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McShane discusses the ‘saddest moment’ of his presidency and his deep love for the Fordham community

MCSHANE from page 1

Efforts as a Visionary

When McShane came to Fordham as the university president in 2003, the FLC campus was in its earliest phase, and one of his goals was to help expand the campus.

“It’s my belief and my hope that everyone at Lincoln Center, every student at Lincoln Center, has to feel that he or she has access to everything that Rose Hill has,” McShane said in an interview with The Observer in 2003.

At that time, the FLC campus mirrored its footprint from the 1960s — seven acres filled by the Law School, the Leon Lowenstein Center, Quinn Library and McMahon Hall with its 822 beds. Built for 3,500 students, it was serving 8,000 by the turn of the century.

McShane and the board of trustees developed a “master plan” to address the facility needs at Lincoln Center as well as anticipate the future.

The blueprint intended to double the size of the campus through expanding the Quinn Library, reconstructing the Law School building, adding a new student center, dormitory and additional parking — seven new buildings in total. Fordham faced criticism and legal action from neighbors, but the plan was approved by the city and finalized in 2014.

In a press conference with The Observer on Nov. 11, 2021, McShane outlined further plans to add more elevators to the Leon Lowenstein building, as well as expand its footprint to make room for the growing enrollment sizes, arguing that “we still don’t have enough” space on campus.

Under McShane, enrollment rates increased, and the university expanded beyond New York. Fordham’s London Centre campus opened in 2008, and the Class of 2025 is the largest and most diverse class in Fordham’s history.

Vote of “No Confidence” and Student Relations

“That is the saddest moment of my presidency.”

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President of Fordham University

COURTESY OF DANA MAXSON VIA FORDHAM NEWS Speaking with students and their families during move-in day was something McShane often did to get to know his Fordham community better.

The past 19 years, however, haven’t been all positive.

In September 2016, a move by the university to overturn a previously agreed-upon contract without the approval of the Salary and Benefits committee caused an infamous tear in the president’s relationship with faculty and staff.

The Faculty Senate stated that the administration violated university statutes, and on April 7, 2017, the senate approved a motion stating the imposed health care plan “would result in significantly increased costs for faculty and staff and would threaten their health, well-being, and incomes.”

After a series of failed negotiations between the administration and the faculty, 431 out of 488 faculty members voted for “no confidence” in McShane.

“That is the saddest moment of my presidency,” McShane said, reflecting on the first, and only, time the university’s Faculty Senate ever voted no confidence in a president.

A year after the vote took place, Andrew H. Clark, a faculty senate officer during the “no confidence” vote and current professor at Fordham, said not much has changed in the conduct of negotiations between the Faculty Senate and the president and Board of Trustees.

The issue of shared governance — the principle that both the faculty and the administration have separate areas of responsibilities — was at the root of the “no confidence” vote, and it continues to present itself in faculty-president relations today, according to Faculty Senate President John Drummond.

Members who advocate for shared governance believe that faculty should have “a substantial voice, even if it’s not decisive in terms of making the final decisions,” Drummond said.

Even though he was disappointed by the vote, McShane made it clear in the aftermath that “it didn’t diminish the high regard and affection that I have for the faculty.”

“There’s also a genuine friendship that many people have with Father McShane,” Drummond said. “He is quite a storyteller and has a great sense of humor, and I think that he cares deeply about the university, its faculty and its students.”

McShane created traditions to get to know the students and faculty at Fordham, such as helping first-year families at Rose Hill on move-in day and shaking every student’s hand at the President’s Ball.

Thomas Reuter, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’22 and president of United Student Government (USG) at Rose Hill, said he developed a friendship with McShane through his positions on USG. When he would see McShane around on campus, McShane would stop to have a conversation with him.

“I think his interactions are kind of dual purpose,” Reuter said. “One is very welcoming and compassionate, and the other is extraordinarily motivating or inspiring.”

Not all students experience the same engagement with the president. Students at the Lincoln Center campus expressed having fewer interactions with McShane.

“I think he’s a lot less accessible to you if you’re at the Lincoln Center campus,” Zann BallsunSimms, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’16, said.

Ballsun-Simms, who was a social justice leader with Fordham’s Dorothy Day Center and president of the Black Student Alliance, also noted that she felt McShane tended to surround himself with students in more traditional leadership roles, such as USG.

In response to his perceived elusiveness on campus, McShane acknowledged: “At Lincoln Center, at Rose Hill: I can do better at both.”

Racial Injustice

The year 2020 brought attention to systemic racism and the ongoing fight for the Black Lives Matter movement. Fordham’s history with racism on campus dates back long before 2020, with a particular rise in racist incidents during the 2015-16 academic year.

During the fall 2015 semester, three “bias incidents” were reported, including a racist slur carved on a Black student’s door at Rose Hill and a swastika carved into a bathroom dryer at Lincoln Center. In light of these incidents, six students were invited to speak at the Faculty Senate meeting in November 2015 to address the institutionalized racism at Fordham.

