Members of Monmouth’s Student Government Association (SGA)—as well as an estimated 200 students, faculty, and administrators—stood on the front steps of the Great Hall on Apr. 2 in support of SGA and their new resolution (SGA.RES.S25-01) during their “Rally for Students’ Rights.”
The new resolution, passed on Feb. 5, urges faculty to use eCampus, specifically to upload midterm grades. Since the passage, SGA has received pushback from Monmouth’s faculty union, FAMCO, who said, “We want to take the time here to reiterate to all students that we fully support grade transparency in our classes. We love teaching our students, and their success is our priority. It’s why we do what we do. It’s also why we negotiated a union contract that enshrines grade transparency in our classes as an important value and a requirement of all full-time faculty,” in their open letter published in “The Outlook.”
The morning of the rally, President Patrick Leahy sent out an email to members of the Monmouth community showing his support for SGA. The email was signed by Leahy; Richard Veit, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; Pedram Daneshgar, Chair of the Faculty Council; and John Comiskey, Vice Chair of the Faculty Council.
“As a student-centered institution,” Leahy wrote, “Monmouth University is committed to continually improving the learning conditions of its students. The administration, along with our colleagues on Faculty Council, support our students’ request for grading transparency, and we are committed to working to ensure that students receive timely and thoughtful feedback on their work in accordance with our collective bargaining agreement (CBA).”
He went on to explain how, in a new effort, an increase in eCampus involvement is in the works.
He continued, “We will continue to work with the faculty union on the possibility of a Memorandum of Agreement to support these efforts between contract negotiations. In the meantime, we propose the following as next steps to address the concerns raised by the SGA regarding online grading. Monmouth University is committed to voluntarily achieving a 90% participation rate in the use of online gradebooks through our learning management system by the end of the fall 2025 semester.”
“This morning, we received the endorsement of the administration and the faculty council which is huge towards our goal,” explained Brendan Sheehan, SGA Senator & Director of Public Relations. “We received commitments from the University and the faculty council to work towards 90% compliance, while also working with our faculty union to get a memorandum of understanding so it is required. We are confident we are moving in the right direction, and this here today is a sign of that.”
Tanner Purdy, SGA President, added, “I want students to know that the SGA is here to ensure that your voices are heard on issues central to your Monmouth experience. No matter the issue, it is our goal to engage with you to work through the problem.”
Purdy also commented on FAMCO and their opposition to the resolution, saying, “I would be remiss if I did not mention that FAMCO’s lack of action on the concerns of over 900 students is what drove this issue into becoming a campus-wide debate. I say that not to diminish the role or importance of FAMCO. In fact, I am personally pro-union, and as the son of a former union president, I greatly value collective bargaining and fair representation.”
Purdy continued by saying that it saddens him that some faculty members think that SGA is anti-union. He said, “However, that perception demonstrates the extent to which students felt ignored, and the extraordinary measures we had to take to be heard. Make no mistake, our escalation was driven by the downplaying and dismissing of the concerns of our peers. I want our entire community to know that students made this happen, and students can do it again. Students have the power to advocate for themselves, and when we do so with unity and purpose, we can make change. By working together, building partnerships, and standing firm in our values, we can ensure fair policies that uplift our entire community without compromising the well-being of students.”
The rally was flooded with signs, some stating “eCampus: I pay for it, faculty chose it, use it!” and “When FAMCO needed support, the students marched. When the student union needed support FAMCO’s E-Board turned their back.” The audience cheered for the SGA members and booed at times when Aidan Murray and Sherly Gonzalez-Lopez—Director of University Affairs and Director of Finance, respectively—shared student testimonials from various grades and majors that consisted of experiences with professors not using the eCampus for their grades. Along with members speaking, Sheehan; Eliana Duarte, SGA Vice President; and Professor John Burke, Specialist Professor in Economics, Finance, and Real Estate, spoke at the podium. Sheehan and Duarte discussed their future campaigns to run for SGA President next year and how this issue will be at the forefront of their campaigns, while Burke voiced his support for SGA and what they are doing.
Several participants in the audience expressed their motivations for backing SGA and what prompted them to attend the rally.
“I think it is ridiculous that this is even an issue,” explained Phillip Pussilano, sophomore Homeland Security major. “We pay good money to go to this school, we should be able to get grades in the grade book.”
Frank Dige, a freshman Political Science major, expressed his first-hand experience with professors not using eCampus already as a freshman. “I came just because I think it is an important issue,” he said. “I certainly like to know grades, and I’ve had teachers already who have struggled to put stuff in the books. I came out because it is a cause I believe in, and I have a lot of friends in Student Government who I know are working hard for this, so I came out to support.”
“We are here because the [FAMCO] E-Board refused to even hear our side out,” expressed Mariami Ramirez Tsuladze, junior Anthropology major. “SGA is the student union, and students stood for FAMCO. We even marched for them. We asked for one thing, and they just declined the student union to even hear them out. It’s really the E-Board’s fault, not the whole organization.”
SGA’s petition in support of the resolution currently has an estimated 1,300 signatures, and SGA still plans to fight for their cause long after the rally.
“The Rally for Students’ Rights demonstrated that the students at Monmouth University have a voice, and that we can use that voice for change,” concluded Matthew Gold, SGA President Pro-Tempore. “It was incredible to see the outpouring of support from students and faculty alike who all came together to demand the transparency and accountability that we deserve.”
