The Board of Trustees special committee tasked with jointly assessing diversity, inclusion and campus climate at Syracuse University has met and begun planning its review.

The Board of Trustees Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion formed in December to review and provide recommendations on SU’s current diversity and inclusion policies and programs. The committee, which will consider recommendations from an independent panel, expects to present a report to the board by the end of June, said Jeffrey Scruggs, co-chair of the committee.

“This is not a committee that we want to have drag on for a year, two years, and have the community wondering about whether we are actually going to take action,” Scruggs said.

The committee was formed in response to at least 20 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents that occurred at or near SU since early November, Scruggs said. Though the incidents inform the committee’s work, the report is not an investigation or criticism of any past actions, he said.

SU has gone through a painful process, and the committee is dedicated to ensuring students feel safe at the university, said Richard Alexander, committee co-chair and graduate of the Class of 1982. The board not only wants SU to be a welcoming place for all students and talents, it wants the university to lead in this area, he said.

“This matters to us in terms of what kind of institution we want to be, it matters to us in terms of the students that we want to attract to the university, the talent we want to attract to the university, the shared values and visions we want to have,” Alexander said.

Seven trustees, including Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Walters, serve on the committee. Committee members have prioritized residential and student life, academic experience and safety in their review, Alexander said.

The Independent Advisory Panel, comprised of four members not affiliated with SU, is charged with observing and engaging the campus community separate from the special committee, Scruggs said. The panel will share its findings with the committee later this semester to be included in the committee’s report, he said.

Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Karol Mason serve on the panel. The four panelists each bring different perspectives, and some have experience advising other universities, Alexander said.

“They have seen academic institutions who have addressed these issues very, very well, and they bring to us the benefit of learning from those experiences,” Alexander said.

Engaging with students, the University Senate and the broader SU community is critical to the committee’s work, Scruggs said. The committee plans to meet with student groups of diverse backgrounds and gather input from faculty, staff and community members, he said. Surveys could also be provided, he said.

A schedule of the committee’s planned engagement efforts will be put together in the coming weeks, Scruggs said. The panel is independently deciding how to engage the campus community, he said.

The committee will also consider agreements made between students and university administration in its final recommendations, Alexander said.

#NotAgainSU, a black student-led movement, presented a list of demands for Chancellor Kent Syverud to meet in response to the hate crimes and bias-related incidents. Syverud agreed to 16 of the movement’s 19 demands and made revisions to the remaining three. The chancellor also agreed to demands from Asian, international and Jewish students and discussed concerns and solutions with indigenous students.

SU’s work in addressing student concerns is ongoing, Scruggs said. The committee’s report should be seen as an addition to the university’s ongoing efforts, and not a replacement, he said.

“We are really, really laser-focused on what we can do going forward to enhance the experience for all members of the Syracuse University community,” Scruggs said.

Published on January 12, 2020 at 11:11 pm

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