SA, SU to establish council dedicated to SCOTUS affirmative action decision implications

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Syracuse University is actively working on initiatives and systems to maintain diversity and inclusivity on campus amid upcoming Supreme Court cases which could effectively ban affirmative action, SU Senior Vice President for Student Experiences Allen Groves shared in an address at SU’s Student Association’s Monday evening meeting.

Groves said SU is considering the implications of all possible case outcomes in the Students for Fair Admissions group’s lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including the possibility that race considerations are affected beyond admissions decisions. Groves pointed to Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s introduction of the possibility, and emphasized the threat it poses to campus diversity.

“What she’s saying is, ‘Why stop in admissions? What about the Multicultural Center? What about Affinity Housing? Is all this stuff off the table? Can a university not have dedicated scholarships? Can a university do nothing that mentions and is focused on race, depending upon how we write this opinion?’” Groves said. “All this is concerning but this is the most concerning thing.”

Students for Fair Admissions sued Harvard and UNC in 2014, claiming that the schools’ affirmative action admissions policies violated respectively the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court is expected to issue its final decision in June.

SU is currently planning strategies with three working groups, Groves said. The groups — Admissions and Legal Strategy, Post-Admissions and Communications and Stakeholder Engagement — are conducting research and connecting with other universities and experts around the country, he said, including speaking with institutions in states that have already banned race-conscious admissions.

SA President-elect William Treloar urged students to continue working to make SU a place where diversity is prominent in order to ensure people feel included and appreciated in the campus community.

“We can think about this and fret over the decision, or we can be proactive and we can make this a campus where everybody wants to be, where diverse pools of applicants say this is a safe and welcoming space” Treloar said. “As student leaders, it is our job to make it as such.”

SA President David Bruen and Vice President Adia Santos said the association will establish an Affirmative Action Student Advisory Council to collaborate with SU on next steps regarding the Court’s upcoming decision. SA members are now able to sign up to join the council.

Bruen and Santos also summarized the sustainability update that SA and SU released Friday. The report moves the university’s target date to reach net-zero carbon emissions up by eight years from 2040 to 2032, and it also creates a target to become plastic free by the 2027-28 school year as well as establishes a sustainability research competition.

Bruen emphasized the importance that student representatives uphold the goals.

“This is not overnight, and there’s eight years left,” Bruen said. “You have to carry forward. You have to finish the job. This is just the kickoff.”

Other business:

SA passed five funding bills for various initiatives at Monday’s meeting, including:

• Yankee Stadium Transportation for the Syracuse vs. University of Pittsburgh game on Nov. 11
• Snacks for the “Study Space,” which will host tutoring during finals week, primarily for first-year students
• ‘Stress Buster Tabling’ to promote mental health awareness, which will also take place during finals week
• An Earth Day Trolley that will transport students to a local Farmer’s Market this Saturday.