On Friday evening, when alumni would normally attend their class receptions, certified sommelier Gabriella Macari, GABELLI ’09, will lead webinar attendees through a virtual wine tasting. In the spirit of the intellectually stimulating lectures alumni have come to expect from reunion weekend, Macari, whose family owns Macari Vineyards in Mattituck, New York, also plans to share a bit about the history of viticulture and winemaking, particularly in the North Fork region of Long Island. Alumni will have the chance to order wines from Macari Vineyards with a special discount code—or follow along with their personal favorites.

On Saturday, alumni will have the opportunity to hear directly from Father McShane, who will give an update on the state of the University over coffee. Later that afternoon, members of various alumni affinity chapters, including Rainbow Rams, MOSAIC, and Mimes & Mummers, will host virtual versions of their typical Jubilee gatherings.

While many alumni are sure to miss dancing at the Jubilee Gala and the outdoor fun of the Jubilee Picnic, they will have the chance to get some exercise and wind down through a yoga and meditation session led by Carolyn Funke, GSS ’19, who will help attendees feel centered and connected.

All alumni from across Fordham’s schools and campuses are invited to join the virtual festivities and are encouraged to follow Fordham’s social media accounts for more reunion content. A special webinar with Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, is also being planned for later in the month, and the reunions team hopes to hold an in-person gathering for 2020 Jubilarians when it is safe to do so.

To see a full weekend schedule and register for events, visit fordham.edu/jubilee.

In his welcome address at Tognino Hall, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, urged alumni to not only enjoy their time with old friends but also take pride in their alma mater.

“Be proud of Fordham, and tell the story,” Father McShane said. “What story? Your story. Where you came from. Why did you come from here? What did you get? How did you turn out? Who are you now? And how do you trace who you are now to who you were then?”

The classes celebrating this year raised more than $83 million since their last Jubilee five years ago.

A Tale of Two Love Stories

Todd Brooks, FCRH ’94, met his wife on the second Sunday of their freshman year. Four months into their relationship, he recalled, he told his then-girlfriend he loved her for the first time.

“She looked at me and she goes, ‘That’s nice,’” Todd Brooks said, while his wife Stacie Kloepfer-Brooks, FCRH ’94, GSE ’95, gently protested. But two years later, she wrote him a handwritten poem about their time together—a memento he’s kept for more than 20 years.

“We kind of grew up together, right? When we started dating, I was 18 and you had just turned 19,” Todd said, turning to Stacie. “And now we’re 46, 47 years old.”

Seated beside the Brookses on Martyr’s Lawn were their classmates, Ann Marie Denning, FCRH ’94, LAW ’97, and P.J. Denning, GABELLI ’94, ’01, both of whom were first-generation Irish-American college students. Today, Ann Marie works in development at Fordham Prep and P.J. is a public relations partner who has served as an adjunct professor at the Gabelli School of Business.

In 1998, the Dennings were married by two Fordham Jesuits: Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., former president of the University, and Richard J. Dillon, S.J. And like the Brooks, the couple has five children—the oldest of whom just finished his first year at his father’s alma mater.

“It was a great time,” P.J. said. “Fordham was good to us.”

Reliving Milestones from the ’60s and ’70s

The Sixties were marked by many milestones, including the military draft and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, said alumnus Michael Piellusch as he reflected.

“We were the first class to be drafted,” recalled the Golden Ram. “I ended up joining the Coast Guard, and I’m still working for the military. As it turns out, it was one of the best things I ever did. But some of our classmates didn’t survive.”

During that same decade, students at Marymount College, which became a part of Fordham before it closed, weren’t allowed to wear pants outside the dormitories, said an alumna at the Jubilee cocktail reception.

“We had a strike in May 1966 or 1967 that we be allowed to wear pants from 9 until 1 on Saturdays,” said Anne Goett, MC ’69. “We marched in our academic gowns.”

