Chef Henry Lee Hits Fordham!

 Global Chef Henry Lee, a Sodexo chef from Hong Kong, visited Fordham's Rose Hill campus November 25th-27th.

During his time at Fordham he prepared multiple meals for students dining in Fordham Rose Hill's cafeteria "The Marketplace," opening his visit with a tasting of his favorite dishes, and ending with a traditional Chinese breakfast— plus a lunch and dinner in between!

Chef Lee also held his own cooking class, where students learned how to prepare the traditional Asian dish beef with broccoli.

Students enjoyed a taste of Asian culture and some of the Chef's best kept secrets in this informational and free class hosted by the Student Culinary Council (SCC).

The Student Culinary Council is excited to announce that they will be inviting another Sodexo Global Chef to come to Fordham in the spring.

And what country's up next? ...Italy!

Theatre and the Performing Arts on campus!

I thought that I would follow up Xavier's post on music at Fordham with some information on theatre and the performing arts on campus. Fordham has tons of performances going on all the time--from a cappella groups and choirs, to dance teams and musical showcases. There are several very unique and active theatre groups at the Rose Hill campus. I'll try to give a good description of each:

The Mimes and Mummers

The Mimes are the largest theatre group on campus, which puts on both straight plays and musicals. The group hires professional directors and choreographers to work with student performers. Past shows include Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, King Lear, Anything Goes, Into the Woods, and many more.


The cast of Into the Woods, from Spring 2010.

Fordham Experimental Theatre

Fordham Experimental Theatre, FET, is another big theatre group on campus. The difference between FET and the Mimes is that FET shows are entirely student-run: there are student actors, directors, choreographers, and musicians. FET is also, as the name suggests, more experimental. The group takes plays or even films, and adapts them to the stage with a twist. In addition, FET also sponsors a yearly Playwrights Festival, when they perform student-written plays. Recent shows include stage adaptations of The Breakfast Club, Moby Dick, Clue, and Pippin.


The cast of Clue in character, from Spring 2010.

The Theatrical Outreach Program

One club that I have been particularly involved in is the Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP). My friend Ryan and I actually founded this club in our Freshman year. We had both been involved in theatre all throughout high school, and wanted to get involved here at Fordham. In addition to being interested in acting, we also shared an interest in community service work. TOP takes classic or culturally relevant plays, and edits and modernizes them to be performed for kids in neighboring schools in the Bronx. Our group travels to the schools and performs right in the classroom, answering questions about theatre and conducting acting workshops afterwards. Past shows include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Macbeth.


The cast of Macbeth, from Spring 2010.

Improv and Musical Improv

Fordham also has several improv groups, one for straight scenes and another for musicals. At the beginning of each show, the group asks for a setting, a name, and a theme (or in the case of musical improv, a setting, a musical title, and a hit musical number) and then performs a show based on the audience's answers.

Those are just a few examples of performing arts groups here on campus. In addition to the groups listed above, we also have a Sketch Comedy troupe, a Cultural theatre group, and numerous shows hosted by various clubs and organizations.

Hello! Music at Fordham

Hello, everybody! My name is Xavier Montecel, and I am a sophomore student at Fordham's Rose Hill Campus. Although I am not an international student, as a native Texan, I know what it's like to go to college far away from home. I'm part of the international outreach committee because as a student of Hispanic descent, I am interested in promoting regional and cultural diversity on campus. In this post, I would like to tell everyone about the opportunities for musical performance and study here at Fordham. As you may know, Fordham offers a music major at both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. The major includes both the study of music history as a humanities discipline and the study of music theory. Our downtown campus is particularly valuable to students interested in musical performance as it is right near one of the greatest centers of music in the world: Lincoln Center.

For those of you interested in singing, there are many opportunities at Fordham for you. The largest and one of the busiest vocal ensembles at Fordham is the University Choir, a select group of about sixty voices from both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Membership is by audition, and auditions take place at the beginning of each semester. Our repertoire includes a great variety of sacred and secular music which we perform at several concerts throughout the year. We have also performed at the famous Carnegie Hall right here in New York City. The Choir is a very diverse group, composed of academic musicians and informal singers alike. This year I was the Vice President of the University Choir, and next year I will be President. Believe me that being in the choir has been one of the most valuable experiences I've had at Fordham. This year we've kept very busy with our regular concerts, our annual Festival of Lessons and Carols at Christmastime, and with various other projects. I didn't go home over Easter break this year, so I was able to stay and sing at the daily services with the Liturgical Choir (I also had easter dinner with my roommate who made Julia Child's famous dish: boeuf bourguignon --- delicious!). In the past few weeks, the Concert Choir has completed our final concert of the year and recorded our Christmas CD which will go on sale next year! To get an idea of the type of music which the University Choir performs, check out this video:

In addition to the University Choir, Rose Hill students can be a part of the Womens' Choir, the Liturgical Choir, the Gospel Choir, or the Folk Choir. Each of these ensembles is unique, and the members really love what they do. If choir singing is not for you, you might consider auditioning for one or two of the three a'cappella groups we have at the Rose Hill campus: the Ramblers (all male), the Satin Dolls (all female), or the B-Sides. Needless to say, Fordham is a great place for those of us who wish to exercise and improve our musical skills!

Cultural Clubs and Organizations at Fordham

Even though Fordham is a Jesuit University in New York City, its appeal reaches far beyond the shores of the Unites States. While Fordham is proud to have students from all 50 of the states in the USA, we also welcome International Students from over 89 foreign countries. Students come from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and share rich traditions, which we celebrate with dozens of Cultural Clubs and Organizations.

Our many Cultural Clubs include, an Hellenic Society, a Filipino Society, a German Club, a Polish Students Organization, various Hispanic Clubs, and a Gaelic Society. Religious Organizations include Liturgical Ministry, the Jewish Students Organization, the Muslim Students Association, and the Orthodox Christian Fellowship. There are literally tons of other Cultural Clubs and Organizations as well!


Below, I've written up brief descriptions of some of our Cultural Clubs.

FUPAC, The Fordham University Philippine-American Club:

The purpose of the Philippine-American Club is to promote Filipino culture among students of the Fordham community by sponsoring cultural, service, and social activities.



You can follow updates from FUPAC at
http://fupacinfo.tumblr.com/ and
http://twitter.com/fupacinfo

PCE, The Polish Cultural Exchange:

P.C.E is an organization that was established in 2005 by several Polish students. These students found a need for an organization that would not only educate people about the Polish culture, but also celebrate their Polish heritage. Moreover, they wanted to make the campus aware that Fordham is home to a fairly large Polish community. Ever since 2005 the club has worked hard to become known and involved on campus.



JSO, The Jewish Students Organization:

A club devoted to providing Jewish Students with a network of friends, sponsoring Jewish Cultural events and outings, and celebrating Jewish traditions.



OCF, The Orthodox Christian Fellowship:

In 2004, Fordham formed a chapter of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship is a pan-Orthodox organization of college students who meet for fellowship, worship, and support at colleges and universities across the country. In addition to worship services, the group hosts speakers and performs charitable outreach. In 2009, Fordham University was honored to confer an honorary degree upon His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, on Oct. 27 at the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. Before the ceremony, His Holiness met with the OCF, who honored him with the gift of a rose.




Desi C.H.A.I., Fordham's Indian Students Association:

A club dedicated to spreading cultural awareness about the Indian subcontinent, via dinner excursions, dances, fashion shows, holiday celebrations and more!



ACE, Asian Cultural Exchange:

Since its foundation in 1999, the Asian Cultural Exchange (ACE) has been committed to spreading the awareness of Asian culture and heritage at Fordham University. We are dedicated to unifying the diverse Asian, Pacific Islander, and Asian American students of Fordham at the Rose Hill campus as well as in its surrounding communities.

ACE strives to provide opportunities for others to learn about the social, cultural, historical, and intellectual pursuits of the Asian community. Through our efforts, we work towards an improved understanding of the wide variety of political, social, academic, cultural, and artistic interests of the various Asian cultures.



Le Cercle Francais, The French Club:

Le Cercle Français looks to share great bilingual conversations, fabulous French food, cultural activities and fun. Come practice your French with and help plan fantastic Francophone events.



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This is just a taste of the Cultural events and groups here on campus. Make sure to check the Fordham Cultural Activities website for more information!