The Daily Orange met with four participants of the Recognize Us movement on Sunday afternoon to discuss the group’s long-term goals to address systemic issues of racism and discrimination at Syracuse University.

Recognize Us formed in response to the initial suspension of Theta Tau, the professional engineering fraternity that has since been permanently expelled from SU. It organized a sit-in at Schine Student Center on Friday morning to protest the university’s handling of Theta Tau.

On Wednesday night, The D.O. published a video showing people in Theta Tau’s house using racial slurs, including anti-Semitic language. The D.O. published a second video Saturday night showing people in the house miming the sexual assault of a person with disabilities.

Here are three takeaways from The D.O.’s interview with Recognize Us participants.

 

The movement isn’t just about Greek life

Liam McMonagle, a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism and political science dual major, said Recognize Us’ goals of campus-wide change go beyond Greek life.

“Although we do want to see Theta Tau be reprimanded and people in the video be reprimanded, we are trying to change the culture on campus that made them feel comfortable doing that on video,” said McMonagle, a movement participant.

Danielle Lippman, a junior human development and family studies major, said the videos show that Theta Tau fraternity members didn’t think twice before using language such as n*gger or sp*c because they were comfortable doing those things at SU.

“Now that there’s a video we have a chance to point to it and say ‘Look, there’s the culture in a nutshell,’” McMonagle said.

He added that Recognize Us is not protesting Theta Tau, but “protesting the culture that allowed Theta Tau to do that.”

“When we say this is everyone’s movement, we mean everybody,” said Isabella Leon, a freshman communication and rhetorical studies major, who stressed the group’s emphasis on inclusivity.

 

Kent Syverud

Lippman said Recognize Us is not giving Chancellor Kent Syverud a round of applause.

The movement is supportive of Syverud’s announcement that on Saturday SU has permanently expelled Theta Tau from campus, she said. But the group’s work isn’t done, Lippman said.

“His emails, he’s a lawyer, and you can tell that when he speaks, like he is very vague, very scripted, I want him as a person, to speak from the heart and to recognize that this is an issue,” Leon said.

In an interview with The D.O. on Saturday, Syverud said he met with student leaders on Friday to discuss Theta Tau. McMonagle said as far as he knows, none of Recognize Us’ organizers were present for that meeting.

Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

“That was a meeting yesterday of student leaders from various organizations including Student Association, Hillel, Greek leaders, leaders from African American students, students among, students with disabilities, and so on,” Syverud said at the time.

But Lippman said the chancellor has not mentioned Recognize Us by name once.

“Like, he says things like ‘protesters’ or ‘marginalized students,’” McMonagle said.

 

Intersectionality

Quincy Nolan, a junior communication and rhetorical studies major, said intersectionality is at the core of the group’s movement. Intersectionality is an overlapping of individuals’ identities, such as race, sexual orientation and class.

Nolan said Recognize Us is focusing on all identities and marginalized groups. McMonagle said an example of the university’s lack of recognition, in regard to intersectionality, is the LGBT Resource Center’s inaccessibility.

Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

“What that says to us is … you cannot be queer and in a wheelchair, and that’s not correct, we have students that are,” McMonagle said.

And, as a result, he said the group is seeking long-term, “generational” change.

“Until someone can arrive on this campus as intersectional as you can possibly be, until someone is here that is every type of marginalized group wrapped into one and that person feels safe and secure, then we’re not done,” McMonagle said.

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MORE COVERAGE:

• SU chapter of Theta Tau says video depicts a ‘satirical sketch’
• Second Theta Tau video shows mimed sexual assault of person with disabilities
• Multicultural Greek organizations find inspiration for activism in Theta Tau videos
• SU chancellor says he misspoke in interview when discussing Greek policy review with The D.O.

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Published on April 23, 2018 at 12:31 am

Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek