Administration touts progress with demands
Parameters set for Monday negotiations
Friday morning SU Chief Diversity Officer Keith Alford sent an email to the university community with an update on the progress of the original #NotAgainSU demands agreed upon after the Barnes Center sit-in this past November.Other university officials have received criticism from #NotAgainSU organizers for continuing to tote last semesters accomplishments while students continue to sit-in, now in Crouse-Hinds, demanding faster and more effective change from the administration.
“We have a new list of demands, not the old ones,” Jonathan Chau, a #NotAgainSU organizer said at Monday’s meeting with the grad student workers on strike. “Please stop sending the link to the oldest demands that you clearly have done inadequately. That’s disrespectful to say the demands are done when you use the old link and they’re not even finished!”
Alford’s email links back to the office of Diversity and Inclusion webpage that lists each negotiated demand from student protestors and international and Jewish students, that Chancellor Syverud signed on Nov. 21, 2019. The page also lists who the faculty or staff member responsible for completion is, and what the status of the commitment is.
The email Friday served as a summary of new action being taken in the progress of campus commitments. This includes advancement in SEM100 curriculum design, faculty diversity training, and updates to the roommate matching portal.
The last line of Alford’s email reads, “Let us collectively acknowledge that change requires a long-term commitment—to the work and to each other.”
#NotAgainSU is set to negotiate with SU administrators including Alford and members of the Board of Trustees Monday at 4 p.m.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.thenewshouse.com/wp-content/uploads/Unorganized/Alford-Email.pdf” title=”Alford Email”]
#NotAgainSU organizers met with Syracuse University officials Thursday afternoon to negotiate terms for a formal negitaion session next Monday.
Students, administrators and members of the SU Board of Trustees are slated to meet Monday at 4 p.m. in Crouse-Hinds Hall.
The decision to meet Monday comes after an intense demonstration late Wednesday when #NotAgainSU protestors blocked traffic as a way to draw attention to their demands.
During Thursday’s session that was streamed on Instagram Live, organizers requested that 15 #NotAgainSU organizers would be allowed in next weeks’ meeting in Crouse-Hinds Room 120, along with their legal counsel First Amendment attorney Rob McGuire, and faculty allies such as associate professor Jenn Jackson who have supported the movement.
SU vice president of student experience Rob Hradsky, chief diversity officer Keith Alford and Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkel were among the school officials at Thursday’s meeting.
Also, school administrators suggested the students may want a separate space to caucus during the negotiations, which would be provided.
The conversation then shifted to live streaming which sparked a heated discussion.
“We need this because there is no trust,” a student organizer said. “It holds both parties accountable.”
Both sides tabled the discussion, but agreed tentatively to live stream only audio.
The #NotAgainSU organizers insisted that Dean of Students Marianne Thompson, Interim Provost John Liu, Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado and Chancellor Kent Syverud be present Monday, as none of them were included in todays pre-negotaiatons.
The meeting concluded with Hradsky agreeing to notify the student organizers by 2 p.m. Friday if members of the Board of Trustees can be present Monday. If not, the sides agreed to schedule an additional time to meet with them and their legal counsel.
Watch #NotAgainSU protestors Wednesday stop traffic for 90 minutes between Waverly and S. Crouse avenues.
is the Assistant Executive Producer of The NewsHouse.
