Four bias-related incidents were reported at buildings across Syracuse University’s campus this semester prior to the discovery of racist vandalism at Day Hall, records show.

The incidents occurred in August and October, according to the Department of Public Safety’s crime log. DPS did not issue campus-wide alerts regarding the four cases.

The cases are also not referenced on the university’s new bias-related incidents webpage, which DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado announced had been created in a campus-wide email Saturday. The webpage only lists public safety messages that DPS sent amid the string of at least 16 racist, anti-Semitic and anti-indigenous peoples-related incidents reported at or near SU in November.

Responding to a set of questions about the August and October cases on Monday, an SU spokesperson released the following information:

● The first incident was reported to DPS on Aug. 30 around 9:50 p.m. A student allegedly used a “derogatory term” toward a group of black students at Schine Student Center. An Orange After Dark laser tag event was scheduled to be held at Goldstein Auditorium that evening, during the time of the incident. The respondent in the case was referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities on Sept. 2.

● The second incident was reported to DPS on Oct. 10 at about 11:30 p.m. Three students in Shaw Hall allegedly used a “derogatory term” toward black people in a broad, “general” way. Three respondents were referred to OSRR on Oct. 11.

● The third incident was reported to DPS on Oct. 23 at about 2 a.m. Two students allegedly used a “derogatory term” toward an Asian student in Brewster Hall. The two respondents in the case were referred to OSRR that same day.

● The fourth incident was reported to DPS on Oct. 25 just before 2 a.m. A roommate at Day Hall allegedly used a “derogatory term” toward an Asian roommate. A respondent was referred to OSRR that same day.

Some details in the four cases, including what derogatory terms were used, remain unknown. A university spokesperson said SU does not release the specifics of incidents reported to DPS, and the Jeanne Clery Act-mandated crime log contains a limited amount of information about how campus police respond to calls for service.

OSRR investigations into alleged violations of SU’s Code of Student Conduct are also confidential. And there’s no mention of the incidents on the new webpage that Maldonado detailed Saturday.

#NotAgainSU, the black student-led movement that drew national attention last month by organizing a sit-in at the Barnes Center at The Arch to protest SU’s handling of racism, demanded that university administration respond to racially-motivated incidents within 48 hours. The bias-related incidents webpage was subsequently launched after Chancellor Kent Syverud agreed to the majority of protesters’ demands on Nov. 21.

Maldonado said this past weekend that the webpage will be the “trusted source of accurate and reliable information moving forward.”

“This protocol has been developed in partnership with law enforcement, which has advised the University against the repeated distribution of email notifications as they are likely to motivate copycats,” he said.

We need your help to gather more information about the four bias-related incidents reported to the Department of Public Safety in August and October. If you were affected in any way, consider reaching out to The Daily Orange. Tips can be submitted via this form.

 

Published on December 3, 2019 at 10:35 pm

Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek