A sophomore at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Magazine spent last fall interning with Fordham’s Office of Sustainability. His work included collecting data that the University will use to establish a framework to measure its sustainability performance.

He said his work not only helped him learn how to encourage sustainable practices, it also gave him the chance to make Fordham more sustainable. 

“Part of being in a community of people that you come to know, and you come to care about, is also wanting to see it improve,” he said. 

“So a lot of my perspective going into this internship has been ‘What ways can I improve the Fordham of tomorrow?’”

This Is My Community

Magazine’s interest in sustainability and climate issues also circles back to another community: his hometown of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He lives there with his family and commutes to the Lincoln Center campus. 

According to government statistics, the neighborhood’s lack of cooling infrastructure makes its citizens more vulnerable to climate-change-related heat waves than anywhere else in NYC, making the issue of sustainability very personal to him. 

Along with several siblings, he’s part of his family’s first generation to attend college. The ability to major in environmental studies is what drew him to Fordham.

“When the neighborhood has any sort of disaster that can be enhanced by climate change, we feel it very hard,” he said.

“I live here. These are my neighbors, this is my community. I don’t want to see East Flatbush turn to charcoal in 2030 or 2050.”

Peeking Under the Hood 

Magazine had participated in climate justice-related activities in high school, so when he learned about the Office of Sustainability’s internship program, he jumped at the chance to join the program along with 25 other undergraduate students.

Along with several other interns, he was asked to help the office gather data to fill out a framework known as STARS (Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System). It was developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and is colloquially known as AASHE STARS. Institutions can earn AASHE ratings based on everything from sustainability-related courses to water usage.

There are 372 colleges and universities with AASHE STARS ratings ranging from bronze to platinum. Fordham will soon submit the data necessary to gain a rating as well. 

For AASHE STARS, Magazine gathered data related to the University’s investments. Activists have long advocated that institutions that embrace climate change mitigation policies should reconsider supporting the fossil fuel industry through their endowments; at Fordham, President Tania Tetlow announced that Fordham’s Board of Trustees had created an Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing, comprising students, faculty, administrators, and alumni, to discuss issues around ethical investments.

Magazine compared the experience to peeking under the hood of a car to see how the engine works. 

“This was my first instance of being able to work in policy from inside the house instead of outside of it,” he said, noting that it deepened his understanding of the ways a large institution functions.

Improving the Fordham of Tomorrow

Gathering data and synthesizing it into a form that can be submitted for AASHE STAR consideration was somewhat tedious, but Magazine said it was worth it.

His takeaway is that Fordham is moving in the right direction when it comes to sustainability. In addition to embracing renewable energy and working with local communities to help them deal with climate change, establishing benchmarks such as an AASHE STAR rating moves the University toward a greener future.

“Even though things move slowly, they’re going to keep moving. They’re not going to stop,” he said. 

“That it is something that we can work on, and we’ll reach the point where we get to that destination.”

The cafe will open in September at the Lincoln Center campus in 140 West, in the garden-level space currently occupied by Argo Tea.

Wanted: A Student CEO

Saxbys, which bills itself as “an education company disguised as a coffee company,” will recruit students to run the cafe, including a “Student CEO” who will be responsible for all operations for a six-month term. In exchange for salary and course credit, the CEO will oversee 15 team leads and roughly 34 team members.

The first Student CEO will be chosen from the Gabelli School of Business, while successive ones will be drawn from throughout Fordham’s student body. The other positions, including team leads, will be open to all Fordham students from the start.

When the cafe opens, Fordham will join roughly 30 other colleges, primarily in the Northeast, that operate cafes in partnership with Saxbys. Fordham will be the company’s first New York City partner.

“When people support a Saxbys, they’re not just getting a great product and a great hospitality environment. They’re supporting the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs,” said CEO Nick Bayer.

“These are really hard jobs with high expectations where young people are taking what they learned in the classroom, they’re getting a learning experience, and they’re coupling those two things together to go off and be great leaders.”

