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Syracuse University will allocate $600,000 for volunteer programming in the city of Syracuse, a university official announced Friday.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, demanded in February that SU invest $600,000 in volunteer opportunities after calling the university’s initial $300,000 commitment “woefully inadequate.” SU officials signed a list of demands from #NotAgainSU in November and made additional commitments during the movement’s 31-day occupation of Crouse-Hinds Hall that began Feb. 17.

The movement said in its demand that Syracuse residents should help decide how the university allocates the volunteer funding. Keith Alford, chief diversity and inclusion officer, did not specify in a campus-wide email whether residents would have a say in distributing the $600,000.

The university has also taken steps toward meeting organizers’ other demands, Alford said.

#NotAgainSU also demanded that SEM 100, a first-year seminar on diversity and inclusion, address the history of student protests at SU. The university will make this change to the SEM 100 curriculum pending approval from the University Senate, Alford said.

SU also incorporated feedback from the movement into the final drafts of the university’s Student Code of Conduct and anti-harassment policies, he said.

The university will also establish paid student advisory positions in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Alford said. The advisors will be responsible for providing feedback on campus climate. SU has not yet opened applications for these positions.

First-year students will be able to join multicultural learning communities in Day and Lawrinson Halls for the fall 2020 semester, Alford said. #NotAgainSU’s demands included the expansion of multicultural learning communities on campus.

SU announced in February that a multicultural learning community for upperclassmen will also open this fall in Ernie Davis Hall. The university has also expanded its indigenous and LGBTQ learning communities to be available to juniors and seniors.

The Department of Public Safety has posted its code of ethical conduct to its website, Alford said. The university will decide whether DPS can post other standard operating procedures without compromising sensitive information.

The Disability Review Committee is examining current accessibility practices at the university, Alford said. SU has approved design guidelines that prioritize accessibility in construction projects and will improve communication with students regarding disability services and housing, he said.

Published on May 22, 2020 at 5:30 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan