UPDATED: Friday, Nov. 15 at 5:50 p.m.

Chancellor Kent Syverud made his second appearance at the #NotAgainSU sit-in, filled with 200 people Friday afternoon, to address a revised list of student demands.

The chancellor said he will respond to protesters’ demands by their deadline of Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. Students at the sit-in announced they will continue to occupy the Barnes Center at The Arch until then.

“This is my responsibility. I own this,” Syverud said to the crowd.

Syverud spoke during the first day of the sit-in and stayed for about 10 minutes. He hadn’t seen the protesters’ list of short-term and long-term demands, so he read the list in front of them. Since then, #NotAgainSU organizers have updated their demands. Organizers read the demands in front of him. Syverud responded to them individually.

Protest organizers reviewed the wording of the new demands with a lawyer, according to multiple #NotAgainSU protesters. They are still in the process of tinkering with each demand and plan to release a revised list after committee meetings on Friday.

Parris Kelly, an SU senior, moderated most of the discussion with Chancellor Kent Syverud. Corey Henry | Photo Editor

Syverud arrived at the Barnes Center at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Daniel French, general counsel for SU, arrived about 20 minutes before.

The chancellor began by calling the five racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents that occured on campus in the past week hate speech.

“I know that these events, these hate speech events, have brought to the surface issues in our campus environment,” Syverud said.

The students revised some of their initial nine demands, and added a 10th: for SU to grant immunity to all students at the sit-in who could otherwise be in violation of the university’s Code of Student Conduct.

The protesters went back-and-forth with university officials Thursday evening to determine whether they’d face university sanctions for remaining in the Barnes Center past it’s 1 a.m. closing time.

Marianne Thomson, dean of students, informed a student at 11:37 p.m. on Thursday that sanctions would not be imposed if they stayed overnight.

“My view is participation and a peaceful protest, given the events that happened, shouldn’t be subject to any discipline,” Syverud said in response to the 10th demand.

He later revised his statement, adding that the demonstrators would not face discipline for remaining in the center through Nov. 20.

The protesters’ first demand, to expel the individuals involved in the racist Day Hall graffiti, remained unchanged from Wednesday. Syverud acknowledged that hate speech is a serious act deserving of serious consequences, but said announcing serious penalties in advance of finding the perpetrators could make it difficult for those consequences to be imposed.

Several university officials, including Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado, attended the sit-in Wednesday and confirmed those involved in the racist graffiti would be expelled.

Kent Syverud on DPS response time and language: “It is OK and safe to call things what they are.” pic.twitter.com/fLyflesnHk

— KJ Edelman (@KJEdelman) November 15, 2019

When asked about reform of SEM 100, a mandatory first-year course on diversity and inclusion, Syverud said many faculty have voiced similar concerns to demand No. 3. He plans on speaking to the University Senate on Wednesday about revising the course.

One person asked if it was possible to call an emergency University Senate meeting. Syverud did not say if that was possible.

Implementing a zero-tolerance harassment policy in SU’s Student Code of Conduct is #NotAgainSU’s fifth demand. The Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience and Dean of Students Marianne Thomson are reviewing the current harassment policy for clarity, Syverud said. The revision process is something Syverud said he’s ultimately responsible for as chancellor.

Demand No. 6 called for a portal system to include students’ self-identified interests and race. The portal would mirror a professional roommate portal and would include the race and ethnicity students self-identify with, as well as their general interests. They would have the option to pick someone with the same ethnicity, interest or race as them.

This was previously changed from the initial demand, which called for a “same race” for all students during the roommate application process.

“Changing that rhetoric — we don’t advocate for same race, we advocate for being a safe environment for black students to feel like they are safe to be black,” a #NotAgainSU protester told the chancellor.

SU senior Jonathan Chau is a participant in the #NotAgainSU movement. Corey Henry | Photo Editor

Syverud said he is trying to learn how the roommate selection process works at SU and how it can be improved.

“I haven’t had much time to work on this this week so I don’t know. All I can do at this point on this one is say I’ve heard the concern and I validate it,” Syverud said. “It seems to me we can improve the process of roommate selection. We need the experts on it to also work on the details.”

An organizer said they’re also calling for more multicultural learning communities, beyond freshman year. SU’s Multicultural Living-Learning Community is located in Lawrison Hall. Syverud referenced a current housing study this year to make what he called “comprehensive revisions of housing.”

Syverud suggested to make progress on this recommendation, it would have to be separate from the housing study so results can come quicker. Final results for the study are expected to come in May, and if this concern is added, the change wouldn’t be implemented by the start of the fall 2020 semester, Syverud said.

The chancellor gave concrete answers to several of the demands. He will provide help in any way to ensure the protesters can meet with SU’s Board of Trustees. He agreed to implement a clause in faculty contracts that would mandate diversity training, meeting half of the protesters’ fourth demand. The answer to hiring more counselors to represent minorities “should be yes.”

The ninth demand involves allocating at least $1 million for implementing a new diversity curriculum. Syverud said SU’s curriculum college committee has been working on this, but the process will involve each school and individually. Resources needed to implement the curriculum correctly will not cost less than $1 million, he said.

Syverud: “Money is not a problem.” Someone near the exit yelled back, “It’s your urgency that matters.”

— KJ Edelman (@KJEdelman) November 15, 2019

After an hour of sitting on a stool surrounded by concerned students, Syverud was motioned through a back entrance. Throughout, protesters wanted to ask him more questions but were mindful that he only had an hour of time.

He left to speak with Jillian Juni, the executive director of SU’s Hillel Center. Juni appreciated Syverud taking the time to meet with Hillel, she said in an email to The Daily Orange. 

“We are grateful for his consistent support of the Jewish community here at SU,” Juni said. “The conversation was productive and we look forward to our continued work together on issues pertaining to students.”

Before the chancellor left the Barnes Center, one protester encouraged students to email Syverud “because he has an email, too.”

“We’re not gonna let this die down,” she said.

This post was updated with additional reporting. 

Published on November 15, 2019 at 2:03 pm

Contact KJ: kjedelma@syr.edu | @KJEdelman