Student Association canceled its Assembly meeting on Monday to show solidarity with the #NotAgainSU movement.

SA President Mackenzie Mertikas and Vice President Sameeha Saied encouraged cabinet members to join protesters at the Barnes Center at The Arch, which began in response to racial slurs found in a Syracuse University dorm building. The sit-in is now in its sixth day.

SA’s Assembly met briefly and informally before walking to the Barnes Center to address the hate crimes and bias-related incidents that have occurred on or near campus.

At least 11 hate crimes or bias-related incidents have occurred since Nov. 7, when racist graffiti targeting black and Asian people was found on two floors of Day Hall. Several other hate crimes and bias-related have been reported to the Department of Public Safety. SA members also received threatening emails condoning the hate crimes earlier this week.

“Obviously, this has been an extremely hard and taxing week for everyone involved,” Mertikas said at the meeting. “However, as a student government, we have decided that it is not our place to do anything more than what we are asked to do.”

Students have held a sit-in at the Barnes Center since Wednesday to protest the hate crimes and bias-related incidents. The protesters have created a list of demands for university administration to meet to support minority groups on campus and to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Mertikas and Saied have continued to emphasize the need for their organization to take on a role as students in the protests. Rather than focusing on their own initiatives and taking on a leading role, they will step down and allow protesters to organize and head the movement, Mertikas said. 

“As SA, we stand in complete solidarity with #NotAgainSU,” Mertikas said. “We want to support them in any way that we can while also recognizing that this is not our movement. This is their movement and we should make sure we are elevating their messages more than our own.”

Mertikas and Saied also encouraged cabinet members to continue attending the Barnes Center sit-in if they are willing and able. Their job is to speak with students and ensure that SA is present for anything that protesters or the student body may need, they said.

Some cabinet members spoke at Monday’s meeting about their experiences at the Barnes Center and conversations they have had with students over the past week.

“Even just starting a dialogue and asking how people are at the sit-in can be a really big help,” said John Jankovic, SA Student Life co-chair. “I’ve already heard a lot of new concerns and frustrations from students both with regards to the protests and in general.”

While SA is continuing to stand in solidarity with the #NotAgainSU movement by remaining present at student protests, SA plans to have a more concrete idea of the role they will play following the upcoming Thanksgiving break, Mertikas said at the conclusion of the meeting.

Published on November 18, 2019 at 9:55 pm

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss