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SU students had to pay hundreds of dollars to obtain transcripts of Title IX hearings. After students raised concerns, SU allocated funding to cover the fees. Page 3
Seniors in the College of Visual and Performing Arts are preparing for their showcase. It will feature 37 independent films from various genres. Page 9
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Using satistics and analytics, Syracuse University softball head coach Jim Bosch has built up SU’s program from scratch over the course of several years. Page 24
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Student concerns addressed at forum By Casey Darnell design editor
About 60 Syracuse University community members gathered in Hendricks Chapel on Monday night to discuss disability and accessibility issues on campus. The forum was called in response to the release of videos showing members of the Theta Tau fraternity using language Chancellor Kent Syverud called “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.” At the forum, faculty and students with disabilities expressed dissatisfaction with the physical accessibility of buildings and spaces on campus and with what they said was a lack of change surrounding disability rights at SU. Priya Penner, president of the Disability Student Union, and Jennith Lucas, vice president of DSU, facilitated the discussion, which was broken into two parts. The first hour allowed people with disabilities and allies of the disability community to reflect on actions that should be taken following the Theta Tau incident.
A lot has to change, and I’m not prepared to wait until October in a committee meeting to have that change occur. Kent Syverud
syracuse university chancellor
Kate Corbett Pollack, a coordinator at SU’s Disability Cultural Center, said the actions of the Theta Tau brothers need to be treated as a violent act. Pollack, who is deaf, also said seeing the video on the news triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder and made her afraid to go out in public. Faith Wangari, a graduate student studying education, expressed concern about the lack of housing for graduate students on campus. She said it’s difficult for people who use wheelchairs to access off-campus houses. Wangari and other students took issue with the limited operation of the Access ‘Cuse van, which transports students with disabilities to areas around campus. Syverud said that the previouslyannounced disability services audit “is coming” and that he plans on making some of the suggested changes this summer. cdarnell@syr.edu
An anonymous email sent to undergraduate students in the School of Architecture in March accused more than 180 men architects nationwide of misconduct. Five current and two former SU architecture professors were on the list. kai nguyen photo editor By Sara Swann
senior staff writer
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ome students in Syracuse University’s School of Architecture say they often feel like they need a safe space to express concerns regarding inappropriate faculty interactions. In March, an opportunity for that space presented itself. At the end of March, an email was anonymously sent to the School of Architecture undergraduate student listserv with a link to a Google spreadsheet called “Sh*tty Architecture Men.” The list detailed more than 180 men architects nationwide who were anonymously accused of “alleged misconduct involving physical contact, harassment, or threats.” After the initial shock of receiving the list and the accusations it contained, architecture students said they started to notice their peers add comments about SU professors. Five current and two former architecture professors were included on the list.
Anxiety remains over accusations against School of Architecture faculty The Google spreadsheet is currently unavailable — the creators have taken it temporarily offline — but conversations about the list still buzz throughout the School of Architecture, students said. When the list was first shared among SU architecture students, Emma Stoll, a fifth-year thesis student, said she felt the need to speak up and share frustrations with one of her professors. So she added a comment to the list. Stoll’s thesis project studies the intersections of sexuality, specifically bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism (BDSM) culture, and the violences of heteronorma-
tivity within the context of the suburban home. Stoll said the professor referenced in her comment has made inappropriate remarks about her thesis and her sexuality. He also called her “naturally” promiscuous. “I was willing to do that because I think it’s important to talk about how what you’re studying or the way you present yourself is not an invitation for these actions,” Stoll said. Though she did not attach her name to the Google spreadsheet comment, Stoll said anyone who knows her and her thesis work will be able to identify which comment is hers. There are hundreds of anonymous comments on the list, which range from accounts of sexual violence and harassment to professional misconduct. Stoll described her interactions as professionally inappropriate and uncomfortable because of the sexual connotations of the professor’s words and tone of voice. “People could read it as revenge, what I did, and people could read it as that I was just angry and caught up in the moment,” Stoll said. “And see accusations page 19
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Future SA leaders suggest diversity reform, activism By India Miraglia staff writer
Student Association Presidentelect Ghufran Salih and Vice President-elect Kyle Rosenblum said they believe that keeping conversations on diversity going will bring change to Syracuse University following the release of controversial videos related to Theta Tau, an SU fraternity. Theta Tau was suspended and eventually expelled by SU after videos containing what Chancellor Kent Syverud called “extremely racist” behavior were confirmed to have been created by the frater-
nity chapter. Syracuse University refused to release the videos, but The Daily Orange obtained and released two videos in April. Salih and Rosenblum said they attended several forums at schools and colleges to discuss the videos and diversity on campus. The pair listened to stories of doubt and hurt from attendees, but they also heard hope and solutions for the future from students, Salih said. Suggested reforms from Salih and Rosenblum included assessing diversity requirements in colleges’ curriculums, developing first-year forums, requiring implicit bias training for faculty and students and hiring fac-
ulty from diverse backgrounds. “It’s taking a closer look at what we’re doing and how that might not be working as well as it could be,” Salih said. Rosenblum added that while he thinks there needs to be resources available for students who face discrimination, there also needs to be measures to avoid discriminatory situations in the first place. Salih said she was surprised by the number of university personnel who attended the forums and listened to students. That indicates progress, she said. Rosenblum cited Chief Human Resources Officer Andy Gordon
as an example. At a forum at Hendricks Chapel last Wednesday, Gordon responded to a question from Susima Weerakoon, a graduate student who asked why students have to pay for their Title IX hearing transcripts. Gordon said that funds would be made available the following day for students to access their Title IX transcripts and followed through on his statement. Salih said she hopes students continue with activism. “I hope that everyone else on this campus will keep fighting because I’m going to keep fighting,” Salih said. irmiragl@syr.edu