A Small Monument to Online-Inspired Kindness Rises at Rose Hill

In an age where Internet anonymity too often enables bullying, a small monument of online-inspired kindness appeared on the Rose Hill campus yesterday.

Over the past several months, the Facebook page Fordham Compliments has mounted a senior project to include anonymous student compliments to each and every graduating senior from Fordham College at Rose Hill, the Gabelli School, and Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Thanks to University wide support, the 150-foot banner of nearly 1900 positive statements – which were originally posted on the website -- went up yesterday in front of the McGinley Center.

The project was originally got its start in late 2012, when some Fordham students saw similar Facebook projects at Queens College in Ontario and other schools. The credit for the page’s success goes to hundreds of student participants who created the entries. The site had 750 friends in the first 24 hours of its 2012 creation, and today has more than 3800 friends.

The number of compliments posted on Facebook over the two years is well into the thousands and includes compliments to faculty, administrators, and campus staff as well as students The project was funded across the University -- from the Office of the Provost, the three undergraduate schools, the Fordham Fund, the University's Office of Marketing and Communications, and University Enrollment.

Check out the website here, where you can see many of the entries, and then check out the banner on the Rose Hill campus.