SU puts public perception above protecting its students

Dear Editor,

The verdict is in: SU puts public perception above protecting its students. Students in Day Hall bore witness to an act of racism committed by Syracuse students. Bathrooms on two floors were vandalized and the N-word uninhibitedly scribed across the mirrors — a clear message of hatred being sent to terrorize black students on campus.

This isn’t surprising. Syracuse University has become a haven for hatred of marginalized communities. While I can’t speak for every marginalized community, I can say minorities and women have all been placed in positions of powerlessness by university policies and procedures over the past years. It is now undeniable and unequivocal. SU has specifically emboldened and empowered racists on our campus in the last year. It’s noteworthy that SU has publicly made promises to evolve its policies, but while SU says one thing in public, it practices something completely different.

Students who directly witnessed the Nov. 6 hate crime — yes, that’s what it is — were told to keep it quiet, a gag order while the university choked on the truth that some of its students would have better attendance at Klan rallies than they have at freshman seminar.

Why would SU actually talk about a problem? It’s so much easier to just play to public perception and wait for the problem to phase out. This is why, right now, I believe we need to call SU out for its complicity.

It is time we start owning our school’s problems. SU is No. 1 in parties and becoming No. 1 in prejudice. The powerful and the privileged will continue to perpetrate their wrongdoing so long as their actions have no consequences.

Theta Tau, Ackerman Avenue, Day Hall Racists. When will SU finally face real consequences?

Sincerely,

Iris Guzman ‘20

Citizenship and Civic Engagement, Psychology, Forensic Science