclusion on campus.

Administration Addresses Concerns About Diversity and Inclusion

May 1, 2019
Historically, conversations between Fordham’s student activists and its administration have ranged from the cordial to the contentious. However, under Fordham’s Chief Diversity Officer Rafael Zapata, it appears as though the many conversations surrounding identity and inclusion on Fordham’s campus have finally come to a head.
Betsy DeVos, who heads the education department, supports these cuts.

Trump Proposes Cuts to Federal Student Aid Programs

March 27, 2019
Proposed cuts would mainly effect three federal programs for funding higher education: reducing funding for The Pell Grant, and ending both Federally Subsidized Loans and the Federal Loan Forgiveness Program.
Fordham University runners assist FDNY EMT responders with rescuing a man in a Bronx park.

Fordham Athletes Encounter Medical Emergency, Assist EMS

March 10, 2019
According to Brian Cook, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’18 and current graduate student at Fordham, the students were on a routine training run when they came across another runner in the park assisting a man lying in the snow.
Mireille Twayigira spoke at Fordham Lincoln Center about her experiences as a refugee in central Africa.

Rwandan Genocide Survivor Brings Hope to Campus

March 7, 2019
Dr. Mireille Twayigira was just two years old when her home country descended into chaos. Twenty-five years later, she visited Fordham University Lincoln Center to share her experiences as a refugee in central Africa.
After the McKeon closures over winter break, students face housing uncertainty as spring break approaches.

Holiday Closures Confuse Freshmen, Confront Students with Tough Choices

February 20, 2019
Matthew Chen, FCLC ’22 and an international student, recalls being frustrated when he saw the first email from Residential Life in his inbox. “It’s relatively short notice, to do something like that,” he said. “I live 16 hours away by flight, and tickets to Taiwan aren’t exactly cheap.”
SAGES runs a hotline that provides contraceptives to students upon request: the "Condom Fairy."

SAGES Defies Fordham’s Sex Policies

February 12, 2019
While they behave much like an advocacy club on Fordham’s campuses, SAGES is not officially sanctioned by the university. Thus, they frequently demonstrate, petition and campaign against the university.
Members of The Comma celebrate their new independence.

The Comma Punctuates Its Independence

February 6, 2019
In its first wholly-independent magazine, students will find content published in The Observer in addition to unreleased works from this semester.
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