On Monday afternoon Chancellor Syverud held his annual winter address, promising to ensure continual change and progress on campus to create an environment where all students and faculty feel safe and supported. This forum allowed the necessary opportunity to reflect upon the 20 accounts of racial and bias-related incidents that took place at the end of the last semester and the efforts taking place in order to foster change.

The motivation Syverud ignited by illustrating how the Syracuse community has bounced back from the devastating events this past November, serves as further proof that students and faculty can use the beginning of a new semester to create the needed change to move forward.

Syverud agreed to many demands presented to him and worked with student leaders in order to come to a compromise on the ones that he did not.

“Given our world right now, I don’t expect that our campus, our community or our world will be free from incidents of anti-Semitism, racism and hate,” Syverud said. “We cannot magically change everything overnight. But we can respond appropriately, proactively and positively, true to the values we aspire to.”

Syverud is not attempting to give the façade that the events that occurred last semester will never haunt the Syracuse campus again. Instead he admits to the devastating fact that the world is full of hatred and although it is utterly unacceptable, one cannot be sheltered from it forever. With a country that is involved in international wars, polarized on many of the most important issues, and with many in the world attempting to invoke hatred, it is unrealistic to think that not every single person will be affected by this.

While the events of last semester were not initially handled correctly and quickly spiraled out of control, Syverud seems resolute on not allowing the same mistakes to be made this semester. The detailed list of changes provided, which are ongoing and in the near future being put into place, is the right step for Syracuse University to ensure a safe and tolerant community where both students and faculty can thrive.

Kailey Norusis is a freshman English literature and history major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at [email protected]. She can be followed on Twitter @Knorusis.