Board of Trustees chairman ‘appalled’ by ‘Orange community’ members’ behavior
Kai Nguyen | Photo Editor
Steve Barnes has been chairman of the Board of Trustees since 2015. He’s a 1982 graduate of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and an executive at Bain Capital, a private equity firm.
UPDATED: April 20, 2018 at 9:32 p.m.
Steve Barnes, Syracuse University’s chairman of the Board of Trustees, in a statement posted to SU News on Friday said he and other trustees are “appalled and deeply troubled” by recent behavior displayed by SU community members.
Barnes did not mention Theta Tau by name. The professional engineering fraternity was suspended by the university on Wednesday after the university confirmed it was involved in the creation of online videos showing fraternity members engaging in behaviors that were “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a campus-wide email Wednesday.
BREAKING: @SyracuseU Board of Trustees Chairman Steve Barnes, in a statement posted to SU Today, said he and other trustees are “appalled and deeply troubled by the recent behavior displayed by members of our Orange community.” Barnes does not mention Theta Tau by name. pic.twitter.com/LLZYJXZsZz
— Sam Ogozalek (@SamOgozalek) April 21, 2018
Students, during a sit-in at Schine Student Center on Friday morning, criticized the university’s handling of Theta Tau’s suspension and demanded that Syverud, the Board of Trustees, administrators and deans participate in a town hall by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. to discuss the fraternity and other concerns of discrimination on campus.
In his statement, Barnes did not address students’ demand for a town hall. Syverud, who briefly attended the sit-in at about 8 a.m. Friday, also did not specifically address the demands. Students protested outside of Syverud’s house on Wednesday night, a few hours after his announcement of the fraternity’s suspension.
The chancellor was criticized for not attending a forum at Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday night to discuss Theta Tau. He apologized to students at Schine, though, on Friday morning and said he “should have been there.” Barnes on Friday said, “We appreciate and support Chancellor Syverud’s and his leadership team’s swift and decisive action.”
Barnes has been chairman of the Board of Trustees since 2015. He’s a 1982 graduate of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and an executive at Bain Capital, a private equity firm.
In recordings obtained by The Daily Orange showing the videos filmed in Theta Tau’s house, a person forces another person to his knees and asks him to repeat an “oath” including racial slurs.
“I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n*ggers, sp*cs and most importantly the f*ckin’ k*kes,” the person on his knees repeats.
“We are saddened for our students, our faculty, our staff and our alumni, most especially those who have experienced this kind of hatred before,” Barnes said. “This behavior in no way represents the values of Syracuse University.”
MORE COVERAGE:
- Students take over Schine atrium for sit-in protesting SU’s handling of Theta Tau suspension
- Syverud: SU will start ‘top to bottom’ review of all Greek life policies, activities and culture
- SU chapter of Theta Tau says video depicts a ‘satirical sketch’
- Students protest Theta Tau videos outside Chancellor Kent Syverud’s house
Published on April 20, 2018 at 8:30 pm
Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek
