By Gus Kirkpatrick SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Student organization “Stand With Survivors SU” held a sit-in at the Department of Public Safety Office on Tuesday. This is just one of many protests the organization has conducted in the past month following the initial march around campus on September 11th. Leaders of the activist group discussed how since the first night, they have held safe space vigils and open forums where Stand With Survivors SU could communicate with students and engage in open conversations about how the organization could improve the cause to action they were working towards.
As of now, the coalition has made a long list of demands of which they are pressuring Chancellor Syverud and Syracuse University admin to meet. Student activist Carla spoke about one of these demands, “Our coalition is abolitionist. We don’t think that FASA Greek Houses should exist on campus anymore.”
The organization is aware that this demand among others is not realistically able to be met anytime soon, but they are eager and motivated to continue moving forward and gaining more and more support. Carla noted, “I don’t expect any of this work to be finished by the time I graduate, and I’m a junior.”
Another student activist named Jessica chimed in saying, “I’m a freshman, so hopefully this can be done when I leave.”
Chief of Department of Public Safety Bob Maldonado was present at the sit-in in support of the students. Following the list of demands being read aloud, Maldonado had this to say, “There was a lot of information out there so I really need an opportunity to review all those demands. I think that some of them are reasonable demands, some of them are demands that are already actually in place. Some of what they’ve asked for I think they will find that there are processes in place to support survivors.”
Students remained in the Department of Public Safety building for seven hours, speaking out and holding up signs calling for the end to rape culture.
