SEM 100 facilitator says ‘Greek Day’ theme for football game is a step backwards for SU

Dear Editor,

As a member of the Syracuse University community who works to help foster “a richly diverse and inclusive community of learning and opportunity” on our campus, I am disappointed in the announcement of a Greek Day promotion for the football game against the University of Pittsburgh.

While I appreciate the collaboration between various campus offices and the desire to increase student attendance, I question the name and description of this promotion. Encouraging students to “wear sunglasses, khakis and a button-up to the game” is perpetuating a stereotype of the Greek community, and it does not demonstrate the inclusive environment the university is striving to provide.

Instead of Greek Day, we could promote the values of the university by having a student involvement day where students are encouraged to wear clothing to highlight their campus or community involvement. Syracuse offers such a variety of clubs and activities for our student body and this would be an opportunity to showcase and celebrate all our campus offers, including Greek Life.

As a facilitator for the SEM 100 First Year Experience course I know that a lot of time and effort has been committed to making our campus a place where diversity is celebrated in a positive light. We try to tell potential and current students that Syracuse is a place for them, so we need to demonstrate in our actions.

This promotion is a step backwards for our community in a time when we should be moving forward.

Sincerely,

Kevin Wall

Functional Business Analyst

Office of the Registrar

SEM 100 Facilitator