With ongoing racially-motivated hate crimes, #NotAgainSU is not done with its work yet.

On Monday, students with the #NotAgainSU movement occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall while tours were going on around campus. There was no specific bias-related incident that sparked the protest, but is instead in response to the Syracuse University administration’s failure to meet the group’s original demands for reform made in November. In response, at least 30 students who stayed in Crouse-Hinds Hall as part of the sit-in past its closing hours of 9 p.m. were placed on interim suspension by the university.

With its response so far, SU administration is already showing more resistance to the movement and protests than they did in November.

Just after midnight, 12 hours after the protest began, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith Alford and Vice President for the Student Experience Robert Hradsky sent an email that claimed the occupation included students that “have been unwilling to engage constructively.”

The email said students are not being suspended for protesting, yet several students have received official notices of interim suspension. Students and faculty who attempted to bring food to the protesters were denied entry and food was not delivered until past 12 p.m. on Tuesday.

DPS officers have allegedly gotten physical with some protesters, including stopping a student from blocking a Crouse-Hinds entrance and another from entering the building.

This protest draws similarities to the 18-day occupation of Crouse-Hinds hall in 2014 by student group THE General Body. The university is now trying to prevent a repeat of the 2014 occupation by suspending students and withholding food from the building, increasing their need to leave.

Although the school claims that it aligns with #NotAgainSU and the movement’s mission statement, its actions say otherwise. The increased force being used this time around and the suspension of students to immobilize the protest are proof that the school would rather cover up this story than work for substantive change.

Marginalized identities are not being protected and these peaceful protests will likely continue until all the demands are met.

 

Feryal Nawaz is a junior political science major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at fnawaz@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter @feryal_nawaz.

Published on February 18, 2020 at 10:06 pm