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QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 26, 2020
DEMAND TUITION FREEZE, INSTITUTIONAL JUSTICE
At the rally, students met
at the Queens campus’ main
gate (Gate 1) before marching
down Utopia Parkway
toward Gate 6 on 172nd
Street. They then marched
down Grand Central Parkway
until they reached the
corner of Union Turnpike
and 170th Street, where the
march ended.
Back at Gate 1 before the
march began, they were
met by three police officers,
including one in an
unmarked vehicle, asking
who the protest leader was
— they responded that it
was a collective effort.
Farudh Majid, a masters
student at St. John’s
and one of the organizers
of the rally, told QNS police
followed them throughout
their march.
“We got more response
from the NYPD than SJU’s
administration,” he said.
Many students have
been calling for administrators
to address the increase
in tuition since June, questioning
the decision due to
the impact the pandemic
has placed on students and
their guardians.
Many students say administration
still hasn’t addressed
their concerns.
This prompted Majid to
call on Councilman Rory
Lancman for help. After
students spoke with the Jamaica
representative, the
lawmaker sent a letter to St.
John’s Spokesperson Brian
Browne ahead of the rally.
“I write to request a
meeting with the University
officials and the organizers
of tomorrow’s planned
rally concerning, among
other things, diversity and
inclusion at SJU, and the
organizer’s dissatisfaction
with SJU’s current efforts
and structures,” Lancman’s
letter, posted on Instagram,
read. “Many of these students
are my constituents,
and they contacted my office
for support and assistance,
particularly since
they believe their efforts
to speak with administration
officials about these
concerns, and to establish a
meaningful and collaborative
dialogue, have been unsuccessful.”
Lancman’s office
spokesperson Sam Goldsmith
told QNS they have
not received a response for a
meeting yet.
When asked about the
letter, Browne said, “We acknowledge
receiving NYC
Council member Lancman’s
letter on behalf of the students.”
The national Black Lives
Matter and police brutality
protests have resurfaced issues
of systemic racism and
institutional transparency
within the university that
students have called out in
the past.
“The issues that we are
currently confronted with
are not new to the administration
— but a recurring
fight against the issues that
have not been fixed; but we
will be the last generation of
St. John’s students who deal
with racist, bias, and discriminatory
actions within
our classes and in our campus,”
said Shaeleigh Severino,
one of the rally’s main
organizers.
St. John’s is known for
its diverse student body and
values. According to the
university’s 2020 enrollment
numbers, 48 percent of students
are white, with about
40 percent of its student population
made up of diverse
backgrounds, including
about 12 percent who identified
as Black or African-
American, 14 percent Asian,
and 13 percent Hispanic or
Latino. Four percent of it’s
student body are listed as
“non-residents,” or international
students.
In contrast, 70 percent of
faculty and administrators
are white.
The university created a
task force two years ago in
order to respond to students’
calls for faculty and administration
to reflect the student
body. But students want
to see proof of what these actions
have resulted in.
“St John’s University, a
school that prides itself with
diversity, inclusivity and
charity, has continuously
shown that their priority is
not to institutionalize these
beliefs but to propagate that
these are their ideology,”
said Ashley Narine, one of
the organizers.
When asked about the
rally and demands of the
students, Browne said, “The
university respects the right
of students to express their
concerns publicly.”
“As you know the rally
was held while the campus
is still closed due to COVID-
19 public health guidelines
and restrictions,” Browne
added. “Students who have
concerns are encouraged to
share them with the Student
Government, Inc., the duly
elected and official representatives
of undergraduate
students who are in regular
communication with the
university administration.
St. John’s University continues
its ongoing commitment
to antiracism and ensuring
student success. The university’s
Catholic and Vincentian
mission of helping
those most in need guides
its decisions in allocating
its limited resources to meet
the institution’s strategic
priorities.”
However, students have
pointed out that their calls
for meetings as well as letters
by SGI dated July 3 have
gone unanswered.
QNS did not receive a
response regarding SGI’s
letters to the administration
from the university.
On July 15, almost two
hours after the rally was
scheduled to take place at 2
p.m., students received an
internal email — obtained
and reviewed by QNS — stating
the tuition deadline was
extended another two weeks
from July 22 to Aug. 5.
Students maintain they
still have a ways to go.
Majid said that while
the rally’s organizers were
brought together by SJU
Rally, an “anonymous entity”
on social media, he has
co-founded a new, “non-university
related” organization
called SJU Radicals to
continue “fighting against
systemic injustice on
campus.”
“Until our needs are
met — each and every one
of them — we will not be silenced,”
said a student organizer,
who asked to remain
unnamed. “I want everyone
who decides to go here
to feel as safe as I do when
I am with the people in the
student body that I love so
much.”