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Statement from a participant in the demonstration

This testimonial was sent to the blog by one of the participants in the demonstration. For obvious reasons, its author prefers to remain anonymous. 

On Thursday, April 27th, my friends and I had planned a peaceful demonstration in an attempt to talk to Father McShane about having a free and fair election for the adjuncts and contingent faculty. I was asked to emcee the demonstration, which I agreed to, due to my experience with public speaking. The plans for the demonstration were nothing but peaceful. Our intentions were to enter Cunniffe House in a respectful fashion and make our presence known until Father McShane agreed to speak with us. Everyone was on the same page and nobody was instructed to behave in a manner that deviated from our plan.

We reached the steps of Cunniffe House. There were public safety officers surrounding the steps and the door, but the door was nonetheless open, so from what I could see, at least 4 students found openings and got inside the doorway. I could not see the altercation inside the vestibule past the doorway, but I could sense a struggle. I heard a friend screaming and heard another friend get pushed onto the floor. I saw a public safety officer in the doorway say "ow, my leg, you're pulling on my leg,” but I do not recall seeing anyone pulling his leg.

During the demonstration, I did not act in a way that incited others to be violent. I did not encourage physical aggression against anyone. I may have been disruptive, but I was certainly not seeking to escalate the demonstration beyond a peaceful protest. The plan from the very beginning was to have a peaceful demonstration in support of the adjuncts and contingent faculty. We were also not notified by any university personnel that we needed to leave the premises.

On Friday afternoon, I received an email letting me know that “interim measures” were being pursued against me. This came in the form of my 48-hour eviction from campus, including Spring Weekend activities and being prohibited from entering my dorm. I was not asked if I had a place to stay for the weekend, leaving me virtually homeless. There is simply no way to justify banning students from housing that they or their parents pay for, without letting their parents know, mind you. This event was extremely traumatizing and upsetting for me. I was left with the initial uncertainty of where I would stay for the weekend - my parents were not home so I couldn't exactly go home. Luckily, I was taken in by two good friends of mine who live off campus. Nevertheless, the fact that the administration made 4 students temporarily homeless, and did not bother to ask if they had places to stay, shows how little it truly cares about students and their wellbeing.


As a concluding remark, I would like to mention that I am not the troublemaker that the administration has characterized me as. I am simply someone who cares deeply about the dignity and respect of others, and wishes to uphold the faculty of Fordham as stewards of the institution. As a Catholic person, I believe in the Jesuit values that Fordham advocates, but doesn't really embody, especially being someone for and with others. This is why it hurts to know that my friends and I are being scapegoated by the university, facilitated by lies spread by some of the administration. I am very hurt by the fact that Fordham has treated me like an enemy. I am not fighting the university, I am fighting for it, and what it has the potential to be. I will continue to hold the administration accountable and fight for the faculty’s right to form a union.
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