SU chancellor says he misspoke in interview when discussing Greek policy review with The D.O.
Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer
The D.O. requested clarification from the university on Syverud’s responses, but had not received a statement as of about 8:50 p.m. Saturday.
UPDATED: April 21, 2018 at 9:16 p.m.
In an interview with The Daily Orange, Chancellor Kent Syverud appeared to contradict a part of his message to the Syracuse University community on Saturday, when he said in a video SU has launched a review of its Greek system following the expulsion of its Theta Tau chapter.
But in an emailed statement sent to The D.O. on Saturday at about 9 p.m., Syverud said he was mistaken during the interview and clarified that the review has started.
“I misspoke and for that I am sorry. The top to bottom review has commenced. I personally have spent limited time on it,” Syverud said. “I have been focused specifically on the Theta Tau issue and what steps had to be taken there.”
Jes Sheldon | Staff Photographer
In a video statement emailed to the campus, Syverud on Saturday afternoon said that as SU’s investigation continues into Theta Tau, “simultaneously we have begun a top to bottom review of our entire Greek system.”
When asked by a D.O. reporter Saturday about that review, Syverud said: “It has not started yet because we’ve been working on response to this particular episode.”
Syverud said he is going to be fully briefed on the review’s progress on Monday.
In the interview, which was originally scheduled to last 15 minutes, the chancellor was also asked why he was not at a student-led forum at Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday evening. Syverud said, “I think I addressed that with the students in the Schine Center (Friday) morning,” referring to a sit-in organized by the Recognize US group.
Syverud on Friday apologized to protesters and said he “should have been” at the forum, but did not elaborate on why he was not in attendance.
I misspoke and for that I am sorry. The top to bottom review has commenced. I personally have spent limited time on it. I have been focused specifically on the Theta Tau issue and what steps had to be taken there.Kent Syverud, Syracuse University Chancellor
Earlier on Saturday, Sarah Scalese, the university’s associate vice president for communications, coordinated a 15-minute interview between The D.O. and Syverud. Scalese requested that three or four questions be sent in advance.
In an email to Scalese, the reporter wrote: “Here are three questions. This is not the full list of questions I will be asking.” The full list of questions was compiled by multiple D.O. reporters.
The three questions were:
- Have the students involved in the videos of Theta Tau been expelled?
- In response to the Recognize US group’s demand, does SU plan on holding a town hall before Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. with you, the Board of Trustees, administrators and deans in attendance?
- How long is the Department of Public Safety’s investigation expected to take?
The interview, which was originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m., started at about 2:45 p.m.
At about 2:30 p.m., Syverud sent the campus-wide email and announced that SU had permanently expelled the Theta Tau chapter.
When the interview was set to begin, Dara Royer, the university’s senior vice president and chief communications officer, said the chancellor was only expecting to answer the questions sent via email. Royer and Scalese said the chancellor would only answer the three questions sent ahead of the interview, but they would make sure The D.O. received written responses to its remaining questions.
After a discussion confirming the miscommunication, the reporter asked Syverud a handful of questions before Syverud ushered the reporter out of his office in Crouse-Hinds Hall.
The interview lasted 4 minutes and 57 seconds. The transcript of the interview can be read here.
This post has been updated with additional comment from SU.
Published on April 21, 2018 at 8:48 pm
