Posts Tagged ‘community engagement’

Finding Safety In Your Situation

Thursday, June 13th, 2024

Planting my feet on Columbia University’s campus for the first time is an experience I will never forget. Before me was an oasis of grand buildings decorated with ancient names like Homer or Herodotus that I’d never heard before. Like many college freshmen in New York City, I was moving to a new place with what seemed like the entire world sprawled out before me. That feeling can be exhilarating at times, but daunting during others. Between all of the new faces, foods, and experiences you encounter, creating a community for yourself is a must when it comes to maintaining health and even sanity. At this pivotal moment in one’s life it’s crucial to find safety in your situation. 

A photo of Butler library, showing the engravings of Homer and Herodotus.
Taken on 35mm film.

Honestly, Columbia’s makeup inherently discourages a sense of community: Tucked away in Morningside Heights, the campus removes itself from the hustle and bustle of Midtown, Downtown, and even its neighboring Harlem community. Beyond physical barriers like gates, the Ivy League university maintains its competitive nature. I’ve had countless conversations with fellow classmates who complain of the competition to do well in class. In addition to NYC’s toxic “hustle culture”, Columbia students also experience the pressures of the classroom. This especially applies to students interested in the STEM field, where professors often limit the amount of “A” letter grades they give per section. This can lead to tense relationships between students and classmates, perpetuating an “every man for himself” mindset. Instead of cultivating a community of students that uplift each other, this culture can incite gatekeeping and standoffish attitudes. In my opinion, this is counterintuitive to the nature of a university. This is especially disappointing as Columbia boasts of its location at the intersection of thousands of different cultures and people. Columbia doesn’t always encourage a culture of community, but there is still opportunity for the student to engage with their surroundings! It would be a shame to close oneself off from all that the university has to offer socially, geographically, and intellectually. 

Though it may feel easy to shy away from the whirlwind of life that bustles outside of your dorm room, I argue that you have to intentionally form a safe space for yourself in college. The first few weeks of freshman year are incredibly formative. It’s such a beautiful time of life where most people have no expectations, no friends, and no curfew. Everyone is so open to meeting new people and trying new things. It’s important to lean into this social spirit that possesses everyone at the beginning of the year. The end goal isn’t to make lifelong friends, it’s simply helpful to have people to say “hi” to or invite out for adventures in the city. When you maintain a friendly and open mindset you’re fostering a more secure environment for yourself, and for the general community. Through this mindset, we can discard the idea that one must fail a class for another to pass it. While college is an inherently individualized experience, that doesn’t mean we have to face it alone. 

Forming circles of people with similar interests or characteristics are always a great place to start. Basic commonalities were instrumental in forming new friendships. For me, I was able to connect with other students who had just moved from California to New York. These friendships provided an outlet for me to express my homesickness to someone who understood what I was going through. At the same time, I was also learning more about new people and cultures. Most importantly, we were able to support each other during one of the biggest transitions of our lives through the things we had in common. 

A group photo of some of the friends I made freshman year.
Taken on 35mm film.

I can’t sit here and tell you to hunt down all of the people from your home state on the move-in day. What I’m suggesting is to start with what you know. Whether it be where you’re from, who you want to become, or how you got here, finding friends through basic commonalities is the kickstarter for maintaining sanity at college for the first time.


By Thomas Stewart

Thomas currently attends Columbia University and plans to double major in creative writing and human rights. At Columbia Thomas is a staff writer for the City News section of the Columbia Daily Spectator, where he publishes articles that concern the West Harlem community. In his free time, you can find him practicing music or trying new vegetarian recipes


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For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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On The Fordham Bubble

Wednesday, June 5th, 2024

Nestled comfortably into the center of the Bronx exists a tree-lined oasis, cut off from the rest of the world. A place where those inside get to enjoy the sounds of birds and church bells instead of cars honking. A place populated by spoiled college students, most of which are unwilling to venture outside its imposing iron gates. This place is none other than Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus.

I’ve been lucky to be a student at Fordham for the past two years, where I’ve been able to take advantage of its beautiful campus and vibrant student life: a plethora of clubs spanning the arts, administration, publishing, academics, and more. There’s plenty to do on campus; I will commend the university for that. However, it would be a disservice to remain behind campus gates. Nicknamed “the Fordham Bubble,” the phenomena causes many students to pathologically stay inside Fordham’s campus, and if they do leave, limit themselves into Lower Manhattan rather than exploring the city. Contrary to the beliefs of many Fordham students, not all of New York is like SoHo or Bushwick or Astoria, neighborhoods frequented by young people in similar demographics to Fordham students: namely, people “escaping” suburbia to enjoy the fast-paced life of the city.

More specifically, Fordham is located in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx. Whenever I tell someone I go to school in the Bronx, I usually get this response (especially from older people): “The Bronx is very dangerous. You should really be careful.” Not only is this phrase insulting, it’s also extremely diminutive and completely disregards the diversity of neighborhoods throughout New York City. Even so, while some neighborhoods in the Bronx may be considered “rough” by outsiders, such is not the case for the majority of the Bronx, least of all Belmont. In fact, the area is populated mostly by families because of the many schools nearby: MS 45, PS 74, Theodore Roosevelt High School, and more. A building on Fordham Road even houses 6 specialized schools!

As such, I believe that Fordham’s location in Belmont provides the perfect introduction to New York City. Belmont is home to large Dominican, Italian, and Albanian populations, which allows for incredible food options. Arthur Avenue, arguably the crown jewel of Belmont and the self-professed “real Little Italy,” packs a whopping 29 restaurants into 4 blocks. And that’s not even counting the restaurants on the cross streets! Each restaurant offers a unique experience, even if they’re offering similar food. While many Fordham students do take advantage of community staples like Enzo’s, many businesses in the Bronx don’t get enough love from the students who spend four years adjacent to them. This is why it’s necessary to “pop the Fordham bubble”: expanding our palettes in more ways than one is an excellent way to support local businesses and to engage with our community in a meaningful way, rather than just existing alongside it.

For Fordham students, the D’s Fordham Road station is a community staple as much as any local restaurant.
Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45036064995610335/

In this series, we’ll attack this problem, offering the means to pop the “Fordham bubble” by bringing attention to restaurants, parks, markets, and events that show what not only Belmont but the entire Bronx has to offer. We’re going to learn from the best by dialoguing with members of the Belmont community and hearing about their favorite things to do in the place they call home. We’re going to do a deep-dive into what Arthur Ave is famous for, and we’re going to explore some places that should be famous, too. Belmont is one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of New York because of its ability to offer a bite-sized portion of city life while still maintaining the feeling of a tight-knit community. Without the exhausting hustle-and-bustle of Manhattan, without the finance bros clogging the subways, without the influencers taking selfies in the middle of the street, one can truly appreciate what is, in my opinion, is the most underrated borough in New York City: the Bronx.

Get off campus for a bit and head uptown for delicious hot pot at XW Spicy Hot Pot!

In short, one not only needs to step outside of their comfort zone, they need to reassess the reasons for said comfort zone. This goes for any college student living in an urban area that furrows the brows of their close-minded friends and family: the city is what you make of it, and you’ll never find your new favorite spot if you don’t pop the bubble!


by Mia Crocco

Mia is a rising junior at Fordham University – Rose Hill studying English and theology. In her free time, Mia enjoys cooking, collaging, and playing the piano and guitar.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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