The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 98, Issue 3
FordhamRam.com
February 10, 2016
Fordham RFP Receives Bidders Revealed Record Apps
Hochul presented Governor Cuomo’s plan for New York to Fordham students and faculty.
COURTESY OF FLICKR
Lieutenant Governor Presents “State of State” Address at Fordham By MIKE BYRNE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s message of reform and progress has reached Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus. On Wednesday Feb. 3, Kathy Hochul, Lieutenant Governor of the state of New York, presented Cuomo’s State of the State and Executive Budget Address to a crowd of Fordham students and faculty. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, opened the event by thanking Cuomo for maintaining the fund-
ing of opportunity programs such as Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) and the Liberty Partnership. “We look forward to working with the governor and with his administration in ensuring that New York State continues to attract brilliant and talented students regardless of their economic circumstances from across the state and across the nation,” McShane said. Hochul, who previously served as a New York State Representative, began the address by focus-
Fordham Prep Copes with Recent Student Deaths By ERIN SHANAHAN NEWS EDITOR
Students, parents and staff at Fordham Preparatory School continued to mourn the loss of two sophomores during the past month as the school held meetings and brought in counselors to help its community cope with the tragedies. Rev. Christopher J. Devron, S.J., president of Fordham Preparatory School, said that the Fordham University administration has been assisting the all-boys high school located on the Rose Hill campus.
in this issue
Opinion Page 7
B.O.B.’s Theory Undermines Intellectualism
Culture Page 12 Barbie Dolls Introduce Diversity
Sports Page 20 Women’s Basketball Picks Up Key Road Win
“So many people at the university — from the President, Fr. McShane, S.J., to John Carroll at the Office of Public Safety — have offered us practical support, resources and special attention and care to their younger brothers at the Prep,” Devron said in an email to The Fordham Ram. Fordham Prep is technically not part of Fordham University, having become independent in 1972. “It’s wonderful to experience, at a time of great need, how our shared Jesuit mission transcends our institutional boundaries,” Devron said. A Fordham Prep student was killed at Philipse Manor train station in Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County on Jan. 18. The sophomore was struck and killed by a MetroNorth train after police say he deliberately stepped in front of it. A second student from Fordham Preparatory School was fatally struck by a Metro-North train in the Bronx last week. Prep students were made aware of the second fatality last Tuesday morning, Feb. 2, while in their small mentor groups. “Our teachers shared the news of their classmate’s death with all stuSEE PREP, PAGE 3
ing on the Bronx. “This is a tremendous community…I really sense that there is optimism occurring,” Hochul commented. She explained that since the governor had taken office in 2011, the unemployment rate of the Bronx decreased from over 12 percent to six percent. She also described the Bronx Unemployment Strike Force which the governor, the borough president and other elected officials formed a year and a half ago. “It’s a strategic way to identify areas of the population SEE STATE, PAGE 5
By THERESA SCHLIEP
By ERIN SHANAHAN
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
NEWS EDITOR
The four dining companies involved in the Request for Proposals (RFP) process are Sodexo, Compass Group, Aramark Corporation and CulinArt Group, according to Deming Yaun, University Dining Contract Liaison. The proposals will now be due Feb. 19, instead of a previous Feb. 16 deadline. In an interview with The Fordham Ram, Yaun said that the decision to terminate Sodexo’s contract was a mutual one. “Its unfortunate that there have been some challenges and while some of those appear to have been resolving, we thought we really need to take a time out,” said Yaun. Three of the four companies involved in the RFP process are in the top 50 largest U.S. foodservice management companies, according to a Food Management ranking released in 2012. Sodexo, Inc. is third, Aramark Corp. is second and Compass Group North America is the first largest. CulinArt is a smaller company, operating out of Plainview, New York. Yaun had previously worked for Aramark and Sodexo, but was not familiar with CulinArt.
44,343 applications have been received by Fordham University for the undergraduate Class of 2020, according to Fordham’s Office of Admissions. This is a record high for the university. Associate Vice President for enrollment John W. Buckley said this application pool appears to be particularly diverse. Applications came from all 50 states and over 125 countries. This year, about 4,332 applications came in from international students applying to Fordham. This is a 17 percent increase from last year’s international application pool of 3,690. “We’ve built strong relationships with guidance counselors nationally and abroad,” Buckley said in a Fordham Notes article. “In addition to the inherent strengths of the university, international students love our location in New York City. It’s a global city, and students from diverse backgrounds find it very appealing.” As a whole, this year marks the 25th consecutive cycle of application growth. This growth may have been due to the reintroduction of the early decision option. This category of applications is
SEE SODEXO, PAGE 3
SEE ADMISSIONS, PAGE 3
Fewer Fordham graduates are employed six months after graduation, as compared to graduates at peer institutions
The above data for all schools was from the Class of 2014, as peer institutions have not released their Class of 2015 first destination reports.
CATE CARREJO/FORDHAM RAM
One in 10 Still Seek Work Six Months After Fordham Graduation: Report By LAURA SANICOLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
One in 10 Fordham graduates from the Class of 2015 were not employed, doing service or pursuing further education within six months of graduation, according to new information released by the Office of Institutional Research.
59 percent of the Class of 2015 was fully employeed six months after graduation, a slight drop from the previous year. Ten percent were still seeking employment. In comparison, the Class of 2014 at Georgetown University boasted 71 percent of students employed full time during this period, and New York University saw 85 percent of its studetns employed full time,
according to those universities’ websites. According to Fordham’s website, the Office of Career Services reached out to every member of the Class of 2015 and was able to learn the “first destination” of 98.2 percent of the graduates, which it states is “an exceptionally high response rate.” SEE DATA, PAGE 6