Braving the cold, windy evening on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m., approximately 80 students protested at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Gateway Academic Center as a push for student wellness, administrative transparency, and improving the campus climate at Stevens.
The demonstrators aimed to make their concerns known to the Board of Trustees and President Nariman Farvardin by distributing a solution proposal; however, only Marybeth Murphy, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, formally received the proposal created by the group. As of December 18, the organizers have not received a response from her. Despite this, organizers Adrian Castellanos, Nasir Montalvo, and Eli Trakhtenberg viewed the protest as a success because it united and empowered students with a feeling “like a real symbol of solidarity.”
The demonstration began with a briefing on Schaefer Lawn, during which the organizers explained the aim of the protest and outlined safety protocol for the event. The demonstrators marched to the intersection of River Street and 6th Street and filed into a constructed area of orange barricades that ended by the Burchard Building. They began to chant, “We will not SIT by,” “Let’s see Farvardin,” and “This is what centricity looks like.”
At approximately 6:10 p.m., Murphy met the demonstrators outside and received the solution proposal from the organizers.
“We will look at this very carefully. We are always interested in hearing the concerns; my door’s open. I’d be happy to talk to you more about this. Thank you very much for having a peaceful, thoughtful demonstration, so good luck, stay dry. Thank you very much,” said Murphy when accepting the proposal. Murphy did not respond for comment on whether she had looked at the demonstrators’ proposal or shared it with anyone else.
“We were told the day of that higher administration would not be accepting the proposal, only Cabinet member Marybeth Murphy,” said Montalvo. Demonstrators continued to chant and played gay anthems on Bluetooth speakers. While the Board of Trustees was aware of the demonstration, very few attendees went outside to speak with the demonstrators.
After demands for President Farvardin to come outside and accept the proposal fell on deaf ears, the organizers decided to lead the demonstration to deliver the proposal to Farvardin’s residence at the Hoxie House. “We decided it [delivering the proposal to the Hoxie House] would be symbolic, as well as a guarantee of visibility, to ensure that Farvardin would have a copy of it on his doorstep,” said Trahkentberg. “It was also important that the proposal was circulated amongst the upper administration such as the President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees, and by doing something symbolic, the visibility and pressure to respond would be higher.”
However, the demonstrators were unable to drop off the proposal at the Hoxie House’s doorstep. Montalvo and Castellanos attempted to place the proposal on the doorstep but were stopped by campus police. Ultimately, they handed the proposal off to the Chief of Police, Tim Griffin. Later, a member of campus police entered the opening event with the proposal and spoke with Farvardin. However, by the end of the conversation, he did not hand off the proposal to Farvardin. Farvardin did not respond to confirmation on whether or not he had received the proposal.
Farvardin did, however, express his appreciation for the students involved. In an email to The Stute, Farvardin stated, “We appreciate that those involved in the peaceful demonstration had the opportunity to express their point of view, and the administration will continue to work with students and student organizations to explore opportunities to make positive improvements at Stevens.”
As of December 18, the demonstrators have not yet received a response regarding their proposal. Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, provided details on a time frame for a response, saying, “The Stevens’ leadership has received the proposal and will be in contact with SGA in the new year to discuss the concerns that have been raised.”
Klein also spoke with the organizers prior to the demonstration. “I met with the organizers to arrange for a safe location for the demonstration,” said Klein. “I also discussed Stevens policy regarding these types of events, and provided guidance regarding distribution of the proposal to Stevens leadership.”
The Stevens policy for protests and demonstrations can be found in a document titled “Guidelines for Assemblies on the Stevens Institute of Technology Campus,” which notes that demonstrations may not include physical or verbal intimidation or harassment, the blocking of ingresses or egresses of University facilities or properties, or obstruction or disruption of normal operations and activities of the University. Additionally, demonstrators must comply with all directives of campus police and Stevens administrators. The document also states, “it is recommended that members of the Stevens community submit a request to Kenneth Nilsen, Dean of Students, prior to any assembly.”
Part of the discussion between the organizers and Klein was the demonstration occurring in a barricade that was outside of the view of the opening ceremony. “Pushing past the fence to the event would have resulted in worse than a mere ‘misdemeanor,'” said Montalvo.
The number one concern for the organizers was everyone’s safety. “I am well aware that we played it safe,” said Montalvo, “but I am not ashamed to admit that.” Montalvo remarked that remaining in the barricades was solely for the safety of the demonstrators, while Castellanos remarked it was for everyone’s safety — not just the demonstrators.
Ultimately, the protest was faintly heard by attendees of the event. A student attending the opening remarked that it could only be heard in between speakers or when the door to the building was opened. A School of Business professor exiting the ceremony stated they were unaware of any coinciding demonstration and did not hear the demonstrators.
Despite this, the organizers of the event viewed the demonstration as a success. “Students were able to rally together about their concerns around ‘student-centricity’ through a platform that I have not seen on this campus since I have gotten here,” said Castellanos. Montalvo remarked that it connected people across the Stevens community and made the community take action. “I think that the show of support created a newfound sense of unity, and I hope its momentum continues,” said Trakhtenberg.
While the long-term reforms and actions in the proposal have not occurred yet, the demonstration is only the first step. “Direct action takes many different forms,” said Trakhtenberg. “If [the] administration doesn’t respond, it will be a lot louder.”
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