Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
Last night, one of our African American students reported being subjected to a verbal racial epithet from a group of students and visitors to our campus. The location was on College Place. This report of an affront to our student’s—and our whole community’s—safety and well-being is the latest incident of several against Jews, Asians and African Americans. I am deeply angered by these events, including this latest incident.
All night, University leaders have been addressing these incidents. As to the College Place incident, Department of Public Safety (DPS) Chief Bobby Maldonado and his team have assembled substantial evidence, including security camera video, eyewitness accounts and interviews. The individuals involved have been identified and will be held appropriately accountable to the Code of Student Conduct and to the full extent of the law. We are working with the Syracuse Police Department, and we intend to bring this investigation to a swift and successful conclusion.
Some of the individuals involved are members and guests of a Syracuse University fraternity. That fraternity has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
More importantly, it is my view that the safety and well-being of students on our campus requires stronger steps. As of 4 a.m. today, I have directed the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs to suspend all social activities of fraternities on this campus for the remainder of the semester. While only one fraternity may have been involved in this particular incident, given recent history, all fraternities must come together with the University community to reflect upon how to prevent recurrence of such seriously troubling behavior.
DPS also continues to actively investigate the other incidents, particularly those involving racist graffiti and vandalism. A generous University donor has offered a reward for evidence that leads to the apprehension of the individual or individuals responsible for these heinous acts.
More details about the reward and further updates will be provided later today.
Sincerely,
Kent Syverud
Chancellor and President
Dear Members of the Syracuse University Community: I begin today’s monthly update on our Campus Commitments with an important reminder to participate in the Campus Climate Pulse Survey. If you have already participated, thank you for taking the time to…
Dear Students: Over the last 24 hours, it has become abundantly clear that a small group of students are willfully ignoring the Stay Safe Pledge, and New York State public health guidelines. We are aware of several parties and large…
The Syracuse University Campus as a Laboratory for Sustainability (CALS) program is offering up to $75,000 for faculty or student projects that advance the University’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, directly or indirectly, or through raising awareness on campus…
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families: In the past 24 hours, we have confirmed 21 new cases of COVID-19 among Syracuse University students. The majority of these new cases appear to be linked to two unrelated off-campus gatherings held this…
Open Enrollment, the annual period when eligible employees reflect on their benefit options for the coming year, begins Monday, Nov. 2, and continues through Friday, Nov. 13. This is the one time of year when University faculty and staff may…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