Saxbys arrival marks the second student-run coffee shop at Fordham, joining Rodrigues, located at the Rose Hill campus. 

Argo Employees to Stay at LC 

Since Saxbys is run exclusively by students, the current Argo employees will remain valued members of the Ram Hospitality team at Lincoln Center.

Saxbys Staples: Cold Brew and Grilled Cheese

The cafe will feature an expansive menu anchored by cold-brew coffee, grilled cheese sandwiches, and smoothies. Bayer said the expanded offerings will extend the appeal of the space beyond mornings when coffee and tea are in higher demand.

“We really want to continue to energize that space and make it one that people are excited to visit morning, noon, and night,” said Bayer. 

New Kind of Experiential Learning

Vincent DeCola, S.J., assistant dean at the Gabelli School, said the Saxbys partnership will dramatically expand opportunities for experiential learning–a priority for the business college. 

“They’ll be learning in real-time about supply chains, maintaining inventory, planning for the pricing, the placement of things, and promotions,” he said.

“It’s a terrific experience, especially in areas like marketing, entrepreneurship, and accounting.”

Because the Student CEO role will be a full-time position, DeCola said he expects those students’ course load to be adjusted accordingly. Credits will be applied from their time managing the cafe, and they’ll also be given the opportunity to take a night class.

He said he was encouraged by the fact that the arrangement has been successful at so many other colleges, including St. Joseph’s University, a Jesuit school in Philadelphia. He noted that one of the supports that Saxbys offers to student CEOs is access to a group of former Student CEOs who they can turn to for advice.

“We anticipate that we can do this in a way that’s meaningful, and we’ll find things to improve each semester as we move forward,” Father DeCola said.

The Fordham community is invited to a tasting event at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in the Garden Lounge, on the ground floor of 140 W. 62nd St.

According to the study conducted by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU), Fordham’s total economic impact in New York was nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2022-2023. The majority of that impact—$1.3 billion—comes from the University’s investments in research, construction, technology, salaries, and other operating expenses, the report said. That figure also includes business-to-business spending, as well as estimated household spending by Fordham employees. 

In addition, CICU estimates that Fordham students and their visitors infused the local economy with approximately $150 million through spending at local businesses during that time period. 

Fordham is also supporting thousands of New York jobs across various sectors—ranging from faculty and staff, to groundskeepers, administrators, and vendors. In 2022, it issued 7,866 W2s and paid out $313,071,000 in wages and salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, the University confirmed.

A ‘Huge Economic Engine’ 

According to Tokumbo Shobowale, Fordham’s chief financial officer, senior vice president, and treasurer, the University’s $1.5 billion impact comes as no surprise. “It was through my work as an economic development official for the City of New York that I came to appreciate the enormous financial benefit colleges and universities provide to our communities,” said Shobowale. “In short, Fordham is a huge economic engine, pumping money and talent into the surrounding economy.”

University President Tania Tetlow echoed his comments. 

“The University’s true impact is impossible to quantify, from the connections made here that may grow into a business partnership, to the highly skilled workers who lay the foundations for their careers at Fordham. But in all the ways that can be quantified, the report shows Fordham’s economic impact is significant,” Tetlow said.

CICU produces a biennial economic impact report to highlight the positive economic impact of New York’s independent colleges and universities. The organization draws its data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and uses multipliers to extrapolate student spending estimates based on total headcount enrollment.  

Quantum computers can handle a vastly greater number of computations at once in a fraction of the time. They are elaborate and expensive, and typically only big corporations have them.

But the team of computer science graduate students came up with an algorithm for distributing large quantum computations across multiple smaller machines—quantum computers as well as traditional computers—that each handle a piece of the problem. Collectively, they achieve the same result as the bigger computer while using a bare fraction of the resources.

The team authored two academic papers last year describing the algorithm, which could expand public access to quantum computing beyond the corporations that can afford the expensive hardware that’s required for quantum machines.

Quantum Entrepreneurs

The NSF program provides the students with entrepreneurship training as well as interviews with potential customers for their invention. And the students are finding strong interest in the potentially game-changing technology. “There is a promising future” in business applications for quantum computing, said doctoral student Shuwen Kan, the lead researcher. “People are trying to commercialize it in all aspects, in all industries.”

She and her fellow students have talked to people who work in finance, technology, and the biomedical field, as well as someone from one of the ride-sharing companies, about how they might use the new algorithm.

One lesson she’s learned from the NSF training, Kan said, is to “try to avoid being technical” when talking to potential customers. That’s not always easy.

How Do Quantum Computers Work?

Quantum computers are an entirely new kind of computer: Unlike the ones we use every day, which read data in tiny streams of bits and bytes, they’re set up to harness the quantum states of electrons, which can exist in multiple places simultaneously. That means quantum computers can handle far more computing tasks at the same time, compared with current computers, and potentially save energy as well.

Quantum computers hold “immense” potential for addressing society’s problems—for instance, providing much more precise models of climate change by harnessing an exponentially greater amount of data, said Ying Mao, Ph.D., the computer science professor who mentored the students’ research. They could also slash the amount of energy needed for the burgeoning growth of data centers and the power-hungry process of artificial intelligence, he said.

But for now, the larger-scale quantum computers that could bring such benefits are in their infancy. They are not only costly but also require lots of power to correct errors and cool the components to extreme temperatures, Mao said. The students’ discovery would allow for quantum computing that requires far less energy.

Democratizing Quantum Computing

The students published an earlier version of their algorithm in May, and a more advanced version they announced in December is undergoing peer review. When implemented, it would allow a large quantum computing problem to be run from a computer “anywhere in the world,” as long as it’s connected to other machines online, Kan said. “I think it will help to democratize the distribution of [quantum] computing,” she said.

‘A ChatGPT Moment’

Kan and four fellow students—Zefan Du, Yanni Li, Yin Su, and Luisa Rosa—are taking part in the NSF program, calling their team Ascend Quantum. They eventually plan to offer the basic algorithm for free online, and they’re working with the Fordham Foundry to develop a business that will adapt the algorithm to particular companies’ needs.

Kan likened the current state of quantum computing to that of artificial intelligence before ChatGPT showed people how it could affect everyday life.

“People in the quantum community believe there will be a ‘ChatGPT moment’ for quantum,” she said.

According to the executive order, the tariffs are intended to pressure these countries into stopping the flow of migrants and the deadly drug fentanyl across U.S. borders. The Mexican and Canadian governments offered concessions to shore up their borders with the U.S., while China responded by imposing retaliatory tariffs and stating it would open an antitrust investigation against Google.

It remains to be seen if the Canadian and Mexican tariffs will take effect as planned. While 25% tariffs would not be the highest in American history, they would impact nearly 5% of our total GDP, which is historically unprecedented. Together with the 10% tariff on China, the affected goods encompass a wide array of necessities, including housing, fuel, cars, and food.

So, how would these tariffs impact the cost of living for Americans? Fordham economist Giacomo Santangelo offered his insight. 

Fordham Now: Do tariffs raise prices for consumers? 

Giacomo Santangelo: When businesses face elevated import costs, they typically pass these increases to consumers through increased prices for goods and services. 

This phenomenon has been observed in every sector on which tariffs have been placed, including electronics, automobiles, and everyday consumer products, since time immemorial. The recent tariffs proposed by the Trump administration are anticipated to follow this trend, potentially resulting in significant increases in the cost of living for American consumers, as stated by President Trump this past weekend.

FN: To put it in perspective, how significant are the proposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods? Is that pretty steep? 

GS: The introduction of a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada would have substantial implications. Such a considerable tariff would disrupt supply chains, especially in industries with heavy reliance on cross-border trade, such as automotive and manufacturing. The economic impact is likely to be felt across all three economies, with potential retaliatory measures further complicating the situation.

FN: Could the negative impacts of tariffs be offset by their benefits, like a better job market, in your opinion? 

