Fordham Conversations

This week Fordham Conversations features stories about membership. Whether you're a member of a social club, or a member of a community, there are pros and cons to membership. First, we talk to Alan Linn. He's the owner of the Norwood Club on W 14th St in Manhattan. Norwood is one of the most exclusive social clubs in NYC, designed as a place for creative minds to come together. Then, urban planner and Fordham professor Cecil Bakalor talks about how city projects might not be the best thing for members of the Bronx community.

Human trafficking is often associated with large sporting events, like the Super Bowl.  So in preparation for the game The Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment has joined a number of groups who are working to raise awareness about the issue and deter this form of modern day slavery.   Sister Pat Daly is a Dominican Sister of Caldwell and Executive Director of the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment.  She’s joined by Margot Morris, the Associate Program Director of the organization.  We also hear from Kate Combellick, a clinical associate professor of communications and media management at the Fordham Schools of Business. She explains the possible economic reasons someone may become a victim of human trafficking.

This week on Fordham Conversations we take a literary trip through the gritty streets of the South Bronx with Fordham Professor Dr. Mark Naison and his new book “Pure Bronx”.   It’s a story about a young couple and the means they use to try and escape the poverty, desperations, and frustration that can sometimes come with living in New York City’s poorest borough.  There’s also a cast of characters that provide an opportunity for the reader to see the South Bronx through a variety of different, ethnic points of view. 

This week on Fordham Conversations is all about art in the Bronx. David Storey, visual art professor at Fordham University, talks about art's relationship to New York City and how it has spread to the outer boroughs. Then, Chris Williams travels to the BronxArtSpace in Mott Haven on the opening night of the 'Portals and Interventions' exhibit. He talks with curator Linda Cunningham and artists Marita Ibanez, Rosemarie Fiore, Vidal Centeno, and Xavier Figueroa.

Dr. Joseph Ponterotto’s latest book “A Psychobiography of Bobby Fisher” attempts to understand the mind of arguably the world’s most famous chess player.  Also, WFUV’s Viridiana Castelan reports on a group of Bronx students whose meet-and-greet with Yankee’ shortstop Derek Jeter encouraged them to immerse themselves in reading.

This week, Fordham Conversations is about housing and how people from different generations go about buying a house. It turns out Baby Boomers have different attitudes towards home ownership than Millennials (the generation born between 1980 and 2000), and they’re buying different types of houses. Jessica Lautz, director of member and consumer research at the National Association of Realtors, talks about a buyer and seller generational trends. Then, Fordham Professor Emily Rosenbaum explains why some people are waiting until they are older to own a home and how this compares to previous generations.

Fordham University was once a stomping ground for U.S. President’s, war heroes and leaders in a number of prestigious fields.The Jesuit institution, formerly known as St. John's, has a long and storied history. Students faced with fighting each other during the American Civil War. The greenland around Keating Hall (shown above) served as a training ground for students heading off to the western front in WWII. We learn this and more on this week's Fordham Conversations with guest Debra Caruso as she discusses her book Fordham University and the United States: A History.

On this week’s show, Fordham Professor Maureen Tilley tells us all about Christmas traditions and the stories behind them, some you may know and some you may not. From the horrifying folkloric Krampus to the reason we celebrate on December 25, why we exchange presents, and why Santa lives in the North Pole. Dr. Tilley is a professor of theology and medieval studies.   

Fordham University professor of Law and Founder and Director of the Fordham Urban Law Center, Nestor Davidson discusses  the legal questions that arise as cities begin to grow.

This week on Fordham Conversations, Fordham Philosophy professor William Jaworski talks about reconciling the spiritual world with the physical world. He discusses the Aristotelian concept of "hylomorphism" and how's he's adjusted it for the modern world. 

Arguably the Internet is one of the greatest tools for communication and it gives the user the ability to communicate and connect with others. But there’s also a downside to being that “connected,” especially for kids who may not be aware of how their Internet activity is going to affect them in the future. Fordham Law Center on Law and Information Policy released a first-ever curriculum for privacy education geared to middle school students. Fordham Law student volunteers taught the pilot program last spring at PS191 in New York City, and now Fordham Center on Law and Information Policy (CLIP) is launching a partnership with volunteers from about a dozen universities who will teach the program in middle schools across the country. The Volunteer Privacy Education Program was developed by Fordham CLIP as part of Jordan Kovnot's Privacy Fellowship and under the leadership of Fordham Law School Professor Joel Reidenberg, the founding director of Fordham CLIP. The spring program will be led by Cameron Russell, Fo

You probably never thought the Harlem Shake craze has a deeper spiritual meaning, but Fordham University Theology Professor Thomas Beaudoin says it's a "Spiritual Sleeper," a song with a hidden meaning. This week on Fordham Conversations, Professor Beaudoin talks about other Spiritual Sleepers and the Rock and Theology project. 

A showcase of some of our best features and interviews. Host Alen Kanlic showcases some of Fordham Conversations best features and interviews.  Will Germain talks with military veterans about their experience returning to school after serving overseas.  Mary Wilson reports on Fordham Law students who  kept audio diaries about their fact finding mission in Nepal.  Robin Shannon sat down with Katy Raymond who was part of Fordham University’s first study abroad program in South Africa.  Vivadiana Castelan interviewed kids who are training to be reporters. She also talks with New Yorkers who make careers out of can collecting.

 This week Robin Shannon sits down with Fordham Professor Dr. Emily Rosenbaum and Albert Einstein College of Medicine Assistant Professor Dr. Earle Chambers. The professors collaborated on a study that identifies how public housing may affect the health of Latinos living in the Bronx.

Today on Fordham Conversations we’ll talk to Daniel Campo, author of The Accidental Playground out now from Fordham University Press. It’s about what happened when Brooklyn residents gathered at the Brooklyn Waterfront, which was then an unofficial, do-it-yourself park. He talks about how the "unpark" was used in the late 90s and early 2000s and how it's changed since state officials got involved. 

Fordham University Instructor Stefanie Vuotto is one of the principal investigators of a new study that highlights the role of homelessness and the crime of human trafficking.

This week on Fordham Conversations we’ll take a look the University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP). It’s an organization dedicated to keeping housing affordable in the Northwest Bronx and New York City. The organization is cosponsored by Fordham University and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition. Jim Buckley, executive director of the UNHP, talks about the challenges of keeping housing in the Bronx affordable.  Dr. Brian Byrne, Vice President of Fordham University Lincoln Center and UNHP board member, talks about how things have changed since the organization began in 1983. 

This week on Fordham Conversations we talk to Mark Street about his film Hasta Nunca and how it was made. The film tells the story of a middle aged DJ in Uruguay who hosts a call-in radio show. Throughout Hasta Nunca, people reveal their secrets and insecurities on air. 

There are a lot of opinions about the news media, the future of broadcast journalism and what constitutes professional reporting. On this week’s Fordham Conversations we explore these questions and more by listening to past interviews from former hosts. Fordham Professor Dr. Bill Baker talks with Mary Wilson on how to save the ailing print industry. Then, News legend Sam Donaldson talks with WFUV’s Claudia Morell about citizen journalism and its questionable influence on the new industry. Finally, WFUV’s Lauren Naymie talks to Fordham Alumni Lynn Neary about how she got her start in radio.

During this year’s HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) community service initiative Yankees ballplayers lent a hand to an animal rescue organization, comforted children with “Pillow of Love,” took a stand against bullies, and threw a birthday party for the homeless. On this week’s Fordham Conversations Guest Host Kris Venezia talks with Fordham’s Nolan Silbernagel, Eric Mollo, Kenny Ducey, Nick Logerfo and Bobby Gubin about their experience interviewing the player and organizations involved in Hope Week. We also hear extended versions of the Hope Week series that ran on WFUV.