Fasulo, a member of the department’s Lincoln Center campus detail, started at Fordham in 2011. A retired police officer, he joined the New York City Police Department on January 9, 1986, and was assigned to the 50th Precinct in the Bronx. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1990 and assigned to the 46th Precinct in the Bronx. In 1996, he was transferred to Manhattan North Narcotics, where he remained until his retirement in 2006. He managed security operations at VSTAR Security Systems, Deutsch Bank, and Bank of America before joining Fordham.

“Andy Fasulo was a great guy who was always there—every day, and when you really needed him. He was a conscientious and key member of our public safety team,” said Robert Dineen, director of Public Safety at the Lincoln Center campus.

“He had unique talents that he brought to our operation. Anything to do with computers or computer programming, like building a database, Andy was our guy. He was our computer whiz. I know I speak for the whole public safety team in saying he will be deeply missed by all. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy’s family and his loved ones at this very sad time.”

John Carroll, associate vice president for Public Safety, called Fasulo’s death a profound loss for the University.

“His compassion for our Lincoln Center community, particularly for residence students who he encountered during overnight shifts, was so evident. Andy was truly professional,” he said.

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, lauded Fasulo as personable, hardworking, and unfailingly helpful.

“In a service-oriented department, Andy stood out as someone who was always willing to go the extra mile for members of the Fordham community,” he said.

“Our hearts are broken for Andy’s family. He was a member of our family as well, and we will miss him dearly. I know you all join me in keeping Andy’s loved ones in our thoughts and prayers during this dark time.”

Like many of his colleagues, Fasulo responded to the call to help others at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorists attack, according to the family obituary. An avid learner who kept himself busy trading in the stock market and taking on home improvement projects, he enjoyed rooting for the Yankees and the Giants and attending Pink Floyd cover band concerts, the obit said.

“To those who knew him, Andrew was known for his huge capacity to love and serve people, especially his family. He could light up any room with his smile and draw a crowd with his plethora of storytelling,” his family noted. “His infectious laughter could be heard for miles.”

His son Michael said his father was his “guardian in life.” He said his fondest memories of his dad are of vacations to the Jersey Shore and parks like Busch Gardens, where they rode the Lochness Monster ride together even though Fasulo hated rides that went upside down.

“I talked to him on a daily basis, and he loved it at Fordham. He loved everyone he worked with, the guard staff, the kids, everything,” he said.

Fasulo’s sister Nancy joked that they used to call him “Mr. Google,” on account of the mix of facts on a range of subjects he could share on moment’s notice. When she got into an accident in the 2001 Hyundai Elantra that he’d given her, he rebuilt it himself, and she still has the car to this day in her driveway.

“He was a great husband, and a great brother to me and my sisters. He always made taking care of his family his number one priority,” she said.

Fasulo is survived by his wife Suzanne; his three children, Christina, Michael, and Andrew; and his sisters Susan Mayfield (Thomas), Nancy Fasulo Jones, and Debra Lynch (Donald). He is also survived by his nieces Tara, Rachael, Sarah, and Meghan; his nephews Evan, Thomas, Sean, Matthew, and Connor; numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins; and seven great-nieces and nephews.

A private burial will take place at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Putnam Valley, New York. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association in his memory.

On Thursday, April 9, that longstanding connection brought forth a shipment of 800 protective face masks from Nanjing, China, where SEU is based.

The donation of much-needed safety equipment was arranged by Zhengning Pu, Ph.D., associate professor and vice dean of SEU’s School of Economics and Management.

Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean for global initiatives and partnerships at the Gabelli School, said Professor Pu emailed him in March out of the blue to ask him where he could send some masks to the University. Petit said Pu didn’t indicate how many masks he would be sending, but he connected him with John Carroll, Fordham’s associate vice president for public safety.

“I think what he really sensed was New York City and the United States were on the verge of surpassing all other countries in terms of fatalities from the COVID-19 coronavirus, which we did,” Petit said.

Petit noted that when Fordham first established its partnership with SEU, it was through members of a previous administration at the Chinese university, and Pu only recently became the Gabelli School’s point of contact.

“He’s been a critical contact since then, and we’re very grateful for him to proactively do this,” he said.

Carroll said the masks help Fordham comply with the executive order that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued on April 15 that everyone wear a mask when interacting with the public (and he noted that they are not the N95 masks reserved for first responders and health care workers). They have already been distributed to Fordham employees who have continued to report to campus during the pandemic.

“This includes my own public safety supervisors and security guard staff, facilities staff, custodial staff, residential life staff, IT staff, and students who remain here,” he said.

Anyone entering campus can also request a mask from public safety.

