DPS finds anti-Asian notes in SU buildings
DPS finds anti-Asian notes in SU buildings
Notes containing derogatory language towards Chinese individuals were found in three campus buildings on Wednesday, according to a statement released by Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety.
DPS was notified about the notes on Wednesday, which were posted in Eggers Hall, Hall of Languages and Huntington Hall. According to the DPS, since Wednesday, officers have completed several canvases of the campus to look for additional flyers and locate potential witnesses to the flyers’ posting.
On Thursday, #NotAgainSU, a student-led movement formed in 2019 in response to racial hate crimes on campus, shared a photo on their Instagram story which shows one of the notes found on a bulletin board in Eggers Hall. The note stated “beware of Chinese government “student” agents on this campus.”
The notes come less than two weeks after a Feb. 27 bias-related incident in which a student was called anti-Asian slurs while entering their off-campus apartment at the 800 block of Comstock Avenue. DPS is continuing to investigate the situation and will support the impacted student throughout the process, they said in a statement.
Read the latest message on Anti-Asian bias and hate on campus: https://t.co/PEoDw9P4v2 pic.twitter.com/WHxbIobVqb
— SU Campus (@SUcampus) March 11, 2021
This increase in anti-Asian hate crimes on SU’s campus mirrors a broader national trend: according to NPR, since 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes have risen by over 150%. Many experts attribute this rise to xenophobia, at times perpetrated by government officials, and blaming the pandemic on China.
In a statement sent out to students and faculty Thursday, Chancellor Kent Syverud and Keith Alford, SU’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, said the recent anti-Asian bias-related incidents are “reprehensible and cowardly,” adding that both incidents are being investigated by the school.
“With this most recent incident, we don’t know if the individual or individuals responsible are affiliated with the University,” the statement said. “What we do know is these actions and behaviors are disgraceful and harmful, and anyone who harbors these kinds of biases is not welcome in our community.”
Syverud and Alford also urged the community to continue to support those impacted by these events and reminded students of resources available to them, including the Center for International Services, Dean of Students Office, the STOP Bias initiative, and the Barnes Center at the Arch.
If you have any information about either of these bias-related incidents or any others, DPS asks that you call them at 315-443-2224. Additionally, if you wish to anonymously report non-emergency information to DPS, you can use the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian mobile app.
is a Magazine, News, and Digital Journalism and Political Science senior and one of the Lead News Producers for The NewsHouse.
