The Daily Orange Editorial Board calls on Student Association President Ghufran Salih and Vice President Kyle Rosenblum to take more public steps to reassure and inform students about the Theta Tau controversy.

Not immediately addressing Theta Tau at the start of the first week of classes through a form of campus-wide communication was a mistake.

Regardless of the sensitive nature of the topic, shying away from the conversation will only do more harm than good. It would be encouraging to see Salih and Rosenblum take on this difficult issue.

The campus has only heard from SU administrators who send emails lacking much detailed information on Theta Tau.

SA has a responsibility to ensure that diverse voices are represented on campus, and SA leaders can be the facilitators of those voices and start meaningful conversations regarding concerns raised by campus community members in the wake of SU’s expulsion of the engineering fraternity. Some of those concerns included campus-wide bias and discrimination.

If SA leadership takes the lead to frequently provide updates to students on Theta Tau developments — whether that be announcements related to initiatives launched by SU following the incident or information on the two lawsuits filed against the university in federal court and Jefferson County Supreme Court, respectively, by students involved in the Theta Tau videos — there will be less confusion among campus community members about what’s exactly happening, especially after a state judge ruled that SU could not enforce disciplinary action, at least until Sept. 19, against 10 students who are suing the university over its handling of the incident.

It was a tumultuous spring 2018 semester, and there’s a potential that SU’s fall 2018 semester could be equally tumultuous. The university’s student leaders need to acknowledge that. Not doing so would be a disservice to SA’s constituency.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@dailyorange.com.

Published on August 29, 2018 at 10:35 pm

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com