By KATIE MEYER & MARIA PAPPAS
NEWS EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
For many Fordham students, Spring Weekend is one of the highlights of the school year. It is an entire weekend devoted to music, food, friends and letting loose, at least until it comes time to go back to studying for finals.
But for a few students, the magic of the weekend is overshadowed by something decidedly un-magical work. Specifically, Residence Hall Association-sanctioned community service work, in which students assist Fordham staff and CAB members to make sure everything runs smoothly at Spring Weekend events.
So how do these poor, unfortunate souls get roped into working at events instead of basking in the spring sunshine?
Some might say that they earn it, albeit unintentionally.
Working Spring Weekend is one of the sanctions used for students who have been documented by university staff for violating campus rules. For instance, damaging or vandalizing a residence hall or any on-campus building is grounds for earning the sanction. This policy, said Kimberly Russell, assistant dean of students and director of Residential Life, has been in place for a number of years.
While students may not necessarily like these policies, most can at least recognize their value in keeping order on campus.
“There are certain rules you have to follow, and if you break the rules, there are going to be consequences,” said Timothy Colvin, FCRH ’17.
These extra Spring Weekend workers are actually an important part of the event. Because of its scale, Spring Weekend’s success hinges directly on the number of personnel available to solve problems and keep things moving during any given event.
And it is not just sanctioned students who devote their time to working Spring Weekend festivities; every year, members of Campus Activities Board (CAB) do the same work voluntarily. In fact, Russell says that less than 20 of the student workers at last year’s Spring Weekend were sanctioned. The rest were volunteers.
Alex Chin Fong, GSB ’14, is the comedy co-chair of CAB, and one of the students who has volunteered. He sees working during Spring Weekend as rewarding rather than annoying.
“Personally, the benefit of Spring Weekend is being able to put on the best weekend for students and allow them to kick back for a weekend to celebrate a busy year before finals,” he said. “It definitely is a way to give back to the community, since almost all of the Rose Hill campus partakes in some aspect of Spring Weekend.”
According to Russell, most of the students who will end up being assigned to work Spring Weekend are those who have recent offenses that have not yet been sanctioned, as the Office of Judicial Affairs has already dealt with most of this semester’s previous documentations.
However, these yet unsanctioned students do not necessarily need to worry about their Spring Weekend being ruined, because Chin Fong says that there are some definite silver linings to working at the events.
“It’s nice to have the extra help on such a busy weekend,” he said. “Being a part of the operations also offers a different perspective not many students outside of CAB get to see.”
