<p>I am concerned about the surrounding neighborhood. Do the students feel safe when they leave campus to go the subway etc..? how about when they want to go off campus to get something to eat? I have a daughter and I am very concerned about off campus security.</p>
<p>We get security alerts about any problems so I’m basing my knowledge of safety off of actual, official data. </p>
<p>Campus is absolutely safe. Security is great 24 hours a day and I’ve never heard of any major problems on campus. </p>
<p>Off-campus is also safe, but you just have to be smart – as you do in any urban area. During the day, you should be fine to walk around without any problems. Whether or not you are comfortable walking alone during the day is a matter of personal preference – I’ve never had problems when I’m by myself. At night, just make sure to be in a group and you’ll be fine. The majority of problems off-campus occur when students walk around at night, by themselves, while drunk. If you ever do feel unsafe, you can call Fordham security (24 hrs/day); someone will immediately come to pick you up. There’s usually security vans (and NYPD cars) circling the neighborhood at night.</p>
<p>When I first visited Fordham, it was a bit of a culture shock. But I quickly adjusted and I LOVE the area around my school. Ive learned so much from it, through service opportunities and even just living in a community so different from my own. I’ve gotten to see for myself why the stereotypes surrounding poverty are largely false. I’ve gotten to witness the beauty of a community not defined by excessive materialism. Just because the neighborhood is poor doesnt mean that its some sort of war-zone, or slum, or place devoid of culture and living vibrancy. In fact, the Bronx is one of the most culturally vibrant places I have ever experienced; there is so much religious, ethnic, and economic diversity and so many recent immigrants to the U.S. with such interesting stories to tell. And there’s so many things to do right around campus, from Little Italy, to the zoo/botanical gardens, and the Fordham Rd. shopping district. I encourage you to come take a look for yourself.</p>
<p>I am a parent of a junior at Fordham RH and safety was initially a concern for us as well. However, yenrod is right. The campus itself is gated and is very secure. And there are a lot of great things to do right by campus (Arthur Ave., Botanical Gardens, Bronx Zoo, shopping, community service). Students need to be smart walking in the area surrounding the campus, especially late at night. In general, the people who seem to encounter problems are the ones walking around alone and drunk at 3AM. We have been down to meet my S on campus and walked to restaurants on Arthur Avenue for dinner and have never felt unsafe at all. My son often goes into Manhattan with friends by either subway (there are vans picking students up at the subway stops at night), Metro North or the Fordham van. While I have a S at Fordham, I wouldn’t think twice about sending my daughter there as well.</p>
<p>Thanks for your insight and thoughts. I truly appreciate all that an urban area has to offer but didnt want to pretend that the Bronx doesnt have its issues as does any other urban area–safety being one. thank you for your comments.</p>