After the swastika was found in a bathroom at FLC, McShane addressed the incident in a university-wide email denouncing the white supremacist reference and noted that “We will continue to repudiate such actions whenever they occur, and rise above them.”

Among the students who spoke was Ballsun-Simms. “I’m tired of not feeling safe in my own home, because Fordham is my home,” she said.

Present at the meeting were McShane and Stephen Freedman, university provost at the time. Ballsun-Simms recalled being close to tears while giving her testimony. After the students spoke, McShane offered a statement at the meeting: “There is no place for prejudice at Fordham, period.”

Ballsun-Simms said following the meeting there was some response from the university, but it was “not as strong as it could have been.”

In 2016, McShane released a diversity action plan that created a new senior administrative position, the chief diversity officer, which was filled by Rafael Zapata in 2017; placed priority on diversifying administrative positions and faculty members; and incorporated diversity and inclusion programs into student orientation.

Ballsun-Simms felt that McShane’s action plan and statement was a softer approach than the situation necessitated. She wished McShane took more concrete actions, such as condemning the incidents publicly as hate crimes and expelling the students who were involved.

According to Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications and special adviser to the president, the president doesn’t usually interfere with a student or faculty disciplinary process. He said these circumstances are governed by federal and state laws and that it would be unethical for a president to involve oneself.

“In subsequent years, it’s been clear that what I said and what my fellow students said meant nothing,” Ballsun-Simms said, referring to the continued reports of students on campus who have experienced discrimination by members of the Fordham community.

In light of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, McShane renewed the 2016 action plan, expanding it to include instituting mandatory anti-racism training for faculty, administrators, staff and students, as well as establishing Juneteenth as a university holiday.

McShane also released a statement praying for the families mourning the losses of their children and loved ones and for the ones who had died. His statement received pushback from students who demanded more than “thoughts and prayers.”

Several student petitions were created over the past two years since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 demanding the university follow through with cutting ties with the food vendor Aramark, whose income comes from private prisons, and severing Public Safety’s ties with the NYPD. At the Nov. 11 press conference, in response to these issues still being unaddressed by the university, McShane asked for more information on the issues and stated “together we can seek certain information.”

He noted that other departments receive these petitions and sometimes he is debriefed during his meetings, but the vice presidents are the ones who deal more closely with the policies affecting students.

McShane is choosing to have little involvement with the search for his successor and gave little information about whom he would like to see in the position next.

The university made the historic announcement on Jan. 21 that the next president will not be a Jesuit, breaking Fordham’s tradition since its founding in 1841.

Even though McShane didn’t provide any personal characteristics he would like to see in the next president, he did stress the importance of the next president being willing to listen.

“The next person can make a new beginning based on my mistakes,” he said.

The full version of this article is published on The Observer’s website.

“In subsequent years, it’s been clear that what I said and what my fellow students said meant nothing.”

Zann Ballsun-Simms, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’16

Out of 211 respondents to the survey, 43.1% want Fordham to implement a hybrid option for classes

SPRING from page 1

New Safety Measures

Fordham announced new safety measures to be implemented for the spring semester in an email sent on Jan. 3. Two of the changes from the fall semester included requiring all on-campus students, faculty and staff to receive their booster dose and submit a PCR test by Jan. 23.

The Observer conducted an anonymous survey on Jan. 16 about student opinions on returning in person and received 211 responses by Jan. 27. In the survey, many students expressed their concerns regarding Fordham’s booster exemptions.

When Fordham announced that students, faculty and staff would be required to be fully vaccinated to return to campus for the fall 2021 semester, they also stated that people may be accommodated if they had documented proof of a medical or religious exemption.

According to Keith Eldredge, assistant vice president and dean of students, the only new exemptions that exist for the booster requirement are for those who had extreme reactions to the first or second dose of their primary vaccination series or for those for whom it would be harmful to their health to receive the booster.

One of the reasons for extension is eligibility. Individuals become eligible for the booster five months after they received their second dose. When one becomes eligible, Eldredge said they are given a two-week window to receive their booster dose.

“Sometimes people will have had a reaction and don’t want to go to class the next day; they want to do it on a Tuesday since they have a light class load on Wednesday or whatever it may be,” he said. “So we will give folks two weeks after that.”

Aside from the extension for those not yet eligible, Fordham will also allow an extension for those who have recently had COVID-19. The most common extension after a COVID-19 infection is one month, according to Eldredge.

“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guideline says, generally, once you are out of isolation and symptom free, folks could get it, but if they send us a doctor’s note that says, ‘Hey, I want my patient to wait a month because of this circumstance,’ then they are getting that exception,” Eldredge said. “It seems like we will be back to 99 percent with the booster within a few weeks.”

During the 2020-21 academic year, the university implemented monthly surveillance testing for all in-person students, faculty and staff. Many of the respondents to the survey expressed that they would like to see surveillance testing return this semester.

Students had differing opinions on how often the surveillance testing should be conducted, with most wanting it every one to two weeks. One student said Fordham should do weekly testing and “not once a month, as is Fordham’s precedent.”

