Chancellor Kent Syverud responded to the demands of #NotAgainSU and international students in a campus-wide email sent Tuesday. 

Both international students and #NotAgainSU — a movement led by black students — have submitted demands to Syverud in response to hate crimes and bias-related that have occurred on or near the Syracuse University campus. At least 11 racist or bias-related incidents have been reported since Nov. 7.

Syverud outlined five demands that should be met with urgency, and SU is immediately committing resources, including more than $1 million for curriculum development, to implement his responses within the next year. Several of the commitments address demands created by #NotAgainSU. The movement, led by black students, has led a sit-in at the Barnes Center at The Arch since Nov. 13.

The chancellor will attend a forum on Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m in Goldstein Auditorium at the Schine Student Center in regard to the demands. A little before 3:20 p.m., Syverud stopped by the Barnes Center to speak with students about his response.

“I do take very seriously and took very seriously with a lot of people working through these responses,” he said. “I am very eager to hear your suggestions and reactions to each. I’m very eager to continue that dialogue.”

Another student asked if he would be meeting with students at Hendricks Chapel. Protesters had originally invited the chancellor to read his response in Hendricks at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association, China Development Think Tank and Global China Connection presented Syverud with a letter on Thursday that included nine demands. #NotAgainSU submitted a list of 18 demands to Syverud that aim to protect minority students and change campus culture. The protesters gave the chancellor until 5 p.m. on Wednesday agree to and sign their demands.

The university will revise its Code of Student Conduct Policy to clarify the consequences of committing hate crimes and bias-related incidents, addressing the fifth demand of the protesters. SU will also make changes to the SEM 100 diversity seminar that can be implemented by the fall 2020 semester and will develop a curriculum to teach diversity, which are the third and ninth demands from #NotAgainSU.

SU will also provide additional resources to ensure student safety and to create a welcoming and inclusive campus, Syverud said in his email. The university will increase hiring in “significant areas of concern.”

Syverud’s response to students’ demands includes a chart listing each demand provided in writing by both the #NotAgainSU protesters and the international students, the response to the demand and the SU officials who will address the demand.

“As Chancellor, I take very seriously these immediate priorities, and commit to promptly achieving them, as well as to supporting the other important measures in the responses,” Syverud said in the email.

Protesters read Syverud’s response aloud at the Barnes Center on Tuesday afternoon.

“I don’t know about y’all, but that sounds like a lot of rhetoric,” one protester said while reading the chancellor’s email.

A protester said that students should write down any concerns with Syverud’s response. #NotAgainSU will continue to sit-in at the Barnes Center and spend Tuesday night there.

SU commits to clear, timely and regular communication of ongoing and completed work, according to email. Parents were also sent Syverud’s response to the demands.

The university requested that protesters at the Barnes Center and international students identify representatives to continue the work that has begun. It requires students to engage as partners in the work, the email said.

“We’re in a key moment at this university, in a key moment to address serious issues in the nation as well as at this university in a positive way,” Syverud said at the Barnes Center. “I appreciate what I think has been extraordinarily constructive work by this group, and also patient and peaceful work under circumstances of great stress.”

Published on November 19, 2019 at 7:44 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu