Fordham Conversations

There are hundreds of thousand missing persons in the FBI’s database.  For many people, the methods of finding their lost loved ones are as mysterious as their disappearances. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Privacy and Information Consultant Bob Gellman.  He discusses some of the legal and ethical challenges in searching for missing people. Gellman is  a Senior Fellow, Center on Law and Information Policy, Fordham University School of Law 2012-13.  First WFUV’s Rob Palazzolo talks to Dr. Arnita Fowler. Her son went missing almost 20 years ago, and due to a lack of resources for locating missing adults and a bureaucratic mess, she didn’t recover his body from Hart Island for 4 years. Fowler has been trying to reform the system for locating missing persons in the New York.

In part one of the interview about the book Freedomland USA. The Definitive History, author Michael R. Virgintino took us on an audio tour of the history-themed amusement park. In part 2 of the interview about the book, Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Michael R Virgintino about Freedomland’s developmental stages, and the circumstances that befell The World's Largest Entertainment Center.

On June 19, 1960 a short-lived, history-themed amusement park opened on what now sits co-op city in the Bronx. Freedomland U.S.A. was considered, by some, to be the East Coast’s version of Disneyland.  However, Journalist and author Michael R. Virgintino disagrees. “Unlike Disneyland, the story of Freedomland does not have a happily ever after" he wrote. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon sat down with Virgintino to discuss his book Freedomland USA. The Definitive History.  The book follows the park’s developmental stages, and the circumstances that befell The World's Largest Entertainment Center.  

In 1946 Ed Rohs was left at a Catholic orphanage in pre-World War II Brooklyn.   He spent the next 19-years of his life going from one institution to another until he was “unceremoniously dumped out into the world.”   Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Rohs about his own experience of being raised by priests and nuns in New York City and his book “Raised by the Church.”

Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams explore The Grand Concourse. This four-and-a-half-mile boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the Bronx. Bronx Borough Historian, Lloyd Ulatan, discusses the history of Grand Concourse including its Art Deco buildings and the Loews Paradise Theater. Then, Patrice Kane, head of Fordham archives and special collections, talks about a bell with a special connection to former Bronxite Edgar Allen Poe.

With the rise of social media there are fewer hard copies of letters, photos, and other documents. So what happens in the future? Will all of this be preserved and will there be too much of it to sort through? Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams talks to Elizabeth Keohane-Burbridge about how historians preserve memories and how this is changing. This Fordham University graduate produces the historical podcast series Footnoting History.

How does describing someone by a certain term or label influence what others think about them? Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Fordham Associate Professor of Political Science Zein Murib.   Murib’s research examines the terms “gay” and “homosexual” and the socio-political impact of using both words. Then, Reclaim Pride Coalition co-founder Natalie James discusses the Queer Liberation March and Rally held as an alternative to last Sunday’s Pride Parade. James also talks about some of the key issues involved in the continued fight for LGBTQ rights.

As the American population ages, so does its population in the prison system. That has created particular challenges for members of the LGBT community that are incarcerated. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Tina Maschi, a Fordham University professor and former prison social worker who studies aging prisoners. Maschi shares research from her study “Coming Out of Prison: an exploratory study of LGBTQ Elders in the criminal justice system.”  Also, Randy Killings and Mark Pelipiche share what it was like to grow older while in New York’s Criminal Justice System.  A programming note, Mark wants our listeners to know he has a speech impediment that might be noticeable during this interview.

PROMO: Fordham University Professor Lyn Slater has been making a name for herself on social media. She has hundreds of thousands of followers on her blog and Instagram page Accidental Icon | For Women who Live Interesting but Ordinary Lives. The model and fashion influencer is also using her platform to draw attention to what she says is discrimination against older adults in American culture.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon sits down with Author Debra Caruso Marrone. They discuss her book Fordham University and the United States: A History.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with members of The Curran Catholic School Leadership Academy. Its goal is to prepare students from Fordham University, and other colleges, for the realities of leading a Catholic school Dr. Noelle Beale is Regional Superintendent for the Catholic Schools of Central Westchester. Gina-Marie Fonte is a Principal in the Archdiocese Of New York and a Curran Fellowship Graduate. Finally, Amy Rodriguez is principal at Immaculate Conception School and currently a Curran Fellow.

Fordham Conversation’s host Robin Shannon sits down with Nicholas Tampio, Associated professor of Political science at Fordham University.  He says it’s time to ditch the standardized tests used for college admissions.  Tampio also offers other ideas to measure learning.

Fordham Conversations host Kyle McKee talks television with acclaimed critic Matt Zoller Seitz, the co-author of TV: (The Book) 2 Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time.

Fordham Conversation Host Robin Shannon talks with NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan. The Fordham Alumni discusses the NYPD's goals for 2019 and other challenges facing the largest police department in the country.

The economic vitality that is visible at The Brooklyn Navy Yard today is a far cry from the way it once looked. For almost two centuries it was a shipbuilding facility. After being decommissioned in the 1960s, it became an industrial park. Now The Brooklyn Navy Yard is a mixed use complex that’s home to a growing number of eateries, Tech companies, film production studios and other business. Its also the focus of a new documentary. Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon talks with Mark Street, Program Director of the Visual Arts Program at Fordham University. His documentary “Morning, Noon, Night; Water, Land and Sky,” is an abstract exploration of the resurrection of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Once a semester a group of Fordham students are picked to learn how to create and share, impactful, powerful stories about their lives. “Our Story at Fordham University” falls under Fordham's Social Innovation Collaboratory. It is an action-based network designed to use creativity and critical thinking to address some of the world’s problems and needs. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Rosie McCormack and Sally Brander of “Our Story at Fordham University.” They are joined by Carey Weiss, Director of The Fordham Social Innovation Collaboratory.

The casual golf fan is concerned with who wins the major events on the PGA tour or how they brand themselves. But what about the preceding events? How hard is it to reach the big stage and how difficult is it to stay there? “Making the Cut: Life Inside the PGA Tour System” by John Fortunato seeks to answer these questions. With in-depth interviews and compelling narratives this book uncovers the true story behind these athletes and the true nature of the PGA System. Fordham Conversations Host Emmanuel Berbari talks with Author and Fordham University Professor John Fortunato about his new book “Making the Cut: Life Inside the PGA Tour System.”

Miracle in Rwanda is an Off-Broadway play based on the real-life story of Immaculée Ilibagiza. She was able to survive the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi to become a motivational speaker and New York Times bestselling author.     Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with two people responsible for bringing Miracle in Rwanda to the stage.  Fordham University Lincoln Center Artist-in-Residence George Drance directed Miracle in Rwanda. A Fordham University alumnus, Malaika Uwamahoro is the star of the off-Broadway play at The Lion Theatre in Manhattan.

Often we hear that beauty comes from within, but it turns out the way you look can affect how other people react to you, for better and for worse. Fordham Conversations Host Chris Williams talks with the author of Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful. Daniel Hamermesh dissects how attractive people fare better economically. Then, Fordham professors Laura Gonzalez and Yuliya Komarova talk about their research with online social lending and why being more attractive could hurt when it comes to securing a loan.

Transgender people face numerous health disparities when it comes to quality healthcare. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with Celia Fisher, director of the Center for Ethics Education at Fordham University.  Fisher discusses the discrimination and special health needs in the Transgender community.