About two dozen students gathered in the basement of Bird Library on Wednesday night for a Q&A session about the current state of the #NotAgainSU movement.

#NotAgainSU, a black student-led movement, staged an eight-day sit-in at the Barnes Center at The Arch after racist graffiti was found Nov. 7 in Day Hall. At least 16 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents occurred on or near Syracuse University in November.

Organizers held the Q&A session to inform students about the movement’s future plans following the sit-in. One organizer said the protesters wanted to communicate their goals to students who may be confused about why #NotAgainSU continues to call for the resignation of SU officials after the end of the sit-in.

#NotAgainSU submitted a list of 19 demands to SU administration during the sit-in, pressuring officials to meet the movement’s demands or face calls for resignation. The occupation ended after Chancellor Kent Syverud signed 16 of the demands as written.

Organizers at the session said they never came to an agreement with Syverud, and the chancellor only met with the students briefly during the sit-in. His communication with #NotAgainSU leaders has been “minimal to none,” an organizer said.

“If you look at the PDF file (of the signed demands), there are no representative signatures from #NotAgainSU,” an organizer said. “That’s a clear indication that there was no negotiations that were had, there were no agreements that were made.”

Protesters continue to call for the resignation of Syverud, Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado, DPS Associate Chief for Law Enforcement John Sardino and Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience. Organizers said #NotAgainSU leaders will hand-deliver letters of resignation to the officials during a walkout of Huntington Beard Crouse Hall on Thursday. The officials will have until Jan. 12, the first day of the spring semester, to make their decision, the organizers said at the session.

The end of the Barnes Center sit-in was never meant to be the end of the #NotAgainSU movement, organizers said. The movement will continue until students of color feel safe and welcome on campus.

“White students feel comfortable on this campus,” an organizer said. “If (students of color) are going to be put on pamphlets and used as ambassadors, we should be able to live a life on this campus that is actually enjoyable.”

Organizers also criticized Syverud’s labeling of a white supremacist manifesto allegedly sent to students’ cellphones in Bird Library as a “hoax.” Organizers said it was irresponsible for the chancellor to classify the incident that way when the investigation is still ongoing. His response also discounts the fear and unease many students of color continue to feel following the incident, they said. 

DPS increased security measures following the string of hate crimes and bias incidents at SU. The department has expanded its number of safety shuttles and escort services and has extended DPS officers’ shifts in the past month. But many of the protesters are uncomfortable with the increased DPS presence on campus, and said they feel threatened because of negative interactions between DPS officers and students of color in the past.

Throughout the Q&A session, protesters emphasized that the #NotAgainSU movement is less radical than other student-led movements. They brought up Vietnam War protests at SU, during which protesters barricaded entrances on campus and one attempted to firebomb the SU Bookstore. 

Students shouldn’t feel guilty for demanding that SU administration make changes to curb the spread of hate speech and bias incidents, they said.

“The expectation isn’t for SU to solve racism,” an organizer said. “It’s to give us resources to be comfortable at our school.”

Published on December 5, 2019 at 1:29 am

Contact Gillian: gifollet@syr.edu