<p>So Fordham has been on my radar for awhile for schools I really want to apply to since one of my close family friends went there and it's in NYC. I recently started researching student run campus newspapers for schools since it offers, I feel, a more balanced picture of what day-to-day experience is really like. A few things I discovered in Fordham's paper, the Ram (The</a> Ram - Fordham University at Rose Hill), really concerned me.</p>
<p>First, in the most recent issue in the security briefs, apparently a female student was attacked by three men in the lobby of her off campus apartment. This happened just in the first week of school and I was wondering if anyone can explain the security situation for those that live off campus. I am assuming on-campus is safe since it is gated. </p>
<p>Secondly, another story that concerned me was a series of racial slurs that appeared around campus last spring on campus, including one on the door of a African-American RA. I know there are blowhards on every campus and this type of stuff will happen on everywhere, but the paper made it seem that the response by the school administration was slow, and weak, with administration responding in any meaningful way only after significant outcry from several students and professors. What is the Fordham administration like in addressing real concerns and problems on campus? Are administrators relational and do they listen to student concerns?</p>
<p>The Ram does a good job of covering news. I am very saddened to hear about the attack on that young student. I hope it wasnt anyone here that we have spoken with. My prayers are with her and her family. (I did a cursory check with The Ram (online version) and didnt see the story. )</p>
<p>Attacks can occur and do occur on many campuses around the country and off campuses. Our society is full of people who view other humans as prey…and its disturbing beyond belief. I wont name names, but they have occurred at some very prestigious schools, public and private. </p>
<p>Fordham, for the record, is a VERY safe campus. Very good security. The best policy is always walk with others at night and never off campus alone. My daughter graduated from FCRH and had no problems, including doing internships in the South Bronx. </p>
<p>While news like this is unsettling and outrageous, please dont let it color your views of Fordham unfairly. Visit the campus. Meet with students. Talk it out.</p>
<p>As for racial slurs, they did occur and a big investigation ensued. They stopped. No word yet on the final outcome, from what I know. All sorts of scenarios are being considered. Fordham is a very diverse campus and students do well who get out, join clubs, make friends and get involved. </p>
<p>Overall, the statistics favor Fordham very well. Bring your common sense, your pride, your hard work and determination to make it a better community. The more involved you are, the better off you will be.</p>
<p>Its a superb school, amazing programs and faculty. Please examine Fordham in that light.</p>
<p>Sadly people are attacked all over the world every day. When it’s a college student it’s suddenly attached to the school. Think of it this way, I live in San Francisco. If my daughter lived off campus and was attacked downtown, and she went to sf state , should it be connected to the school? Just because she was a college student who lived in an apartment? If she say worked for google and was attacked, should it be connected to google?</p>
<p>Having twos girls that went to fordham, sure there have been some problems, but they were way off campus. </p>
<p>Many of the campus security are retires cops. My daughters never felt unsafe.</p>
<p>As for off campus attack well, that’s sadly part of living in any big city. or small city. Or beng in the woods. </p>
<p>And while the university may not have initially handled the racist incident in strong enough matter initially, they did acknowledge that. It was a shock, and they didnt do all they should have quickly enough, but I have no doubt if something ugly happens again, they will react much more powerfully.</p>
<p>That female student was walking alone at 3:45AM. This was a mistake on her part. Your personal safety is extremely secure anywhere in NYC if you have common sense (and even if you don’t; I’ve been through most of Harlem alone at night) but walking alone is, if you’re a girl, one of the big no-nos in any big American city. If she were walking with a male friend she would not have been approached.</p>
<p>There are few overarching problems on campus–here at Rose Hill, all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the freshmen are above average–so Fordham’s bureaucracy sometimes gets flustered by truly abnormal incidents like the one you described. It has the double handicap of being both procedure-bound and human. Last spring’s aberration was exactly that: an aberration.</p>
<p>This can happen any any school. My D is in her senior year. She often ventured off campus to explore all of NYC and while her mother fretted, nothing ever happened.; more common sense that luck. </p>
<p>I also know of another famous city school that does not have an isolated campus like Fordham’s and when a crime happens to a student, it is often not reported as a “Campus” crime if it was not in or near an academic or residential building. I know people from NYU, Columbia, Wagnar, Hofstra, UPenn, UCONN, Cornell, etc. and ALL have heard of some crime happening on these school’s campus. The right thing to consider is the circumstance, how often is there any crime and what was done. Fordham has a very good record for on-campus safety…better than some schools I will not mention that are located in the most serene, beucolic, countyside locations. Does NYC have more crime than a town in the middle of nowhere? yes, but only NYC can offer the millions of opportunities that can never be found in the middle of nowhere. Use common sense, be alert and enjoy the most exciting city on earth!</p>
<p>Right you are Seahorsesrock. Any urban school will not count a crime as being a campus crime if it occured across the street from the campus. It is then a city/muniucipal crime and will go into those stats. Often the press will report that a student from college X was a victum of a crime but cannot say it occured on the grounds of college X.</p>
<p>collegecrimemap is pumping a program hoping to get eyeballs and revenue, or is some fordhambasher.</p>
<p>you can also look at the reported crimes all schools give the Dept. of Education, and compare schools in URBAN settings. </p>
<p>But for the record, crimes occur at ALL colleges. Fordham is safe. You must be reasonable, exercise good judgment, DONT GET DRUNK, and go out with friends.</p>
<p>Actually, considering Fordham is in an urban area I don’t think that the crime map looks that bad. The site only seems to have Fordham, Columbia, and NYU. After looking at all three I’m very happy that we didn’t pursue NYU.</p>
<p>sovereigndebt, there is no revenue coming in from the site and I am actually a fordham student who built the site as a project. </p>
<p>There are MANY more crimes that occur at the university than what appear on the website, which generates all of its data from alerts that university security sends out to students for select incidents. The site was just built to look at the kind of crimes that are occurring, where, and when. </p>
<p>I agree Fordham can be safe if you keep your guard up and are smart about it, but it seems that you are being overly defensive of an area where safety is and should be a big concern.</p>
<p>no crimes on campus. And the crimes I am aware of are at night, often people are drunk and using ATMs. Or in bars and are targeted. </p>
<p>My kid was there, and I ate in Little Italy very very often. Walking home late. But never loaded and always in a group. And no problems. My kid also did an internship in Belmont. Walking alone, sometimes at dark around dinner hour in the winter. Never a problem. </p>
<p>Urban schools have crime. Across the country. So do some rural bucolic schools. A fact of life. Fordham stats are lower than some famous schools I know. Go in groups, and be smart. 90% of Fordham kids go into Manhattan on the Metro North. No problems there. </p>
<p>Safety is always a concern. People should be vigilant and smart. That is what I am saying and not being overly defensive. Painting it however as unsafe is a misnomer and gives people the wrong image.<br>
You must be careful.</p>