Marymount alumnae celebrated at a gathering and awards ceremony in Butler Commons on Friday night, where Christina Favilla, MC ’89, GABELLI ’97, was given the Alumna of Achievement Award and Marilyn O’Connor Dimling, MC ’74, was given the Gloria Gaines Memorial Award. Brigid Driscoll, R.S.H.M., GRE ’02, former Marymount president who passed away last October, was also recognized.

At Saturday’s picnic, Adriana Delia Collins, FCLC ’74, and Joseph Gursky, FCRH ’74, marveled at how much they’d been through together since they first met in Walsh Hall.

“We would meet in the stairwell and chat. We were just confidantes,” Gursky said. “She told me everything; I told her everything.”

Collins said the two remained connected. “Over the years I got married, raised my family, moved around the world,” she said, “but we would always stay in touch.”

They still remember gathering on Martyr’s Lawn, the very spot where the picnic was being held, to watch the last Third Avenue elevated train depart along the tracks next to campus on April 29, 1973. The line was demolished not long afterward.

Although Collins, who now lives in San Francisco, has returned to campus over the years, it was Gursky’s first Jubilee, and only his second time back in the 45 years since graduation. He joked that he majored in “social life” as an undergraduate, but it was also a tumultuous time for him, he said; he had been coming to terms with his homosexuality. Last Saturday, he served as a Eucharistic minister at a Mass at the University Church.

This year’s Jubilee was extraordinary for another Ram from the Seventies: Joan Garry, FCRH ’79, a previous GLAAD executive director who helped persuade the New York Times to include same-sex couples in its wedding coverage.

“This is my first time seeing a rainbow flag anywhere on this campus,” Garry said, gazing at the colorful cloth waving across the Walsh Family Library’s terrace at the Affinity Chapters Open House, where the Rainbow Rams were one of several groups represented. “It’s not just moving, but it’s also for me, a recognition that this institution is ready to accept people and students and faculty for exactly who they are.”

For the younger generation of Rams, Jubilee was a chance to cherish their college years. Jennifer Rivera, FCRH ’14, a communications and Spanish language and literature double major who lived in four different Rose Hill dormitories and studied abroad in Granada, now works at MTV as a coordinating producer. But when she returned to campus last weekend, she rekindled a feeling that never really left her.

“As soon as I walked on campus, I was so overcome with joy,” Rivera said. “I’m so happy that I was able to go to Jubilee because it really just made me appreciate Fordham all over again.”

Hiding a Live Ram in the Backyard

For nearly five decades, the Rose Hill campus was home to more than 20 live rams. Before a big sports game, Fordham’s rival, Manhattan College, would try to kidnap the animal and dye its wool green—Manhattan’s school color.

Sometimes, the rival school succeeded. But one year in the late ’50s, the University temporarily hid its ram in a residential backyard that belonged to Joe Mansfield, FCRH ’59, a commuter student.

“I didn’t tell my parents. My mother did discover it though because she kept asking, ‘What’s that noise?’” said Mansfield, a retired university fundraiser who lives in North Carolina. “And the noise was the ram saying, ‘Ba-a-a-a.’”

A Harvard-to-Fordham Transfer

Richard Grant was one of seven black students in the class of 1965. They called themselves “the Fordham Seven,” he said. But his life almost panned out differently. Shortly before his first semester at Fordham, he learned Harvard had accepted him from its waiting list.

“My parents insisted that for the legacy of black people in America, I could not turn down Harvard,” Grant said. “They said, ‘If you don’t go to Harvard, we’re not going to pay [for your education].’”

He attended Harvard for one year. But he wanted to live in New York, and he wanted a Catholic education. While his parents attended graduate school, he had been raised by an Irish Catholic woman who baptized him and showed him what it meant to be a Catholic.

“That’s how I came to be at Fordham,” he said with a smile.

—Patrick Verel, Gina Vergel, and Ayesha Akhtar contributed reporting.

“It was like seeing the bat signal,” said Kulik, who quickly alerted his college roommate Tom Penna, FCRH ’93.

