The Fordham Ram Volume 107, Issue 11
CAB Hosts Spring Weekend By NORA MALONE
April 30, 2025
TheFordhamRam.com
Increased Support for Music at Fordham: A Professor’s Dream By ABIGAIL MARTIN
NEWS EDITOR
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Fordham University Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted its annual Spring Weekend event last week. This year’s theme was “Camp Fordham.” CAB hosted a field day, speakers, a carnival and the much-anticipated concert. This year’s concert was headlined by ROLE MODEL with LAUNDRY DAY, Fordham student band The Wave and Fordham student DJ XLR as openers. 2,500 students attended the concert. Students were particularly excited about ROLE MODEL’s performance. Leah Tamasker, FCRH ’27, got in line at 9:45 a.m. for the concert, which was set to start at noon, with the ROLE MODEL performance being the final act at 4 p.m. “I lined up so early because, regardless of the fact that I don’t know the words to every ROLE MODEL song, the vibe that he gives
The drumline’s cadence rattles the bleachers as trumpets blare Fordham University’s fight song. The students chant in unison, a sea of school colors pulsing to the beat. On the court, the basketball team huddles. They draw their energy from the music. But behind every roaring saxophone is a quieter battle. At Fordham, keeping the Pep Band alive isn’t just about music; it’s about money and adequate faculty representation. Every note played is the result of a behind-the-scenes hustle. Associate Professor of Music at Fordham, Nathan LincolnDeCusatis, did not have to volunteer to advise the Fordham Pep Band, among his other responsibilities, but he chose to. The Pep Band’s “unsung hero” according to members of the band itself, witnessed the difficulties the Pep Band faced and stepped up to enact change. “The music faculty heavily
SEE CAB, PAGE 5
SEE MUSIC, PAGE 4
CAITLIN THOMAS/THE FORDHAM RAM
The corner of Arthur Avenue and 189th St. has been a bar for over 60 years.
Local Bar Mugz’s Set to Close in June By CAITLIN THOMAS ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Earlier this month, it was announced that the Arthur Avenue staple Mugz’s is closing its doors on June 10. Just steps off campus, the bar is a popular spot for the Fordham University sports teams, students and even returning alumni. On April 1, with what many students thought was an April Fools’ Day prank, the Instagram account @followsuits of
Daniel “Suits” Morse, who manages Mugz’s, posted a story that said, “It is official with a heavy heart Mugzs will be shutting down after Jubilee. If you a supporter of Mugz come out any time we are open just wish us a farewell.” While some students were left confused on if this was a prank or not, Suits confirmed Mugz’s closing the next day with a more in-depth post explaining that Mugz’s and their landlord could not
come to a lease agreement. Students responded almost immediately, sharing their opinions about the news on social media and Fizz. Paolo Liaci, FCRH ’27, jumped to action, creating the Instagram account @savemugz. His “Project Save Mugz” gained immediate traction. Liaci said he directmessaged Suits to say, “I just made this Instagram if you guys need any help my friends and I are here for you, we’re all here for you.” SEE MUGZ, PAGE 4
All Fordham Student Visas Restored By ALLISON SCHNEIDER & NORA MALONE
New Coach, New Culture: An Interview with Mike Magpayo By IAN NELSON & JACOB WOLFER
ANDREW MASSIE/THE FORDHAM RAM
All four previously revoked Fordham University student visas have been restored by the federal government as of April 27, according to Fordham’s webpage “Updates on Evolving Political Landscape.” The information was confirmed by University Spokesperson Bob Howe via email. This comes two weeks after the students had their visas revoked without a provided reason, and follows the first Fordham visa reinstatement on April 25. Across the nation, international student visas have been reinstated by the federal government following a slew of legal challenges brought by universities to the initial revocations. Fordham is among these universities, signing on to an amicus brief that challenges President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders.
The Fordham Ram conducted an interview with new Men’s Head Basketball Coach Mike Magpayo on April 24. Magpayo made two things clear to The Ram: he loves New York City and he is all in on Fordham University. Magpayo is familiar with NYC. He met his wife here in 2013 while serving as an
assistant coach at Columbia University under Kyle Smith, who is the current head coach of Stanford University’s men’s basketball team. Although he has moved around quite a bit in the last decade, he feels right at home in the city. “I love it. It’s my favorite city in the world, and it’s been awesome getting reacquainted with it,” he said. Magpayo said that there SEE MAGPAYO, PAGE 5
in this issue
News
Page 2
Opinion Page 8
The Consequeces of Trump’s Fordham Foundry Hosts Ninth Annual Pitch Challenge Student Visa Vendetta
Culture Page 14 CHASE YOUR DREAMS: At the Grammy U Conference
Sports
Page 20
Giants Shine: More News from NFL Draft