50 signatures reached
To: Tania Tetlow
URGENT NEED FOR ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS AT FORDHAM'S ROSE HILL CAMPUS
Dear President Tetlow,
The undersigned members of the Fordham community write today to voice our strong feelings about the inaccessibility of the Rose Hill campus' dormitories—specifically Martyrs' Court—and to request that immediate and significant modifications are made to make these facilities more inclusive.
Through our recent Access Audit Workshop organized by Fordham students, we inspected several dorms, including Martyrs’ Court and newer O'Hare Hall. The contrasts were dramatic. O'Hare, which was built to more contemporary standards, boasts elevators, ramps, and more wheelchair-friendly bathrooms. Martyrs’, which dates back to the 1950s and apparently has not been updated since its construction, features steep stairs, heavy doors and narrow staircases, and no ramps or elevators to provide access to basic amenities to students and visitors with mobility impairments
We selected residence halls to study because residing on campus should be as easy to access as going to school. They are not elective activities; instead, residence halls are an intergral part of student life. Yet Martyrs' Court does not meet even the most basic level of accessibility standards—more than 50 years since the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Our findings point to urgent needs:
- Installation of elevators and ramps in Martyrs’ Court
- Addition of accessible bathrooms and laundry rooms
- Automatic doors and lower, more ergonomic handles
- Adjustments to door weight and stair design
They are not luxuries; they are essentials to many members of our community.
Above and beyond compliance with basic ADA standards, we call on Fordham to adopt an expanded vision of accessibility: one founded on dignity, compassion, and justice. We need to consider who is intended to inhabit these spaces—and who is deliberately left out. Currently, Martyrs’ Court sends an unmistakable message: this is not a space that everyone is intended to inhabit.
We call your administration to action immediately. A campus that takes pride in the ideal of cura personalis should make sure that all students—no matter the ability—are able to fully engage in residential life. We stand prepared to assist this transformation with ongoing dialogue, collaboration, and community organization.
Thank you for your interest and dedication to making Fordham an inclusive university.
Why is this important?
Accessibility is not just about ramps and elevators—it is about respect and inclusion and the type of community we create at Fordham.
Many of our residence halls today—particularly Martyrs’ Court—currently bar students with mobility issues from being an active participant on campus. That means friendship, late-night discussions, study breaks and all that college offers beyond just class work are out of the question if one's living facility is inaccessible. If a residence hall is not accessible, then so is the community that is built there.
Even if this matter does not directly affect you, it does affect your classmates, your friends, your future roommates. It decides who feels welcomed and who does not.
By signing this petition, you are supporting the belief that all students should have access to the complete Fordham experience—not only in the classroom, but in all aspects of our campus. You're making it clear that we value one another and won't tolerate physical spaces creating unseen divisions.
This is our opportunity to make Fordham better-for ourselves, for the current students on campus, and for all who will come afterward.
Many of our residence halls today—particularly Martyrs’ Court—currently bar students with mobility issues from being an active participant on campus. That means friendship, late-night discussions, study breaks and all that college offers beyond just class work are out of the question if one's living facility is inaccessible. If a residence hall is not accessible, then so is the community that is built there.
Even if this matter does not directly affect you, it does affect your classmates, your friends, your future roommates. It decides who feels welcomed and who does not.
By signing this petition, you are supporting the belief that all students should have access to the complete Fordham experience—not only in the classroom, but in all aspects of our campus. You're making it clear that we value one another and won't tolerate physical spaces creating unseen divisions.
This is our opportunity to make Fordham better-for ourselves, for the current students on campus, and for all who will come afterward.