GS: While the U.S. manufacturing sector may experience some perceived short-term gains in employment due to increased competitiveness of domestic production, the long-term benefits remain uncertain. 

Many of the Mexican and Canadian goods taxed do not have U.S. counterparts to replace them. Also, elevated production costs resulting from tariffs on imported inputs generally overshadow these temporary gains. In short, the U.S. consumers will end up paying more of a cost than U.S. industries will benefit.

FN: What do you make of the argument that the tariffs Trump imposed during his first term did not lead to drastic inflation and therefore we shouldn’t worry this time? 

GS: The tariffs under Trump’s first term were not as inflationary as these proposed tariffs because they were more limited in scope.

The current tariffs are broader and more substantial, targeting a wider range of goods and potentially having a more pronounced impact on prices. Furthermore, the economic context has evolved, with the U.S. emerging from a period of high inflation, resulting in heightened sensitivity to increases in the cost of living. Therefore, caution is warranted regarding the potential inflationary effects of these new tariffs, especially given the president’s recent comments that tariffs on the EU are forthcoming.

The new exhibition is called “The Magis Sculpture Exhibition,” and it’s made possible thanks to the generosity of Fordham Trustee Kim Bepler in collaboration with Cavalier Galleries. In total, Fordham received 11 new pieces of sculpture on loan from the gallery, which has a location in Nantucket where Bepler has a home. While chatting with gallery owner Ron Cavalier one day, she learned that he was about to de-install an exhibition in Stamford, Connecticut, and that all of the sculptures would be put into storage temporarily. 

“I asked if he would be willing to bring them to our Lincoln Center campus instead, and that’s how we got started,” Bepler said. 

Fordham’s Sculpture Walk

As part of the exhibition, Fordham received three large-scale sculptures that were installed along 62nd Street: two towering male figures by Jim Rennert, called “Inner Dialogue” and “Timing,” both over 12 feet tall, as well as a 15-foot Bjørn Skaarup sculpture called “Hippo Ballerina,” an iconic two-ton hippopotamus wearing a tutu that visitors may recognize from her various appearances around town. 

The eight additional new pieces are featured on the campus’ plaza—one flight above street level and open to the public. These include four bronze female figures by American artist Jane DeDecker and Italian artist Bruno Luchessi; and four more whimsical creatures sculpted by Skaarup, a Danish artist. 

These new pieces join the ten existing sculptures on Lincoln Center’s campus, which include several pieces that highlight Fordham’s identity: A ram on the upper plaza, a nod to Fordham’s mascot that was sculpted by Harry M. Stierwalt, Jr.; the statue of St. Ignatius, which stands outside the steps to the upper level along Columbus Avenue, sculpted by Chris Vilardi; and the statue of St. Peter called “Peter the Fisherman,” on the plaza near the entrance to McKeon Hall, sculpted by Frederick Shrady. 

To showcase all of the sculptures, Fordham is creating a walking tour called “Fordham’s Sculpture Walk.” Students and members of the public are invited to participate in the free walking tour, scan the QR codes on each sculpture, and learn more about these works of art. 

Educating the Whole Person

Together with her late husband, Steve Bepler, FCRH ’64, a longtime Fordham supporter and trustee, Kim Bepler has been a dedicated and generous donor to Fordham for many years. Her prior philanthropic efforts have focused on enhancing Fordham’s STEM programs—the University established five science chairs with major gifts from her and Steve’s estate—in addition to campus beautification efforts, Fordham’s sailing program, a fund for Ukrainian students, and more. 

Bringing these sculptures to campus reflects her commitment to the arts as part of a well-rounded Jesuit education.  

“My motivation comes from my love for my late husband and his love for his Fordham education,” Bepler said. 

“Jesuit education is the education of the whole person—the soul, the inspiration, the arts …  I hope these sculptures will be inspiring, and that they’ll give people a moment to pause and reflect as they wander through campus, studying and enjoying our outdoor space.”

The Graduate School of Education (GSE) received a two-year, $1.5 million grant from the State of New York this past fall to assume responsibility for the New York State Professional Development Resource Center.

GSE’s Center for Educational Partnerships is administering the statewide grant. It had previously overseen professional development for religious and independent schools only in New York City, with two other organizations covering the rest of the state. The new grant expanded Fordham’s responsibility to cover the whole state of New York.

Professional Development in Technology, Socio-Emotional Learning, and More

The grant enables the center to provide events free of charge and hire consultants to work with school staff. The center offers a minimum of 24 webinars, in-person sessions, and six mini-conferences annually to the schools’ staff members. Staff also visit schools around the state to provide in-person workshops and conferences and meet with school leaders to ascertain their needs.

Stefanie Reda, the resource center’s director, said professional development in areas such as executive functioning, technology, and differentiation is always in demand.  

In addition, “social-emotional learning is always at the forefront, as is supporting best practices for teachers,” she said.

Center staff works closely with Gerald Cattaro, Ed.D., and Fordham’s Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education to stay abreast of the issues and concerns that are unique to independent and religious schools.

One of its first responsibilities upon receiving the grant was to oversee the RISE conference, a two-day gathering of panel sessions and discussions that took place in Albany in November. The conference featured panels such as “Enhancing Communications between Home and School” and “Empowering Families to Support Student Growth.”

“We are excited to be offering administrators, teachers, and the entire school community of Religious and Independent schools access to the many benefits of the Professional Development Resource Center’s in-person and virtual professional development learning opportunities,” said Anita Batisti, Ph.D., associate dean and founder of the Center for Educational Partnerships.

Reda, who served as a teacher for 20 years, is also familiar with the issues personally, having worked with a small staff at a Catholic school in Westchester County.

“ I was the only science teacher in the building, so the only time I was able to collaborate and get different ideas and share what works and what doesn’t work was at these professional development sessions,” Reda said. 

“I know how important it is to have these sessions because that’s the time when collaboration and planning really happen. We look forward to implementing these much needed services to religious and independent schools statewide.”

On Jan. 4, Rico Lucenti became one of the few student vets to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award, administered by AmeriCorps and presented at the Student Veterans of America (SVA) annual convention in Colorado Springs. 

He said the award reflects well on Fordham, which he said has “some of the most talented student veterans in the entire country.”

“My accomplishments are one of many stories that are found on campus,” he said.

‘An Example for Others’

Lucenti spent more than two decades serving his country in the military—but launched into a whole new career of service when he came to Fordham.

He was a constant presence in the University’s Office of Military and Veterans Services, volunteering at events and helping other student vets. Last May, he took part in Fordham’s Global Outreach program, chaperoning a trip to El Paso, Texas, where he and other students learned about immigration issues. He was active in Fordham’s SVA chapter, and plans to stay involved as an adviser to future student vets—even though he finished his political science degree at Fordham’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies in December.

Matthew Butler, PCS ’17, Fordham’s senior director of military and veterans’ services, said Lucenti “exemplifies the best of our student veterans and is an example for others to follow” because of his leadership and dedication. 

‘Never More Nervous’

Lucenti is a New York City native whose mother, then named Larnice Thompson—his “greatest drill instructor,” he said—was an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Education in the 1990s.

He roamed the hallways at the Lincoln Center campus as a teenager, and Fordham was his “dream school,” but he still felt trepidation upon entering its classrooms for the first time a few decades later.

He had spent 24 years in the Navy, serving in combat zones, working at the Pentagon, rising high in the enlisted ranks, but was “never more nervous” than when he first entered a Fordham classroom, worrying about being “the old guy” in class.

But instead, “I felt like my experiences were appreciated and celebrated by many of the professors,” as well as students, he said. “A lot of the public policy that we were studying—I actually lived that history.”

‘The Dream College Experience’

His academic achievements and SVA involvement “put me in circles with people who were like-minded, but very driven, very focused, and very much engaged in the Fordham community,” he said. “At 44 years old, I had the dream college experience.”

Last year, he was selected as an SVA Leadership Institute Fellow and traveled to Washington, D.C., where he and other fellows got to meet with the secretaries of defense, education, and veterans affairs, as well as First Lady Jill Biden. It was a great opportunity, he said, to advocate for support for veterans and military-connected families. “This isn’t just about veterans, it’s also the spouses and the children, especially children of the fallen,” he said.

A former cybersecurity manager in the Navy, Lucenti has moved on to a master’s degree program at New York University in cybersecurity risk and strategy. 

He praised Fordham’s SVA chapter and the Office of Military and Veterans’ Services for how they help student veterans make the transition to Fordham and harness new opportunities. “Fordham really opened my eyes,” he said. 

Birthright citizenship, a constitutional right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, is the principle that anyone born on U.S. soil automatically becomes a citizen, regardless of the citizenship of their parents. This protection is rooted in the aftermath of the Civil War in an effort to grant legal and civil rights to Black Americans. 

The executive order directs federal agencies to stop issuing citizenship documents to children born to undocumented parents or to parents in the country on temporary visas. A federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary halt to the order, calling it unconstitutional. The Trump administration has vowed to appeal, raising questions about the future of birthright citizenship in America. 

To answer some of those questions, Fordham Now consulted Jennifer Gordon, an immigration law expert and professor at Fordham Law School. Gordon shared her insights on the likely legal road ahead for the executive order.

Fordham Now: In your opinion, how likely is the Trump administration to successfully end birthright citizenship? 

Jennifer Gordon: It’s unlikely the administration will succeed. The 14th Amendment of the Constitution established birthright citizenship, and Supreme Court cases interpreting the law have upheld the right for over 125 years. The federal judge who heard the case that was brought last week to challenge the Trump action declared the president’s order “blatantly unconstitutional,” saying “I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented was as clear.” 

FN: The order argued that children of undocumented immigrants are not “subject to the jurisdiction of U.S. laws” and therefore the 14th Amendment doesn’t apply to them. Does that hold water legally? 

JG: That interpretation of the 14th Amendment was first rejected by the Supreme Court in the Kim Wong Ark case 125 years ago, and every time the argument has been made before the Supreme Court since, it has failed. 

In practical terms, federal, state, and local governments recognize undocumented immigrants as “subject to the jurisdiction” of U.S. laws in all areas, holding them to the obligation to comply with all civil statutes and all criminal ones, illustrating that they do in fact fall within the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship protection. The only people who fall outside the 14th Amendment in this regard are the few individuals who truly are not subject to U.S. jurisdiction, for example, high-ranking diplomats, who cannot even be held accountable for traffic tickets.

FN: Some critics of Trump’s order have said the only way to end birthright citizenship is through a constitutional amendment. Do you agree, and how likely do you think that is?

JG: The Supreme Court has the power to end birthright citizenship by overruling its longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment, although it seems unlikely that it would do so. 

The only other way to change birthright citizenship is through a constitutional amendment. That would require that the proposed amendment pass Congress by a two-thirds vote (not the ordinary simple majority), and then be approved by three-quarters of the states, or 38 out of 50. This cumbersome process rarely ends in the passage of an amendment; no amendment has passed since 1992.

The $670,000 grant from the Massachusetts-based Cummings Foundation will fund Fordham’s Initiative on Migrants, Migration, and Human Dignity, which was created as a pilot program in 2022 with a $200,000 grant from Cummings. 

The professors hope to cultivate a new generation of student leaders interested in working with migrants with the new grant, which was received this month and covers a period of three years. It will be used to fund opportunities for students, faculty, and staff in the practice of accompaniment with migrant communities—at the Mexico-U.S. border, in the New York metropolitan area, and at Fordham itself.

Students and staff will participate in immersive workshops on current immigration issues; trips to the U.S./Mexico border; and internships with organizations like the binational Catholic organization Kino Border Initiative, a Jesuit organization; the Harlem-based LSA (Little Sisters of the Assumption) Family Health Service, and the Center for Migration Studies.

