“The Military Ball is a time to celebrate Fordham’s proud and historic military legacy and to remember those from Fordham who have given the full measure of devotion while serving in the military in the last 175 years,” said Matthew Butler, senior director of the University’s Office of Military and Veterans’ Services.

“From a veteran’s perspective, many of us saw and witnessed over the last 20 years how our war in Afghanistan ended. There are a lot of veterans who feel a similar level of understanding and anxiety that the war in Ukraine is causing, and they want to give back to the community,” said Matthew Butler, director of Fordham’s military and veterans’ services. “This particular group of student veterans has been more mindful and engaged about giving back to their community now that we’re back on campus … They are leading the charge.” 

The idea for the donation drive came from Miguel Pinto, an MBA student in the Gabelli School of Business and vice president of graduate relations for the Fordham chapter of Student Veterans of America. 

“It’s hard to turn away from the TV with the images we’re seeing right now. We want to help through a group effort,” said Pinto, who served in the U.S. Navy from 2011 to 2015 and is currently serving as a logistics officer in the Marine Corps. “A lot of this is also personal. We have students who are Ukrainian, like an ROTC student who recently reached out to us to help with the donation efforts, and students who have family in Ukraine. This gives them an opportunity to be involved.”

Until the end of this month, the Office of Military and Veterans’ Services is collecting donation items from the Fordham community. There are four collection bins that are accepting the following items: yellow heavy-duty tape, AA/AAA batteries, headlamps, sterile saline wipes/antibacterial wipes, band-aids/gauze for wounds, elastic bandages and regular bandages, occlusive dressing for wounds, betadine, quick meals, energy bars, water purification tablets, small canned foods that can be easily opened, individually packed nuts or cookies, cotton socks, men’s underwear and T-shirts, men’s heavy-duty gloves, baby diapers, and baby formula. 

The collection bins are located at four different spots across Fordham’s campuses: 

PCS Office at Rose Hill (118 Keating Hall) 

Lincoln Center Veterans Center (Room 145 – 140 W. 62nd St.)

Joseph A. Martino Hall (Second-floor lunchroom – 45 Columbus Ave.)

Westchester Campus: (Main lobby – 400 Westchester Ave., West Harrison, N.Y.)

The donations will be transported to Veselka, a favorite NYC Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village, which has partnered with a third-party organization to send the items to Ukrainians in need.

The Fordham chapter of Student Veterans of America is organizing its members to spread the word and help with logistics and human power. Pinto thanked other members of the Fordham community who are supporting this initiative, including Fordham USG at Lincoln Center and Rose Hill, the student Campus Activities Board, Campus Ministry, the Office for Student Involvement at both campuses, PCS assistant administrator Antoinette Zappier, and PCS academic operations administrator and adjunct professor Grant Grastorf. 

“We want to show people that no matter where you are, you can still show your support,” said Damian Grady, a U.S. Navy veteran and PCS student who serves as president of the Fordham chapter of Student Veterans of America. “We can’t physically go to Ukraine, but in a time of need, we are still here to answer that call.” 

He noted that St. Ignatius, like many of the PCS veterans present, served in the military before he began his university education in his 30s. He was a nontraditional college student and went back to school, Father McShane said, because he thought that it would help him have a better understanding of the word of God.

“You went back to school so you could have a fuller life. A fuller life for him. A fuller life for you. So, on behalf of the Jesuit community at Fordham, I congratulate you and I thank you for reminding us of our connection and yours to our founder,” he said.

Of the nearly 160 PCS graduates, 60 processed on Eddies Parade with more joining in for a virtual ceremony at home.

Anthony Davidson, Ph.D., dean of PCS, said that that the graduates all faced daily challenges that ranged from financial to familial to medical, yet all had excelled and met the challenge of finishing their degrees. He acknowledged those in the class that had excelled beyond their dreams, moving on to several of the nation’s top master’s programs. And he encouraged graduates to build on the success of their peers.

“Every moment counts and time is marching on, so be constant, be dependable, be punctual, don’t waste time, give warmth to people and be their shining light, be passionate, and above all continue to live in the spirit of cura personalis that has so much been a part of your and our spirits here at Fordham,” Davidson said.

The ceremony’s student speaker, Kelly Jean Clair, arrived early. In heels for the first time in more than a year, Clair said should she take a tumble she made sure to be wearing the school colors beneath her graduation gown. She said she was rather nervous to take to the podium, despite her training as a stage actress, a profession she still works alongside temping. But in her speech, she said she recalled being far more nervous on her first day of class at Fordham.

“I was thinking, ‘Am I going to be the old lady in class?’ Will one of my classmates say, ‘You really remind me of my mom?’ Or would I be able to keep up? Would I really be able to contribute?” she said. “But none of that happened, as a matter of fact, it was quite the opposite. I was treated like a peer. It felt like family.”

In addition, she made it through the core curriculum.

“I don’t know about you guys, but as an English major, I was terrified of math. I mean I hadn’t taken math since I graduated high school back in nineteen eighty… ah, a little while ago,” she said.

Clair would go not only go on to complete her math courses, but she excelled in them, accumulating grades that would allow her to graduate summa cum laude. She plans to continue acting and is thinking of getting her master’s degree. Concluding her remarks, she explained how she and her classmates made it through.

“You know what? We worked our butts off! Now, I Kelly Jean Clair, stand before you as a proud graduate of Fordham University. And in the immortal words of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, ‘We did it!’”