<p>OK recent grads and recent grad parents...what do I need to know to navigate Fordham graduation on May 17? It's complicated enough that we need to go to RH!</p>
<p>Wait, the graduation is at Rose Hill? For LC students?</p>
<p>Went last year so what I would recommend:</p>
<p>1-Get there early, I mean REALLY EARLY!!! you don’t want to have to hunt around for a parking space on Southern Blvd. or find parking away from the campus. Family who did that were not too happy. Stake out your seats and mark them in some way (bags, clothes, etc) so you can walk around, get a little bite to eat at one of the delis, cafe’s or cafeteria. The Student Store will be open; good time for last minute Fordham items.
2-Fordham recognizes each school and each student goes up and gets a diploma. Ten schools, over a thousand grads. This will take TIME. We didn’t leave till after 4 PM. If you are going out afterwards, plan or make reservations accordingly. Plan on getting off campus taking a while.
3-Dress comfortably: you will be sitting for hours on folding chairs on a grassy field.
4-If you use a DSLR, use a long lens…they will not allow you to stand near the podium of Keating Hall to take photos: blocks the view for many. A pro will be taking photos of each grad getting their diploma so you won’t miss that key shot. Afterwards (or before), take many photos of your grad and family posed in many nice spots around campus.
5-Most importantly, enjoy the moment (even if Congressman Chuck Shuman speaks again). Your child has just graduated from a highly respected school, a school rich in tradition, academics and respect. in the top 5% academically of all schools in the nation</p>
<p>@glassharmonica YES! The Commencement procession, address, etc is all together at RH and then we move to another section of the campus for the diploma ceremonies which are separated by school.</p>
<p>@RamRay Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! This is exactly the info that I need. </p>
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<li><p>When you say early, how early are we talking? The info book says no later than 8:45am. Would getting there by 7:30 be ok? Or do you think we should come even earlier? I would love to get some Fordham gear but will the store be too crowded? Will they have any merchandise left? Or am I better off placing an online order?</p></li>
<li><p>I was going to make a 4pm reservation back on Long Island. It’s in Western Nassau but it doesn’t sound like we’ll be back…or do you think it will take less time for the LC diploma ceremony bc there are fewer students? I guess we might be better off coming home to shower/change before going anyway.</p></li>
<li><p>Seats on a grassy field…is bug spray needed? I assume yes to sunblock, water and an umbrella. Is there any shady area to sit? Should we bring something to snack on? And very important…bathrooms?</p></li>
<li><p>I think we will take some pics on campus but we also have the Mass/Reception the night before at LC so we’ll prob take more there since THAT is where he actually went! I’m glad about the professional shot bc my S did not have any interest in taking his senior portrait. </p></li>
<li><p>Chuck speaks at our HS grad, too…he never misses a chance to hear himself speak lol! I guess I’ll be seeing him around a bit between S1 & S2 who graduates in June!</p></li>
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<p>Wondering how far ahead you need to book a hotel if you are staying overnight in the city.</p>
<p>Hey there. Although I said I wouldn’t post on this site, I do look at it once in a while and figured it would still be appropriate for me to chime in here. All of RamRay’s comments are on mark. </p>
<p>We got to Rose Hill about 8AM which was fine. We live in Westchester and took a train in the morning – we left our car on campus from the baccalaureate mass/ parent’s dinner there the night before. But my parents had no trouble getting parking in the lot on campus that early. It is a short walk to Eddies Green, but my parents are elderly and appreciated that the school had golf carts which drove them them over.</p>
<p>We got seats pretty close to the aisle so we actually made eye contact with our S as he processed in and out which was very nice. Eddies Green where it takes place is a beautiful location, but it is really in the sun. Bring suntan lotion, sunglasses, water, (and tissues if you are like me) and just dress comfortably. It got too hot for my parents (who are elderly) sitting on Eddies Green so after they saw my S process in and the ceremony started, they left the seats and found a place in the shade to listen to the rest of the ceremony and we met back up after. I don’t remember bugs as an issue but if you have bug spray and want to bring it, it can’t hurt. Depending on the weather that day, layers probably make sense. I brought a sweater since the early AM was cool, but I took it off pretty quickly. Bring hats too if you want. The ceremony itself was formal and lovely. </p>
<p>The diploma ceremonies follow the large graduation so you won’t be done until about 4. The diploma ceremony also got very hot for my parents so after my son’s name was called (we were early in the alphabet), they found an open air conditioned room to sit in. They said the room was filled with overheated grandparents and they all got texts from their kids and they all came back to the ceremony in time to see the graduates toss their caps.</p>
<p>Throughout the day, there were ample bathrooms. There were also people around to guide you. </p>
