Public Safety’s neighborhood shuttle service and shuttle service to local subway stations in the Rose Hill community will resume at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24. Ram Van service will resume at 6:15 a.m. from Rose Hill and 7:15 a.m. from Lincoln Center on Monday, Jan. 25.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has announced that subway, bus, and Metro North service will be at or near normal service levels on Monday, Jan. 25, but that Long Island Railroad service will likely not resume in time for the morning commute. With that in mind, Fordham students, faculty, and staff who normally rely on the Long Island Railroad may park at the Rose Hill campus at no charge, if they elect to drive.

The New York City Department of Transportation predicts roads in the city will be substantially cleared by the morning commute. Alternate side of the street parking will be suspended all week in New York City.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:

(718) 817-5555
(212) 636-7777
(800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
(877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

This message will be updated if there are any changes to the University’s schedule.

New York City bus service has ended at noon today, and all elevated and open-cut subway lines will cease operations this evening: the last trains to depart the terminals will leave at 4 p.m. Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad will also begin an orderly shutdown of service at 4 p.m.: http://alert.mta.info/

Martino Hall (45 Columbus Avenue) is closed as of 1:30 p.m. today and will remain closed Sunday, Jan. 24.

The football dinner scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. has been cancelled.

Members of the University community are strongly advised to stay indoors during the weather emergency.

###

Update Friday, Jan. 22. | 9:30 p.m.

The last Ram Van will depart from the Lincoln Center campus at 2 a.m. Friday night/Saturday morning.

###

Friday, Jan. 22. | 3:10 p.m.

All classes at all campuses of Fordham University—including Fordham Westchester and the Calder Center—will be cancelled on Saturday, Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 24, due to severe weather conditions anticipated in the New York area.

There will be no Ram Van service on Saturday and Sunday, though service may resume Sunday evening, as weather conditions allow. There will be no neighborhood shuttle service, nor shuttle service to local subway stations operating in the Rose Hill community on Saturday night.

Residential dining facilities will be open on their normal schedules at both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses. Retail operations will be open as staff is available.

University Health Services will be open at Lincoln Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday only; University Health Services at Rose Hill will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Fordham University Emergency Medical Service will continue to be available 24/7 at Rose Hill: in an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

The Lombardi Center, and fitness centers at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses will be open on their normal schedules.

The Quinn and Walsh Libraries will be open on their normal schedules, as study zones only; the Law Library will be closed both Saturday and Sunday.

Martino Hall (45 Columbus Avenue) will be open on its normal weekend schedule.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:

(718) 817-5555
(212) 636-7777
(800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
(877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

This message will be updated as necessary during the weather emergency.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding

We perform these tests at least twice every school year to ensure that the systems essential for your safety are working properly, and that both operators and the campus community are acquainted with their operation. Feel free to call the Department of Public Safety at (718) 817-2222 if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.

As we look forward to the beginning of the spring semester, we ask that you all review the list of items not permitted on campus. In addition to other items, hoverboards are not permitted in any Fordham University building, including residence halls.

This decision is based upon the potential fire hazard the devices pose, as well as the risk of falls and injuries. Hoverboards are prohibited on all major airlines, and the risks associated with them have been documented by the New York City Fire and Police Departments. Since hoverboards are technically motor vehicles, but cannot be registered with Department of Motor Vehicles, they are prohibited on New York City streets by state law. Likewise, hoverboards are prohibited on any campus roadway or path.

Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

John Carroll, Associate Vice President
Fordham Department of Public Safety

Dear Members of the Fordham Family,

I write to you this morning about two troubling incidents at Fordham in the last several days, and about the state of our campus community in general. But first, let me assure you that I have heard and continue to hear your concerns and frank critiques of University culture and our response to incidents of bias and sexual assault (among others). I believe that these are among the most serious issues we face, and so do the University personnel who deal with them on a day-to-day basis. If the processes we must follow sometimes seem cumbersome or too slow, they may be, but do not mistake that for indifference. Everyone here wants to get it right.

That leads me to the first of the incidents to which I referred above. Last night I read the open letter of a Fordham student who alleged she was mistreated by staff from the Department of Public Safety, and by student volunteers of FUEMS. The alleged behavior is deeply troubling, and certainly not consistent with the values Fordham promotes, nor the values that we hold in common. Accordingly, I have asked for a review of the incident by independent professionals. This may not be a short process, but I guarantee you it will be a thorough one. I ask that you have some patience with us in the interim: the absence of announcements is not the absence of progress in these investigations.

The second incident occurred on Friday night, and I was briefed on the preliminary investigation yesterday. Two Fordham students living off campus heard loud, repeated racist language and chants from a party in the apartment below them, also occupied by Fordham students (this is non-University housing, incidentally). The students reported it to Public Safety, and the NYPD was brought in. If the behavior in question is confirmed, the students in question will face University disciplinary proceedings.

I cannot convey to you how disappointing such incidents are, not least because I understand the lasting hurt they cause. Most of you have heard me speak on these issues, or read my previous messages to the Fordham community, and know where I stand: I make no apologies for racism, misogyny, homophobia, nor indeed any kind of bigotry nor act that devalues another person or group. Again, those in the University community who commit such acts will face the appropriate disciplinary proceedings, in addition to whatever criminal charges are brought, when appropriate.

Fordham also devotes significant time, effort, and funds to education around these issues, and we are always looking for ways to improve our efforts and use our resources more effectively. We talk about “building” a better campus community, but that is really the wrong metaphor: what we do is really gardening. We grow, we feed, we nurture. It is a slow and continuous process.

We are, all of us, in the midst of a national conversation about race, gender, sexual identity, the weight of history, and the ways in which we can grow as a community. I understand—I believe we all understand—why voices are raised in anger over these issues. For too many of you, the weight of inequity and oppression has been longstanding and real. You deserve better, not just from Fordham and the University community, but from the larger society; not just soon, but now. Of the many concerns I have as a University president, these are among the most intractable, and give me the most sleepless nights.

I ask, finally, that you believe that people of good will are hearing your voices and are working to make things better. I ask you not to believe this for my sake, or for Fordham’s, but for your own. I am too old and too experienced to believe in the perfectibility of the human family, but I have seen great improvements in my lifetime, and I imagine many more will occur in yours. That is a thought to hold close, and a basis for optimism as you move through your Fordham careers and your lives.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers today and every day.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, SJ