Hours after reports surfaced of another racist incident on campus, more than 100 students gathered in Watson Theater to express their concerns. They had a clear message.

The Department of Public Safety mishandled the reporting of racist graffiti in Day Hall, students said. It’s a pattern at SU. Change isn’t happening fast enough. They want to produce further action.

The forum was organized in less than a day after Renegade Magazine and The Daily Orange reported the writing of racial slurs in Day Hall.

Ceiling lights in bathrooms on Day Hall’s sixth floor were pulled out and put in a toilet on Wednesday night. The N-word was written on part of the light, at least one mirror on the floor and on garbage cans. A slur against Asian people was also written on a bulletin board on the fourth floor.

The forum was organized by Juvenile Urban Multicultural Program, a registered student organization that aims to bridge the gap between SU students and the city. JUMP focuses on decreasing the high school dropout rate.

More than a dozen students scolded the university, its priorities and how it treats black students on campus.

More than 100 students attended the forum. Elizabeth Billman | Asst. Photo Editor

One after another, students aired their grievances about DPS’ response to the incident and how SU administration values students of color. They aren’t taken seriously by university officials. They don’t feel safe on campus. Chancellor Kent Syverud is “the root of the problem,” one student said. They feel overlooked by DPS, SU administration and the donors who fund the university.

“I no longer want to be the token black person that Syracuse takes hold of,” said one student.

“(It) was a clear attempt to make sure they don’t have to address the greater issues that allowed this event to happen,” said Taylor Knight, a freshman.

“All of your safety was jeopardized,” said Quan Petteway, a junior. “I feel hurt and I feel like we need to do something.”

Multiple members of DPS’ Student of Color Advisory Committee were present.They weren’t made aware of the graffiti until they found out with the rest of the student body, they said.

“I don’t think they take us seriously,” said Ashley Hudson, a member of the DPS advisory committee and JUMP. “Both as students and as people on this campus”

Ashley Hudson, who helped organized the forum, speaks in front of more than 100 students on Monday evening. Elizabeth Billman | Asst. Photo Editor

After they discussed their reactions, the attendees brainstormed action plans. They specified those plans were private and asked that reporters not record.

No administrators were present at the forum, which was planned in a large group chat for students of color. Attendees specifically referenced communicating through that group chat.

Rob Hradsky, vice president for the student experience, said in an email to the student body on Monday that the university regrets “not communicating more broadly.” DPS is investigating the incident.

“We condemn all racist language and actions,” Hradsky said.

During the meeting, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the state police’s Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate the racist graffiti.

DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado said the department is “actively investigating the matter,” in a statement issued after the forum. DPS is working with the Syracuse Police Department and has welcomed the involvement of state police, he said.

SU’s Residence Hall Association will hold a forum on the vandalism Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Lyman Hall 132. RHA shared a statement to Instagram on Monday morning condemning the university for not informing students of the racial slurs.

While attendees debated a plan to take further action, Ashley Velasquez and Adia Santos sat in the sixth row of Watson Theater. They looked toward each other.

Velasquez, in her second year as a resident adviser, heard two people on her floor “throw around” the N-word. She reported it but never heard back. Santos, a freshman, helped organize a four-day lockout at her high school after “racialized incidents” occurred last year.

Below the murmurs of the crowd, Santos lifted her arms in disgust.

“This is crazy,” she told Velasquez, thinking back to her high school’s incident. “It’s happening again.”

Published on November 12, 2019 at 1:39 am

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326