“Let’s see Farvardin!” was among many cries repeated by 80+ members of the Stevens community protesting outside of the Gateway Academic Center this past December. The reason? According to this 13-page document, the protest was about far more than just the naming of a building. “Wellness, administrative transparency, and campus climate,” were among several concerns outlined in the “Student Centricity Reform Proposal” as the “three largest challenges facing members of the Stevens community.”
It is still uncertain whether President Farvardin has received the proposal, but according to Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Marybeth Murphy, “the proposal has been shared with the President’s Cabinet,” and she has also personally reviewed it after receiving it on the night of the protest.
Adrian Castellanos, one of the proposal writers, stated that both he and Samantha Molla (SGA Vice President and President, respectively) would be meeting with VP Murphy next week to discuss the contents of the proposal. He stated, “As with anything, there were criticisms, but I feel like there was general support [from students] for the document,” and that they would be trying to advocate for the more “tangible things […] such as Smoking, STI Testing, Gender Neutral restrooms, faculty modules, and improving whatever else possible.”
The proposal, although not directly from the SGA as an entity, is credited to Adrian Castellanos, Nasir Montalvo, and Eli Trakhtenberg (the first two are heavily involved with the SGA as Vice President and D&I Committee Chair, respectively). “It is most effective if proposals and initiatives come to the administration through the SGA, since they are the elected representatives of the students,” said Murphy, in an email response to The Stute. However, evidence of previous SGA Proclamations that led to no response from administrators would signify otherwise.
Wellness Initiatives
Wellness Initiatives took up three full pages in the proposal. The topics included the recently-formed Task Force on Mental Health, the efficacy of the CARE team, disregard for smoking on campus, lack of STI testing for students, and not enough gender-neutral restrooms.
| Topics | Details | Criticisms outlined in the proposal |
| Task Force on Mental Health | Originally announced in July of 2019 via an email from President Farvardin, would have 25 members assigned with the goal of developing recommendations to “reduce the stigma associated with mental illness on our campus and to encourage our students to seek counseling and support.” Since then, the task force met twice (once in September and once in December) and released one update in November. | The proposal questions the credibility of the JED seal, criticizes the lack of minutes and transparency regarding the conversations had during the meetings, and calls for a public re-assessment of the accessibility of CAPS and its resources. |
| CARE Team | The CARE team is comprised of Stevens administrators that meet regularly to review CARE Reports, or submissions related to “disruptive or harmful” student behavior. They then meet with the student in question and connect them to the resources that they need (academic, counseling, medical, etc.) to resolve the problem. They do not function as an emergency resource, but rather as a “support system for students in crisis.” | The proposal claims the CARE Team has fallen short, and that its efficacy and accountability are difficult to track due to its “anonymous nature.” They credit it as possibly being helpful in concept, but claim that without student input on the system or on the team itself, it does “more harm than good.” |
| Smoking | According to the Stevens Student Handbook, “Smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of all campus buildings, including but not limited to individual offices and rooms; athletic and sporting facilities; spectator areas at outdoor university events; university-owned vehicles; shuttle buses and vans; dining facilities, theaters and concert halls; partially enclosed areas, such as archways, weather-protected rams and tents; and outdoor dining areas.” | The proposal points out that the policy is currently not being enforced, and that there are no clear consequences to hold community members accountable if they violate the policy. It also brings attention to a SGA Proclamation from October 2017 requesting that the administration do something about the issue. |
| STI Testing | STI testing is not something Stevens currently offers. Stevens Torch Alliance attempted to bring free STI testing in the form of an event open to all students last semester, but it was canceled by Stevens administrators. “Student organizations cannot bring medical providers to campus without approval,” said Sara Klein, in a previous comment to The Stute. As a result, the event was canceled. “Stevens must ensure that those contracted to provide this service meet specific requirements to ensure accuracy, safety, and follow-up care,” said Klein. | The proposal calls Stevens “behind other US colleges” in its offerings related to sexual health and wellness, and states that administrators have not proactively followed up with any progress despite multiple attempts from students to bring testing to campus. |
| Gender-Neutral Restrooms | Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed an executive order in April 2018 stating that all single-occupancy restrooms in Hoboken have to be gender-neutral. | The proposal brings attention to a previous SGA proclamation from Fall 2017 urging Stevens to convert all single-occupancy restrooms on campus to be gender-neutral. It also states that there are still 22 restrooms on campus with the potential to be converted. |
Administrative Transparency
The second focus of the proposal was on administrative transparency (or rather, lack thereof).
