USG Approves Three New Clubs

United Student Government granted official club status to three new clubs at its meeting on Sept. 2, bringing the number of club approvals since the beginning of the current administration to eight.  Representatives from Perspectives, Ballroom Dance and the Theatrical Outreach Program attended the meeting to present their cases, following two approvals each by the Operations Committee. 

Perspectives, a foreign policy research journal in mostly essay format, has already been publishing online and has a staff of about 15 writers.  Its editors hope to begin publishing in print with the funding that will become available with club status. 

Ballroom Dance is a group focused on "learning and having fun," according to club representatives.  None of the club leaders are expert dancers, they said; rather, they have a talented instructor and enjoy ballroom dance.  With a strong response at the Club Fair, held Sept. 1, Ballroom Dance hopes to become an outlet for Fordham students who want to give dancing a try.

The Theatrical Outreach Program's mission is to bring abridged versions of classic plays to middle and high schools in the area.  They also received a strong level of interest at the club fair, according to club leaders.  Members employ minimalist costumes and settings in order to travel easily and would ideally use their club budget for transportation around the city.

Preparations are underway for Fordham Week, which USG will host on Sept. 21-25 this year, in a shift from previous years when they held it in March.  Sara Kugel, executive president of USG, FCRH '11, made the decision to merge Fordham Week, USG's only programming initiative, with Homecoming festivities over the summer.  The idea for the shift initially came as a result of a desire to bolster attendance at Fordham athletic events.

"Everything [during Fordham week] is going to be about painting the campus maroon and white," Kugel said.  "It gives the week some purpose." 

Kugel emphasized the week will "incorporate all elements of the University," from cultural clubs to athletics to performing groups.  USG will finalize the full schedule of events for Fordham Week at its upcoming meetings.

USG approved Sean Radomski, president of FCRH '11, as the chairman of the Election Commission for the coming year, in addition to the members selected by Radomski.  The senate approved Jim Shields, CBA '11, Kevin Crenny, FCRH '11, Tom Emala, FCRH '11, and Ross Drueding, FCRH '11, to serve on the commission after brief introductions and a short questioning session for each.

Sandie Habib, executive vice president of Fordham College, FCRH '12, updated the senate on the Fordham College Academic Dean's Council, the first of its kind for Fordham College and an initiative that Habib has been pursuing since taking office.  This council, Habib said, will consist of students from every major in the college who will meet with and serve as advisors to Michael Latham, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. 

USG will be accept applications for the Dean's Council, which can be found at www.usgrh.com, until Sept. 17 at the USG office.  Once selected, the council, along with Latham, will meet with different departments to discuss and implement changes for the benefit of the students, Habib said.

In a similar vein, Eva Decesaro, president of FCRH '12, called on the senate to encourage students with internship experiences to share these experiences with the deans.  A task force, created by Latham at the end of last year, is reevaluating internship credit policies for Fordham College. 

As it currently stands, different major departments have different standards for accepting internships for credit.  Decesaro and Kugel hope that through discussion, the council will be able to achieve a more consistent standard for internship credit in Fordham College.