Syracuse University has identified and held three students accountable for acts of hate, Chancellor Kent Syverud said in an campus-wide email Monday. 

At least 29 racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents have occurred at or near SU since early November. Syverud said at a University Senate meeting Wednesday that SU has identified and punished some perpetrators, with some sanctions delivered this semester. 

Some perpetrators have been punished with suspensions, Syverud said Wednesday. SU’s student conduct process, which has been kept confidential, prevented that information from being shared with the campus community, the chancellor said. 

“Nevertheless, I believe it is also true that at the least one and maybe more of the perpetrators are still out there in our community,” Syverud said. 

It is unclear the total number of individuals the university has found responsible for acts of hate. The university previously announced sanctions against five individuals in connection to hate crimes and hate incidents.

The university announced in November that it placed four members of the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity under interim suspension after members and guests shouted a racial slur at a Black woman. 

The Department of Public Safety also announced in January that it had identified the individual responsible for anti-Semitic graffiti in Bird Library. The perpetrator was referred to SU’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

It is also unclear which of the 29 hate crimes and hate incidents the three students have been found responsible for. Five bias-related incidents reported in DPS crime logs since Nov. 13 were listed as closed as of Feb. 10.

Four of the closed bias-related incidents involve referrals to OSRR:

• An incident reported Nov. 13 at 300 Mount Olympus Drive
• An incident reported Nov. 15 at the 400 block of Comstock Avenue
• An incident reported Nov. 17 at 400 Comstock Avenue, the address of Haven Hall. Anti-Semitic and anti-Asian graffiti was found Nov. 16 in the residence hall. 
• An incident reported Nov. 20 at 918 Irving Avenue. This case involved an arrest, according to the crime logs. 

The fifth incident, which reportedly occurred Nov. 18 on the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue, was closed and transferred to the Syracuse Police Department, crime logs show.

Published on February 24, 2020 at 1:30 pm

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