Syracuse University administrators plan to create task forces and seek input from students and faculty to address diversity and inclusion issues following a campus-wide forum held on Thursday.

“Express Yourself: A Syracuse University Community Conversation on Diversity and Inclusion” was held in Hendricks Chapel on Thursday afternoon. The forum was initially organized because of derogatory comments made by Hanna Strong, an SU women’s soccer player, in a video posted online last month. Both student leaders and university administrators organized the event.

Dean of Student Affairs Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, said when the forum was organized, student leaders and administrators formatted it to promote more open discussion.

“We did not want this to be an administrative forum where we were just talking at students,” she said.

In the beginning of the forum, Chancellor Kent Syverud briefly addressed the audience. During the forum, Syverud said the issues being discussed were much larger than the Strong video itself.

After Syverud’s introduction, participants discussed two sets of questions and then broke into individual discussion groups, which Syverud participated in. Syverud ended the forum by summarizing what was discussed as well as the next steps moving forward.

Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina and Kantrowitz then addressed several specific demands that student leaders had given the administration. Some of those requests came out of a forum and a rally that were held on Sept. 12 and Sept. 19, respectively.

The requests included:

— More open dialogues

— More preparation for faculty and students in order to engage in discussions on identity and privilege

— More involvement from the administration in engaging with student organizations of color

— Mandatory dialogue class for all students

— More conversations between SU Athletics and the student body

— Additional funding for the African-American Studies department

Spina and Kantrowitz proposed possible solutions to the requests. One suggested solution was a faculty ambassador program, where faculty members would work as liaisons for certain student organizations.

After the forum, Spina and Kantrowitz planned to meet and work closely with those working to address these issues and will update the division of student affairs website as plans for solutions develop, Kantrowitz said. She added that she and Spina will also look for students to help lead the task forces. Students who swiped their IDs before the event will also receive emails about future updates, she said.

As participants entered into Hendricks Chapel for the forum, they were handed postcards with #ExpressSU printed across the top. “What challenges have you faced at Syracuse University?” and “What do you hope for Syracuse University?” were two of the questions on the postcards that helped facilitate the overall discussion.

Kantrowitz said she and Spina will review the written responses on the postcards when they meet with the heads of the initiatives as well.

The planning committee for Thursday’s forum will also continue meeting to determine future events and to ensure the conversation about inclusion, diversity and identity on campus continues, said Patrick Neary, president of the Graduate Student Organization and a member of the group who helped plan the forum.

Neary added that he thinks the forum generated accountability for the administration through the announced task forces. He said that he also appreciated how Spina and Kantrowitz were explicit in naming those in the individual task forces.

Neary emphasized the importance for the administration to hear students’ stories, and make sure their experiences are translated into action.

“I know that many students are frustrated that they feel like this is yet one more time that they’re being asked to be very open and brave and talk about these stories, when that seems to be all they’re doing,” he said.

This diversity forum was not the first time students have been asked to share their stories involving identity at SU, said Brittany Moore, student engagement chair for the Student Association, who helped facilitate the event. However, because there is a new chancellor, it is important to educate him and other new administrators, she said.

“I know that there are people where this isn’t their first forum, this isn’t the first racist or homophobic thing that’s happened on campus,” Moore said. “They (the administration) have to hear our voices, even though we always are kind of sharing our stories.”

A silent protest was staged on the steps of Hendricks Chapel by students from the SU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People during the forum. The protest was held to emphasize the need for action after public conversations are held about diversity and inclusion.

Kal Alston, the senior vice president for human capital development and a member of the forum planning committee said the silent protest proved there is not one unified voice for students on the issue of diversity on campus. She said that she thinks the protest was fair, because there will always be multiple perspectives on one issue.

Alston added that the forum achieved its purpose to raise more issues and better understand communities with multiple, intersectional identities.

“I don’t think there’s an easy solution, but I do think the more voices we can get, the better off we’ll be,” she said.

Published on October 6, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Anna: almerod@syr.edu