For three years Kulik and Penna were roommates at Rose Hill, and neither told the other they were gay. It wasn’t until a few years later that they came out to each other.

“It was a difficult time; I was very scared of AIDS,” said Penna. “It was a different world back then.”

Kulik and Penna’s not-coming-out story was a familiar one to most of the alumni gathered, even recent grads from the Class of 2013, and certainly to those from 50 years ago.

Jim Gifford, FCRH ’68, and Tom Reilly, FCRH ’68, shared a room at Fordham for several years. But just like Kulik and Penna, neither knew the other was gay until a few years after graduation.

“It was all very closeted,” said Gifford. “We had our suspicions, but we never mentioned it.”

Before coming to his Golden Jubilee this year, Reilly said he contacted the organizers in the Office of Alumni Relations to see if there was would be an LGBTQ gathering and was happy to find out there would be.

“It occurred to me that that there might be gay people on campus and there’d be an organization, so I sent an email and someone responded and said, ‘Yeah, we’ll be here!’”

It was a far cry from the late 1960s when coming out of the closet wasn’t really an option.

“The atmosphere was very different, all men wearing suit jackets to classes—we were very stiff upper lip,” recalled Gifford. “So, coming back here and seeing that there’s a gay alliance, I thought of course there is! It’s quite a change that makes me see Fordham in a new light.”

Most agreed that Pope Francis has created a more spiritually sensitive environment for Catholics generally.

“When I heard Pope Francis say, ‘Who am I to judge?’ it was a wonderful moment,” said Gifford. “I thought, ‘How wonderful,’ but being that he was a Jesuit, I knew we were in for new times.”

For outgoing Rainbow Rams President Stephen Erdman, seeing LGBTQ Golden and Silver Rams celebrating with his Class of 2013 was a bittersweet culmination of his brief tenure at the two-year-old group. He said that finding out that friends were gay after you leave campus is still a common occurrence.

“It still happens, which is why I think it’s important that we have these groups, because there are still people who feel that they can’t come out on campus,” said Erdman. “But college is an important time to meet each other and be true to ourselves.”

From the Vietnam War through the AIDS crisis, many said the bucolic Rose Hill campus often acted as a buffer and respite from the harsh realities of the day.

“It was very much a tale of two cities, New York was great place to be a young gay kid, but then you come to campus and it was almost like you were living a different life,” said Kulik.

But he was quick to add that not coming out at Fordham was his choice. He recalled that as early as the late 1980s there was a lesbian and gay alliance. Still, he didn’t feel the campus culture was accepting.

“I don’t think Fordham was ready for that yet,” he said.

He added that being gay was only part of his identity. He “had a blast” on campus and was very involved as member of FUEMS and The Ram.

“I love Fordham, I was like Mr. Fordham for a while, but I didn’t feel coming out was an option back then—but this,” he said, gesturing to the crowd, “This is fantastic!”

The spirit of the ’60s was very much alive during the festivities, as graduates from the Class of 1968 were welcomed into the ranks of the Golden Rams, and on Friday evening, attendees rocked out to the sounds of the Beatles cover band the Fab Faux.

For the second year in a row, the weekend set the stage for celebrating more than $70 million raised by Jubilee classes since they last came together on campus five years earlier.

Honoring the Past

In his welcome address, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, spoke of the University’s transition from a small Catholic institution founded in 1841 by Irish-born Bishop John Hughes to a nationally-recognized Jesuit university boasting an undergraduate student body of more than 9,000 students from across the world.

He emphasized the University’s commitment to preserving Hughes’ vision for Fordham to be an academic institution that welcomes students of every class, race, and creed.

“When people say, ‘what is Fordham?’ I often say, ‘wrong question.’ It’s not a what, it’s a who,” he said.

“When you pray for Fordham, see in your mind’s eye and in your heart all the women and men whom you knew at Fordham, and whom you cherished at Fordham, and the young women and men who you will meet today.”

