The sit-in at Crouse-Hinds Hall needs to reach a resolution. To accomplish this, the administration and THE General Body need to work together.

THE General Body has brought important university issues — such as transparency, diversity, accessibility and mental health resources — to the forefront. From this, a plan of action needs to be formed by both THE General Body and administrators.

The meeting on Wednesday night between THE General Body and Chancellor Kent Syverud did not result in any concrete agreements between the administration and THE General Body. Because of this, the university and protesters are caught in a stalemate. This division is not good for current Syracuse University students, staff, faculty or for prospective students touring the school.

THE General Body should develop exact requirements for what it will take for its sit-in to end. It will be up to THE General Body to draw up a document that defines what can bring this sit-in to a close. It should be clear about if it will leave when the demands are agreed to, or when the changes are actually implemented — keeping in mind that many of its grievances cannot be solved overnight.

After receiving THE General Body’s criteria to end its sit-in, administrators must be completely transparent in their decision-making. It’s likely that not all of the protesters’ requirements will be met. But the administration must provide specific reasoning as to why it cannot grant THE General Body’s requests.

Administrative transparency can begin now. If there is a request that the university will consider but cannot guarantee overnight, administrators should negotiate with THE General Body about when it will provide answers, or exactly when the campus community can expect changes to take place.

Reaching a resolution will require compromise from both sides. THE General Body should realize that all of the changes it is asking for might not be feasible or could take a long time to implement. But it is up to the university to explain exactly why it cannot agree to something or why a specific policy cannot not go into effect right away.

THE General Body should explicitly define what it needs in order to reach a resolution to the sit-in. And in turn, the university must prove it is not only committed to listening to the demands of THE General Body, but is also committed to becoming more transparent in its decision making process.

Published on November 6, 2014 at 12:45 am

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