Fordham Autism Speaks Branch Created

Fordham University students Adrian Whiting, FCRH '14, and Mike Chernichaw, FCRH '14, founded a new chapter of Autism Speaks on campus.

The club is not only the first official autism awareness club on campus, but is also racing Manhattan College to be the first official Autism Speaks University Chapter in the Greater New York area. The club is currently waiting for approval of its constitution.

"When we are official through Fordham, we are official through Autism Speaks," Chernichaw said.

Despite its lack of official club status, Fordham's branch of Autism Speaks has been fairly active on campus since October. The objective of the club is to raise awareness, promote advocacy and raise money for autism.

The club's first act on campus was a week-long bake sale held in the fall semester. The club raised $750.

The money raised was then sent to the 100 percent non-profit Autism Speaks headquarters in Manhattan to fund research on autism. This research, however, is not necessarily going towards finding a "cure."

"There is the common misconception that autism is a disease, but it is not," Gino Papa, GSB '14, said. "It's a disorder that has been described as being stuck in a cage that you cannot get out of."

"It is a way a person is and we don't want to change that," Whiting said. "We want to help fund therapies that the kids go through when they are younger so they can fit in socially when they are older."

The club, seeks not just to benefit the Autism Speaks headquarters, but also help autistic students within the Fordham community.

"There are students who have Asperger's Syndrome and mild cases of autism on college campuses, and I don't think a lot of people know that," Papa said.

One such student is even a member of the general board of Autism Speaks.

Another general board member raised a question about making the club effective.

 "How is our organization not just going to raise awareness on campus and fundraise for Autism speaks, but how are we going to get involved with people with autism in the Bronx and on students on campus?" Whiting said, summarizing the members' concern.

Fordham's branch of Autism Speaks is set apart from other clubs on Fordham's campus in many ways. The club has a unique arrangement of 17 executive board members. The club has the standard president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, but the club also has various committee chairs who supervise areas such as fundraising, corporate, advocacy, awareness and advertising.

"I think that is where we are a little unique," Whiting said. "We have a whole executive board to set up every part of any event so that we can have an advocacy event, or fundraising event or awareness event where we go in a work with the [autistic] children."

While unique on Fordham's campus, Autism Speaks maintains solidarity with other chapters across America. The executive board members all expressed that their interest in the club is rooted in a personal relationship with those who are autistic.

"My brother is autistic, so as soon as Adrien told me I wanted to join this club immediately," Frank DeDomenico, FCRH '14, said.

The Boston College chapter was officially approved a couple of weeks ago, but like Fordham, it did not let its unofficial status inhibit its activity on campus.

A group of students assembled and walked in Boston's Walk Now for Autism Speaks last September. While only four students participated, they were able to raise over $2,000 from their sponsors.

Fordham's branch of Autism Speaks has been planning a walk of its own to be held in April, National Autism Awareness Month. The club members have been working zealously towards the walk, and many of the other events that they have in the works. The club officers have contacted various shoe companies for sponsorship such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and New Balance.

Fordham and Boston College both have another similar events in the works. Both universities hope to have a panel of speakers from various departments on campus to promote advocacy and awareness on the topic of autism.

"We want to get the word out not just for our chapter, but to everyone, because people still don't know what autism is," Chernichaw said.

To join the international movement to support autism, Fordham's branch of Autism Speaks has coordinated with various facilities on campus to shine blue lights on Keating Hall on April 2.

Blue is the color of autism awareness, and in honor of that, landmarks around the world, such as the Empire State Building here in New York and the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia, participate in Light It Up Blue.

Autism Speaks has many more events planned on campus in the near future with hopes and aspirations of educating the Fordham community about the realities of autism.