A Family Affair

Though there were many couples at Jubilee, not everyone brought a spouse as their date. Don Quinn, FCHR ’58 was there with his daughter, Carolyn Quinn Hickey, FCRH ’88. The pair has attended Jubilee celebrations together ever since Don presented Carolyn with her diploma at her graduation.

“Tonight [at the gala]I’m not sitting with the class of ’58. I’m sitting with the class of ’88,” Don quipped.

“He’s a good dancer,” said Carolyn, a former elementary school teacher who’s now teaching at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. “For all my friends, class of ’88, whose husbands don’t like to dance—he’s the go-to.”

Don was one of several veterans from his class present at the event. He was originally part of the class of 1954, he said, but four years in the Navy interrupted his college career. When he returned to Fordham, he was working, going to school, and raising a family.

Just before the luncheon, members of the class unveiled a plaque that honors two all-time great Fordham basketball players from their year: Jim Cunningham and Bill McCadney. The plaque will hang in the Rose Hill Gym.

A Call to Do More

Michael Wieloszynski, UGE ’68, told a group of about 50 alumni from 302 Broadway—which once housed Fordham’s schools of education, business, and law—that they still have plenty left to offer the world.

“People of my generation were actively trying to do something, but don’t think we succeeded particularly well,” he said.

“I look at our kids, and our kids’ kids, and … it wasn’t until this year, with gun control, that you had young people making any protests. There’s a lot to be done.”

And although it’s easy at their age to say it’s somebody else’s turn, Wieloszynski noted that “that somebody else is our kids. And there’s a lot of knowledge and lot of experience here. I don’t see people walking around with crutches here, or IVs,” he said. “We need to get involved.”

The mini-reunion, as it was called, offered a chance for the 302 Broadway alumni to reflect on their unique shared experience.

“We were sort of isolated so we got the chance to know everyone. We were a small school but we had the Fordham campus for Fordham activities—the football team, the basketball team,” said retired teacher John Ruzicka, UGE ’68. Standing next to him was Donald Czajkowski, also UGE ’68, whom Ruzicka called “my closest friend,” and for whom he served as best man.

Debating a Decade’s Impact

The significance of the 60’s was front and center in “A Look Back, Hosted by the Class of 1963,” at Loyola Hall. The discussion was organized and moderated by Elmer Brunsman, FCRH ’63. (Sadly, Brunsman died later that evening. The University is planning a memorial service to honor him. His obituary can be found here.)

Paul Saunders, FCRH ’63, argued that theirs was the last class marked by insularity. In many ways, it was a class that was shaped more by its 1959 high school graduation, he said. Social justice, which is a major part of the Fordham experience now, and even later in the 1960’s, was not really discussed.

“We were very insular, smothered, satisfied, unquestioning about the world, and narrow. What is consistent from our day to today is the emphasis on academic excellence, but in my opinion, almost everything is different. And I submit, much better,” he said.

Women at the Forefront

In the McGinley Center, members of the Thomas More College Class of 1968 gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. It was a groundbreaking achievement, as they were the first members of Fordham’s all-women’s college that operated from 1964 to 1974.

One of those women, Louise Zotttoli Priest, TMC ’68, had an additional celebration to savor: 50 years of marriage to Richard Priest, FCRH ’68, who was also in attendance. They met at a mixer on campus when they were 17, and wed at the University Church in August 1968, shortly after graduation. Zotttoli Priest recalled taking the long bus ride to campus from her home in what would become Co-op City.

“You’d get off at Fordham Road and the Third Avenue El was still here, and everything was dirty and sooty, and you’d walk through the gates onto the campus of Fordham, and it was like stepping through the gates of paradise,” she said.

Throughout the weekend, many women went on record with their memories through the newly launched Thomas More College Oral History Project, which will store their recordings in Fordham’s archives.

Marymount Women Celebrate Their Own

At Duane Library, the women of Marymount College presented Stacey Tisdale, MC ’88, with their Alumnae of Achievement Award.

