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Volume 107, Issue 15
September 24, 2025
Commuting Students Association Hosts Second Annual Inauguration
Nap Pod Introduced to Promote Commuter Student Wellness
By NORA MALONE
By RAEANN GOPAUL
The Fordham University Commuting Students Association (CSA) held its second annual inauguration on Monday, Sept. 15. The event highlighted the new members of their executive and general assembly boards. Twenty-seven new board members were inaugurated at the event. “Inauguration marks the beginning of their leadership, setting the tone for the impact they are responsible for bringing throughout the school year,” said Jasmine James, FCRH ’26, executive board vice president. “It emphasizes that being elected into their positions is not the finish line, but the beginning of their journey to serving the commuter community.” The inauguration consists of an Executive Board pledge, a general assembly pledge, pledging signing and receipt of certificates by CSA members. In addition to the executive board,
When Kellen Zeng, GSB ’25, the former president of Fordham University’s Commuting Students Association, told Grace Shin, FCRH ’28, about how she had been sleeping overnight in the library during finals week because her commute home wasn’t worth the lost study time, Shin, a former 2028 United Student Government (USG) Class Senator, realized Fordham’s commuter students needed more support. The conversation, which occurred in November of 2024, sparked an initiative that culminated this month when Fordham introduced its first napping pod, located in the McShane Campus Center at Rose Hill. The pilot program represents a new approach to addressing wellness concerns among the university’s commuter population. Commuter students, who make up a significant portion
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SIENNA REINDERS/THE FORDHAM RAM
Over 50 graduate students, many holding signs, gathered in front of the William D. Walsh Family Library.
Graduate Student Workers Protest Grievances Against GSAS Administration By SIENNA REINDERS NEWS EDITOR
Graduate student workers (GSW) rallied outside of the William D. Walsh Family Library on Sept. 17 to protest grievances against Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). The grievance topics included issues with GSW health insurance, payment cycles and Graduate Student Council (GSC) officers’ compensation.
“We’re out here today because despite that excellent contract that some people in this very crowd worked extremely hard to get and fought really hard for, the administration of Fordham University has been seemingly waging a systematic campaign to disregard that contract, to disrespect it and ultimately to disrespect us as workers and as students here at Fordham University,”
said Molly Crawford, a Ph.D. candidate in the GSAS theology department and one of the Fordham Graduate Student Workers Union (FGSW) chief stewards. In the spring of 2024, FGSW and Fordham reached a contract agreement after almost two years of bargaining sessions. But now, a year into that contract, FGSW is again SEE PROTEST, PAGE 4
SEE CSA, PAGE 4
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SEE NAPPING, PAGE 5
Fordham Administration Fordham Launches Bronx Green Jobs Initiative “will feature modern lab center aims to address specific Reacts to Drop in Ranking By LALLEYAH CAMARA center and learning environments for areas of green efficiency such as By NORA MALONE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Fordham University has dropped six spots in the 2026 U.S. News and World Report Best National Universities ranking. Fordham is now placed at number 97 out of the 436 National Universities, dropping from their position of 91 last year. “We are proud to continue being recognized as one of the nation’s best universities. It speaks volumes and reinforces our commitment to standing for what matters most: making lives better through education and service,” said University Spokesperson Jennifer Petra in a statement to The Fordham Ram. “While it’s disappointing to see Fordham’s ranking slide, it’s important to look at the U.S. News & World Report rankings with perspective
4 News Campus Shuttles
An Inside Look at Fordham’s On-Campus Shuttles
as changes in methodology over the years have impacted how universities—particularly, private universities—fare. Fordham’s new strategic plan is focused on enhancing areas where we are most likely to move the needle on key metrics to improve our ranking, and we are resolute in securing Fordham’s standing as one of the nation’s premier institutions.” Fordham is tied at 97 with Florida International University, Rutgers University-Camden, Texas Christian University and University of Colorado Boulder. Fordham last rose in the rankings in 2021, when the University went from 74th to 66th on the list. According to the report, Fordham is also ranked 10th in International Business, 25th in Best Undergraduate Teaching SEE RANKING, PAGE 5
9 Opinion Jobless Gen Z
How will Gen Z fair in this challenging job market?
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Fordham University broke ground on an approximately $16 million project on July 10. The Bronx Green Jobs Center is a new initiative aimed at connecting Bronx residents to jobs in the continuously growing green economy. “Fordham’s first-of-its-kind hub will deliver best-in-class job training and employment services in sustainable industries, provide high-quality classrooms and convening spaces for local community organizations, and support aspiring entrepreneurs in launching new green businesses,” said Travis Proulx, vice president of External Affairs, in an email. The center will open in the fall of 2026 and will be housed in a vacant industrial building — a former billiard hall and, more recently, a carpet store. Located at 585 Fordham Road, the
hands-on training, New York’s first dedicated green economy entrepreneurship center, a welcoming event space capable of hosting up to 200 attendees, and a streetside café offering locally produced goods,” Proulx said in the email. In a press release, the university specified that the
IN THIS ISSUE
13 Culture Who’s That Kid?
R
electronic vehicles, solar energy efficiency and urban farming and agriculture. “The start of construction on the Bronx Green Jobs Center is an exciting first step in this initiative that will combine our deep expertise in STEM education and our SEE GREEN PAGE 5
MARISOL DIAZ FOR THE FORDHAM RAM
Tania Tetlow and community partners unveiled the new center on July 10.
Carter Soderberg’s Fight Back to Fordham
16 Sports Soft Spot
A girl who loves the Los Angeles Angels.