Point-Counterpoint: Expanding Campus ILCs

Cura personalis is a phrase we have all heard many times, from orientation leaders, professors and admissions counselors. It means, quite simply, "care for the whole person" and it is a tenet of Jesuit education everywhere. It is a part of Fordham's identity. 

How is this ideal put into action? There are several methods, but one is through the development of Integrated Learning Communities, or ILCs. Currently, there are six: Tierney Hall, Queen's Court, the Science ILC (SILC), the Global Business ILC (ILC-GB), the Service Learning ILC and Wellness housing. Next year, the "West Wing" will open, with a focus on Ignatian leadership and civil service.

ILCs all have different focuses, but they all operate under the assumption that learning goes hand-in-hand with the dorm experience. They ensure that students get the most out of the tuition they pay. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying ILCs need to constantly put studying ahead of fun. Instead, ILCs structure some of the free time that many of students spend on YouTube or Facebook, encouraging students to participate in activities that will be educational and (hopefully) enjoyable.

Let me give you an example. Last year I lived in Queen's Court, a dorm that has, well, a unique reputation on the campus. Talk to residents of the other freshman dorms, and they might tell you that residents of Queen's spend the vast majority of their time studying, only emerging from their rooms to attend class or eat. However, if you talk to anyone who previously lived there, they will tell you exactly the opposite: Queen's Court is a thriving, diverse community of 150 students. Out-of-class opportunities for academic enrichment are vast, from debates once a semester to discount Broadway tickets. All of the opportunities are available for a simple (OK, maybe not so simple) pledge that all residents of Queen's Court respect the traditions of the dorm and refrain from drinking alcohol.

These requirements and opportunities mean that Queen's Court does tend to attract quieter, more studious residents who want to be there. I, for one, certainly didn't mind a quieter environment. I could get the most out of my first year at Fordham without the typical distractions of college life.

Some argue that ILCs take funding away from other dorms. However, it also typically costs more to live in an ILC. For example, this year a double in Alumni Court South costs $9,075 without a meal plan, while a room in Queen's Court is $9,275 without a meal plan. Queen's Court's population numbers about 150 people, meaning that its budget includes roughly $3,000 extra for ILC-related programming.

Another critique of ILCs I've heard is that disingenuous residents choose them just for the nicer rooms. Take, for example, Wellness housing, populated mostly by sophomores and located in O'Hare Hall, whose rooms are a far cry from the normal sophomore residence hall appropriately called Martyrs' Court. This problem can be addressed in two ways. The first is that each ILC has unique requirements for membership and, once you live there, requirements for staying. In Wellness, for example, there is a formal application process accompanied by an interview. Once you become a resident, there is also a quota for program attendance. Each resident must produce his or her own program on a budget of $25. Other upperclassman ILCs have similar requirements. Freshmen ILCs require a letter to ResLife staff indicating one's interest.

Further, as Fordham continues to update its dorms, the draw of O'Hare should be less of a factor, as Martyrs' moves to post-lottery placement and freshman dorms. The nicer rooms of Queen's Court and Tierney Hall won't have to compete with Hughes Hall.

Another benefit of ILCs is the connections students can make to the faculty working within them. In Queen's Court and Tierney, for example, some classes are held in the basement, and most have far fewer students than average. Members of the faculty are regularly invited to judge Queen's Court's Disputatio, a debate held each semester. "The West Wing" ILC continues this model, with two esteemed professors serving as mentors. Additionally, the Jesuits-in-Residence are beneficial to Queen's Court, Tierney and O'Hare Halls, providing academic and, of course, spiritual guidance. In fact, I still keep in touch with the faculty I met as a resident of Queen's Court. Presumably, participants in Tierney Hall's Manresa program have had similar experiences.

 All in all, ILCs are the best way to ensure that one gets the most they can out of a Jesuit education. Their benefits far outweigh any effort that residents must put in to participate, and should be expanded to a great potion of the student body.

Christopher Kennedy, FCRH '12, is a theology major from Mystic, Conn.