“My cousin once told me the friends you make in college are the friends you have for life, and it’s been so true. In the past 30 years, I think we’ve been through everything together,” Tisdale said.

“I was often told by news directors that I didn’t look like a financial journalist. I’d say ‘You’re going to have to change what your idea of what a financial journalist looks like.’ I realized it was a battle I wasn’t going to win, but one I would transcend.”

Maura Gaines, Ph.D., MC ’58, received the Gloria Gaines Memorial Award, given in recognition of service to community, church, and college. The award is named after her sister, also a Marymount alumna, who died at age 24. The Golden Dome Award went to Angelica Hinojosa Valentine, MC ’03, GSS ’05, in recognition of her commitment to advance the legacy of Marymount College.

The event also paid special honor to Sister Mary Heyser, R.H.S.M., MC ’62, who has served as the chaplain for Marymount alumnae since 2009, and who will soon move to Immokalee, Florida, where she will work with the Legal Aid Service of Collier County with Sr. Maureen Kelleher, MC ’60.

Rainbow Rams: Old Friends, New Revelations

As Jubilee attendees enjoyed a barbecue on Martyrs Lawn, more than 40 Rainbow Rams, the LGBTQ alumni affinity group, gathered for cocktails and camaraderie on the Walsh Library Terrace. Among them were Jim Gifford, FCRH ’68, and Tom Reilly, FCRH ’68. Gifford and Reilly were roommates, but neither knew the other was gay until a few years after graduation.

Reilly was thrilled to discover there was an LGBTQ gathering at Jubilee, since coming out of the closet wasn’t really an option when he graduated.

“The atmosphere was very different, all men wearing suit jackets to classes—we were very stiff upper lip,” recalled Gifford. “So, coming back here and seeing that there’s a gay alliance, that makes me see Fordham in a new light.”

For outgoing Rainbow Rams President Stephen Erdman, FCRH ’13, seeing LGBTQ Golden and Silver Rams celebrating with his class was a bittersweet culmination of his tenure at the two-year-old group. He said that finding out that friends were gay after leaving campus is still a common occurrence (a pair of Silver Rams roommates at the gathering had the same coming out experience as Reilly and Gifford).

“It’s important that we have these groups, because there are still people who feel that they can’t come out on campus,” said Erdman. “But college is an important time to meet each other and be true to ourselves.”

—Nicole LaRosa, Tanisia Morris, Tom Stoelker, and Gina Vergel contributed to this story.

View and order your Jubilee class photo. Use the password Jubilee18 to log in.

Working backward from No. 10, are our most popular posts of the year.

10. Actor Robert De Niro Tells IDHA Graduates: You Are My Heroes
(June 30) The Hollywood legend offered the commencement address to the 50th graduating class of Fordham’s International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA).

9. Fordham Designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education
(April 3) The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Fordham as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).

8. Oscar-Nominated Moonlight Illuminates Miami Film’s Co-Producer
(February 24) Alumnus Andrew Hevia co-produced the film which took home Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

7. Rainbow Rams Represent Fordham in NYC’s Gay Pride March
(June 26) The university was represented for the first time in the annual Pride Parade by the Fordham University Alumni chapter of the Rainbow Rams.

6. Fordham Signs Pledge to Support Paris Climate Change Goals
(June 6) Fordham has joined 180 colleges and universities in signing a pledge, “We Are Still In,” to support the goals laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement.

Class of 2017 Urged to Face Unsettling Times With a Merciful Heart

5. Class of 2017: Face Unsettling Times with a Merciful Heart
(May 20) As thousands on Edwards Parade listened to commencement speaker Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, our news team posted videos of both before and after the ceremony.

4. Haunted Fordham Video
(October 30) Fordham’s Rose Hill campus is widely considered to be one of the most haunted campuses in the Northeast, if not the entire U.S. And we had the spooky stories to prove it.

3. Father McShane Announces University Support for Immigrants and Refugees
(January 29) Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, issued the following statement with regard to President Trump’s executive order on refugees and immigration.

