The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 105, Issue 10
TheFordhamRam.com
April 19, 2023
Fordham Announces 6% Tuition Increase
Fordham Announces Asian American Studies Program
By SAMANTHA MINEAR
By SAMANTHA MINEAR
On March 30, the Office of the President sent an email to the Fordham community stating that there will be a “painful 6% increase in tuition and room-and-board fees” for the 2023-24 academic year. As of March, inflation in the U.S. was at 6%. This has resulted in an increase in costs for goods and services across the country. At Fordham, this has meant a rise in costs for “supplies, health care and maintaining [Fordham’s] campuses,” according to the email. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the university lost $119 million in funds, which they “continue to recover from.” The announcement is preceded by numerous United Student Government meetings that have cited inflation as the reason for club budget cuts. They recently held a referendum to raise the student activities fee to $95. Bob Howe, associate vice president for communications and special adviser to the
On April 3, James Kim, Ph.D., of the English department announced that Fordham University is now offering an Asian American studies program, featuring a minor in Asian American studies (AAST). Led by Kim, the faculty working group on Asian American studies includes Stephen Hong Sohn, Ph.D., of English; Caitlin Meehye Beach, Ph.D., of art history; Daisy Deomampo, Ph.D., and Vivian Lu, Ph.D., of anthropology; Ki-Eun Jang, Ph.D., of theology; Grace Shen, Ph.D., of history; Tiffany Yip, Ph.D., of psychology; and Qun Wang, Ph.D., of communications. “This achievement marks the culmination of a half-century long struggle,” said Kim. “In the course of working on this initiative, I learned that efforts to establish Asian American Studies at Fordham date back to the early 1970s, when student activists advocated for ethnic studies at the university. Those student activists are the reason that Fordham has one of the oldest African American Studies departments in the country.” A 2019 NBC article stated that Asian American studies programs are “still hard to find,” even in academically elite universities such as Duke and Harvard. Anti-Asian sentiment has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China. It was frequently misattributed as the “China flu” or “Wuhan virus,” despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines banning the naming of diseases after geographic locations following the Spanish flu. This has played a role in the sharp uptick of crimes against Asian Americans, such as the Atlanta spa shooting and the death of Michelle Go, who was pushed in front of an R train at Times Square-42nd St.
FEATURES EDITOR
FEATURES EDITOR
SEE TUITION, PAGE 4
COURTESY OF THE RAM ARCHIVES
Fordham’s annual Senior Week will kick off on May 16 with various events throughout the week.
Fordham’s Annual Senior Week Approaches for 2023 Graduates By AVA CARREIRO DIGITAL PRODUCER
As the spring 2023 semester concludes, Fordham’s annual Senior Week approaches. Every year, the Senior Week Committee and Office of Student Involvement (OSI) puts on a variety of events leading up to commencement for Fordham’s graduating seniors. The Senior Week Kickoff Event will be held on Tuesday, May 16
from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. under the Coffey field bleachers. Tickets are $15 each, which includes entry and food. Seniors who are above 21 years old can purchase up to four drink tickets for $5 each. The Senior Ball will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. Tickets cost $100 each, which includes an openbar, full Cipriani buffet and a night of dancing. There is also a split-
pay option available. On Thursday, May 17, seniors can join President Tania Tetlow at the Always a Ram Celebration Barbeque from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where the Class of 2023 photo will be taken. The event is free to attend, but seniors must RSVP ahead of time in order to receive their Class of 2023 memento: a custom 2023 Fordham pilsner glass. SEE SENIOR, PAGE 5
MENA Town Hall Raises Awareness By EMMA KIM NEWS EDITOR
Action since last semester. Kennedy said, “CSM has been planning Week of Action since the last Week of Action! CSM really focuses on creating this event through months of careful preparation and thought. We put a lot of time and effort into the events we pick, the
On Wednesday, April 12, the United Student Government (USG) Diversity Action Coalition and the Office of Gabelli School of Business Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion presented a celebration and town hall for Arab American Heritage Month. The town hall was a chance for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) students to discuss their experiences at Fordham. In 2017, Arab America and the Arab America Foundation launched an initiative for National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM). In 2021, the president officially recognized the month of April as National Arab American Heritage Month. USG Senator Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, said
SEE CSM, PAGE 3
SEE MENA, PAGE 3
COURTESY OF TWITTER
Fordham’s USG Committee on Sexual Misconduct will take place between April 24 and 28.
Committee on Sexual Misconduct Hosts Week of Action By GRACE GALBREATH ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Next week, the university's United Student Government’s (USG) Committee on Sexual Misconduct (CSM) is hosting their bi-annual Week of Action.
Running from April 24-28, the week will include several events, such as bracelet making and the construction of period poverty kits. USG Vice President of Health and Security and Co-Chair of CSM Emily Kennedy, GSB ’24, has been planning CSM’s Week of
SEE ASIAN, PAGE 4
in this issue
Opinion Page 8 Fordham, Show Us the Money
Culture
Page 14
“Destination Cosmos” at Hall des Lumières
Sports
Page 18
Fordham Women’s Basketball Introduces New Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell — and a New Era in the Process