<p>If you have a foot issue you do NOT want to take the D train or subway. Too far to walk. The Metro North from Grand Central is the best bet if using public transportation, in my opinion. It drops you at Fordham’s gate. However the caveat is if Fordham is running any special shuttles from the D Train on graduation day. So call ahead and find out. In the alternative, you might just get a cab from Manhattan. You should know that Rose Hill is 85 acres of leafy green campus. Its not huge, but its not small either. Plenty of walkways. Getting from one end of the campus to the other is not hard or complicated. Plenty of benches to sit and rest. The hoards start arriving and seating somewhat early…we sorta split up a bit with boyfriend’s family. Some sat up front to get clear view and we sat in back near trees and shade. The diploma ceremony for RH is quick and there was plenty of seating so we moved up when everyone from Gabelli, LC and Graduate Schools moved out. My recollection was that LC does diploma ceremony in the historic Rose Hill Gym, basketball venue…oldest active basketball venue in the NCAA. Plenty of seats there. Its also where mass is conducted just before the dinner/dance the night before to hold enough people. </p>
<p>If you are driving yourself, then arrive sufficiently early and get a good parking spot. Your daughter must be there very very early. Yes, there are stories of people being hung over from the parties/dance/dinner the night before. We did not attend the dinner/dance though its a lot of fun. Our reason was we had other children under age 21 and what to do with them while we party? Turned out well…we went to Little Italy on Arthur Ave and had a lovely dinner with the families of her roomies and just a very enjoyable evening. Nobody got smashed. We drove back to New Jersey (parsippany) and stayed in the Marriott for 99.00. Next morning we got up early (my kid was on campus with her friends in the dorm one last night and they got up VERY early…no worse for the wear) and drove across the GW Bridge, up the Henry Hudson Parkway, to Mosholu Pkwy, and into Fordham. Parking no problem. We were on campus by about 800am. Our mistake was not bringing anything MORE to eat for lunch…so we went from early 630-700am ish until arriving on Long Island at 500pm or so for dinner. UGH. Its hot and muggy. Bring water. Bring something to snack on. There are places to buy food on Fordham Road if you must (cafeteria not open from my recollection), but its a pain to leave campus and return…what with all the photos and moving out drama going on post graduation ceremony. So bring snacks. </p>
<p>The Bronx is safe. Dont worry. Its a festive day. Beautifully done. </p>
<p>Sorry I have not been posting but I have been busy trying to get paperwork together for a new apt rental for my S…I just cannot believe how much they are asking for!</p>
<p>Anyway, the deadline to buy tix to the Mass/Reception was on Monday and we did decide that the grandparents would participate in that instead of the RH ceremony which they will be able to watch online.</p>
<p>Will get there early, pack snacks and everything else mentioned above. And I think that dinner reservations will be at 6pm figuring that we will come home after the ceremony to rest and freshen up before heading out. Restaurant is in our neighborhood so that plan should work. </p>
<p>I did learn that there is a yearbook but it came a year later! So we do still have time to see if S will take the senior portrait and if not, we will put together a Snapfish memory book which might be a better idea anyway.</p>
<p>I guess the last question is about aisle seating and if there is a single file procession or if not, how I will know which aisle to sit at?</p>
<p>And @LeftyLou, there is Ram Van service: “Limited first-come, first-served Ram Van trips will be available from the LC campus to the RH campus. Vans will leave continuously in the morning from 7 to 11am from the LC campus. After 11am, vans will depart every hour on the hour until 11pm. Return van service to the LC campus will leave continuously from the RH campus from 2 to 5:30pm. After 5:30pm, vans will depart from the RH campus every hour on the hour until 10pm.” Commencement Guide does not say anything about shuttle service from the Subway.</p>
<p>Some very good info posted here, I hope it was useful sandkmom. I would plan a later dinner in LI to allow for all the time and traffic.</p>
<p>And for those who feel a bit put out that there is no separate ceremony for LC grads, FWIW in the 70’s the school at Lincoln Center had their own graduation at the amphitheater at Lincoln Center right across the street. 4 grad and 1 undergrad schools: exactly 1/2 of the university. People back then were complaining of how separate and isolated they felt from Rose Hill: “Why do they get the beautiful and traditional campus and WE get stone and glass?” or “I don’t feel really connected to the real Fordham…are we like, stepchildren?” and other such comments. So years later, they brought the two campuses together on one campus in a logical expression of unity…and people still are unhappy! You can’t please everyone. </p>
<p>Try to look at it this way…NYU costs more, has over 50,000 students and every year now holds graduation at Yankee Stadium as there are just so many schools and graduates. Compared to that, sitting in front of gothic and majestic Keating Hall, walking among the elm trees and old buildings, sitting on a nice, big green lawn, feeling the tradition and SHARING the pride of a Fordham graduation is light years better than sitting in a huge stadium that has no connection to your school. For one special day, all of Fordham IS one school in one place; the place where it started in 1841. You are now part of all that! Your diploma is written in Latin: feel the history behind that and it can really be best felt on Rose Hill…(which is a heck of a lot nicer and easier to get in and out of than Yankee Stadium!)</p>
<p>Embrace it mom! LOL. Its about your kid not us old parents. Enjoy it. Its beautiful and very regal. </p>
<p>They process in one line, about two wide as I recall. Students and faculty and Administators. From the rear. Essentially through the main “aisle” of the guests. They will be told where to gather, which is why YOU need to get seating picked out. The students are there earlier anyway.</p>
<p>All graduations have an element of hassle. But we do it for them, to honor them. </p>
<p>The Colleges come in together, so you will know when LC comes in. Its a splendor. The ceremony is about an hour and the diploma ceremonies roughly the same, sometimes less in separate locations.</p>
<p>There is always a rain plan, but basically unless its a pouring down mess and dangerous, just bring an umbrella if it is light rain, and they will carry on. But since its the morning, rain is unlikely…in hot weather the rains come in the afternoon, as you know. </p>
<p>Bring plenty of tissue…lots of tears. Saying goodbye to friends, faculty and deans is very tough. And we are welled up with pride and joy and also knowing our kids are grown adults. </p>
<p>@LeftyLou for light rain or periodic showers they will hold the ceremony outdoors but the schools have different assigned “Severe Weather” locations. LC is in the Gymnasium. </p>
<p>Thanks all for answering my questions! I feel good about the plan! </p>
<p>Congrats to you and your son, Sandkmom. Fordham is a very special place and will remain within your hearts and minds forevermore. Graduation is both a day of glory and melancholy. Grad school (for my kid/us) is fun, but its a wholly different individual experience…by its nature, its focused and not nearly as communal. </p>
<p>I saw the list of graduation Honorees at Fordham with the keynote speaker being Tino Martinez, the retired New York Yankee First Baseman, World Series Champion and MLB AllStar, whose daughter is graduating FCRH this year. A good choice for the former Bronx Bomber. Justice Sotomayor will also receive an honorary Doctorate and will be in attendance. She is a Bronx native as well. </p>
<p>I just HAVE to share this…My D has been working at her new job for almost a year…she recently was promoted to account exec. and is quite happy. She normally dismisses her having gone to Fordham, ignoring my occasional references to Fordham and pretends her Fordham experience is no big deal…I think for my sake. I at times felt a bit sad that she didn’t express a love for our shared alma mater. I was the old coot who can’t let go of my college years by staying active as an alum.</p>
<p>Well, she came home very late last night and didn’t say a word to me as to why. I found out today from my wife that D went back to Rose Hill to speak to the Marketing Society (her favorite club and where she made friends) as to her job and experience. She took time after work to go back and share and support upcoming business and marketing majors. She keeps from me her quiet love of Fordham and her pride in the school. She will be doing more things like this and has gone to young alumni meetings at Lincoln Center…and never mentioned it to me.</p>
<p>Looks like she is becoming an old coot who can’t let go of her college years by staying active as an alum…Like her dad ( I feel verklempt!!). </p>
<p>I will keep her little secret.</p>
<p>Fordham grads tend to have fond memories of their time, take pride in their degree and stay connected in some way.</p>
<p>May your child’s graduation be the start of many years of pride and a connection that will only enrich their lives.</p>
<p>I got an e-mail talking about a merger, my mom got one too. I think they keep a lot of that type of stuff enclosed within the community, since i have also gotten e-mails regarding changes made to staffing next year as well. They will probably put the merger news on the site at some point.</p>
<p>@sovereigndebt Thanks for the congrats, advice and the info on who the speaker was…I am pretty certain that my S has absolutely NO IDEA who Tino Martinez is though! A native Bronx stage actor would be preferred by my S but we will enjoy the day anyway! And the rest of us know about the Yankees!</p>
<p>@RamRay Thanks for your help, too, and it’s nice to hear about both you and your D maintaining a Fordham connection. I am pretty sure my S will follow in that path as well…he even said he wants to get a MFA in a few years so he can go back to teach!</p>
<p>Congrats to all the graduates today. I hope everyone had a fabulous day and experience. From the pictures on Fordham website it looked beautiful. </p>
<p>Congratulations to you and to your son, sandkmom. Thank you for all the advice you’ve given me for the past 3 years! would love to hear the details of the graduation.</p>
<p>Everyone is welcome at the Baccalaureate Mass at St. Paul’s the night before, Catholic or not, and there is a family reception at Fordham on the plaza to follow. The reception was a loud and crowded cocktail hour, held both inside and outside in a tent since the weather was horrible. It would have been better if we had gotten there earlier…it started at 6:15pm but we stayed after Mass to take pics. I’m still glad we went bc it’s nice to see and get pics with your graduating friends but it would definitely be better to have been one of the earlier arrivals at the reception to get a table. We had a 7:30pm dinner reservation at P.J. Clarke’s and so it was really great to stay at Fordham for an hour and then head over to dinner. We picked PJC bc that is where we ate after handing in my S’s enrollment deposit and even though we are actually kind of sick of it and prefer Ed’s Chowder House next door, we were given a corner table and had the best view of the LC fountain that night and it just was so great to think that he got to live in this neighborhood for four years! That actually made up for our less than perfect night. Well, that and the cocktails but our last hurrah at LC started out rough…it took 3 hours to get to St. Paul’s…we live 45 minutes away and ALWAYS leave 1 1/2 hours for traffic. I actually expected to get there an hour early and instead we were late for Mass. Very late. Like it was half over. And Mass was very important to us. My H was early bc he works nearby and he was asked to serve as the Deacon of the Mass and said no bc he didn’t want to leave my S sitting alone while I was stuck in traffic with the grandparents and S2! So not a perfect night but a nice enough way to say goodbye Fordham LC anyway.</p>
<p>We left later then I wanted for Graduation the next morning but it was honestly a little tough to get moving so early after a long day in the car and night at LC. We got there around 8:30. Parking in the recommended garage at 189th Street was a snap and it was closer to the LC diploma ceremony so we thought it was working out great except that it took an hour to get out of the parking garage. Yes, that’s right. An hour. I thought I was going to die of carbon monoxide poisoning! But anyway, by the time we got to Eddie’s Parade there were no aisle seats left. We were only one family away though and RH grads processed in first and then everyone around us sat down and we had a perfect view for pics so it didn’t matter that we were off the aisle. Commencement started at 10am and was over about 12:15 but after the conferring of the degrees (LC went first around 11:30) my H went over to the Walsh family library lawn for the diploma ceremony and got us seats. We were about fifteen rows back so it wouldn’t surprise me if people just went straight to the diploma ceremony! We were done with the diploma ceremony and pics with the new grad and friends by 2:30. There just wasn’t any reason for us to stay longer…not our campus so while it was a nice enough place for a graduation ceremony, Avery Fisher Hall would have been my preference!</p>
<p>So my advice. Eat a big breakfast, pack all the things discussed in the above posts and include a towel to wipe down the seats. Thanks @happy1 for the PM the night before reminding me about that bc the weather on Friday was horrendous but thankfully Saturday was gorgeous. A lot of people were dressed up. I was happy and comfortable to be in more casual attire…it was new so that helped! I wore sneakers and insisted my H change out of his dress shoes which was a good thing bc while Eddie’s Parade was fine, the Walsh family library lawn was a bit of a wet mess. Reapply your sunscreen before the diploma ceremony! </p>
<p>What I would have done differently? Park around 5 blocks from campus so we could get out faster OR make a reservation for 3pm on Arthur Avenue (make it as soon as you know the date!) and plan on eating while the traffic clears out. Also, don’t even bother trying to find a bathroom near Eddie’s Parade in the morning or you will be on a line for a half hour!</p>
<p>Overall, it was a very nice day. There were a lot of grandparents there but I was glad that we celebrated with them the night before. We ended up at home by 4:15 and were able to move our dinner reservation up and we had the best time celebrating with S’s gf’s family in from CA.</p>
<p>So it’s over and he’s already auditioning. And writing. And excited to be moving back to Brooklyn on Saturday. Yay! :)</p>
<p>BTW @LeftyLou taking the Ram Van should work out fine. You might have to wait a bit for one…my S, his gf and her family took the Ram Van back then came out to our neck of the woods a little later but I think they were on the road well before we got out of the parking garage!!!</p>
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