2. Fordham featured prominently on the New York City skyline last night.
(March 28) The Empire State Building was lit in maroon to commemorate Fordham’s 175th anniversary, and the dramatic photo helped boost our 175 Things to Know About Fordham series.

1. Jeopardy! 175th Anniversary Greeting for Fordham
(January 2017) Alex Trebek asking a Final Jeopardy! question on 19-letter words, a shout-out to Fordham’s (What is a) Dodransbicentennial. The post was seen by more than 108,000 viewers.

The Cornucopia Destiny is chartered to float around Manhattan for the Young Alumni Yacht Cruise, a three-hour dinner party for nearly 300 recent graduates. But that can’t happen until everyone is on board, and one grad, who shall remain nameless, is not yet here.

Waiting on the pier, LaCoursiere looks off at the Manhattan skyline. “You can see my office!” he points downtown. “The one with all the lights!”

The Starrett-Lehigh Building looms on the Chelsea waterfront, bigger than any cruise ship, a marvel of Manhattan. In his day job, LaCoursiere is the social and digital director for RXR Realty, one of the biggest commercial landlords in New York City. At 26, he’s already conquering his corner of Manhattan, sharing stories about parties with Derek Jeter and a rooftop spin class with Ralph Lauren designers—but his day job isn’t what brought him to this yacht on a Friday night in September.

This is the Fordham cruise, and he’s the chair of the Young Alumni Committee this year. The group serves as a bridge to Fordham for graduates from the past 10 years, helping to organize social justice activities, coordinate alumni giving, and plan social events. The cruise is the committee’s first big event of the year, and the chair decides he’s not boarding the yacht until the last guest makes it up the gangway—top-deck partying be damned.

But then she appears, the one missing alumna, wearing a brown leather jacket and a sky blue silk scarf tied around her neck, chic enough that the slight delay is forgiven and forgotten.

Later, on the top deck, LaCoursiere shows off his own style, fitting of a Fordham fanatic: maroon slacks.

“I dig them,” he says, “and I try and wear them to Fordham events because I think they’re fun!”

That attire paid off when LaCoursiere was touring London as a member of the University Choir in 2013. His maroon pants caught the eye of Jeffrey Cipriano, FCLC ’14, who was studying at the Fordham London Centre at the time. “He was begging his friend to introduce us,” LaCoursiere recalls, beaming. They hit it off, and, after a date where Cipriano cooked—“he’s a phenomenal baker,” LaCoursiere says—they’re still dating, four years later.

Last fall, they and several other alumni helped found the Rainbow Rams, Fordham’s first affinity group for LGBTQ alumni. In June, approximately 30 of them marched under the Fordham banner in the New York City Pride Parade—a first for the University.

Given the demands of his job and his involvement with Fordham—not to mention training for the New York City Marathon, which he plans to run in November—calling LaCoursiere motivated is an understatement. But tonight, he’s allowing a quick break for nostalgia. Talking on the upper deck of the yacht, he stops mid-sentence when the DJ puts on the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” LaCoursiere grabs a friend by the shoulders with a huge smile. “I sang this song in high school!”

Behind him, dozens of alumni sing along. Some swing dance. Others jump. But most stand still, drink in one hand, other hand stretched out toward the sky. In the distance, the Statue of Liberty strikes the same pose.

—Jeff Coltin, FCRH ’15

View a gallery of images from the 2017 Young Alumni Yacht Cruise. (Photos by Dana Maxson)

“It means the world to me that Fordham is represented here today,” said Johnson, who described herself as an “out lesbian.”

“Today I’m a Ram, I’m a real Raaaaaaam!”

For the very first time, Fordham University was represented in New York’s annual Gay Pride March by a contingent of some 30 alumni and friends. Organized by the Rainbow Rams alumni chapter and the Office of Alumni Relations, the event was a long time coming for several students and alumni, said participants.

