April 5, 2024

 

SGA Announces 'Take Back' Campaign for Gateway North 

 

From: Student Government Association

 

To: Stevens Undergraduate Students
 

It is the mission of the SGA to advocate for fostering an inclusive environment for students of all identities. The Student Government Association (SGA) is announcing a campaign to take back the Gateway North building for student activities as an evolution from a boycott started in protest of the donor of the space.  

The Gateway North building was named The Gianforte Family Hall following a $20 million donation from Greg Gianforte ’83 and his family trust. As an elected official and the current governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte has supported initiatives that actively harm and misrepresent marginalized identities. These positions are inconsistent with the inclusive and supportive environment Stevens aims to create for all members of our community, including marginalized groups. All areas of our campus—including the Gateway Building—must adhere to the high standard of inclusivity and belonging to which we as a community aspire. 

Following the Stevens Board of Trustees decision to name the Gianforte Family Hall in 2017, a group of student advocates mobilized 1500 members of our community to petition the Board’s decision to name the building after the Gianforte family. A champion of the protest was the SGA’s Diversity and Inclusion committee. The committee swiftly acted by calling for a boycott of The Gianforte Family Hall for student activities and events.  

Our role as the SGA is to empower students and advocate for an excellent and inclusive student experience. We have had many successes in this area, but there is always more work to do. Because of this, it is time to redirect our efforts to make the Gateway North Building a space in which students feel comfortable. At this time, the SGA endorses the use of the space so students can leverage all available resources to create an excellent student experience. The name on the building cannot inhibit the free expression of our identities as students.  

The SGA, specifically the DEIBA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belongingness, and Accessibility) committee, formerly the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, is now taking action to make the Gateway North building a space in which all students feel included.   

Since the onset of student advocacy, the university administration and the SGA have worked in tandem to further empower students and preserve the university’s culture of innovation and inclusion. As we move forward, here are some of the efforts that are accomplished and underway: 

  • Improved due diligence process for large gifts and donations: Inspired by student advocacy, the Board of Trustees revised its policy to include consideration of the donor’s reputation, the university’s needs, the core values of the university, and any real or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting a gift. Additionally, gifts that are overly restrictive, do not align with our strategic plans, inhibit academic freedom, are harmful to our reputation, or that have overly burdensome reporting requirements may be declined by the university.  
  • Events and programming: The SGA has developed programming including a demonstration that will invite students back to the space this Sunday 4/7 at 7pm in the Gateway North building. Additionally, efforts will continue by encouraging organizations to host programs and events in the space.  
  • Prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion: In its strategic plan, the university has two goals dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion and fostering strong university culture. This led to the development of an office focused around facilitating student belonging and includes the measurement of our progress toward fostering inclusion. 
  • Well-developed first-year experience: The primary goal of first-year experience is to help students find belonging. The SGA is organizing new orientation programming, additional research on the needs of first year students, and more student activities directed toward first year students. 
  • Advocate for better institutional governance: Students must be represented at all levels of university leadership. The SGA is committed to bolstering relationships with the President’s Leadership Cabinet and Young Alumni Trustees. Improving institutional governance efforts promotes aligning the interests and values of students with the strategic imperatives of the university to ensure students are accurately represented.  

We are committed to our obligation to challenge faculty, staff, and university leadership to best represent the needs of students. The reclaiming of the Gateway North building is a step toward empowering students of all identities to make a historically challenging space one that all students feel included in. 

If you have feedback, questions, or would like to get involved in our change efforts, you are encouraged to attend our public SGA Meeting on 4/7 at 7pm in Gateway North 103 or contact sga@stevens.edu. 

View this email online.