To the Editor,

Though I was pleased to see Chancellor Kent Syverud finally take responsibility for the treatment of students on the campus that he leads, I am still deeply troubled that we are in this place… again.

The class that will graduate this spring began their academic careers in Fall 2016, two years after students from THE General Body occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall and demanded (among other things) diversifying the student body and faculty, support for marginalized students, and acknowledgement of their lived experience of racism on this campus.

In Spring 2018, hateful, racist videos produced by Theta Tau were leaked to The Daily Orange. There were protests and anger and demands to diversify our ranks and support our marginalized students. The administration promised to do better, and we got forums and task forces and new administrative positions.

In Fall 2019, following a string of racist incidents, students once again protested. We had more forums and task forces and new administrative positions. The university conceded to some demands, and things began to look hopeful.

But it is Spring 2020, and here we are again. Whether you agree with the initial demands of the students who occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall (and I did not) is immaterial. Because this time, the administration either lost its patience or revealed its true self. Who gave the order to suspend students or weaponize food or treat students with such animosity and disrespect is also immaterial.

What matters is that university leadership created a culture that made someone in power think those actions were the right ones to take. Our leadership team apparently sees students as obstacles to overcome instead of our lifeblood and raison d’être. We have somehow become a university that just doesn’t like its students.

Syverud asked the campus community last week to take a step back from the edge. I agree with the sentiment, but encourage him to look hard at who he’s walking with.

 

Aileen Gallagher ’99

Associate Professor, Magazine, News & Digital Journalism

Syracuse University

Published on February 24, 2020 at 10:38 pm