“I march for all of those in the military who came before and weren’t able to show both their military pride and gay pride,” said Patrick Damon, FCLC ’13, a 3rd class petty officer in the U.S. Navy. “I’m happy to be one of the first, and I’m sure there’s a long stream of us to come.”

Damon garnered as many cheers in his Navy whites as Johnson did with her cane. On Christopher Street, dozens reached out to shake his hand, give him a hug, and salute him.

Aileen Reynolds, FCRH ’14, former president of the Fordham student body, said that being part of the parade officially under a banner that read “Fordham, the Jesuit University of New York” was historic.

While this might have been the University’s first official representation, Vincent Marans, FCRH ’82, GSAS ’84, acknowledged that it wasn’t the first time Fordham alumni had marched in the parade or volunteered for gay causes.

“It’s been a long time coming to be able to show pride for a very sizable, and very strong, part of our community,” he said. “There are a lot of great alumni, and they contribute to both the parade and to Fordham. It’s great to see the two finally come together.”

Rainbow Rams member Stephen Erdman, FCRH ’13, helped to organize the University’s participation. He said that Fordham “has been supportive in a way that feels genuine.”

Abby Kamphausen, a rising junior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, said there’s a need to continue to make sure that everyone who falls under the acronym LGBTQ gets recognized, “and not just the ‘G.’”

And Jeffrey Cipriano, FCLC ’14, said that gay people have always been at Fordham, though they may not have been “out.” He said that the LGBTQ community shares a bond with other newly formed alumni groups, such as MOSAIC, the multicultural affinity chapter.

“I think we now understand that it’s another alumni community that needs to be served,” said Cipriano. “And it’s our job to serve them because that’s’ what our institution does.”

That was the 2017 theme for the Fifth Annual Diversity Leadership in A Global Society Conference, which was held on March 8 in the McGinley Center at the Rose Hill campus.

Presented by the Offices of Career Services and Multicultural Affairs, the conference aimed to help participants recognize themselves as allies in creating a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for individuals of different races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and political belief systems.

“If you look around the room, this is the future, not only at Fordham but also the future of our country,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, who delivered the welcome remarks.

“For every event of this nature, let’s fill the room, spread the word, and build a strong and supportive effort in which everyone is respected, revered, and loved.”

The conference hosted several workshops about the skillset, tools, experiences, and attitudes that are key to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. Presenters included:

— health professionals from Bronx Lebanon Hospital explaining how residents, social workers, and program development professionals are trained to provide medical services to the Bronx’s culturally diverse community;

— experts from EY, Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC describing best practices for promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as how their companies respectively develop and advance diverse talent; and

— Lauren Click, director of community and public programs at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, sharing how the internationally recognized cultural institution promotes cross-cultural dialogues and diversity through its art exhibitions and programs.

Juan Carlos Matos, assistant dean and director of the office of multicultural affairs, who helped to organize the conference, held an informational session about one of Fordham’s newest alumni groups, Rainbow Rams. Through educational, professional, social, and service events and initiatives, the LGBTQ+ alumni chapter seeks to build meaningful connections between LGBTQ+ alumni, current students, and the University as a whole.

Matos said life after college can be challenging for Fordham LGBTQ+ alumni, who are trying to navigate the job search process and the workplace. In environments with little to no diversity, LGBTQ+ individuals often have to hide parts of their identities in order to feel accepted, he said.

“The optical experience of someone in the workplace impacts people, and it’s meaningful,” said Matos. “Having individuals that can then identify with other individuals with similar identities or similar lived experiences is just as valuable.”

Matos said people of all backgrounds, races, and orientations must commit to making progressive movements toward equity all across the board. They must also stand up when language, behaviors, and attitudes about different groups are problematic, he said.

“In every field, we should have people that have diversity competencies to recognize when something isn’t aligning with diversity inclusion,” he said. “All of us should have the skillset to be able to talk about diversity inclusion beyond the identity that we each have.”

