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Syracuse University has revised its Code of Student Conduct to include more severe punishment for perpetrators of racist and hate-related incidents, a university official said Friday.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, included the policy revision in its list of 34 demands issued in response to SU’s handling of at least 32 hate crimes and hate incidents that have occurred at or near Main Campus since November. The movement presented 19 demands to Chancellor Kent Syverud in November and added new demands in February.

The revised conduct code, which students will be required to sign in the fall, clarifies when bystanders who witness hate crimes and hate-related incidents can be held accountable, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith Alford said in a campus-wide email.

“We reject all acts of hate, but we can’t address each one with just words. What we can and must do is the collective work necessary to confront it every time,” Alford said.

Alford in his email also addressed concerns and solutions that international, Indigenous and Jewish students presented to Syverud in the fall.

International students have called for SU to hire multilingual resident advisors and provide greater diversity training for RA’s. Alford listed in the email the demographics of the RA’s for fall 2020, which include 108 who identify as women and 76 who identify as men. Of the group, 54.9% are students of color, 37.5% are white students and 7.1% are international students.

Alford also outlined how many students will be living in Multicultural Living-Learning Communities this fall. The expanded MLLC in Day Hall will house 80 students while the one in Lawrinson Hall will house 27 students. The new MLLC for upperclassmen, located on the fifth and sixth floors of Ernie Davis Hall, will house 63 students.

The university has also created 10 counseling positions for the fall semester, including staff therapists and psychologists, Alford said. All counseling staff have completed anti-racism, racial disparity and COVID-19 training, as well as training for trauma-informed care related to race, he said.

SU will finalize a draft of the university’s anti-harassment policy by mid-July, which Alford will then review alongside the University Senate Policy Committee and the Chancellor’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Human Resources will host a series this month for supervisors on how to engage in conversations with staff on race and racism. The offices are planning additional series for the future as well, Alford said.

Alford, along with Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkol and Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president for the student experience, will also work with a group of students to review and provide input for a drafted Marginalized Identity Student Leadership Coalition, he said

“As we continue to work on creating a campus that is just, equitable and inclusive, decisive changes are in motion,” Alford said. “We will embrace the difficult and necessary conversations that are so critical to creating understanding and driving action.”

Published on July 10, 2020 at 9:37 pm

Contact Sarah: [email protected] | @sarahalessan