Students are currently sitting in The Barnes Center at The Arch in response to racist graffiti that was found in Day Hall last week. They started at 10:30 a.m. this morning and plan to be at The Arch until 1:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. 

They brought sheets with a list of nine short-term and long-term demands, listed below. At the end of the demands, #NotAgainSU has a statement.

“If demands are not met by Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 3:00 p.m., we will call for the resignation of Chancellor Kent Syverud and Chief Diversity And Inclusion Officer Keith Alford.”

Here’s a timeline of what has happened so far. The Daily Orange will provide live updates throughout the sit-in:

10:30 a.m.

Students began to trickle in to The Barnes Center at The Arch with papers full of demands under the hashtag #NotAgainSU. About 30 students sat in The Arch’s lobby. 

The demands include:

Short-term demands:

1. Expel any student involved with the hate crimes committed on Nov. 6, 2019 in Day Hall. 
2. Create an open forum for students to share their student experience and express their expectations of their university to the Board of Trustees of Syracuse University
   1. This forum should be held twice a year, along with monthly updates written by students for Trustees.
3. SEM 100 reform led by students with support from faculty to curate the curriculum to accurately address diversity issues in the 21st century
4. Institute a clause in new faculty and staff contracts that requires mandatory diversity training.
   1. Current faculty should be encouraged to attend.
5. Revise the current Anti-Harassment policy to a zero tolerance policy for all hate speech
   1. Consequences for for these offenses should be listed, as done for other infractions in the Student Handbook

Long-Term Demands:

1. Agree to offer a “Same Race” option for roommate selection on the housing application for all students
2. Agree to hiring more counselors that represent all marginalized identities on campus.
3. Agree to the development of a building for multicultural offices, organizations and programs.
4.  Agree to the allocation of $1M for the creation of a unified, required curruiculum that educates students on diversity issues, specifically anti-racism.

11:15 a.m.

Gabby Kelly, a freshman, sat near the ramp toward the back of the sit-in. She said the demands had been compiled over the last three days over outrage SU’s handling of racist graffiti in Day Hall. The demands were brainstormed at a forum on Monday and in a GroupMe of about 580 students of color across campus.

“Through that we tried to use the anger that we felt, and the sadness that we felt, and put that into what we want,” Kelly said. 

Kelly said that #NOTAGAINSU is not a specific group of people but “a way of spreading the message out.

11:35 a.m.

Students have agreed to start a GoFundMe page to fundraise for food during the sit-in, which is expected to last until The Arch closes at 1 a.m.

When approached by The Daily Orange in the back of the lobby, away from the sit-in, Dean of Students Marianne Thompson said “I’m sorry, I don’t want to do this right now. I want to talk to the students first.”

12:00 p.m.

SU’s Senior Vice President for the Student Experience Dolan Evanovich stood toward the back of the sit-in. He responded when approached by The D.O. Here’s the full transcript:

“I’m proud of our students that are protesting for what they believe in.”

Do you think there will be any change that spurs from this?

“I think there will be change.”

Do you know what those changes are?

“I think it’s too early to say at this point. We want to work with the students to make positive change. We all want this place to be as good as possible. And I’m proud of the students that are bringing up issues that we can do better in and (can) work together to improve.”

Is Syverud out of town?

“I believe he is still in Washington D.C. so I haven’t talked to him.”

Is he aware of the demands?

“I think he is aware of the situation and I think he is genuinely committed to helping make this place better.”

General thoughts

“I’m very supportive of students voicing their opinions and standing up for what they believe in. I’m proud of our students that protests are what they’re passionate about. And I think we all want to make it better and we’ll work with the students to do that.”

12:15 p.m.

Chancellor Kent Syverud walked in and spoke to the crowd of students. He came directly from the airport, as he was out of town for an event in Washington, D.C.

“I’m upset and concerned about the delay in communicating what happened in Day Hall, and I am here to hear the other concerns that were enunciated last night.”

He thanked students for their work and promised to read and address their demands. Some students asked him to read them now and handed him a sheet of paper. Syverud promised his team would work on the demands.

“I’m going to need time to work with the team on these. It seems like some of these things can be done effectively, some of them are not entirely within the purview of me alone as chancellor. For example, things that involve curriculum. So I’m gonna have to work to respond.”

The chancellor said he had to leave to attend meetings with other students. As he walked way, one student said “So you’re not going to have a real conservation with us?” He didn’t respond and ignored a D.O. reporter’s questions as he walked to a car outside The Arch.

1 p.m. 

Student Association sent out an email directed at the student affected by the racist graffiti and SU’s response to it. The subject line was #NotAgainSU.

“The Administration’s delayed response, lack of transparency, and underwhelming statements are contradictory to the University’s claim to value and prioritize diversity and inclusion,” read the email, which was sent by SA Vice President Sameeha Saied.

In the email, SA said its advocacy for black students and other marginalized communities “has not been sufficient enough in creating change.” Instead, the organization has decided to support student mobilization and apply pressure on university administration.

SA support several demands outlined by students at Monday night’s forum, including improved diversity training for faculty and staff, expanding the diversity of faculty and staff and rewriting DPS and SU policy regarding hate speech and racial bias. The organization also supports increasing funding to programs and resources focused on the experiences of marginalized communities.

1:50 p.m.

Tayla Myree, one of the sit-ins main organizers, told students that administrators will come the group will solutions to some of their demands.

“They’re waiting for the call from higher ups to be able to do that,” Myree said. “I don’t know how long that is going to take because it should’ve already happened.”

She encouraged students to workshop demands and other organizing in small groups.

2:30 p.m.

Several administrators have entered The Arch. Keith Alford, Dolan Evanovich, Marianne Thomson, Michael Williams and Cory Wallack spoke directly with students. They are going through the list of demands.

Students are telling administrators of a wide range of campus issues that they have experienced at the university.

3:34 p.m.

Syverud sent out a campus-wide email detailing immediate actions he requested be made. He did not return to The Arch after his initial visit at 12:15, and he was not at the center when the email was sent.

“I received from the students a list of short- and long-term recommendations,” the email reads. “They are thoughtful and constructive, and our university will be responding.”

The actions Syverud ordered include:

• The implementation of a protocol for SU to follow when responding to bias incidents. The protocol will be finalized by next week.
• For Thomson to look into revising student leaders the Code of Student Conduct, especially as it pertains to bias-related incidents.

 

6:30 p.m.

Syracuse officials continued to speak with students at the sit-in. Students raised concerns surrounding the university counseling services, safety on campus and student enrollment. They asked the university to take action and offer concrete solutions.

 

6:45 p.m.

The sit-in went into intermission.

6:57 p.m.

The sit-in’s GoFundMe page reached $2,140 raised with 97 donors.

7:38 p.m. 

Students are still at the sit-in and some administrators have left.

8:18 

Students continue to share their experiences with and ask questions to administrators. At one point, Rob Hradsky, vice president for the student experience, read each demand and the subsequent response SU plans to take regarding it. Alford also read a section of the list.

8:45 

Protestors asked the remaining SU officials and media to leave the space. Students said they would remain in the space until 1 a.m.

Published on November 13, 2019 at 11:37 am

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326