<p>My S was in no hurry to leave so we waited while he took some last photos with some friends and professors. We had dinner on Arthur Avenue, but we still had to move him out of his RH dorm after graduation. If you are going to Long Island for dinner, I’d make much later reservations.</p>
<p>Hope you have a wonderful day. Will pray for good weather. And CONGRATULATIONS on your S’s graduation. It seems like yesterday when you were giving me advice on what my son should bring to LC when he lived there that summer! (He’s now back living in NYC, but in a much smaller place for much more money!!)</p>
<p>And LeftyLou - there are so many hotels in NYC, I don’t think you need to reserve a room way in advance. You might want to consider staying somewhere near Grand Central and taking Metro North up for graduation.</p>
<p>Any other questions, feel free to ask. There were, of course, some mixed emotions, but graduation was a wonderful day for us and I hope it will be for you and your family as well.</p>
<p>This isnt snarky, but for the record, its Edward’s Parade which some refer to as Eddie’s Parade. </p>
<p>If you are coming from the west or further south and driving, then New Jersey has outstanding hotels in the Parsippany area, which are safe and clean and about 1/3 the cost. Buzz down I-80 to the GW Bridge, up the Henry Hudson Parkway to the Moshulu Parkway and into Fordham. Done it many times, about an hour or less on Weekend Mornings, so long as the Bridge is not jammed with an accident. </p>
<p>The official all school all hands graduation ceremony on Keating Hall steps in front of Eddies Parade is over by noon. RH students remain in their seats and so do their families to receive diplomas from there. Gabelli, LC and the graduate programs etc go to specific sites clearly marked. </p>
<p>Getting there by 8 is fine. It can get warm in the sun. There is water provided, but its wise to bring your own and to eat something for breakfast BEFORE you arrive. I actually preferred being in the back by the trees in the shade, but some people want to be up front and close. Diploma ceremonies are actually fairly fast. </p>
<p>Rose Hill was done within an hour or so. And then we did the move out from the dorms on campus and then over to Long Island with friends for dinner…4 is pushing it. But Fordham does push kids out of the dorms quickly…if they havent moved already. Due to Encaenia etc we were there a day or two early and got a lot of stuff out then. </p>
<p>We ate in Little Italy the night before after Mass let out and that was very enjoyable with roomies and their families. </p>
<p>There is plenty of time for photographs post graduation, with profs and deans. Its a remarkable day and full of emotion. Many tears…of happiness and also saying goodbye. </p>
<p>Congratulations to all of you and your wonderful kids, now college graduates. Well done.</p>
<p>@sovreigndebt - yes, your “correction” was a snarky and unnecessary comment IMO but I do thank you for reminding me why I left this page. My S called it Eddies for all four years and I would guess most people (even ones from LC) could easily figure out what I meant – it is not like there are multiple huge grassy areas on campus with similar names. Anyway, and MUCH more importantly, @sandkmom - I wish you and your family all the best. If I can help you with anything, just send a PM…</p>
<p>So there are no graduation ceremonies or festivities at LC? That’s disappointing…!</p>
<p>@glassharmonica Yeah, I agree. 
I’m a ways from graduating, but it would be nice to have stuff at the campus I actually attended. Mom feels the same way. She thinks they could do the ceremony on the grounds of LC or maybe even at St. Paul’s next door.there is plenty of room, I think.</p>
<p>Fordham goes back to 1841. The Rose Hill campus is the original campus. Its gorgeous. The ceremony is very inclusive of the entire university and not just for one college or the other. Its the one time the entire university comes together and sits together, though the diploma ceremonies are separate (which is fine…and also gives students their needed special feeling.) Its a wonderful ceremony full of pageantry.</p>
<p>Lincoln Center goes back to 1969. Having the entire graduation ceremony there would only enhance the separate but equal (sorry, but those are the accurate words) vibe already between the two major undergraduate colleges. Further, the graduate schools share both Lincoln Center campus and Rose Hill Campus and bringing everyone together on one glorious day is truly a beautiful spectacle and really powerful. </p>
<p>Rose Hill undergraduates have Encaenia for their own little ceremony and traditions. Baccaleaureate Mass in Rose Hill Gym I believe is open to all, as is the party/dinner dance on Eddies afterwards (for a fee.) </p>
<p>I didn’t see pointing out the proper name as being uncalled-for. We’ll be visiting Fordham soon and I’d rather know the correct name. While those familiar with the school will know what was meant, us newbies wouldn’t.</p>
<p>I understand your point, soveign, but as a theater major, my daughter is really only interested in the LC campus. After it’s been her home for four years, it will be strange and uncomfortable to have to travel to a different campus for graduation. Makes LC seem somehow less than equal. </p>
<p>I agree with you. Not looking forward to the hassle of sitting in the sun in a big crowd. Of getting to the Bronx. Or getting back and then having to move out. She lived at LC and that’s where I’d love to see her graduation.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your comments! I am definitely a little unhinged with the idea that graduation is at RH and judging from the comments from my fellow LCers both parents and students, I am not alone in that! I think having a plan, even if we end up needing Plan B, is really helpful and so I am truly grateful to all who have been through this before for all of your help! A few more questions if you don’t mind…</p>