Bringing Student Advocates Together 

Carey Kasten, Ph.D., a professor of Spanish who is one of the faculty members spearheading the initiative, said a big focus will be on making it easier for students with shared interests in immigration to work together.

“We want to create a mechanism that will bring these students together in dialogue to share what they’ve learned, gain more knowledge, and figure out what they want to do in the advocacy space with their ideas.”

As President Donald Trump takes steps to deport undocumented migrants, Kasten said the need for this work remains critical. Migrant communities will still need services such as know-your-rights workshops and help securing shelter, food, and medicine— services that the initiative’s partner organizations provide.

Immigrants also bring talents and skills, not just needs, said political science professor Sarah Lockhart, one of the faculty members involved in the project. “So the initiative emphasizes the importance of Fordham community members walking with them through challenges and triumphs and learning from each other,” she said, noting that this involves building sustainable relationships with immigrant communities that will last for years to come.

“We all know that this work isn’t going to go away. The issues aren’t going to go away; it’s just the demands that shift and change,” Kasten said.

Faculty from Many Disciplines 

One reflection of the group’s ambitions is the expansion of its leadership. When the group first formed in 2022, Kasten was joined by theology professors Leo Guardado and Jim McCartin. The group now includes professors from the fields of communications (Gregory Donovan), political science (Annika Hinze and Lockart), and natural science (Alma Rodenas-Ruano).

The interdisciplinary nature of the initiative is what drew Rodenas-Ruano to join.

“Everyone has a unique perspective that adds to and enriches accompaniment,” she said. “The idea is to have students who have different majors and different experiences contribute in a way that is more holistic.”

The organizers are hopeful that the initiative will serve as a model in migration accompaniment for Jesuit institutions across the United States. The group currently collaborates with the Ignatian Solidarity Network and Jesuit Refugee Service. 

“Standing in solidarity with people is a deep part of the Jesuit mission,” Kasten said.

By the start of the next school year, students would be required to disconnect from their devices during school hours, “bell to bell,” the governor said, citing Pew research that found 72% of high school teachers report cell phones are a major problem in their classrooms. Implementation would be left up to the schools, which could use the allotted funding to purchase equipment, like pouches or cubbies, and to train personnel to enforce the ban. 

New York School Cellphone Ban

New York is the latest state to push for banning phones in schools, a movement that’s gaining ground in both red and blue states. Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, California, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, and Louisiana have all put measures in place to restrict cellphone use during the school day. Proponents, including a major New York teacher’s union, say the bans not only remove a source of distraction, they also give students a much-needed break from addictive devices that can stunt their social skills, their attention spans, and their emotional well-being. 

“Our kids will finally be free of the endless distraction of social media and all the mental health pressures that come with it,” Hochul said Tuesday. 

Opposition from Parents

But not everyone is pleased. According to Elizabeth Stosich, associate professor and associate chair of the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education, some parents would prefer their kids to be a call or a text away, especially given concerns over gun violence. Teachers and administrators who create no-phone policies in a piecemeal fashion often find themselves in conflict with these parents. Stosich is in favor of the move from Albany to ban phones in schools statewide.

“Teachers don’t want to police cell phones. They want to teach kids. I think this can shift norms and expectations to be—We don’t use cellphones in schools. And it’s not just me as a teacher saying this.  It’s not just me as a principal who has to fight parents, or even as a superintendent with angry parents at my school board meetings. This is a statewide policy,” she said. 

Inside a Phone-Free Classroom

According to Xiaying “Summer” Li, a high school foreign language teacher in New York City and a Ph.D. student at the Graduate School of Education, banning phones in school has benefits. She’s had a “no phones” rule for about three years now and says it has transformed the dynamics of her classroom for the better. 

“In the beginning, students gave me lots of push-back. After two weeks, the first thing students would do was turn in their phones to me,” said Li. Rather than seeing kids texting or scrolling TikTok in class, she now sees them watching, listening, and engaging with the material. 

“That is the reason I support this policy. I believe we will see a tremendous change in academic performance and discipline,” she said.