Efforts for Stevens to rename Gianforte Family Hall continue through summer 2021, students organize initiatives

This summer, students are again pushing for Gianforte Family Hall (GFH) to be renamed. Also known as the Gateway Academic Center, GFH was named in 2017 after Montana Governor Greg Gianforte ‘83 due to sizable donations he made to Stevens. Students immediately voiced concerns similar to current criticism. Currently, student efforts are ranging from an ongoing petition to eventually writing a proclamation directed towards administration. 

On May 17, Nasir Montalvo ‘21 created a petition on change.org “asking Stevens Institute of Technology to remove Greg Gianforte’s name from Gianforte Family Hall.” As of June 12, the petition has over 1,150 signatures. 

In an interview with The Stute, Montalvo explained his motivation behind starting the petition. They stated, “I found out he [Gianforte] passed the anti-trans sports ban – a ban that was heavy on my radar since it was spread nationwide.” After learning about the ban, and other recent bills including ones that limit abortion rights, Montalvo “felt the Gianforte issue wasn’t properly resolved when I was a student […] Now that I’m an alum and don’t have the same barriers I did before, I want to make sure this doesn’t go unanswered once again.” 

Montalvo additionally expressed that “administration has used the excuse over and over again that there is one proper channel to make change – the SGA. Despite this, many proclamations we’ve sent before have gone unanswered or denied. The impact of this proclamation must re-evaluate that channel […] Stevens’ approach to diversity only extends to recruitment. Meaning once underrepresented populations get here, there are no resources for them. For LGBT students, that means signing a purple ‘Coming Out’ door in October and asking for your university to acknowledge your rights two months later at a protest.”

Following Montalvo’s petition, the Stevens for Solidarity GroupMe chat became active with others wanting to get involved. On May 30, a meeting to discuss initiatives was organized by SGA President and Vice President of Operations, Liana Meyer ‘23 and Julieann Murphy ‘23, respectively, along with current Chairperson of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (DNI) Vivian Touch ‘23. 

Initiatives discussed during the meeting included a goal of 2,000 signatures on the petition, seeking support and aid from the wider Hoboken community, curating a list of alumni who pledge not to donate to Stevens until the issue is resolved, and creating a pledge for student organizations to boycott GFH until it is renamed. The ultimate goal is to then write a proclamation to administration sometime around September 2021; this will be the second written proposal attempt regarding the renaming of GFH after one was written in 2019 prior to the #WeWillNotSITBy campus protest. 

Touch explained to The Stute that DNI’s involvement in the initiatives taken during this summer are very similar to last summer’s Stevens for Solidarity efforts. She noted that they’re working on having a “streamlined and efficient process” for the current initiatives to allow students to get involved depending on their interests. Additionally, she expressed to current and incoming students that “while students from marginalized identities may not historically be heard at the institutional level of this university there are students and organizations on campus who are there to uplift, support, and empower them!” 

Within the SGA, Meyer and Murphy are actively working on writing the planned proclamation to ensure Stevens “acts on its promise to be an inclusive, stigma-free environment.” Referring to the first foundational pillar of Stevens’ mission on student centricity, Meyer and Murphy emphasized their hope for the proclamation to be “one change that will reduce the harm that is inflicted on LGBTQ+ and other marginalized students, while not negatively impacting any students, staff, or faculty on campus.” 

Touch additionally emphasized that she hopes this protest will empower incoming students by serving “as a paradigm for future social justice initiatives no matter how grand or small,” reinforcing student centricity at Stevens by not being afraid “to make waves and challenge ideas and issues that are deemed problematic.” Montalvo expects the current efforts to represent a change in how administration addresses student concerns in the future, and to be a potential gateway to other initiatives, such as “free STD/STI testing, [and] an expansion of our mental health services.”

Read past Stute articles and content relating to this topic:

1. The first petition that followed the naming of GFH (04/07/17)
2. President Farvardin and BoT members made contributions to Gianforte’s political campaign (10/13/17)
3. Students and alumni attempt to raise money to replace Gianforte’s donations (10/20/17)
4. BoT makes decision on the naming of GFH (10/29/17)
5. Behind the finances of GFH (11/16/18)
6. Coverage of planning of #WeWillNotSITBy protest (12/6/19)
7. Coverage of #WeWillNotSITBy protest (12/20/19) 
8. Summary of the first written proposal: Student Centricity Reform Proposal (1/31/20)
9. Nasir Montalvo’s Opinion piece on organizing the #WeWillNotSITBy protest (3/13/20)