| Topics | Details | Criticisms outlined in the proposal |
| Stevens Hack | Stevens faced a cyberattack in August of 2019, leaving many departments and offices out of commission prior to the Fall semester. Key services for students such as e-billing and registrar had their services repaired first, and recovery efforts continued through the Fall semester and are still ongoing. | The proposal links a thread from /r/stevens and states, “students feel overwhelmingly that the way the hack is being handled is a disservice to them as students, soon to be working professionals, and funders of this institution.” |
| Financial Contributions to Gianforte Campaign | According to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), several Stevens administrators made monetary contributions to Gianforte’s congressional election committee, “Greg For Montana.” The contributions are dated past the initial center-naming announcement made by Farvardin in December 2016. | Based on these filings, the proposal accuses President Farvardin and former Chair of the Board of Trustees, Virginia Ruesterholz, of being incapable of making a re-naming decision that was objective. |
| Naming of building | The Center attracted lots of negative publicity for being named after Greg Gianforte, the notoriously anti-LGBT Montana House Representative, who was also involved in a controversial incident in which he “body-slammed” a reporter. Student protests caused the building to be renamed from the Gianforte Academic Center to the Gianforte Family Academic Center. | The proposal suggests that the name change is negligible in addressing the concerns that existed due to the Gianforte name. Additionally, it claims that the decision was made using flawed justification. |
Campus Climate
The final section of the proposal highlights issues related to campus climate, including the lack of student spaces, campus resources, and training modules.
| Topics | Details | Criticisms outlined in the proposal |
| Intercultural Space | The Diversity and Inclusion committee of the Student Government Association surveyed the student body to gauge interest for an Intercultural Center. Due to space limitations on campus, the committee was able to work with administrators to get an Intercultural Space in the Student Center. | The proposal agrees that the Space is a “step for a more inclusive Stevens,” but brings attention to the fact that minority students had to seek approval from a “majority” of the student body before their needs were considered. It also defends that collecting quantitative data should not be the job of students, and that qualitative data should be considered during conversations as well. |
| Prayer Space | In the former student center, Jacobus, the Newman/MECA storage room was designated as a prayer space. With the building gone, there is no room left specifically dedicated to faith or religious-based organizations. The Intercultural Center Proclamation also cited a need for a prayer space based on survey results. | The proposal argues that despite space concerns, Stevens was unable to meet the needs of students. |
| Diversity Education | Diversity Education is responsible for many programs at Stevens such as heritage months, awareness weeks, affinity luncheons, Safe Zone Ally training, facilitated discussions, workshops, and invited guest speakers. Through this programming, the Office of Undergraduate Student Life seeks to “foster a deeper understanding of equity and inclusion, cultivate safe(r) spaces, and empower Stevens students, faculty, and staff.” Jacquis Watters, the former Diversity Educator, left Stevens in the Fall of 2018 to pursue a new role at Columbia. | The proposal recalls the time when there was no diversity educator at Stevens where Diversity Education was understaffed and unable to complete all of the aforementioned objectives. After a long search and interview process, Lilianna Delman was hired to become the Diversity Educator in March of 2019. |
| Title IX Coordinator | Any educational institution that receives federal funding must comply with Title IX and its policies, which requires that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Stevens’ designated Title IX coordinator Thea Zunick resigned in the Fall of 2018. | The proposal cites anonymous survivors of assault who were not properly supported while Stevens was searching for a replacement Title IX coordinator. |
| Faculty Training Modules | According to Lucas Gallo, former SGA President and proponent of the training modules, it was promised that these modules would be made mandatory by President Farvardin at the beginning of Fall 2018. However, in March of 2019 Provost Christophe Pierre responded in a letter, saying that “after having time to think further and consult with our professional colleagues, we have decided to offer these trainings as a continuous resource rather than a mandatory training.” | The proposal criticizes administrators for taking back the promise to implement mandatory training modules. |
| Safe Zone Training | Stevens Safe Zone Ally Program is a campus-wide initiative designed to educate Stevens community members on LGBTQ+ identity and current injustices impacting the LGBTQ+ community, as well as visibly identify Stevens staff, students, and faculty who seek to support the campus’ LGBTQ+ population. | The proposal states that the existing modules “proved ineffective from removing bias based on gender identity and sexual orientation on campus.” |
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