By Erin Shanahan
Fordham students and faculty walked out of class last Wednesday and joined thousands of other students across the nation this past Wednesday protesting gun violence. It was both a tribute to the victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting and a protest of current gun regulations.
Rose Hill students gathered on Edward’s Parade in an event sponsored by United Student Government (USG). Neil Joyce, FCRH’19, organized Rose Hill’s walkout. He said it was essential for Fordham to stand with other schools.
“It was essential that we show solidarity with high schools and colleges across the nation, and bring the issue to the view of students, faculty and administration at Fordham,” said Joyce.
The Rose Hill walkout took shape after Eliza Putnam, FCLC ’18, a Lincoln Center student organizer, approached Joyce about a cross-school effort. Joyce said he contacted Christopher Rodgers, dean of students; Jeffrey Gray, vice president of student life; Brian Reardon, FCRH ’18, president of USG and Abigail Kedik, FCRH ’18, vice president of USG to organize the effort.
The walkout spanned the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, with students from Fordham College Rose Hill, Fordham College Lincoln Center and Fordham Law coming together to plan the demonstration.
About 100 students gathered together on Edward’s Parade at 10 a.m. to memorialize fallen students and demand stricter gun laws in America. At 10:10 a.m., they observed 17 minutes of silence, in commemoration of the 17 students and teachers killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. For each minute that passed, Reardon and Kedik rang the victory bell in front of the Rose Hill Gym.
“I hope that more people are motivated to work for just gun reform and that this is only the beginning for us as students of Fordham to motivate citizens and policymakers to advocate and enact gun reform that ensures the safety of all Americans,” said Joyce.
The walkout followed a statement released by Father McShane supporting demonstrations against gun violence.
“The leadership of Fordham University, and indeed all people of good will, are horrified by the losses of innocent lives in the Parkland shooting, as well as the many other school shootings that have occurred in recent years,” McShane wrote to the student body. “The University stands with Fordham students who demonstrate against this horrific violence, as do so many students across the country.”
Prior to the walkout, USG released a statement. It said they were inspired by Fordham’s Jesuit tradition and motivated by the student activists Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“We would like to stand in solidarity and take up responsibility as changemakers that this world needs,” said the statement.
Kedik said she viewed assisting advocacy as a responsibility of USG.
“Gun violence has been an issue in the U.S. for a very long time,” said Kedik. “As USG, it’s our responsibility to give the people who want to advocate for others and advocate for the greater good a space to do so. It was important that we listened to the student body and helped students to take a stand against this.”
Declan Murphy, FCRH ’18, a student who participated in the walkout, said he felt the biggest problem facing gun law reform is apathy and inaction on social and political levels.
“We see people who are are willing to do little more than talk safe thoughts and prayers and to not make substantive change happen, and this has been going on for too long for it to say to stay the same status quo,” he said. “We’re really at a breaking point here.”
