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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume CIX, Issue 4
FREE
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 13, 2024
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Stephen Squeri, Responds to MC CFA’s Vote of No Confidence Grace Cardinal Editor-in-Chief
MC Seniors Toast to 100 Days Until Graduation @MCSTUDENTENGAGE INSTAGRAM/ COURTESY
Ronald Gray Transitions Away From Manhattan College Isaiah Rosario Sports Editor
Ronald Gray, Ph.D., vice president of student life and dean of students, will be transitioning away from Manhattan College after over a year and a half at the helm of student life leadership, as announced in an email sent from the Office of the President last week. The main reason Gray decided to transition away from the college was due to him wanting to be more present for his family, especially as his kids are getting older. Despite his transition away from MC, Gray hopes to continue working with students and making sure they are
IN NEWS:
Alumna Receives Prestigious Payne Fellowship on pg. 5
successful no matter where he goes. He joked in his interview with The Quadrangle, saying that working with students keeps him young and keeps him up to date. “My team has been freaking amazing,” Gray said. “They’re just high-quality people, highquality professionals. I can’t say enough about them and how much they love the students and support the students. I love the students and how they’ve embraced me and all the things that they’ve done for me and with us. It’s just an amazing ride.” Gray told The Quadrangle that he expects to leave his position sometime in the coming months. There is no negative association between the college and Gray as he
IN FEATURES:
Seniors Raise a Glass to 100 Days to Graduation on pg. 8
“treasures every moment of working here.” During Gray’s tenure at MC, he would have liked to see a couple more things come to fruition. He highlighted the need to see more student organizations develop and grow, such as fraternity and sorority life. Furthermore, Gray gave praise to the student-athletes within the college. Gray stated that with the amount of work that they put in, they should be celebrated for their accomplishments. “I just hope that our students, no matter whether it’s soccer, lacrosse, baseball or basketball, that [athletes] continue to engage with __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Last week, Manhattan College faculty took part in a vote of no confidence against President Milo Riverso, Ph.D. Out of 210 full-time faculty members, 147 participated in the vote, which resulted in 89% casting a vote of no confidence in Riverso, as first published by The Riverdale Press. Additionally, 7% abstained from voting, and only 4% expressed disagreement with the motion. The motion of no confidence was sent to the Board of Trustees and the president on Jan. 29. In the motion, the faculty cited that their decision stemmed from four different concerns. First was that, “The administration terminated faculty on the grounds of financial distress without providing tenured faculty with the notification and severance as contractually required by the Faculty Handbook.” The rest of the section went on to explain that the administration was “acting upon the claim that tenured faculty have fewer rights and protections than non-tenured faculty,” another direct breach of the Faculty Handbook. The second point covered the administration’s “blatant disregard” of the Faculty Handbook, which states that faculty have the right to oversee curricular decisions, including the decision administration made in Jan. to eliminate 20 programs. The faculty claimed, “This will undermine some of the
IN A&E:
Jasper Jams: Valentine’s Day Edition on pg. 10
college’s distinctive strengths, such as our ability to meet a variety of student interests and needs, and undermine our ability to survive the current crisis.” Third, faculty members stated that the administration has refused to adhere to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) definition of tenure, as reported in the Riverdale Press. The AAUP’s definition of tenure combined with the definition listed in the Faculty Handbook also listed specific protections to which tenured professors are entitled under the 1940 Statement. According to the AAUP’s website, “A tenured appointment is an indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency and program discontinuation.” Lastly, the faculty addressed the lack of transparency from administration. Faculty also cited the sudden shift from a “last in, first out” policy to arbitrary reasons for termination, including laying off faculty based on their enrollment numbers and course caps compared to others. The letter from the faculty made it clear that President Riverso’s recent hospitalization due to a hip injury after a fall was not a factor in their decision to petition. The motion garnered a response from Stephen Squeri, chair of the Manhattan College __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
IN SPORTS:
Track and Field Impresses at Championship on pg. 11