Three high-ranking student leaders at Fordham University, who wish to remain anonymous, have submitted a petition and separate letters of no confidence against Assistant Dean for Student Involvement Catharine McGlade. The letter alleges mismanagement, administrative delays and a failure to adequately support student organizations. The letters and petition were submitted to Fordham President Tania Tetlow’s office on Jan. 17.
By the time the petition was sent, it had received 123 signatures. The signatories include United Student Government (USG) representatives, leaders of pre-professional organizations, cultural groups, community service initiatives, and members of Fordham’s orientation leadership.
The letter was organized by one former high-ranking member of USG, a second former high-ranking member of USG and an Office of Student Involvement (OSI) student employee, FCRH ’25. The students have requested to remain anonymous, citing a fear of retaliation. The petition details failures within OSI, alleging McGlade’s actions have delayed club approvals, disrupted advocacy efforts and hindered event planning.
According to organizers, the petition was a last-resort measure after repeated attempts to address concerns through administrative channels had not worked.
“This wasn’t an impulsive decision. We tried to work within the system for over a year, but we were constantly met with delays or silence,” the OSI employee said. “At some point, we had no choice but to make this public and ensure the administration could no longer ignore what’s happening.”
The petition’s signers state they have faced delayed approvals, lack of communication and administrative neglect during McGlade’s tenure. Some students also cite concerns over her handling of a now disproven Title IX-related allegation within the orientation program.
In response, Fordham administrators acknowledged receipt of the letter and referred the complaint to Student Affairs, though they have not committed to further action.
A former high-ranking member of USG stated that the problem extends beyond event planning and affects fundamental student governance.
“The lack of leadership from OSI has made it impossible for the student government to properly function. Clubs are left in limbo, critical decisions are delayed, and leaders are not given the respect they deserve,” they said. “I stepped up to organize this letter because students deserve better.”
Student leaders claim McGlade’s lack of communication has negatively affected club operations and leadership transitions. Jenn Fluet, GSB ’25, who did not sign the petition, said her club faced event planning and funding difficulties due to OSI’s disorganization. While she was not formally part of the petition effort, she expressed support for its goals.
“They don’t answer their emails. The only way to get a response is to physically walk into the office and demand answers,” Fluet said. “It’s just insanely unorganized. It makes it impossible to plan anything without last-minute panic.”
The OSI student employee who helped organize the petition said that they had witnessed these frustrations firsthand.
“I’ve worked in OSI for years, and I’ve seen how these issues have only gotten worse. Student leaders are being dismissed, ignored, or delayed for months at a time,” they said. “This letter was our last option after every other attempt to get action failed.”
Several students familiar with orientation were interviewed. Many expressed concerns over Dean McGlade’s handling of a now disproven Title IX allegation that occurred during orientation, with students citing a delay in addressing serious issues. Second-year orientation captain AJ Boyd, FCRH ’25, recalled frustration when an issue was not properly handled due to bureaucratic obstacles.
“We emailed her on August 29, 2024, asking for a meeting, and we didn’t hear back for two months. The whole time, we felt like they didn’t care about what we had to say,” Boyd said. “By the time we finally met in November, it was like we were defending ourselves rather than having a conversation about how to prevent future issues.”
Boyd later clarified that the issue stemmed from misunderstandings about whether students submitted a Title IX complaint or simply requested a meeting with the administration. He noted that the discussion he had with the administration eventually resulted in a plan to enact a positive change to the orientation application process.
Fordham officials confirmed receipt of the letter and redirected the complaint to Vice President of Student Affairs Michele Burris on Jan. 22. Faculty Senate has also reviewed the letter, though it has not issued a statement.
On Monday, petition organizers met with Burris as well as Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Christopher Rogers to discuss their concerns. According to the OSI employee, the deans “were receptive to hearing from us and we are working to find a solution.”
The Fordham Ram has reached out to the Office of Student Involvement and will update this article accordingly
This is a developing story.
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A Note on Anonymous Sourcing:
The Fordham Ram strives to build trust with sources and engage with them in a respectful and appropriate manner in pursuit of ethical journalism of the highest standards. The Ram’s Standards and Practices policy, which outlines the paper’s code of ethics and sourcing policy, determines that The Ram will opt for anonymity only under certain circumstances determined in conversation with the interviewee.
All three authors of the letters in this article have requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation and personal concerns. Notably during the interviews for this article, two authors who were interviewed expressed concerns about retaliation from the administration and issues that may arise from background checks for future jobs.
