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Syracuse University’s Student Activism Engagement Team plans to understand and listen to student protesters.

The university announced Friday that it established the team, comprised of 10 members, in response to #NotAgainSU’s protests last academic year and nationwide protests against police brutality this summer.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, organized two sit-ins last academic year to protest the university’s response to slew of racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents that occurred at or near Main Campus.

During #NotAgainSU’s occupation of Crouse-Hinds Hall in the spring, SU’s Department of Public Safety sealed off the building and prevented outside food, medicine and resources from entering. The university provided food to the protesters.

“We know that we can’t handle a campus protest like we did last year,” said Cole Smith, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of SAET. “We’re trying to improve the outcomes that come out of those protests.”

SAET does not intend to stop student protests, Smith said. Instead, the team would like to engage with protesters and understand what change they wish to see to best support them. The university’s ability to respond to #NotAgainSU protesters could have been “much better” had the team been in place, he said.

#NotAgainSU responded to the university’s announcement of SAET’s establishment on its Instagram story, noting that the university “starved, suspended and withheld” organizers from medical and hygiene products, as well as legal and religious counsel.

#NotAgainSU responded to the university’s announcement of SAET’s establishment on its Instagram story, noting that the university “starved, suspended and withheld” organizers from medical and hygiene products, as well as legal and religious counsel.

John Liu, interim vice chancellor and provost, and Amanda Nicholson, interim deputy senior vice president of enrollment and the student experience, appointed the team’s members.

Student Association President Justine Hastings is the only student representative on SAET. While Hastings would have liked to see more student representation on the committee, SAET plans to invite student organizations, including #NotAgainSU, to voice their opinions at meetings.

Student protests are inevitable because of the varying needs of SU’s student body, Hastings said. Many students, faculty and staff do not have access to the Board of Trustees, so concerns are often unaddressed and change often takes time, which sparks protests, she said.

SAET’s role is to support safe and accessible ways for students to protest, Hastings said.

“(Protests) shouldn’t be the norm if the university is actively listening to and addressing student concerns,” Hastings said. “(The committee’s) role should be to try and quickly understand what it is students are protesting for and provide support, knowledge and or action steps to meet their goals.”

SAET will help “connect the dots” between students and the appropriate staff member for addressing their concerns, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications.

The engagement team will also provide masks and cleaning supplies to any protesters this semester, said Meredith Davis, associate vice president for student engagement.

“I think that most everywhere I’ve seen activism, good faith activism, like the kind that we anticipate seeing on this campus, people show up with the masks and they try to physically distance,” Smith said. “Safety comes first, period.”

Published on August 23, 2020 at 10:40 pm

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