SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS)- Syracuse University has been publicly riddled with bias incidents over the past ten days, with this slew starting in a freshmen dorm. Overnight between November 6th and 7th, a still unidentified person wrote anti-black and anti-Asian slurs on the 4th and 6th floors of Day Hall. Students alerted SU’s Department of Public Safety on November 7th. Two days later, DPS and Dean of Students Maryanne Thompson met with those floors about the incidents, and asked that students not discuss them with people who don’t live on those floors.
On the 11th, on-campus publication Renegade Magazine publicized the story through Instagram posts and stories. That same day, the university sent its first campus-wide email on the incident, nearly four days after it occurred. Chancellor Syverud sent out his own email the next day, expressing regret he hadn’t been more transparent in the university’s handling to that point.
The Barnes Center sit-in began on November 13th, as protest organizers took to the new multi-purpose facility and occupied the space. On that first day of the sit in, organizers created a list of 9 demands for the university, and said they would continue to sit in until November 20th at 5 pm. Student fan group Otto’s Army boycotted that night’s Syracuse-Colgate basketball game and implored students to attend the sit in.
Students woke up to an email from DPS on the 14th about anti-Asian graffiti that was discovered the previous day in the university’s physics building, which is next to the Barnes Center. That afternoon, a swastika was drawn in the snow near the 505 on walnut, a luxury student housing complex just off campus. To add to that day’s events, another piece of anti-Asian graffiti was found that evening on Day Hall’s third floor. Syverud came back to the sit in on Friday the 15th, and seemed to be receptive to the expanded list of demands. However, nothing has been committed to in writing as of yet.
Public figures such as State Senator Rachel May, Mayor Ben Walsh, and basketball coach Jim Boeheim all visited the sit in on the 16th. In addition, six distinct bias incidents were reported in just an eight hour span. The most publicly discussed of these incidents happened on College Place Saturday night, as individuals outside of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity house shouted racial epithets at a black woman walking alone. In response, that fraternity chapter has been suspended, and Syverud has cancelled all remaining fraternity social events in the fall semester.
The protest’s organizers have issued a list of 18 demands to Syverud, to which he expressed verbal support. The protesters have invited Syverud to share his written response to the list of demands on Wednesday, November 20 at 7 pm at Syracuse’s Hendricks Chapel.
WE START AT SOME POINT OVERNIGHT BETWEEN NOVEMBER 6TH AND 7TH.
THAT’S WHEN SOMEBODY IN DAY HALL PULLED THE CEILING LIGHTS FROM THE 6TH FLOOR BATHROOM AND PROCEEDED TO WRITE THE N WORD ON A LIGHT AND TWO OTHER PLACES. THERE WAS ALSO ANTI-ASIAN GRAFFITI WRITTEN ON THE 4TH FLOOR. ON NOVEMBER 9TH, UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS MET WITH THOSE TWO FLOORS, AND ASKED THAT THE MEETINGS NOT BE RECORDED AND THAT NOBODY DISCUSS THE MEETINGS WITH PEOPLE NOT ON THE FLOORS.
THE NEXT BIG FLASHPOINT CAME ON THE 11TH, WHEN ON-CAMPUS PUBLICATION RENEGADE MAGAZINE POSTED AN INSTAGRAM STORY DETAILING THE INCIDENT, WHICH QUICKLY CIRCULATED. THE UNIVERSITY THEN ISSUED ITS FIRST CAMPUS WIDE EMAIL ABOUT THE DAY HALL INCIDENT A FEW HOURS LATER, AND CHANCELLOR SYVERUD SENT OUT HIS OWN EMAIL THE NEXT DAY. IN THAT EMAIL, HE SAID QUOTE IT’S CLEAR THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM SHOULD HAVE QUOTE COMMUNICATED MORE SWIFTLY AND BROADLY END QUOTE.
THE PROTEST MOVEMENT CENTRALIZED AT THE BARNES CENTER ON THE 13TH, AS PROTESTERS ORGANIZED A SIT IN FOR THAT ENTIRE DAY AND IS NOW CLOSING IN ON 127 CONSECUTIVE OCCUPIED HOURS. HUNDREDS POURED INTO THE BARNES CENTER THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AS VARIOUS UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS INCLUDING SYVERUD SPOKE TO THE PROTESTERS. OTTO’S ARMY, WHICH IS AN OFFICIAL STUDENT SECTION OF SORTS, BOYCOTTED THAT NIGHT’S SYRACUSE-COLGATE BASKETBALL GAME AND IMPLORED STUDENTS TO ATTEND THE SIT IN.
D-P-S SENT AN EMAIL VERY EARLY ON THE 14TH ABOUT ANTI-ASIAN GRAFFITI FOUND THE DAY BEFORE IN THE UNIVERSITY’S PHYSICS BUILDING, WHICH IS NEXT TO THE BARNES CENTER. LATER IN THE DAY, SOMEONE DREW A SWASTIKA IN THE SNOW NEAR A STUDENT APARTMENT BUILDING. THE NEXT EVENT CAME ONCE AGAIN FROM DAY HALL, AS ANTI-ASIAN GRAFFITI WAS AGAIN FOUND, THIS TIME ON THE THIRD FLOOR. ON THE 15TH, CHANCELLOR SYVERUD RETURNED TO THE SIT IN TO SPEAK AT LONGER LENGTH ABOUT THE 18 DEMANDS PRESENTED TO HIM BY THE ORGANIZERS. THE MOVEMENT INVITED SYVERUD TO RESPOND TO THE LIST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 7 PM IN HENDRICKS CHAPEL.
THINGS REALLY HEATED BACK UP ON THE 16TH. PUBLIC FIGURES LIKE STATE SENATOR RACHEL MAY, MAYOR BEN WALSH, AND BASKETBALL COACH JIM BOEHEIM ALL VISITED THE SIT IN. THERE WERE ALSO 6 DISTINCT INCIDENTS REPORED OVER AN 8 HOUR SPAN THAT DAY. PERHAPS THE HIGHEST PROFILE ONE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE ALPHA CHI RHO FRATERNITY, WHERE A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS YELLED RACIAL EPITHETS AT A BLACK WOMAN WALKING DOWN COLLEGE PLACE SATURDAY NIGHT. IN RESPONSE, THE UNIVERSITY SUSPENDED THAT FRATERNITY CHAPTER. IN ADDITION, CHANCELLOR SYVERUD CANCELLED ALL REMAINING FRATERNITY SOCIAL EVENTS THIS SEMESTER.
AND AS WE LOOK AT THE MAP OF WHERE ALL OF THESE INSTANCES HAVE COME FROM WE SEE IT’S NOT LIMITED TO JUST ONE SPOT OR JUST ONE AREA. THIS IS GEOGRAPHICALLY AND MORALLY AN ISSUE THAT SPREADS ALL OVER THIS CAMPUS.
