As many students know, the Gateway North building, officially Gianforte Family Hall (GFH), is named for Montana Governor Greg Gianforte. When the announcement was made in 2017 that Gianforte would be funding the construction of the new building, part of the Gateway Academic Complex, students from the former Diversity and Inclusion Committee created a boycott, discouraging any student activities from taking place in the building. The boycott was in protest of Governor Gianforte’s political policies, which the Torch Alliance says include criminalizing homosexuality, pro-life campaigns, and other policies that “work directly to harm fellow Americans.” After much consideration and thought from the Student Government Association (SGA) and its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (DEIBA) committee, they have announced that the boycott will be revamped and become a “take-back” of the space. The Stute spoke with DEIBA chairperson Dani Qira and SGA President Nick Smith to learn more.
After a few years of construction, GFH opened in December 2019 along with South Hall as part of the Gateway Academic Complex. The new center boasted state-of-the-art research facilities, lecture halls, classrooms, a café, and a large staircase for students to relax during the day and host events during the night. During construction, Governor Gianforte donated a monetary gift to Stevens to fund the erection of the new building. As a Stevens alum and an influential politician, the school accepted the donation. At the same time, Gianforte was running to be the Montana Representative in the United States Congress, and his campaign included pro-life and anti-homosexuality rhetoric. In response, members of the Stevens student population, including the Torch Alliance and the SGA, moved to start a boycott of the space and made an official statement against Gianforte and his policies.
This boycott was started in 2017, and today, seven years later, it continues with little to no traction. New generations of students are often not aware of this protest and it has been made clear that the building will not be renamed. While it has been an intentional choice, Stevens students miss out on the opportunity to use the multitude of spaces tailored to their needs in the building. Because of the limited impact the boycott was achieving and the loss of space for students, the SGA is transitioning the boycott into a “take-back” of the space. According to Smith, the boycott is not ending — it is just changing into a more impactful form.
The take-back, led by SGA’s DEIBA committee, will focus on intentionally utilizing the space for DEIBA and other LGBTQIA+ and gender identity organizations to host events. Over the next week, DEIBA will host the weekly Sunday SGA senate meeting in the space, with LGBTQIA+ decorations.
Despite their good intentions, the SGA expects some students to voicing concerns that changing tack will dilute student impact compared to the original boycott. However, Smith assures that the SGA will work with students and administration to ensure the process does not make anyone uncomfortable. Students with questions can reach out to the SGA and the DEIBA committee.
