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Breaking Down Syracuse University’s Recent String of Bias-Related Incidents Breaking Down Syracuse University's Recent Bias-Related Incidents

Written by Bryan Hudnell and Claire Chicchi

By Bryan Hudnell

Protest Signs at the Barnes Center
© 2019 Moriah Humiston

(ANCHOR)
Protestors at Syracuse University continue their sit-in against the recent bias-related incidents that have occurred on campus.

The HASHTAG Not Again S-U protestors have been at the new Barnes Center at the Arch for over one hundred and 45 hours so far.

But the situation continues to develop today. Just after four this morning, the University Department of Public Safety sent an email to students detailing a white supremacist manifesto being posted online and allegedly air-dropped to students in the university’s Bird Library.

D-P-S said a little more than an hour ago that there is no direct threat to the university, but the investigation is ongoing.

In the meantime, D-P-S has increased safety measures on campus. A group of New York State Troopers have lined up along Comstock Avenue as a part of this decision.

While these protests continue, S-U faculty and staff are helping the students that are missing classes for the protest get the help they need. N-C-C News’s Moriah Humiston tells us more.

(HUMISTON)
Today marks the seventh day of the hashtag “Not again S-U” sit-in. While students continue to protest, S-U’s writing center administrator Ben Erwin is providing drop-in appointments for students at The Barnes Center that need help with assignments.

(ERWIN)
The majority of students we serve in the center are multilingual students, international students, and students of color. Many of the same students who are currently involved in the ongoing protests.

(HUMISTON)
Erwin says the goal of the writing center is to make themselves available to as many students as possible.

(ERWIN)
Their classes haven’t stopped, their assignments haven’t stopped, we are hoping to provide as little disruption of our services for students as well.

(HUMISTON)
The Writing Center is continuing to provide help throughout the protest, and will extend appointment time and availability throughout finals week.
Moriah Humiston N-C-C News.

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Safety concerns among students have some missing class, and as Noah Cierzan from N-C-C News reports, their jobs as well.

(CIERZAN)
Today there have already been multiple reports of students not showing up to their on campus jobs because of safety concerns. Lisa Ramos, a cashier in a Syracuse Univeristy cafe told me that five people have already called in to say their not coming, and overall business has not been the same.

(RAMOS)
It’s just been a weird day, a weird day. Our volume is down at least 30 percent. No traffic. No lingering around as you see usually at this hour.

(CIERZAN)
She also says she didn’t hear of the events in Bird until she was already commuting to work.

(RAMOS)
This morning I had to walk through to look for security points, like god forbid if something was to happen. Where are hiding points? Where can we shelter ourselves at? What can we do?

(CIERZAN)
The Syracuse University Department of Public Safety urges students concerned about their safety traveling on campus to contact the D-P-S escort program. Noah Cierzan, N-C-C News.

BACKGROUND: 

As of today, November 19, 2019, Syracuse University has experienced a recent spree of bias-related incidents across campus. The number of incidents reported within the past week has been alarming, but this does not mark the first time that SU has dealt with events like these.

In March of 2018, Syracuse University banned the professional engineering fraternity, Theta Tau, for using hate speech in their organization. A video of this language was leaked to the Daily Orange newspaper at SU, and the fraternity subsequently faced charges.

Months later, SU saw two more significant incidents of bias. In February of 2019, the Syracuse Police Department responded to an assault call on Ackerman Avenue where a white woman struck three people of color in the head before fleeing on foot. Students criticized the handling of the case by both the SPD and the university’s Department of Public Safety. A month later in March, students at the university’s study abroad center in Madrid reported the use of the “N-Word” by both a professor and students in the course.

The following is a list of biased related events that have happened on the Syracuse University campus since November 7, 2019.


LIST OF INCIDENTS THIS MONTH: 

  1. Day Hall Graffiti #1 (NOVEMBER 7): Racial slurs directed towards African-American and Asian students were written in the bathrooms on floors 4 and 6 of Day Hall.
  2. Physics Building Graffiti (NOVEMBER 14): Racist graffiti aimed towards the Asian community was found in a bathroom in the Physics Building.
  3. Anti-Semitic Graffiti in Snow Outside Apartment (NOVEMBER 14): A swastika was drawn in the snow outside of the student apartment building, The 505 on Walnut, along Walnut Avenue near campus.
  4. Day Hall Graffiti #2 (NOVEMBER 14): More graffiti, with hateful language towards the Asian community, was found on the 3rd floor of Day Hall.
  5. Racist Emails Sent (NOVEMBER 16): Emails supporting the biased events on campus were sent to student leaders.
  6. Racial Slurs Yelled Outside Day Hall (NOVEMBER 16): A racial slur was yelled at an Asian student leaving Day Hall.
  7. Racist Graffiti in Haven (NOVEMBER 16): A swastika was drawn and hateful graffiti towards the Asian community was discovered in Haven Hall.
  8. Racial Slurs Yelled Outside Sadler Hall (NOVEMBER 16): A racial slur was yelled at an African American student outside Sadler Hall.
  9. African American Student Verbally Harassed (NOVEMBER 16): An African-American woman reported a large group of individuals verbally harassing her with racial slurs outside of Sims Hall.
  10. Day Hall Graffiti #3 (NOVEMBER 18): Racist graffiti against the African-American community was found on floor 5 of Day Hall.
  11. White Supremacy Manifesto (NOVEMBER 18): Late in the evening, a white supremacist manifesto was posted on a Greek Life website under a page about Syracuse University. The manifesto, which is believed to be the same manifesto used by the Christchurch shooter earlier in the year, was allegedly airdropped to students studying in Bird Library.


HOW HAS THIS AFFECTED THE SU CAMPUS: 

  • As a response to the biased related events on campus, both past and present, university students formed the #NotAgainSU movement. Members of the movement drafted a list of demands to be met by the university’s administration. #NotAgainSU has organized a sit-in at the Barnes Center at the Arch since November 13. and students have continuously occupied the building since the beginning of the protest.
  • Otto’s Army, the student section leaders at athletic events, have boycotted every Syracuse Men’s Basketball game since the protests started.
  • The Department of Public Safety has increased security measures at dorms, the Barnes Center and around campus. They have also increased hours of officer shifts.
  • Campus food service cafes, such as the Newhouse school’s Food.com, have experienced a sharp decline in customer activity. Student employees of SU Food Services have also called off work since the Manifesto was shared.
  • In light of the emergence of the white supremacy manifesto, several academic departments on campus have made attendance in class optional or canceled classes altogether. Some departments are bringing academic resources directly to students at the Barnes Center.
  • Local politicians like Mayor Ben Walsh and New York State Senator Rachel May, visited campus to condemn racism and Anti-Semitism. The university has also received statements denouncing these hate crimes from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Governor Andrew Cuomo.
  • Hate Crimes on campus have received news coverage from both local outlets and national media, including CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times, as well as extensive coverage reported by student media on campus.
  • Chancellor Kent Syverud banned all fraternity related social activities and events for the remainder of the semester. The chancellor has also suspended the fraternity Alpha Chi Rho after they were implicated in the verbal assault outside Sims Hall.
  • Students have taken to social media to share information and provide tips to keep their peers safe.

The Syracuse Police Department, the Department of Public Safety and the FBI are continuing to investigate the recent bias related events on campus. There will be a forum to address safety and student concerns over recent issues at the Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center at SU.

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