Group that organized anti-Trump ‘Sanctuary Campus’ protest holds planning meeting
Wasim Ahmad | Staff Photographer
The meeting was intended to figure out what the coalition's movement will look like, their mission statement and goals.
UPDATED: Nov. 30 at 10:25 a.m.
The latest meeting of the Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF Coalition for Justice had a large focus on being inclusive to all identities on the campuses.
The SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Coalition for Justice held a planning meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Hall of Languages. The coalition is centered against an intolerance of white supremacy, racism, sexism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia on the SU and SUNY-ESF campuses, according to their Facebook page.
The Coalition for Justice group also organized the National Walkout at SU, a rally and march in a demonstration against United States president-elect Donald Trump earlier this month. The rally was part of nationwide “sanctuary campus” protests that took place on colleges across the country that day.
The meeting was open to students campus wide. About 25 people from both campuses, ranging from undergraduate to Ph.D. students, were in attendance.
Alexis Rinck, a senior political science and sociology dual major, and one of the organizers of the group started the meeting by saying the space was intended to be as inclusive as possible. She said the meeting was intended to figure out what the group wanted the movement to look like, its mission statement, goals and how it plans to achieve them.
While the mission statement ended up being slated for a further date, the purpose of the coalition was discussed in depth in a round-table format, a discussion that took up a little over half of the meeting time.
A few overarching purposes were established, including being an open space, being resistant, becoming a sanctuary campus, doing campus and community outreach and putting forth lobbying efforts.
“It’s hard to establish what a safe space entirely is, so it might be more about looking at rhetoric changes on this university,” Rinck said.
One participant brought up that the coalition should serve as more of an accomplice to marginalized groups than an ally, explaining that an accomplice is actually willing to mobilize for the cause.
Issues surrounding President-elect Donald Trump were also discussed. The group came to a general consensus that they must reframe how they discuss Trump since everybody who may want to get involved with the coalition may not necessarily be against him.
RELATED STORIES
- Hundreds of Syracuse University students walk out of classes in nationally organized ‘Sanctuary Campus’ protest
- Gallery: Hundreds at Syracuse University walk out of classes in largest anti-Trump demonstration on campus so far
One person said that the coalition needs to be 100 percent against Trump, but one of the group leaders rejected this notion.
“I’m gonna push back a little and say we disagree with Trump’s hateful rhetoric,” said Sierra Messina-Yauchzy, a senior psychology major. “… We should shy away from saying we are 100 percent against everything because that’s very isolating language.”
Another topic that was highlighted was outreach to nearby colleges, specifically Le Moyne College and Onondaga Community College, and the city of Syracuse. Participants echoed the idea that because of the inevitable turnover rate at a university the way to make a lasting impact on the campus and in the surrounding community is by students escaping what they referred to as the “SU bubble,” and getting involved with organizations in the city of Syracuse.
The meeting then moved on to a discussion about what committees would make up the coalition. The committees were narrowed down to five: outreach, public relations, events, education and wellness and care. The idea of having “first responders” was added to the role of the events committee after suggestion by a participant.
Rinck said while people could begin expressing what committees they are interested in being part of, the group present at the meeting was not diverse enough to appoint committee leaders.
Before the group broke into committees it discussed short-term goals that needed to be achieved before the end of the academic semester. The main short-term goal was organizing a team to gauge interests and potentially work with the Syracuse Peace Council for anti-inauguration efforts.
A larger meeting with more university leaders will be held in January to discuss the coalition’s long-term goals.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF Coalition for Justice was misnamed. The Daily Orange regrets this error.
Published on November 30, 2016 at 12:11 am
Contact Stacy: sfern100@syr.edu | @StacyFernandezB