On Jan. 27, Marco Valera, vice president for administration and COVID-19 coordinator, announced that Fordham will be implementing surveillance testing again this semester. All on-campus students, faculty and staff will be required to test again before Feb. 13.

Eldredge explained that one of the considerations with surveillance testing was how frequent it can be. Many students in the survey suggested weekly testing but, according to Eldredge, that would not be possible due to the testing shortages.

“We are trying to balance between having the capacity to do the testing while also having it be reasonably effective,” he said. “Once a semester testing isn’t really sufficient. Once a week testing probably isn’t possible, especially now with testing results taking longer to come back from off campus (testing).” In addition to testing and boosters, Fordham dining places will offer additional to-go options, and events will not be permitted to have food or drink until further notice to limit opportunities for unmasking.

Fitness centers — with the exception of the Ram Fit Center at Rose Hill, which reopened on Jan. 28 — are also closed. Eldredge noted closing the gyms was the “most controversial decision” that the administration made.

New policies for the Ram Fit Center at Rose Hill include occupancy limits, social distancing requirements and indoor masking. The McMahon Gym at Lincoln Center will remain closed until further notice.

Masks continue to be required on campus, with free KN95s made available to all students, faculty and staff by Public Safety. Many students in the survey wanted individuals on campus to be required to wear N95s or KN95s, as they offer more protection than other masks, according to the CDC. Other students worried about students not wearing their masks correctly and the mask mandate not being enforced adequately.

“On the one hand, it is not solely the responsibility of the students to police each other, but I do think that peer-to-peer pressure from students can have an impact on that in a positive way,” Eldredge said. “And we certainly rely on students and other faculty, staff and employees to address that in the best way that they can and then tap into other resources.”

“We are trying to balance between having the capacity to do the testing while also having it be reasonably effective.”

Keith Eldredge, assistant vice president and dean of students

Survey demographics only11%

of respondents supported a fully in-person semester

“As students we deserve the highest level of education possible, and online learning simply does not achieve this.”

a survey respondent

Student Response

After the decision to return to in-person classes was announced, students advocated for a hybrid learning option. They listed the need for a virtual modality for those who test positive for COVID-19 and are not allowed to attend classes, as well as for those who are immunocompromised or have high-risk family members.

In the survey from The Observer, many other students also advocated for a hybrid option to be implemented. Of the 211 respondents, 43.1% stated that there should be a hybrid option.

“As a commuter student who lives with immunocompromised individuals, I feel that going back to campus at this time is incredibly dangerous,” a respondent said. “From my experience last semester on campus, I know that safety precautions are not being taken seriously by students or staff members.”

Other respondents, 39.8%, wished Fordham started virtually and then made a decision later.

“This will only make cases go up,” another student in the survey said. Other students echoed this sentiment, with one stating, “right now Fordham is risking lives.”

On the two extremes of the options, 4.3% of respondents said that the semester should be entirely online, whereas 11.8% said that the semester should continue completely in person.

A student who voted for the semester being online said they still have lasting effects from a COVID-19 infection and would “most likely be unable to attend classes unless they allow a virtual option.”

Other students voted for having a semester in person due to Fordham’s high tuition.

“To have the semester online is a slap in the face to the families and students who pay to attend Fordham. As students we deserve the highest level of education possible, and online learning simply does not achieve this,” a respondent said. “With the entirety of the student body vaccinated, boosted, and masked, being in the buildings and classrooms serves no serious health risk.”

In the email sent on Jan. 10 announcing the return to in-person classes, President of Fordham University the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., explained that the decision came from guidance suggesting that the omicron variant is “far less likely to cause severe disease, especially within a fully vaccinated community.” Additionally, McShane stated the desire to provide the best education is what led in-person classes to resume.

Faculty Response

After the decision to return in person was announced, the Faculty Senate held a special meeting on Friday, Jan. 14, to discuss the return to in-person classes for the spring semester. Senate Faculty President John Drummond explained that one of the major concerns for faculty is the ventilation in older buildings, as well as the use of public transportation for the commute.

At the meeting, they passed a resolution to allow professors to choose how they teach for the first two weeks of the spring semester, according to Drummond. The resolution was rejected by the Fordham administration.

In response to the resolution, Dennis Jacobs, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, sent an email to all faculty explaining the decision. In the email, Jacobs stated that the decision to remain completely in person, in comparison to previous semesters that were virtual or hybrid, came from the ability to have the student body both vaccinated and boosted, as well as the omicron variant’s “reduced virulence.”

“The vast majority of cases have arisen among students, and a majority of those have been traced back to unmasked socializing off campus,” Jacobs said. “A rather smaller number is attributed to contact among roommates and suitemates.”

As February arrives, health officials remain hopeful that the omicron variant will slow down. However, although the experience with the omicron variant in South Africa and Australia ended in a sharp decline, health officials are encouraging New Yorkers to continue to exercise caution to avoid an increase in cases.