Hundreds of Students Protest Outside Manhattanville Campus

PURCHASE - Students at Manhattanville College say they are sick of being ignored by their school's administration.

On Thursday afternoon about 200 of them protested by chanting, yelling and even singing to anyone who would listen from the school's main gate.

"We are here because we want to send a message to the Manhattanville community and the board of trustees that we are unhappy with changes," said Declan Galvin, a senior ethnic studies major who helped plan the protest.

Most of the outrage was focused toward the school's newly inaugurated president, Dr. Molly Easo Smith. Students say that Smith, who has only been president since April 7, has cut programs and made changes without taking input from students and staff.

Some students also said that they are upset about the recent resignation of two popular school administrators and said that questions as to why those administrators left have gone unanswered.

"She's basically taking our questions and making us go in a circle, and we keep asking the same questions and she won't give us a straight answer," said Juan Pablo Lora, a senior finance major at the school."The least she could do is - before she does things - is to consult us, to tell us what's going on."

Imma Destafanis, who had served as academic dean and acting vice president for student affairs, stepped down this week along with Jose Flores, who had served as vice president of enrollment. Many of the students protesting were international students who said that Flores had played a major part of their decision to come to the school.

A flier handed out by the students said that the gathering was a last resort after meetings with senior members of the administration, town hall meetings and letters did not yield positive results.

The group of students gathered on both sides of the school's Purchase Street entrace for several hours. Harrison Police responded to the scene to direct traffic but did not interfere with the protest. The group loudly chanted, played songs and cheered honking cars, but the demonstration was relatively peaceful.

After about three hours on the street the crowd marched toward the center of campus.

A spokesperson from Manhatanville College said on Thursday afternoon that since the protest involved an "internal matter," the school will not be making a comment.

Although cuts to programs are a concern, Chrystine Montera, a senior history major at the school said that she is more concerned about communication. She said that students just want a say in the changes that are taking place at their school.

"I think that they are going to realize that we aren't going away and that they have to talk to us," said Montera. "We're just trying to set a precedent to the administration that the student body is a part of the community and that we are not going away and we have a say."