SU mistakenly suspended 4 students
Lucy Messineo-Witt | Staff Photographer
A student at the University Senate meeting on Wednesday asked about students who were suspended but were not inside Crouse-Hinds Hall during #NotAgainSU’s protest late Monday night.
A high-ranking Syracuse University official on Wednesday confirmed that SU had mistakenly filed conduct charges against students who were not inside Crouse-Hinds Hall during #NotAgainSU’s protest late Monday night.
Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president for the student experience, said SU has corrected those errors. At the University Senate meeting on Wednesday, Hradsky said that after learning of the problem, the Office for Student Rights and Responsibilities “immediately” rescinded interim suspension letters sent to misidentified students.
Four people mistakenly received the OSRR letters, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, in a statement.
“We regret the error,” Scalese said after the Senate meeting.
Zoe Selesi, a sophomore magazine journalism major, was one of the students wrongfully suspended. She was in her dorm at the Brewster/Boland/Brockway complex when Crouse-Hinds closed at 9 p.m. on Monday — the deadline for when protesters would be suspended, she said.
Selesi met with Thomson on Wednesday morning. After the meeting, she received a letter from SU that notified her that the suspension was reversed. Photo courtesy of Zoe Selesi
Selesi participated in #NotAgainSU’s November sit-in at the Barnes Center at The Arch. But she never entered Crouse-Hinds on Monday, she said. Dean of Students Marianne Thomson didn’t explain how Selesi was misidentified.
“I’m just angry and frustrated that I’m being racially profiled,” said Selesi, who is Black.
Selesi met with Thomson on Wednesday morning. After the meeting, she received a letter from SU that notified her that the suspension was reversed.
“Due to new information learned since your interim suspension was imposed, your interim suspension is hereby rescinded, effective immediately,” reads the letter, which Selesi provided to The Daily Orange.
As of about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday, The D.O. could not confirm exactly why SU sent the letters to misidentified students. When asked, Scalese did not elaborate on how OSRR made the mistakes.
Published on February 19, 2020 at 11:45 pm
Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek
