UPDATED: April 18, 2019 at 9:13 p.m.
I
n late April 2018, Syracuse University students protested outside Chancellor Kent Syverud’s house. They spoke at town halls. They occupied Schine Student Center. They marched to the Carrier Dome. They rallied against the behaviors and ideals depicted in the Theta Tau videos that rocked SU’s campus..
Those students now have varying opinions on the roles of the university and student body in facilitating progress on campus, on the next steps the SU community should take and how much has changed.
And whether they were heard out.
For the students who spoke out during protests and town halls after Theta Tau’s suspension, the actions of the brothers in the video were representative of a problematic social culture at SU.
Jett Cloud, a junior political science major, attended the April 20 sit-in at Schine Student Center that followed the release of the first Theta Tau video. When protesters marched past the Carrier Dome chanting “Black Lives Matter,” Cloud said the problem was about more than just Theta Tau.
“They’re much more still representative of the Greek life system as a whole,” he said in an interview.
Courtney Jiggetts, a senior design major who protested in front of the chancellor’s house, said SU is not as diverse of an institution as it could be. Marginalized communities across campus do not feel like the university is listening to them, she said. But the problem is not exclusive to SU, she said — predominantly white institutions nationwide use students of color on promotional material.
“If we are important to the university and if we’re important to allowing the university to maintain its diversity standards or quota, then why did we have to do some much just to be heard?” she said.
When Sadia Ahmed paneled a Student Association-sponsored forum last April, she was wearing a hijab — something she no longer wears. She felt unsafe wearing it at SU, so she decided during summer 2018 to stop waring it.
Ahmed needed to prioritize her mental health — which was deteriorating — and though she had worn the hijab for nearly eight years, she thought she could come back to wearing it, she said. She’s not there yet.
“I don’t have that mental strength in me to walk across this campus and receive racial slurs,” Ahmed said.
Several students who spoke out last year said they feel like the social climate at SU has not changed significantly. They said that change started to slow after the initial outrage at Theta Tau videos.
Ahmed said she doesn’t feel safe to practice her religion at SU, or even walk across campus as a student of color. When she took off her hijab, she noticed her professors from last year treated her differently.
“It’s crazy how much your appearance can change the way you’re treated on this campus,” she said.
Nathan Gansworth said campus protests led to change on campus, including the expulsion of Theta Tau, but now pressure from the campus community has died down.
Dan Lyon | Asst. Photo Editor
Nathan Gansworth attended the protest at Schine. He said that as a Native American student — a group that makes up less than one percent of SU’s student population — he was impacted by the fact that multiple communities were attacked in the Theta Tau videos. He said he felt compelled to speak up and stand with other students.
At first, the campus protests led to major changes, such as the expulsion of Theta Tau from campus and the suspension of the students involved in the videos, but eventually the pressure from the community died down, he said.
“It just seems like a big situation will happen and there’s a lot of outrage, and then it kind of just fizzles away until the next thing happens,” he said.
Change does not seem to happen unless a major, negative incident like Theta Tau happens, Gansworth said. He referenced SU’s Department of Public Safety’s recent clarification of its jurisdiction, which he said only happened after student demands following the assault of three students of color along Ackerman Avenue.
Nathan Shearn, a student activist who spokeat a forum for the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs last year, said that keeping a movement’s momentum going is a challenge for on-campus activists. Right now, the focus should be on changing the campus culture, he said.
“I dont think he Syverud administration has made a genuine effort to create a more equitable campus. The impetus for any change has come from, and only from, the student body,” said Raymundo Juarez, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, in an email.
Nathan Shearn, a senior anthropology major, said on-campus activists should focus on changing Syracuse University’s culture.
Dan Lyon | Asst. Photo Editor
Cloud said he disagrees with Chancellor Kent Syverud when he sends out an email saying a particular incident is not reflective of the university’s values. SU’s values are still in line with racism, homophobia, sexual assault and misogyny, which is why similar events keep recurring, Cloud said. He added that Theta Tau, the Ackerman assault and SU’s Madrid Center incident — where several people said the N-word in classes — are all connected, he said.
“They’re all linked with each other, and they’re all very much still representative of larger, systematic issues with Syracuse University that I think are inherent to the university,” Cloud said. “I don’t think you can separate the racism from Syracuse University.”
“Over the last year, our campus community has worked to create meaningful change that brings to life our aspirations and deeply held values. Namely, to foster an environment in which all individuals feel truly welcomed, respected, empowered, supported and valued. Thanks to the hard work of many students, faculty and staff, together, our community has made progress toward enhancing our collective cultural understanding and appreciation of diverse life experiences and viewpoints. We still have work to do. Our community must continue to engage in open and constructive dialogue that results in tangible action,” said Dara Royer, SU’s senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, in an emailed statement Wednesday afternoon.
After protests and forums, students were divided about the role of the university and student body in creating further change.
Shearn said the university heard the voices of those who spoke out and is now more cognizant about how it approaches issues that affect marginalized communities. Many problems come from the culture on SU’s campus, he added.
Cloud said SU listened only as far as was needed to combat the negative publicity the university was receiving. The issues are systematic, he said, and will never be fixed through university administration.
“Students will never be able to trust the administration to actually protect us and to actually rectify these issues,” he said.
Junior Rachel Ameen said she wasn’t sure if it is reasonable to expect the university to listen to everyone’s concerns. It’s not realistic for administrators to sit with each student and ask how they can make the campus better, she said.
Gansworth said it was up to the university’s administration to make changes at SU.
“You can only have so many movements. You can only get so many students to speak up about stuff. It’s tough when you’re a student,” Gansworth said. “There’s not much you can do except speak up.”
Some students spoke about what they wished they would had done different in their actions after Theta Tau.
Ahmed said she wishes she was more transparent about the reasons behind her taking off her hijab. While she said the Theta Tau videos did not specifically address the Muslim community in its content, she still felt vulnerable at SU. She said sharing why she decided to remove her hijab — which is not a decision to make lightly — could’ve helped others.
“That was a huge mistake on my part because I know there are other students who are going through the same struggles on this campus,” Ahmed said, adding that people are scared to walk across SU’s campus.
Hanz Valbuena said he knew students who protested against Greek life, then participated in recruitment the next semester.
Aaron Kassman | Staff Photographer
Hanz Valbuena, a senior television, radio and film major, wants people to be consistent in their demands from the school, and stick to their word. He said he knew students who protested Greek life in light of Theta Tau, then participated in recruitment the next semester.
Cloud said he would have been more vocal about the toxicity of the Greek life system, and would’ve tried to direct the conversation toward removing Greek life from the university as a solution.
Because the Theta Tau incident occurred toward the end of the school year, Ameen said it became harder to maintain momentum into the summer. With a 24-hour news cycle, Ameen said one can’t expect to be outraged about one issue for a year.
“Things change too fast. So it’s unfortunate, I think we did some good, but still have a long road ahead of us,” Ameen said.
Students provided several suggestions on how campus culture could be improved and the actions SU and the student body should take to implement those changes.
Maria Norris said structural changes to the university are needed to help members of marginalized communities.
Doug Steinman | Staff Photographer
Maria Norris, who wrote a letter to the editor to The Daily Orange last year in response to the second video, said structural changes were needed to help members of marginalized communities feel safer at SU — creating committees, holding forums and having meetings is not enough, she said.
Cloud said Greek life at SU needs to be abolished, and that the university should work to improve diversity and inclusion beyond what he said was artificial and done for branding. The Greek life system is elitist in its cost and its environment, in which certain students receive an education on racism, homophobia and other issues, Cloud said.
Shearn said that students should be informed about ongoing forms of discrimination, harassment, sexual violence and marginalization on campus outside of events like Theta Tau. Continuing forums and discussions, as well as inspiring new classes of students to continue to organize and be active can help.
“It’s constantly exposing, constantly holding people accountable,” Shearn said. “I think that is one of the most important parts, because changing hearts and minds is really what changes the campus culture.”
CORRECTION:In a previous version of this post, Raymundo Juarez was misquoted.The Daily Orange regrets this error.
Published on April 17, 2019 at 10:33 pm
Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu
