Observer the
FEBRUARY 21, 2013 VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 2
www.fordhamobserver.com
Engagement Suffers As Students Balance Roles By TIM GAVAN Contributing Writer
“New York is my campus. Fordham is my school.” These words hang above the escalators in Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) Leon Lowenstein building, reminding students every time they enter or leave school that they are not in a typical college environment. FCLC students said they see a trend in lack of campus community and school spirit because of campus location, busy schedules and struggles with time commitment. Liz Ruhani, FCLC ’15, said that FCLC’s location is different from other campuses, and that those differences affect the campus community. “People are really just in and out. It’s not like a lot of other schools where everyone’s on campus and lives there, and they’re around all the time,” Ruhani said. Referring to FCLC student life, she said, “I think that it’s very difficult to get people to participate and get people together at LC because it’s such a big commuter school and everyone has activities that they do outside of school.” But while some say students are distracted from extracurricular activities and school events by the bigger campus that banner promises, others cite a different reason. According to Dean of Students at FCLC Keith Eldredge, “We’re seeing a lot more students getting jobs to help pay for their expenses now, but also with the economy, students are worried about what jobs they’re going to get once they finish school and they’re looking at other experiences they can get via internships or things that are going to position them better in the job world.” As a result, some FCLC students said they have had to choose between work and participating in school clubs and events. Caroline Iannacone, FCLC ’13 and a former attorney for the see INVOLVEMENT pg. 2
Inside
SARA AZOULAY/THE OBSERVER
Hayden Hartnett’s Project Space is now on the second floor of the Leon Lowenstein building in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The space features a past student’s photographs in a three row lay out on the main wall.
Project Space Dedicated To Student’s Memory By LUDOVICA MARTELLA Asst. Arts & Culture Editor
The first thing that new students see when walking into the Office of Undergraduate Admissions on the second floor of the Leon Lowenstein building is the Hayden Hartnett’s Project Space, now displaying pictures of the colorful streets of Japan. One picture in particular evokes joy: it shows children playing in a playground. This art space is in memory of Hayden Hartnett, a Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) student who passed away on Feb. 20, 2011 of a drug overdose in McMahon Hall. Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, professor of visual arts, shared some insights on his relationship with Harnett, as her professor during the first year of the summer class
“Documentary Photography: Italy/ Japan.” The program, organized by the visual arts department of FCLC and open to all Fordham students, allows students to grow their photography skills by exploring the suggesting landscapes and cities. Because of Hartnett’s enthusiasm for the trip to Tokyo, ApicellaHitchcock decided to create a portfolio of pictures taken by Hartnett during the trip. The idea behind this decision was to share it with Hartnett’s parents, who had never seen their daughter’s work. Hartnett was a “great photographer and a joyful person,” Apicella-Hitchcock said. “She was the kind of person that would walk into a room and made it a more pleasant place to be.” Apicella-Hitchcock told how crucial it was for the Hartnetts’ to have
their daughter’s works—“Hayden couldn’t stop talking about the trip; she was thrilled about it. “The trip to Japan was so significant for Harnett, both personally and artistically, that the Apicella-Hitchcock had one of her classmates, Hartnett’s best friend, print 20 pictures of the ones that Hartnett had taken during the trip. “It was definitely hard for her,” Apicella-Hitchcock said, “but I kept on reminding her how important this would have been for Hayden’s parents.” Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln and the Keith Eldredge, dean of students at FCLC, agreed to finance the portfolio, which was sent to Hartnett’s parents. After everything was done and sent, Apicella-Hitchcock said, “I got scared because her parents didn’t get back to me for a long
time. I thought I went too far.” After a while the professor decided to contact them, and finally his fears went away: Hartnett’s parents were thrilled by their daughter’s talent and decided to donate funds to Fordham in order to help other students grow their own talents. That was the moment when ApicellaHitchcock decided to create “The Hayden Hartnett Project Space,” to which part of the Hartnetts’ donations were destined. The space’s first exhibition, now still showing, displays some of Hartnett’s and her classmates’ pictures from the trip to Tokyo. During a later correspondence between the Apicella-Hitchcock and the Harnetts’, Hayden’s mother sent two see HAYDEN HARTNETT pg. 9
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