Before sleeping in Crouse-Hinds Hall for the second night in a row, protesters from the Diversity and Transparency Rally attended a meeting of THE General Body on Tuesday night.

Protesters discussed future action plans, and spoke with an appointed liaison between the chancellor and the group of students about a possible meeting with the chancellor.

At about 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Chancellor Kent Syverud visited protesters in Crouse-Hinds for the first time since the start of their sit-in on Monday night.

Syverud said he was appointing Bea Gonzalez, dean of University College, as the liaison between the group of protesters and the chancellor, and said he would read the group’s document of demands and grievances. Syverud was joined by Dean of Student Affairs Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Kevin Quinn and a few other administrators, and was only in the lobby where the protesters were camping out for a few minutes before leaving.

Tuesday’s meeting of THE General Body started at 9 p.m. Protesters said Gonzalez will speak with Syverud on Wednesday and they will then try to set up a meeting with the chancellor.

During the meeting, protesters made suggestions about action THE General Body can take in the future. Danielle Reed, a junior African American studies major, suggested the group make a presence outside of the Crouse-Hinds, because there are still a lot of community members who are not aware of the sit-in and coalition.

Other protesters added that they plan to organize and circulate a student petition in support of THE General Body’s efforts. The coalition will also plan to distribute brochures describing its concerns on the Quad.

Before the group meeting, Colton Jones, a senior psychology major, led protesters to sing along to “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King. Jones led the group playing the ukulele in the lobby while several protesters also played the bongo drums. After students’ voices rang through the lobby in song, Jones led a whisper chant repeating with the group, “I believe that we will win.”

During the day on Monday, protesters moved in and out of the Crouse-Hinds lobby for classes after sleeping overnight on the floor or in several cubicles along the stairwell. Meanwhile other students, staff and faculty have been donating food to the protesters, which has been organized through an online meal calendar.

The sit-in was staged after the Diversity and Transparency Rally on Monday afternoon to protest issues of diversity and transparency in the Syracuse University administration. Forty protesters slept overnight in the Crouse-Hinds lobby on the first night of the sit-in. Protesters are planning to stay until at least Thursday, which is when the Board of Trustees will meet and vote on its new mission and vision statement.

—Asst. news editor, Brett Samuels contributed reporting to this article

Published on November 5, 2014 at 1:07 am

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