<p>First, I think we will try to arrive by 7:45am because we will park in the G&R Parking Garage at Fordham Plaza which is recommended in the graduation booklet as being a block from campus, free for graduation, and closer to the LC diploma ceremony location. Then we will try to find aisle seating so we can see him walking in…is there only one aisle that they process down?</p>
<p>Second, so dinner at 4pm is out apparently. Honestly I wanted to go early bc I figured we’d all be starving since we aren’t eating lunch. But if Commencement is over around 12 and then we walk over to the diploma ceremony which I’m guessing will start 12:30-1:00ish. And if it took RH about an hour and the class at LC is smaller wouldn’t it be over around 2 at the latest? He doesn’t live there so he doesn’t need to move…doesn’t live on campus at LC so no need to go back there and truthfully, the RH campus holds no real significance to us so I just can’t see us hanging around. I mean, I guess there are some professors that will be there and he will want to say goodbye and thank you but how long could it take? I don’t expect it to be a goodbye forever as he has already developed personal relationships with several of his profs who have come out to see his shows not only at Fordham but around NYC.</p>
<p>Third, the grandparents are 70, 71 and 76 and they all planned on coming but we are starting to get nervous about being out in the sun potentially for hours and it just being overall too much for them. I mean, I’m way younger and I’m nervous about it being too much for ME! There is a Baccalaureate Mass at St. Paul’s and a family reception following at Fordham on the Plaza the evening before. I had to purchase one $10 ticket already for S2 but I am thinking that it might be better for them to join us for that instead of graduation. Thoughts? </p>
<p>Fourth, is there a yearbook? H & I got one from Binghamton back in the day but S did not take a senior portrait and doesn’t want to bc he feels his new headshots are sufficient. They are pretty expensive and I somewhat agree but I would have liked him to take a senior portrait as well. He has not mentioned anything about a yearbook just that it’s not too late to take a senior portrait if he goes to the studio. If there is a yearbook and he does not take a photo what then? And when does the yearbook come out anyway? Seems awfully late to still be taking pics.</p>
<p>Finally…a note to the up and coming LC graduates/parents. I feel better knowing that you guys seem to feel the same way I do! I have mixed feelings about graduation. I like the fact that the communities are coming together as one graduating class but the truth is we don’t feel all that connected to RH so it is sad that we seem to feel less sentimental about this milestone event and more worried trying to figure it all out! But I know the campus is beautiful and I am hopeful that it will all work out and it will mean just as much to us as it does to the RH students and their families. It IS a milestone event and I’m sure it will be filled with all the pride and joy and excitement that is expected at graduation. FWIW, H & I graduated from Binghamton in an arena and my H’s law school was at Avery Fisher Hall and it didn’t matter that they weren’t on campus at all. Also, just so you know, there are separate Senior Week activities beginning Tuesday, May 13th and the events all seem like a lot of fun! Some you need to purchase tickets for, some are free but I’m guessing that Senior’s Week will be an appropriate LC send-off! </p>
<p>I’m glad I found out about this now, SandKmom. It’s enough to make we want to skip graduation entirely, to be honest. I’ve never set foot on Rose Hill, and while I have no negative associations, it makes zero sense to me to have a graduation there. </p>
<p>I had pictured staying close to LC, and getting up early and taking a Ram Van over. I’m pretty sure they are available, I know I have seen them unloading at LC after the ceremony. I think there would be a lot less hassle than driving and parking. Does the book you have say that you can do that?</p>
<p>Taking the subway from LC is also easy - the D train goes from Columbus Circle (CC) to Fordham Road.
Fordham LC is a block from CC, and the subway stop at Fordham Road (for Rose Hill) is a short couple blocks to campus. It runs about every 20 minutes, and arrives at Fordham Road in about 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Check the MTA website for schedules.
If you are staying further downtown, the Metro North train also goes to Fordham Road from Grand Central Station. It’s about a 4 block walk to Rose Hill.</p>
<p>Fordhammom I am not sure what you meant by that.</p>
<p>The walk from the D train is a bit of a jaunt. The University may provide shuttle service, because the blocks arent short. Its perfectly safe that time of day, but its a jaunt. </p>
<p>The Metro North from GrandCentral stops literally at Fordham’s gate. You exit and cross the street and enter the University. Its not a four block walk. Or, if you are staying at a hotel in Westchester or Yonkers, the same Metro North train stops at Fordham’s gate heading into Manhattan. </p>
<p>My daughter will know how to go, but I will need the way with the least walking. (I have a foot issue.)it does seem like a huge hassle to have to get to the Bronx, although I’m sure the ceremony will be beautiful.</p>