Some Syracuse University professors and departments have canceled Tuesday classes or allowed absences after a white supremacist manifesto was allegedly sent to students’ cellphones. 

Students at Bird Library allegedly received the manifesto around 1 a.m. Tuesday through AirDrop, according to the Department of Public Safety. A link to the manifesto was also posted in a Greekrank.com forum hours earlier. The 74-page manifesto was written by the perpetrator of the New Zealand Christchurch mosque shootings and contains Neo-Nazi symbols and anti-immigrant sentiments.

There has been no university-wide cancellation of classes. Outgoing Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly sent an email Monday to SU deans, department chairs and faculty asking accommodations to be provided for students.

“I also ask that we all be mindful that classroom dynamics may be affected by the incidents of hate speech on our campus,” Whealty said. “We want to ensure that students, faculty and staff feel supported.”

Classes will continue at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Students can contact their professors for accommodations if they feel unsafe and decide to stay home, according to an email sent to students, staff and faculty. 

Dean J. Cole Smith of the College of Engineering and Computer Science said in an email that faculty are allowed to cancel class this week, and students can receive reasonable accommodations if they choose not to attend. 

Dean Michael Tick of the College of Visual and Performing Arts told faculty to excuse student absences if they hold class and to offer support to students if they choose to cancel. Students at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications will not face any penalties for missing their classes at the school, said Interim Dean Amy Falkner in a school-wide email. 

The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics will not penalize students who don’t attend class out of fear for their safety, said Dean Diane Murphy in an email to The Daily Orange.

“We are concerned with our students first and foremost and realize that this is a stressful and challenging time for all,” Murphy said. 

DPS said the manifesto’s distribution posed no threat to Syracuse University. The department is currently investigating the incident alongside the Syracuse Police Department, New York State Police and FBI. A DPS officer at Bird Library encouraged students not to walk home alone. 

There have been 11 hate crimes and bias-related incidents reported on or near SUs campus since Nov. 7. 

The communications design department at VPA said Tuesday that the department would be continuing classes until Tick made an official announcement stating otherwise. Professors will be in their classes to support students, and many VPA faculty understand students may wish to stay home, the email said. 

The SU Drama Department will allow students to miss class and faculty to cancel class until Wednesday at 10 p.m.

Biko Gray, an assistant professor of religion, canceled class Tuesday. He expressed concern for the safety of students of marginalized identities and encouraged white students in his class to reflect and think of ways they can help.

“For my students from marginalized communities, please be safe. This racial terror circulating across this campus is now reaching a fever-pitch,” Gray wrote.

Raffaella Meriwether, an assistant teaching professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition, canceled class after receiving several emails from students and faculty.

“I think most of us would agree that the white supremacist manifesto that circulated after midnight taps into our deepest, most soul-crushing fears, as well as those of our families and friends,” Meriwether wrote.

Chung-Chin Liu, an assistant professor of economics, postponed a scheduled exam but said classes will continue this week.

Several campus events were canceled following the manifesto’s circulation.

The College Democrats and Republicans have postponed their Wednesday immigration debate to an unstated date. A Maxwell teach-in on combating racism was also canceled. 

SU’s Student Association in a statement encouraged the university to cancel all classes until an investigation of the “increasingly imminent physical threats” is completed and shared with the student body.

“Students on this campus have been made to feel increasingly unsafe and unwelcome as the week has gone on,” the statement read.

Published on November 19, 2019 at 12:42 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu