#NotAgainSU will continue its occupation of Crouse-Hinds Hall for a third day, the movement announced Tuesday night.

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds on Monday at noon. The demonstration is part of the group’s ongoing protests of Syracuse University’s handling of at least 26 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents that have occurred at or near SU since early November.

SU officials placed more than 30 #NotAgainSU organizers under interim suspension early Tuesday morning for remaining in the building past closing. The officials offered to revoke the suspensions Tuesday night if students agreed to end their occupation.

Protesters said late Tuesday night that students inside Crouse-Hinds offered to sign the agreement only if John Sardino — the Department of Public Safety’s deputy chief — resigned, and the university granted protesters a meeting with SU’s Board of Trustees. University officials denied the requests, protesters said.

The university also offered to schedule a meeting with students to identify the leaders responsible for addressing protesters’ new and existing concerns, said Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president of the student experience and dean of students, in a campus-wide email early Wednesday morning.

Protesters rejected all of the university’s offers after deliberation, he said.

Here’s what happened during the second day of the Crouse-Hinds occupation:

Locked out

DPS officers had sealed off Crouse-Hinds as of Tuesday morning, preventing anyone without card access from entering with food or other supplies.

Several students, faculty and community volunteers who gathered outside the building attempted to pass food and other supplies to the organizers inside. DPS officers guarding the building’s entrances repeatedly denied their requests.

Early in the morning, protesters reported an incident in which a DPS officer physically struggled with a protester to prevent them from entering the building. Multiple videos of the incident were posted to social media.

Organizers inside were given sandwiches shortly before 1 p.m. The university later provided students with dinner, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications.

Around 8:30 p.m., protesters threw food into Crouse-Hinds when DPS officers opened the door to enter the building.

DPS informed protesters that only Syracuse medics could bring in medical supplies, according to a #NotAgainSU organizer. Medics were later able to bring Advil into the building using a stretcher.

The university responds

Students who remained in Crouse-Hinds past 9 p.m. on Monday were placed on interim suspension. SU did not suspend members of #NotAgainSU for protesting, but for violating the university’s building occupation policy, an SU official said Tuesday.

“The students were advised, on multiple occasions, that they would need to move their demonstration to spaces on campus that are open past 9 p.m.,” Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost John Liu said Tuesday in an SU News release.

Officials provided protesters with options for other spaces on campus where they could continue their protest, such as Bird Library, Liu said. The library is open 24 hours.

Protesters are free to leave Crouse-Hinds at any time, but would not be able to re-enter the building because DPS has restricted access, Liu said. Students issued suspension notices can still return to residence halls and South Campus apartments, and eat in their dining halls, he said.

“Only the students who failed to comply with exiting the building once it closed for the evening were referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for violating the Campus Disruption Policy,” Liu said.

The university has made continued efforts to address students’ demands, he said. #NotAgainSU presented Chancellor Kent Syverud with 19 demands in November, and issued six additional demands, amended five and retracted one Monday.

Petitions and pushback

More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the university to reinstate the #NotAgainSU protesters suspended Monday night.

The petition claims that SU officials prevented food from entering Crouse-Hinds in an attempt to remove protesters from the building. It also says that SU has not met #NotAgainSU’s November demands.

“There is no reason to punish peaceful protesters, especially when there is no punishment for the acts that made them feel so deeply unsafe,” the petition reads.

Nearly 400 faculty, staff, alumni and students signed a separate letter opposing the university’s suspension of the protesters, calling the suspensions an “action of retaliation for peaceful protest.”

The letter also called for the reinstatement of the suspended students.

Protesters have contributed vital perspectives to the SU community, the letter stated. The suspension of protesters will not improve the campus climate and undoes commitments the university has made, the letter stated.

Published on February 19, 2020 at 2:16 am

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3