Fordham University - Traditions

Traditions

Fordham University has many traditions, some of which are listed below:

• The President's Ball: The President's Ball takes place every autumn on the night before the Homecoming football game. It is a semi-formal event held underneath a tent at the Rose Hill campus on Edward's Parade Ground, the University's largest quadrangle. The event is hosted by the Office of the President, which is inspiration for the name.
• Under the Tent: The "Under the Tent" Dance, is a semi-formal event that is held the weekend before final exams. Sponsored by Fordham's Residence Halls Association (RHA), the dance takes place underneath a tent on Martyrs' Lawn, the University's second-largest quadrangle, and has a different theme each year. The dance is part of the Spring Weekend Festival, which also includes two concerts, a celebrity Q&A, a race around the Rose Hill campus, and a comedy show.
• Winter Ball: The Winter Ball is a semi-formal event held every year at the Lincoln Center campus, hosted by the campus' United Student Government and Campus Activities Board. It is a dinner and dance held every year at a different location throughout New York City. In recent years, it has been held at the Rainbow Room, the Russian Tea Room, the Essex House, and the Mandarin Oriental.
• The Festival of Lessons and Carols: The Fordham University Choir presents a concert of Lessons and Carols every year during the Christmas season. The choir performs one afternoon concert at the University Church on the Rose Hill campus and one evening concert at the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle next to the Lincoln Center campus.
• Midnight Breakfast: Each semester, the official beginning of the final exam period is marked by a "midnight breakfast," in which professors cook students their favorite breakfast items so as to prepare them for the long night of studying ahead.
• The Liberty Cup: The Liberty Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the football game between Fordham and Columbia Universities, two of the only three NCAA Division I football teams in New York City. The tradition began in 2002, a year after the Fordham-Columbia game was postponed due to the September 11th attacks. The patriotic name is in honor of these events.
• Encaenia: Fordham College at Rose Hill hosts an Encaenia in early May each year. Faculty, administrators, and students process in academic regalia, and candidates for degrees at the current year's Commencement receive various awards and honors. The ceremony includes a sentimental speech by the year's valedictorian as well as a generally more humorous yet equally endearing speech by the honorary Lord or Lady of the Manor selected for the evening.