This year, during the last week of classes, commuter students also feasted on an energy-boosting breakfast, but at a more commuter-friendly time.
Midnight Breakfast has long been a popular finals week tradition at Fordham, but last spring Commuter Student Services (CSS) planned and executed the first Midday Breakfast for commuters at the Rose Hill campus. (Lincoln Center has been hosting Midday Breakfast since the fall of 2009.) The event—with 203 student attendees—was such a huge success that the organizers, Commuter Assistants Michael Persaud, FCRH ’21, and Viviana Muniz, FCRH ’19, implemented the same program this past fall.
The fall commuter Midday Breakfast took place on Dec. 5. At 2 p.m. students made their way to McGinley, where volunteer staff were serving up breakfast staples and a few of the event’s department and student club co-sponsors were there to chat with students about their organizations and raffle off prizes.
This semester’s co-sponsors included Fordham College Rose Hill Dean’s Office, the Gabelli School of Business Dean’s Office, Campus Ministry, the Office Of Study Abroad, the Commuting Students Association, United Student Government, Campus Activities Board, the Office of Career Services, the Office of Alumni Relations, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office for Student Involvement, and the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer.
At Campus Ministry’s booth, students had the opportunity to write cards in Spanish to those who are being held in the immigrant detention centers in Arizona. The Office of Study Abroad raffled off a free application waiver at their booth. The Office of Career Services was promoting Handshake, an online job/internship database, as well as phone and virtual career counseling appointments.
The Office of Alumni Relations was happy to co-sponsor and volunteer for the event by serving food and handing out Fordham University Alumni Relations gloves to students. “It was wonderful to see the good will of so many members of the Fordham community who showed up to serve students in this capacity,” said Matthew Burns, FCRH ’13, associate director for young alumni and student engagement. “We want commuters to know that our office—and, by extension, our alumni community—is here to support them even before they graduate. It was great to meet so many students and talk about the Fordham University Alumni Association, the alumni directory, and some of the events they can look forward to after they graduate.”
Commuter and off-campus students make up 40% of the Rose Hill undergraduate population. “A major goal of Commuter Student Services,” said Stephen J. Esposito, FCRH ’17, assistant director for leadership and commuter student services, “is to provide an opportunity for commuter and off-campus students to be able to participate in Fordham community events and traditions.”
With approximately 275 attendees, the event was a clear hit, said Persaud, adding that CSS hopes to continue the tradition next spring. “Events such as Midday Breakfast are a clear example of how interested different departments and student clubs are in engaging with the commuter population here at Fordham,” said Persaud. “It feels amazing to be part of such a diverse, outgoing, and supportive group of individuals who have shown, over the course of this semester, how much they care about engaging with Fordham’s commuter population.”
