Student protesters who have slept in Crouse-Hinds Hall the past two nights held a press conference Wednesday afternoon and said they will meet with Chancellor Kent Syverud Wednesday night.

A group of about 40 students who are members of THE General Body at SU have been in the lobby of Crouse-Hinds since Monday, when they marched to the building following the Diversity and Transparency Rally. THE General Body is a coalition of student organizations. Syverud was in New York City Monday, and spoke briefly with the protesters on Tuesday afternoon after returning to campus.

The rally on Wednesday began in the Crouse-Hinds lobby with five protesters stepping forward and speaking about issues the group is seeking to address on campus. The group then took questions from those in the audience. Students, faculty and staff attended the press conference, and the stairway was lined with students who leaned over the railing to listen in on the event. Farrell Brenner, a sophomore citizenship and civic engagement and women’s and gender studies dual major, said the protesters will be speaking with members of the administration, including Syverud, Wednesday night.

Tatiana Cadet, a junior communications and rhetorical studies major who is in her first semester at SU, started the first portion of the press conference by speaking about the group’s concerns over the direction of the university. She referenced the closing of the Advocacy Center over the summer, as well as incidents on campus that “reveal a hostile and unsafe environment for students with marginalized identities.”

Cadet added that the sit-in was the group’s “last resort.”

Other students who spoke covered more specific issues they see on campus. Ella Mendonsa, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, spoke about mental health awareness on campus, and the lack of resources available to students with mental health issues. She said there is only one psychiatrist on campus available to serve 20,000 SU students, as well as 5,000 SUNY-ESF students.

Jonathan Schmidt, a freshman political science major, said that the university should act with the best interest of students in mind, not based on business interests.

“We’re doing this not because we dislike Syracuse, but because we love it,” he said.

Danielle Reed followed Schmidt by speaking about diversity issues, saying that she’s afraid SU is moving in a direction that discourages diversity. Nick Holzthum, co-president of the Disability Student Union, added that the university does not accommodate for students with disabilities in many ways.

“We spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to navigate campus,” he said.

Brenner closed the first portion of the press conference by saying the group does not expect change to happen overnight. However, they expect the administration to commit to the process of making changes.

Following the five speakers, the group answered questions for about 10 minutes. When one audience member asked what the three largest demands were, they said they couldn’t prioritize their demands. In addition, Brenner said the demands are not ultimatums, but they are asking for a commitment from administration to “see changes through to the end.”

Published on November 5, 2014 at 4:56 pm

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27