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On Friday, Syracuse University’s Student Association ad hoc committee released its recommendations on the university’s draft of the five-year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility plan.

SA held a town hall in early November where students said that the plan contains only the viewpoints of the administration and did not represent the concerns of students, especially those that came out of the #NotAgainSU protests. In an event held on Wednesday at 119 Euclid Ave., students joined SA leadership, namely Malique Lewis, the ad hoc committee chair and SA vice president of diversity and inclusion, to discuss their issues with the draft.

To report their recommendations, the ad hoc committee discusses each of the five goals from the DEIA plan and provides “raw student feedback.”

Goal One: Enhance Campus Climate to create a sense of belonging for all

Under goal one, the report gave recommendations for all seven points mentioned in the draft plan: prioritize DEIA, student housing, communication, bias response, community engagement, campus navigation and relations with Onondaga Nation.

The committee critiqued how the new first-year seminar falls short on almost all aspects of DEIA education, and how FYS 101 doesn’t accurately discuss or educate students on the #NotAgainSU protests. The committee also reported that students felt the class was damaging and traumatic to students of color due to uneducated and unprepared instructors. The committee recommended the FYS 101 education and curriculum pertaining to the protests should be created alongside or by #NotAgainSU leadership. The report also recommended that the education and curriculum not be based on the trauma students of color experience.

According to the report, students felt the university does not properly inform students on multicultural living learning community options, and students believed the university placed students in residence halls with other students who have similar characteristics to them, therefore isolating minorities to specific areas. The committee recommended that the university expand its multicultural LLC options and place them in newer dormitories.

The report said students felt communication about DEIA and the draft plan were not clear nor transparent.

The report noted students felt uncomfortable and unsafe with the current bias response methods that the university uses and recommended SU administration “strengthen trust with students,” to make students feel more comfortable when reporting bias incidents.

According to the report, students accepted and appreciated that the plan’s programs in the strategies section would fulfill the plan’s community engagement goal. The committee recommended the university implement these programs to completion.

The report critiqued the university’s advertisement of campus resources. The committee asked that the university include all of these resources in “onboarding materials” for new students.

Finally, the committee said students believe the university’s relationship with the Onondaga Nation is superficial and performative. The report recommended that the university remove the Saltine Warrior statue in front of Carnegie Library and that the university release a statement to encourage the city of Syracuse to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from downtown. With this, the committee asked that the university include an Onondaga Nation representative in all meetings about sustainability.

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Students voice frustration with recent DEIA plan in meeting at 119 Euclid Ave
• SA discusses test-optional admissions, DEIA plan
• Breaking down SU’s 5-year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility plan
• SU prolongs DEIA draft plan review period to Dec. 3

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Goal Two: Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff

Under the second goal, the report gave recommendations for all five points mentioned in the draft plan: student recruitment, staff and faculty retention, faculty recruitment, staff recruitment, and student retention/graduation.

The committee said the DEIA plan was not specific enough when discussing student retention. The report asked that the university create scholarships specific to supporting students of color.

According to the report, students felt they had very little input in the hiring of faculty and staff, and diversity is not emphasized in the hiring process either. The report recommended SU delay new hiring until they can effectively prioritize DEIA in the process. The report also asked that SU include student representatives for the hiring committees of faculty and mid-level staff throughout the entirety of the university. The university should also include an undergraduate, graduate and law school representative for the hiring of major staff and administration, the report said.

The report said students know mental health and financial strain are the main factors in leaving SU and they believe students of color experience the two alarmingly more than white students. The committee recommended SU match the needs of the student body for all mental health services. The committee also asked that the university expand financial aid.

The committee reported that students believed the university lacked support for staff and faculty of color and diversification efforts could not be improved for the student body until the faculty and staff were more reflective and representative of the student body. The report recommended SU expand mental health resources for faculty and staff, especially for those of color, and speed up tenure tracks for faculty and staff working in DEIA.

Goal Three: DEIA learning, professional development and civic innovation

Under goal three, the report gave recommendations for all three points mentioned in the draft plan: professional DEIA, student DEIA development and civic engagement.

The report expressed that students shared experiences and stories of faculty and staff’s bigoted behavior. The students then reported the experiences, but the university failed to reprimand said faculty and staff. The committee recommended the university makes the process for reporting bias incidents in the classroom more clear and accessible. The committee also asked the university to detail and outline how professors will be reprimanded for biased behaviors in the classroom.

According to the report, students said current DEIA courses do not include all topics and requirements necessary. The report asked the university to reevaluate these courses and the breadth of topics they touch and discuss.

The report said that students felt there is a disconnect between the Syracuse community and the SU community. The committee asked the university to expand programs and require volunteer hours for students within organizations in the community. Also, the report recommended that the university increase financial support for community organizations to revitalize the city.

Goal Four: Elevate DEIA across the academic enterprise, transforming our approach to scholarship, research, pedagogy, curriculum, programs and services.

Under the fourth goal, the report gave recommendations for all seven points mentioned in the draft plan, strengthening the overall plan, infrastructure, DEIA research, DEIA pedagogy and curriculum, DEIA leadership and professional development training and certificate programs, the DEIA scholarship and DEIA service.

The report said students support the testing of DEIA infrastructure annually but want students to be involved during “simulations.” Students also asked the university to release all findings and results.

Overall, students were satisfied with this goal and hope the university will carry it out in its entirety, according to the report.

The report reiterated that students feel FYS 101 and its previous version, SEM 100, were far too similar, and they felt instructors were not prepared to teach the material in the course. Students also said the class structure and time limits don’t allow for meaningful discussion. The committee recommended FYS 101 go under a review period annually and take in at least 15% of feedback from students enrolled in the course at that time. The committee also asked that the university require instructors for the course to undergo intensive training and that they hire instructors who can relate to the content.

The report said students supported the goals to strengthen DEIA leadership and professional development training and certificate programs and DEIA service.

Goal Five: Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility

Under goal five, the report gave recommendations for all seven points mentioned in the draft plan: facilities that exceed standards, accessibility funding, student housing, neurodiversity support, ASL/CART communications, service access and digital accessibility.

The report said students shared many experiences with accessibility for people with disabilities on campus, and that the disability external review committee reported over 10,000 violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act in March. Students recommended that the university work to fix all current violations prior to any new construction projects on campus.

Students were satisfied with the university’s goals for accessibility funding, according to the report.

The committee reported that students felt the university disregards and fails to maintain spaces where students of color congregate and live. The committee recommended that the university take into account spaces where students of color congregate prior to renovating or creating new infrastructure.

The report said students support the creation of the OnTrack program’s physical space, and they hope the creation of that space takes place soon. OnTrack at SU will be a support program students pay for in order to aid students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other learning disabilities.

According to the report, students supported hiring more translators and interpreters, however, they expressed concern over how the university determined this degree of need and asked that the rationale be made public. The committee asked that the university make an assessment of the need to make sure any new hires will meet and exceed the need for translators and interpreters.

The report said students felt there were not enough tutoring options on campus and that current tutors are not paid enough for their services. The committee recommended that the university increase funding for student tutors.

Finally, the report expressed that students felt certain websites, namely Blackboard, don’t have ease of access for non-native English speakers. The committee recommended that SU make all digital resources be made available in languages other than English.

“Since the strategic plan has been released, some students and Student Association leaders have been informed that this strategic plan is rather more of a guide than an actual comprehensive strategic plan,” the conclusion of the report said. “We do want and expect a higher level of specificity in this strategic plan and call for more transparency for subsequent plans.”

Published on December 5, 2021 at 9:23 pm

Contact Karoline: kaleonar@syr.edu