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News
March 23, 2022
WWW.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER
Fordham Recognized for Environmental Impact The trees and greenery across the university’s three campuses serve as an opportunity for academic research By ALEXA VILLATORO Staff Writer
The Arbor Day Foundation honored Fordham for its protection, preservation and continued tree conservation efforts across its since 2015. The foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program recognizes colleges across the nation that show a commitment to the environment and dedication to their students. In 2015, Fordham joined the Tree Campus Higher Education program, a project created by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2008 to help recognize the efforts of different universities across the U.S. in their promotion of tree conservation. Fordham’s “Tree Care Plan,” an annual report that outlines the anticipated care of on-campus greenery, notes its aim to inspire learning, build commu-
nity and become a more sustainable institution. In addition to protecting Fordham’s tree population, which involves integrated pest management and a contracted arborist, the Tree Care Plan also intends to engage students with the natural environment available across the campuses. In order to participate in the Tree Campus Higher Education program and to achieve these goals, the uniAdvisory Committee. Marco Valera, vice president of administration and member of the Tree Advisory Committee, explained that the purpose of the committee is to oversee the university’s tree care efforts. university sets aside approximately $75,000 out of its $562,000 annual greenery maintenance budget for tree care. The breakdown of the total budget includes tree purchas-
ROBINSON GERMAIN/THE OBSERVER
Fordham has been recognized for its continued preservation of trees on campus. Walkways at Rose Hill are often lined with well-maintained trees and shrubs.
es, labor and equipment for planting and watering different parts of campus, maintenance of grass and lawns, and other expenses. The university’s contracted arborist conducts annual inspections
at Rose Hill for learning species ue to use the trees for my non-majors classes, as a way of introducing students to the wide range of species we have here.”
“ With the stress and
campus’ diversity of bird and insect species, trees become a foundation for biodiversity since animals rely on trees for food and shelter. Valera noted that he believes Fordham’s investments in trees, while modest, is important to students because trees engage students with the campus, absorb carbon and provide a micro-environment in the fully developed area of the Bronx. He also added that while Fordham has not tried to measure its trees’ carbon absorption, the university “realizes it’s a
pressure of doing well in school, students need that freshness of trees strength. ”
Ryan Chen, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’24
of all trees across the three campuses and the use of integrated pest management. Valera pointed to the maintenance of a variety of tree species native to America, the oldest of which is a nearly 300-year-old west elm oak tree at Rose Hill. Valera added that there are over 500 birchwood trees that belong to the Fordham Rose Hill campus alone. ed in Armonk, New York, is another location where students and researchers within the biological sciences department can engage with trees. The department of biological sciences works directly with the trees at the 113-acre site, a natural forest preserve that does not require tree care. The Calder Center offers programs for graduate and undergraduate students, with some online options as well. A few of the undergraduate student projects available online include studies of tree diversity and landscape ecology. partment of biological sciences, said that at the Rose Hill campus, trees are used to learn about biodiversity. “When (the course) Plant Biology was offered, we used the trees
Ryan Chen, Fordham College ronmental studies student who believes it is important for schools to provide access to nature. He said these areas strengthen the mental health and well-being of students. “With the stress and pressure of doing well in school, students need regain their strength,” Chen said. It is essential for people to connect with nature through engaging with green spaces, according to Chen. He pointed to Fordham accessing these areas in urban locations across Manhattan. ter is quite the perfect place to rest your eyes from the concrete jungle our school is in,” Chen explained. Jason Munshi-South, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Calder Center, said that he is working with the United Student GovernCenter to cultivate the food gardens across both campuses. The goal of the project is to develop the use of native plants, which will improve landscaping and increase sustainability.
“(Native plants) store more carbon in their root systems, don’t require fertilizer or watering, and sustain populations of native pollinators,” Munshi-South said. “They are also just as beautiful as the typical nonnative plants.” The university’s environmental studies program also interacts garden, located on the plaza by the McMahon entrance, and Rose Hill’s St. Rose’s food garden, loAccording to John van Buren, director of the environmental studies department, the Introduction to Environmental Studies classes at Fordham use the campus’ organic food gardens as “a practicum for students.” Fordham also partners with the New York Botanical Gardens, allowing students free access to the garden’s grounds in exchange for visitor access to the university’s parking. Steven Franks, the department chair and a professor in the biological sciences department, explained that graduate students can also take courses at the gardens. He said several of his students have conducted research at the grounds and undergraduate lab groups also visit the gardens. with the environment elevates the learning experience for students. For their Honors Interdiscitheir students to observe species and leaf morphology in local ecosystems such as the Rose Hill their research at the Calder Center, they point to trees at Fordham Rose Hill as an opportunity for non-major students to explore what the microenvironment has to offer. “Because the trees are so visually present in the landscape, they provide, for example, a nice steppingstone for discussing the broader plant diversity on cam-
Workers Launch Union Card Campaign The Graduate Student Workers Union resumed its outreach with the goal of being recognized by Fordham UNION from page 1
According to Van Dyne, graduate student workers have attempted to address these issues through individual conversations with administrators. “The fact that those conversations have not resulted in meaningful solutions is one reason why an overwhelming majority of eligible workers signed union cards indicating their desire for a union,” he said.
“ What anyone can
see is that despite their protests that they want to stay neutral, Fordham’s administration has hired one of the most notorious the country, Jackson Lewis. ”
Benjamin Van Dyne, head of FGSWU media outreach
On Feb. 28, 2022, three weeks after the start of the union card campaign, the FGSWU hand-delivered a letter to McShane seeking voluntary recognition from the university in order to begin contract negotiations.
In their letter, the students enclosed a vision statement with a list of objectives they hope to achieve through unionizing that would give them more power over their working conditions. Some demands in their list include increasing their income, which is currently between $15,000 to $20,000 a year and is below the NYC yearly minimum wage for 2022 of $27,456. They also seek affordable health insurance, accommodations for working parents and international students, increased funding for graduate employees, and formal grievance structures that provide protection and recourse against harassment, overwork and other workplace issues. Provost released a formal statement to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences community. The statement recognized the value of graduate student workers and their contribution to the university. “The educational relationship between students and the University is, especially at the graduate level, foundational to our intellectual community and to our commitment to promoting learning and wisdom through research and scholarship,” said Dennis C. Jacobs, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, in the statement. The university also recognized that student workers have the right to unionize under an election process.
ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER
Fordham graduate student workers are continuing their efforts to unionize with a union card campaign.
Fordham also created a Frequently Asked Questions page dedicated to FGSWU’s process of unionization on the university’s main website under Academic and Faculty Resources. This page states that Fordham recognizes its graduate student assistants as stu“From time to time, graduate students also are assigned duties, such as teaching or research, as part of their training toward a graduate degree,” the page noted. Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications, said that Fordham respects the rights of its graduate student workers to decide whether to form a union.
According to Howe, the university wants to ensure a free and fair election and is working with the union to schedule one. The university has also en-
the most notorious anti-union
many companies, such as Burger King and Target. In 2019, Jackson
like that typically cost a university hundreds or even thousands of dollars per hour and help disseminate misleading information about the union.” The next step for the FGSWU is voting in the election overseen
help employers remain “Union Free.” The FGSWU believes that this directly goes against Fordham’s neutral stance. “What anyone can see is that despite their protests that they want to stay neutral, Fordham’s administration has hired one of
Board in accordance with its processes. The graduate students’ efforts continue as they urge Fordham’s administration to sign a neutrality agreement in that election so that graduate student workers can add input into their workplace conditions.
for advice as they navigate the
