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Volume 107, Issue 17
October 8, 2025
Jennifer Petra Orthodox to Replace Christian Bob Howe as Studies University Center Opens Spokesperson New Location By SIENNA REINDERS
By EMMA LEONARDI
Jennifer Petra was recently hired as Fordham University’s vice president for University Communications. In the position, which is also referred to as the university spokesperson, she will replace current vice president Bob Howe. According to an article by Fordham Now, in the position, “she will oversee Fordham’s internal and external news functions, crisis communications, and media relations, all in service of elevating and protecting the Fordham brand.” In an email, Petra said she was drawn to the position because Fordham’s values align with her own. “One of the things about this position at Fordham that I was most excited by was the opportuity to take what I had learned over the years and use it to make a difference as part of an organization whose values I really believe in,” she said. Petra is a New York native,
Fordham University’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center is set to relocate to an official, permanent location, which is currently undergoing renovation, and is situated across from Faculty Memorial Hall. The mission of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center is to incorporate Orthodox traditions and history into Fordham. According to Fordham’s website, “the Center supports a multitude of research initiatives, publications, lectures, and a thriving undergraduate minor in Orthodox Christian Studies.” The Center was founded in 2012 by its co-directors George Demacopoulos and Aristotle Papanikolaou. The reconstruction and restoration of the buildings on Belmont Ave. will be the first dedicated physical space for the center since its founding, as it has previously existed in other university buildings. The renovated building will
NEWS EDITOR
LALLEYAH CAMARA/THE FORDHAM RAM
University President Tania Tetlow joined by Saxbys Student CEO Aiden Engelmann at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Saxbys Officially Opens at Lincoln Center
By LALLEYAH CAMARA ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Saxbys opened its first New York location at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus on Wednesday, Oct. 1. The grand opening was attended by University President Tania Tetlow, Saxbys Founder and CEO Nick Bayer, Student CEO Aidan Engelmann GSB ’26, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality’s Vice President of Growth Chanel
Brown and many students, faculty and staff. The student-run coffee chain commemorated its opening with an event in Fordham Lincoln Center’s Garden Lounge, located to the right of the newly opened Saxbys Coffee. The event began promptly at 10 a.m. with a lively DJ, free merch for attendees in the form of a reusable cup, games, prizes and samples of Saxbys
coffee and pastries. After guests were invited to try samples, Saxbys founder and CEO, Nick Bayer, introduced inaugural student CEO, Engelmann, to speak to the crowd. “New York is our campus, Fordham is our school, and Saxbys is now our cafe,” Engelmann said. Tetlow relayed her excitement and hope for Saxbys SEE SAXBYS, PAGE 4
SEE PETRA, PAGE 4
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
SEE ORTHODOX, PAGE 5
Alumn Donates $1 Million to Grounds Cafe Opens on Hughes Avenue community. The café opened Service professor. “I think the Fordham for AI Research By JORDAN DONEGAN By RISHIKA LINGAMDINNE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
According to Fordham University alumnus Peter Zangari, Ph.D., FCRH ’89, Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just another tech wave; it’s a new research workflow, a new way of learning and, increasingly, a new on-ramp to jobs. That’s the insight behind a $1 million gift that establishes the Zangari Family Faculty Research and Innovation Fund to support interdisciplinary AI projects across finance, economics, data science and beyond. Zangari, who has led teams across Wall Street and is currently teaching a Fordham course on AI and financial markets, frames AI less as a magic trick and more as a multiplier. For students, Zangari says the impact will
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An Inside Look at Fordham’s On-Campus Shuttles
be immediate and practical. “AI is an uber-assistant, it makes an effective researcher, better students, enables faster and more learning and broadens perspective,” he said. The fund will back faculty projects that involve students and expand ties with industry, with the goal that companies “look to Fordham as a source of talent,” as reported in a Fordham Now article. Crucially, the fund is seed capital for serious research and collaboration. Fordham’s planned Transdisciplinary Research Incubator aims to bring faculty from different fields into the same room, where AI tools can help them translate across disciplines. The incubator is aligned with Fordham’s strategic plan, which wants to put the University at “the forefront SEE ALUMN, PAGE 5
9 Opinion Protect Yourself Don’t Believe Every Body You See Online
STAFF WRITER
After almost two years of planning, a new coffee shop has opened just outside of Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus with the goal of creating a safe and empowering space for a community group of women while connecting Fordham students with local Bronx residents. Grounds Café, located on Hughes Ave., is the product of a recent project of Her Migrant Hub, a Fordham-based organization that aims to improve access to mental health care for migrant women in New York City. The café was created in partnership with the Grupo de Mujeres Latinas (GML), a community group of women based at the Church of Mount Carmel, as a way to build a safe and empowering space for the women and a space where Fordham students can connect with the local Bronx
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on Wednesday, Oct. 1, and will be open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. going forward. “We want to make sure that people are welcome into this space,” said Marciana Popescu, Ph.D., co-founder of Her Migrant Hub and Fordham Graduate School of Social
main goal of the cafe right now is to restore hope and create a place where everybody is welcomed and feels they belong, one coffee at a time.” The idea to create the café emerged from early conversations between members of Her Migrant Hub and other female activists across New York City SEE GROUNDS PAGE 5
JORDAN DONEGAN FOR THE FORDHAM RAM
Grounds Café is located at 2410 Hughes Avenue.
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