The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 108, Issue 3
February 11, 2026
TheFordhamRam.com
Fordham Hosts Blood Drive in McShane Center
ODS Moves Location to Faculty Memorial Hall
By SIDNEY BLASCO
By SIENNA REINDERS
FEATURES EDITOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Fordham University held a two-day blood drive in the Rose Hill McShane Student Center Ballroom Feb. 3 - 4. The blood drive is part of a 20-year partnership between Fordham and the New York Blood Center (NYBC). There were a total of 89 sign ups for the first day of the drive, according to Donor Relations Associate for NYBC C.J. Hernandez, and roughly 160 sign ups across both days, according to Keith Eldredge, associate vice president and dean of Student Affairs. However, their donation appointments do not always translate directly to actual donations, as according to Eldredge, as some people don’t show up and others walk-in with no appointment. But while some scheduled donors will not be attending, Eldredge noted that walk-in donors often help offset those absences. “I think it’d be great if we could get 100 people each day, so 200 total for the drive,” Eldredge said ahead of the drive. The blood drives hosted at Fordham primarily target college-aged donors who, Eldgredge explained, are important for creating repeat and also long-term donation habits. “Typically, you get mostly repeat donors,” he said. “Once somebody makes a donation, they’re much more likely to donate again in the future.” While the blood drive was predominantly targeted for and at Fordham students, all members of the Bronx community were welcome to participate. “They worked with Richie Gonzalez, the community member congressman in the neighborhood,” Eldredge said. “So they really encouraged folks that live outside of our gates in the Bronx to come to
dining and facilities that are important to students, such as operating hours and available food. The committee is pushing several proposals to hopefully increase student satisfaction with both the facilities and dining at the Rose Hill campus. The biggest possible change is an increase in campus dining hours to more adequately fit students’ needs in terms of the time in which they would like to eat. The current hours for The Marketplace, the Rose Hill dining hall, are 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. for Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. for Fridays and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. for Saturdays and Sundays. Ando has been working
After almost three years of planning, Fordham University’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) has acquired an office area on the first floor of Faculty Memorial Hall (FMH). The new location is intended to provide additional and more accessible placement for ODS’s growing population of students. “I am thrilled. The space is beautiful and professional. Hoping that it will hold us over for a few years!” said Mary Byrnes, director of ODS, in an email to The Ram. “Everyone seems to love it so far!” ODS serves the Fordham community with providing resources and their support for the undergraduate and graduate students who need accommodations, academic advisors, a new program for the neurodivergent students and more. The department has had residence in the basement of O’Hare Hall, near the office for Counseling and Psychological Services since it was created, as according to Byrnes. But as Fordham’s population of students who utilize ODS and its services has grown, the department has been in need of adding additional space. During the 2018-2019 school year, ODS took up residence in the top floor of Cambreleng House (the yellow house) near O’Hare Hall. Byrnes and Jessica Hawkins, associate director of ODS, moved their offices to the new location and converted their O’Hare offices to testing rooms for students. Byrnes said originally, they only used the old space for student intake sessions and staff meetings, while all testing and drop-ins continued in the O’Hare offices. “The yellow house was always supposed to be a temporary space until a better, more appropriate space could be identified,” said Byrnes. During the pandemic, the
SEE USG DINING PAGE 4
SEE ODS MOVE, PAGE 5
Page 12 Culture Halftime
Page 20 Sports Overtime
SEE BLOOD DRIVE, PAGE 5
2 News Service Project
School Supply Collab With Shared Jesuit Values
JORDAN DONEGAN/THE FORDHAM RAM
Metro IAF had key speakers discuss Mamdani’s absence briefly before focusing solely on their cause.
Mamdani Is a No-Show to ‘Bronx First!’ Event By JORDAN DONEGAN ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Inside Fordham University’s Rose Hill Gymnasium, the ‘Bronx First’ event, the Metro Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) founding assembly, was held on Feb. 5. Over 1,872 New York City community members gathered in order to introduce a new initiative in support of Bronx residents. Bronx First is a new effort
launched by the Metro IAF in order to champion initiatives that address issues such as affordability, safety, housing, mental health and quality of education in the Bronx. The Metro IAF is part of the largest collections of mosques, churches, synagogues, nonprofits and other groups that collaborate to launch similar efforts to those of Bronx First in the United States. This event featured key
speakers who championed the initiative and recounted their experiences with Metro IAF. One of the key points multiple speakers addressed was the absence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was invited because much of his early campaigning focused on prioritizing the needs of Bronx residents. “Mayor Mamdani is not here tonight,” said the event’s SEE BRONX FIRST, PAGE 4
USG VP of Facilities and Dining Looks to Make Improvements By EMMA LEONARDI NEWS EDITOR
Fordham University has previously been ranked #16 for worst campus food in the country and has a dining
rating of “D” on Niche. United Student Government (USG) Vice President of Facilities and Dining Madeleine Ando, FCRH ’27, alongside her committee, is attempting to fix several issues with campus
HANNAH SULLIVAN/ THE FORDHAM RAM
The Marketplace is Rose Hill’s only buffet style dining option.
9 Opinion Student Takes
Small Talk: It Is Awkward But Necessary
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