After days of intense national scrutiny, leaders at Syracuse University on Tuesday released a detailed, 11-page list of proposed campus changes to curb racism, including a $1 million commitment to implement measures over the next year. The announcement followed hours of silence after ongoing hate speech and racist harassment on campus escalated overnight, following the release of a white-supremacist manifesto that was allegedly AirDropped to some students’ cell phones. After student meetings with a group of international students and protesters called #NotAgainSU, Chancellor Kent Syverud said administrators have promised specific responses to each of the concerns voiced by students, including revisions to the student code of conduct, curriculum changes, increased access to resources, and better security.
In an apparent effort to keep the university accountable, the chart also indicates which member of the administration is responsible for ensuring the changes are done. “As Chancellor, I take very seriously these immediate priorities, and commit to promptly achieving them, as well as to supporting the other important measures in the responses,” said Syverud. Kathy Walters, chair of Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees, on Tuesday praised the plan’s comprehensiveness. “What he and members of his leadership team put forward is a plan with actionable solutions with real timelines, real deliverables, real resources and real accountability,” she said. “That’s what our students are asking for, that’s what our students deserve.”
