Some Syracuse University graduate students of color have gone on strike in support of #NotAgainSU.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, has occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall since noon on Monday to continue its ongoing protest of at least 29 racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents that have occurred at or near SU’s campus since early November.

Nearly 100 graduate students and workers who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as international students, have signed the petition since Thursday. The signatories will remain on strike until all of #NotAgainSU’s demands are met, the petition said.

#NotAgainSU released a list of 19 demands for Chancellor Kent Syverud in November to meet in response to the hate crimes and bias incidents. The movement added six demands, amended five and retracted one Monday. The movement plans to occupy Crouse-Hinds until its demands are met.

“What (#NotAgainSU has) endured extends beyond the space of Crouse-Hinds Hall,” the statement reads. “The #NotAgainSU movement makes visible the dire circumstances BIPOC students experience everyday and reflects on how white supremacy prioritizes the privileged and impacts the livelihood of marginalized identities.”

The graduate students will remain on strike until the #NotAgainSU organizers and student activists who received suspension notices have the sanctions removed from their records, according to the petition. SU should provide confirmation on the removal in writing, the petition reads.

SU placed more than 30 #NotAgainSU organizers on interim suspension Monday evening for remaining in the building’s lobby past closing. Chancellor Kent Syverud announced Wednesday that the suspensions would be lifted.

Four students who were not present at the Crouse-Hinds occupation received interim suspension letters from the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, a university spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday.

The signatories demand that those who were mistakenly given letters also have the suspension notices expunged from their records. A formal, public apology should also be given to the students for experiencing the trauma of racial profiling, the statement reads.

The graduate students will strike until SU “explicitly names the strategies used that led to the racial profiling of its students, which is in line with the call for administrative transparency and accountability.”

When asked, the university spokesperson did not elaborate on how OSRR made the mistakes.

The graduate students also demand that SU does not issue new suspensions for students participating in the #NotAgainSU demonstration, and that Crouse-Hinds remains open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day to allow organizers unrestricted and unconditional access to food, medicine and other supplies.

The Department of Public Safety sealed off the building from Monday night until Thursday morning. DPS prevented outside food, medicine and other resources from entering until Wednesday afternoon. SU provided lunch and dinner to organizers Tuesday and breakfast Wednesday, reopening the building Thursday morning.

Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president for the student experience, informed the protesters on Friday that Crouse-Hinds will operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. — the building’s weekday hours of operation — over the weekend.

The graduate students also demand that SU does not make students sign anything related to suspensions, demands and access to resources.

Additional SU graduate students announced Wednesday that they would “withhold their labor” in response to the students’ suspensions and lack of food. As of Wednesday night, over 150 people had signed the strike.

The Thursday petition discusses the housing, food, healthcare and financial issues graduate students of color experience.

It also calls on graduate students and workers to sign for “protection in collective numbers” against threats of termination and loss of funding from the students’ respective departments in response to the strike.

“It is important to recognize that we as BIPOC and international graduate workers have to teach and interface with the students who commit hate crimes, very often with little or no support from our departments,” the statement said.

Published on February 22, 2020 at 2:26 pm

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