SU officials cannot sweep racism on campus under the rug again
At least 10 racist or bias-related incidents reported on and near the Syracuse University campus since Nov. 7 have prompted student protests, boycotts and a sit-in that’s now in its fifth day.
When confronted with racism and bigotry on campus in the past, SU officials have repeatedly moved on — condemning racism and committing to do better for a moment, but never taking steps to ensure they are held accountable for creating meaningful change. University officials need to implement systems of accountability that will make it impossible for them to continue sweeping racism on campus under the rug.
It took SU officials four days to craft the vague email they used to publicly notify the student body that racial slurs against black and Asian people were written on two floors in Day Hall. Since then, Chancellor Kent Syverud has spoken with protestors at the Barnes Center at the Arch twice, and university officials have attended a number of forums to hear students’ concerns. SU has released two videos to address the hate speech incidents and to explain actions the university plans to take in response.
But a weekend’s worth of transparency can’t make up for years of inaction.
The university’s recent willingness to communicate about racism on campus is encouraging, but the way officials have conducted themselves at critical moments in recent campus controversies is not.
In 2018, as hundreds of SU community members filled Hendricks Chapel to express their anger, fear and frustration about a racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist and anti-Semitic video that led to Theta Tau’s suspension and eventual expulsion from SU, Syverud was absent.
Last Sunday, Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado and Chief Diversity Officer Keith Alford attended a meeting with residents from the floors where racist vandalism occurred while the rest of the campus was left in the dark.
And while students and administrators addressed hate crimes on campus through multiple public dialogues, as students camped out on campus waiting for their chancellor to respond to their concerns last Thursday, Syverud was an hour and a half away at an alumni celebration.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board has called upon SU to develop standards for responding to bias and hate on campus that elicit more than an ambiguous week-overdue email. The university needs a process that will make vital information readily accessible and involve students, faculty and staff in the decision-making process.
Promises of concrete action are not enough to ensure that change occurs. It’s easy for administrators to proudly list the actions they’ve taken to address concerns about campus racism — audits, forums, surveys, committees — but those efforts too often prove profoundly ineffective, measures that do more to bolster the university’s crumbling public image than to genuinely improve conditions for students studying there.
Following February’s Ackerman Avenue assault on three students of color, which SU did not call racially-motivated despite victim and witness statements that it was, the university established the Student of Color Advisory Committee, a formal collaboration between students and DPS meant to encourage dialogue and feedback.
In September, The Daily Orange Editorial Board called upon SU administrators to listen to the concerns raised by the committee and act. But they haven’t.
Multiple members of DPS’ Student of Color Advisory Board present at a forum last Monday said they weren’t made aware of the racist graffiti until they found out about it with the rest of the student body.
“I don’t think they take us seriously,” said Ashley Hudson, a member of the committee, “both as students and as people on this campus.”
SU officials have to do more than talk about change. They have to be willing to do more than just listen to students. And they have to go beyond recrafting the same tired lines about the Orange community’s shared values in dozens of emails they’ve sent to students, faculty and staff about racism on this campus in the past five years.
Administrators must prioritize change at SU — visible, trackable change.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@dailyorange.com.