“We have placed orders for masks to comply with the executive order, but they are taking a month or more to get here. This donation permits us to fill that void now, when we need them,” he said.

On Saturday, the University received an urgent email from the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, an association that represents more than 100 independent colleges and universities in New York state. CICU, via the Office of the New York Governor, was requesting that college campuses consider donating personal protective equipment, or PPE, to the state. 

“Within minutes of receiving the requests for goggles, gloves, and other personal protective equipment, Fordham faculty and staff responded generously, outlining what they had available and offering to drive to campus to organize the supplies,” said Maura Mast, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. “It was a true team effort⁠ — and a true Fordham effort — in response to the needs of our community.” 

In recent weeks, medical professionals treating COVID-19 patients have been experiencing a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment. Without adequate protection, health care workers risk infecting patients — and themselves. Doctors, nurses, and others have posted online pleas for help, often using the hashtag #GetMePPE.

In responding to the state’s request, Fordham joined a growing group of universities and colleges across the nation that have been donating unused PPE gear normally reserved for lab classes to medical staff in dire need of supplies. 

The day the request came in, Mast and Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, rallied the campus community, and one faculty member became the point person to coordinate with CICU and the state: Robert H. Beer, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and associate dean for STEM and pre-health education at Fordham College at Rose Hill. 

Beer contacted his STEM colleagues at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Over the next 24 hours, the chemistry, physics, biology, and natural sciences departments and the Louis Calder Center pooled their supplies in a campus-wide effort coordinated by Beer, campus security guards, lab technicians, graduate students, department chairs, deans, and others. Public Safety and Maureen Keown, the director of University health services, donated supplies as well. By mid-day Sunday, all supplies were safely stored in the FCRH Public Safety Office. 

The campus community was also working on a time crunch. By 8 p.m. on Sunday, the campus would close, in accordance with the New York Office of the Governor’s executive order closing all businesses and nonprofit institutions. 

“I’m just so appreciative of how responsive and quickly everybody acted, and how selfless they were with their time and their desire to help, without thinking of themselves or expecting anything in return,” said Beer. “I hope other people will be inspired to do something.”

In total, the University amassed 70 N95 respirator masks, 350 three-ply surgical face masks, 273 plastic safety glasses, 48 plastic protective face shields, 40 elbow-length rubber gloves, 31,100 exam gloves, 255 white lab coats, 2,000 sterile cotton-tipped applicators, 800 alcohol prep pads, and two bottles of rubbing alcohol, according to John Carroll, associate vice president for public safety. 

On Tuesday morning, members of the New York State Department of Transportation arrived at Rose Hill to pick up the supplies, which will be given to the National Guard for distribution.

“One feels so helpless watching the numbers of sick grow and hearing of the terrible suffering of our fellow New Yorkers,” said Auricchio. “I am proud to be a member of this caring, civic-minded, community.”

STORY UPDATE: On Saturday, March 28, the University donated a second set of PPE supplies to New York state to assist with the health crisis. Approximately 100 coveralls and 800 pairs of disposable gloves were collected from the Louis Calder Center and dropped off at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, where they will be given to the National Guard for distribution, said Beer.

This year, the department has implemented several technological advances, including a mechanical gate that expedites and secures entrance to a parking area for commuter students and a smartphone app that helps students find a ride home late at night.

John Carroll, associate vice president for public safety, said technology is not a substitute for the experience and attention of a well-trained staff, but it can help the University connect with students.

“The technology assists us in communicating and controlling access to the campus in a more efficient and cost-effective way,” he said.

A new electronic card access system is one way that technology is helping the public safety team manage access to campus more effectively. As of the start of the fall 2014 semester, entrances to all residence halls on both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses were outfitted with electronic card readers.

Students, faculty, and staff have been issued new identification cards. When a community member holds his or her card to the reader to gain access to campus, a large version of the photograph appears on a screen. This helps the public safety officer more clearly confirm that the person standing in front of them is the same person whose photograph is on the ID card.

The new system also allows the University to immediately disable lost or stolen identification cards.

Carroll and his team also hope that technology will make it even easier for students to take advantage of the public safety services Fordham provides.

For example, at Rose Hill the University runs a shuttle van service through the local community, near off-campus student housing and popular neighborhood hangouts, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. While the shuttle service is not new, the University recently launched a smartphone app that helps students locate the vans while they’re in service.

The app, called TransLoc Rider, is available on iOS and Android devices. Thanks to GPS technology, the app shows students—in real time—exactly where they are in relation to the vans on each of the three shuttle routes.

Carroll said he hopes this will help students plan accordingly and wait safely for a ride home.

“The van takes about 30 minutes to make the circuit, and that’s where the TransLoc app is important. You’ll know exactly where the vehicle is, so you don’t have to stand outside for 20 minutes waiting,” he said.

The new app is only one point of access students have to the public safety team at night.

Karen Carr and Jeremiah Halloran are duty supervisors employed by Fordham. Retired police offers, they maintain a presence in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx each night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Carr and Halloran drive through the community in a Fordham-branded Chevy Tahoe, stopping to offer rides to students walking alone or in other circumstances that may compromise their safety.

Halloran said he sometimes hears students call their parents while he is giving them a ride home.

“When students tell their parents there is a public safety truck out there that gives them rides, it gives them some peace of mind back home,” he said.

In her role driving around campus, Carr said she has gotten to know many members of the student community by name. Some students take her up on the offer for a ride. Others decline, and she lets them know she will stay nearby to make sure they make it home safely.

She said that regardless of whether students accept a ride, she offers them advice on walking home safely late at night. In addition to staying in groups and knowing where they are going in advance, she advises them to keep their smartphones and tablets out of sight, and not just for the threat of having the device stolen.

“We’ve all become a society of people looking down at [our]phones instead of around ourselves. We can all get a little lazy sometimes, and start checking our emails a block away from home, but it’s vital to be aware of your surroundings,” she said.

For dedicated public safety team members like Carr, the technological advancements provide even more tools to protect the community she cares about so deeply.

“Fordham students are good young people with a good future ahead of them,” she said. “My granddaughter is starting to look at colleges, and I want her to come here.”

By Jennifer Spencer

John Carroll, associate vice president of safety and security, said that while every big city has its challenges, New York is also home to unparalleled resources.

“Fordham is blessed, in that you’re in New York City, which has the largest, most efficient and most effective police force in the world. Where else do you get 40,000 cops? At most colleges and universities, the security force at the university is usually the largest security force in town,” he said.

Carroll’s knowledge of the New York Police Department runs deep. Before coming to Fordham to head up security operations 20 years ago, Carroll was commanding officer of the 41st Precinct in the South Bronx. He was previously the commander of Manhattan South Detectives Homicide Task Force.

His history with the NYPD and friendships with many of its leaders create a benefit for Fordham students, he said.

“Yes, it’s my job to make sure the kids are safe on campus, and they truly are, but it’s also my job to get the cops to take care of our kids,” he said.

Carroll’s office is responsible for all issues of safety and security on all of Fordham’s campuses. This ranges from watching who comes in and out of the gates to weather emergencies to providing transportation for students coming home via subway late at night.

Carroll said his approach centers on proactive prevention of incidents, and that all members of the community are vital to keeping Fordham’s campuses safe.

Preventative measures include vans that park outside the Fordham Road subway station in the Bronx from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to shuttle students back to the Rose Hill campus, security cameras that can be viewed from multiple locations, and a network of communication.

“We proceed on the belief, and I know that it’s correct, that we have very bright young men and women going to school here, and we treat them accordingly,” Carroll said. “We provide them with information in training programs of our students and resident assistants to make sure that we have a good communication flow.

“That not only means that we give information to them, but that they will call us and feel comfortable with us.”

Carroll said Fordham is constantly reviewing their protocol to respond in the unlikely event of an emergency such as campus shooter situation. Carroll’s team participated in an NYPD briefing last month on best practices in the event of a shooter on campus.

While Carroll said the prospect of such an unthinkable event is something no one wants to dwell on, Fordham is prepared. All of Fordham’s security supervisors are former ranking officers from the NYPD. And, he said, they are armed.

“It’s the worst thing that could ever happen. But we are here with an armed guy who’s qualified to take out that shooter, should something happen,” Carroll said.

On a day-to-day basis, the unexpected events Carroll and his team face are more along the lines of inclement weather.

Carroll was forced to cancel an interview for this story to meet with Fordham’s emergency management team to prepare for Winter Storm “Nemo.” The cross-disciplinary team consists of representatives from academic affairs, enrollment services, IT, facilities, campus ministry, and more.

Together, they consider the variables that go into potentially closing campus—how many students would be affected, news from New York City’s Office of Emergency Management, reports from public transportation services, and more.

“We took every piece of objective information from reliable sources, and got the objective analysis from this team,” Carroll said. “We bring together all the key people, and then let a decision flow out of that.”

Looking after the safety and security of students, faculty, and staff at multiple campuses is a huge job, no doubt. Carroll said it’s one he and his team take incredibly seriously—and that parents can rest easy knowing their students are safe.

“Parents who are 3,000 miles away can certainly count on the fact that their sons and daughters are well taken care of,” he said. “There are processes and professional people in place who can take care of them.

“We may not love them as much as you, but we will take care of them just as well.”