The conference concluded with an alumni panel discussion featuring Ramon Cabral, FCRH ’14, deputy district director at the U.S. House of Representatives; Yesenia Santana, FCRH ’14, a former educator at Harlem HBI and current social work intern at Manhattan Hunter Science High School; Sergio Lora, FCRH ’14, ‎a construction crew leader at Habitat For Humanity West Hawaii; and Michael Soriano, FCRH ’13, a substance abuse counselor at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Maria Aponte-Gonzalez, diversity initiatives coordinator at Fordham’s Career Services, said the goal was to give students insider perspectives on how to thrive in a multicultural world and work environment after college.

“A lot of students think the word diversity is only for a certain population, and it’s not,” she said. “ It’s about learning how to engage in the community that you want to get a job in. It’s broadening your concept about dealing with the world because you can’t always live in a little box. Eventually, you have to get out of the box.”

On Sept. 24, the annual Fordham Homecoming drew 7,800 to the festivities of food, drink, music, sports, and family fun. And the day did not disappoint. Fordham beat the Penn Quakers 31 to 17 as generations of Rams savored a Saturday noon meet-up, in ideal September weather, on a campus that still stirs hearts.

Inside the family tent, Alberto Vargas, FCLC ’99, Ana Vargas, FCRH ‘2001, their two kids, and friends and relatives had commandeered a table near the face painting. He recalled a day that changed his life, when his buddy introduced him to Ana at a McGinley Center dance. Both were C-Step students, and active in the Spanish club Grito de Lares.

“He said ‘I’ve got this girl you should meet,’” recalled Alberto. “It’s strange, we met and we barely talked. But I asked her to dance and we danced the whole night.” Ana left an impression, because three years later, the two reconnected when Alberto asked his friend about “that girl with the braces” he’d danced with.

“Now, we come back every year,” said the Bronx native. “Homecoming is about family. I, my wife, my two brothers and my sister, we’re all Fordham graduates.”

Around the periphery of the main tent, various tables offered signups and swag. One of the newest affinity groups, the Rainbow Rams Alumni Chapter, was sponsoring its first member drive.

“It’s good to be part of the Ram family and also support who we are—Jesuit educated Fordhamites, and LGBT,” said Frank Stella, FCRH ’04.

Jim Kastberg, GABELLI `85, and his wife, Joanne Krebs-Kastberg, GABELLI ’87, described themselves as sports fans, drawn to the game. Kastberg, who played football all four years at Fordham, shared his own game memories, one of which was being “knocked out cold” during a 1981 homecoming game against U-Rochester after going head-to-head with another player.

But there were more positive memories, too. “For two seasons, we got to play St. Norbert College at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin,” Kastberg said. “It was November and a freezing 10 degrees, but we were in a real NFL locker room” where the great Fordham alumnus Vince Lombardi had coached the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl championship.

Earlier in the day, alumni and friends had participated in the Fifth Annual Ram Run. This year’s winners were Stephen Gan, FCRH ’14, in the men’s category, and Suzanne Forlenza, FCRH ’16, in the women’s category.

Outside the tent, volunteer students manned a Gift of Life table to sign up donors for “Adam,” a 31-year-old in search of a match on the National Bone Marrow Registry. Graduate student Margaret Desmond, FCRH ’16, encouraged attendees to give a simple cheek swab; she said donating marrow is not as bad as one thinks.

“Ages 18-25 is where 80 percent of marrow donations come from, because our cells are young,” she said. “And there are people, like Adam, who just don’t have any hope right now.”

Enjoying the action from a distant bench overlooking Edwards Parade, Joseph Cacciola, FCRH ’06, pointed nostalgically to the window of his old dorm room, 418 Hughes, now the home of the Gabelli School of Business.

“I like to come back to give back,” said Cacciola, a vice president at Warner Brothers Records who described with high regard the mentorship he’d received from his Fordham faculty.

Cacciola hadn’t yet decided whether he was going into the tent, into the stadium, or over to his old hangout, Pugsleys.

“It’s homecoming,” he said. “But it’s about the ambience.”

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