Campus Activism

THE General Body responds to Chancellor Syverud’s email on Wednesday night

Margaret Lin | The Daily Orange

Student protesters gather in the lobby of Crouse-Hinds Hall last Friday prior to spending the weekend in the building. As the sit-in enters day 10, protesters say they're still not satisfied with SU's response to their demands.

Chancellor Kent Syverud emailed the Syracuse University community late Wednesday night with the university’s final written response to the demands of student protesters who have been camping out in Crouse-Hinds Hall for over a week.

In the email, Syverud apologized for the way changes to the Advocacy Center and the Posse program were communicated. Syverud commended the protesters’ commitment to SU but said the university has informed THE General Body, the group behind the sit-in, “Our time must now be spent addressing the needs of the entire student body.”

In a statement, THE General Body said Syverud’s email was “counterproductive to the negotiation process” and that the administration’s response is vague, not transparent and excludes student voices.

“THE General Body is unsatisfied with this offer and continues to demand the administration recognize our outcry against the rapid and undemocratic revision of university goals and missions. We reiterate our insistence that undermining the demographics of our student body, the mental and sexual health of our students, the accessibility and safety of our campus and the relationship of Syracuse with its community is not an appropriate or democratic way to balance our budget,” according to the statement.

–Asst. news editor Anna Merod contributed reporting to this article







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