In the past month, at least 12 incidents involving discrimination of race or religion have been reported on or near Syracuse University’s campus. The latest jarring incident came Monday when a white supremacist manifesto was allegedly sent to students studying at the library.
Syracuse students who were in the library at 10:30pm on Monday allegedly received an AirDrop message containing the “The Great Replacement,” the same manifesto shared by the New Zealand shooter before he killed 51 people in March. The manifesto was also posted on the university’s Greek Rank site, a forum for sorority and fraternity members. Anyone can post anonymously to the forum.
The manifesto comes after at least 12 additional bias-related crimes. Students have rallied under #NotAgainSU to seek protections and protest the university’s response, or lack thereof. The hashtag even spawned a student organization of the same name.
At 10:34pm tonight, the New Zealand Shooter’s “The Great Replacement” manifesto was posted on the @SyracuseU page of GreekRank. The website reviews fraternities and sororities, but this was posted in the “Discussion” tab. This comes a week into #NotAgainSU protests. pic.twitter.com/8fB1kzEIml
— Morgan Trau (@MorganTrau) November 19, 2019
#NotAgainSU organized what is now a seven-day sit-in on campus to protest the “November Hate Crimes.” Starting on Nov. 7, bathrooms in a lecture hall were vandalized with racial slurs against Black and Asian people. Around seven additional reports of vandalism targeting the Black, Asian, and Jewish communities appeared across campus when a group of white male students reportedly verbally harassed a Black female student. The Daily Orange, Syracuse’s student-run newspaper, reports the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity was suspended shortly after the incident.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5BU57QpqhT/?igshid=qen4x4qr91mi
Another act of hate surfaced when Genevieve García de Müeller, an assistant professor at Syracuse University, received an anonymous email with the subject line “JEW” on Tuesday.
“Just got this at my work email. Police are involved. #NotAgainSU I am being directly targeted. I’m not afraid to stand up for what I believe. Threats won’t stop me,” Müeller tweeted.
She posted a screenshot of the anonymous email.
“Get in the oven where you belong, you monstrous looking k*ke,” the email reads.
https://twitter.com/drchingona/status/1196834989675036672
Following the dissemination of the New Zealand manifesto, students a part of #NotAgainSU and Renegade magazine, a Black student-led publication, called for the cancelation of classes in the name of student safety. Some teachers, including Müeller, canceled their classes, but the university remained open as of Tuesday because the Department of Public Safety (DPS) could not find specific threats, according to the Daily Orange.
“We believe that students should stay in safe spaces where they feel most comfortable, as safety is paramount,” #NotAgainSU wrote in an Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ClKzPpCci/?igshid=1bdhbxlnzfp5j
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) released a statement on Tuesday, scrutinizing the university’s handling of the “hateful activities.”
“The hateful activities at Syracuse University are most disturbing, not only to the Syracuse University community, but to the greater community of New York. They have not been handled in a manner that reflects this state’s aggressive opposition to such odious, reckless, reprehensible behavior,” Cuomo said. “That these actions should happen on the campus of a leading New York university makes this situation even worse.”
Teachers and students are reacting on Twitter to what they say is university inaction.
“I’m Mexican and Jewish. I’m used to this antisemitic racist bullshit. I’m worried about my students. I’m worried about my community,” Mueller tweeted. “My boyfriend is keeping me sane right now. We need to do better at SU.”
https://twitter.com/drchingona/status/1196859249961381889
Another urged Syracuse to cancel all classes.
“If someone is gonna airdrop a shooter’s manifesto in our library you can’t make targeted students appear in those public places. Protect your students safety. Don’t let this keep happening #NotAgainSU,” Twitter user @getbernd wrote.
CANCEL ALL CLASSES @SyracuseU .IF SOMEONE IS GONNA AIRDROP A SHOOTER’S MANIFESTO IN OUR LIBRARYx YOU CAN’T MAKE TARGETED STUDENTS APPEAR IN THOSE PUBLIC PLACES. PROTECT YOUR STUDENTS SAFETY. DON’T LET THIS KEEP HAPPENING #NotAgainSU
— Digworthy Marshall (@getbernd) November 19, 2019
The coalition behind #NotAgainSU provided the university with a list of nine demands to be met by Wednesday. The demands include the expulsion of students guilty of hate crimes, the creation of a forum for student experiences, and the allocation of $1 million to develop an anti-racism curriculum.
https://twitter.com/ya_kaday/status/1194659451510366208
The university addressed each demand in both a chart and a letter, agreeing to some of them. The university agreed to allocate the $1 million and committed to increasing student safety resources. It also agreed to revise the student code of conduct “to make even more clear the serious consequences for hate speech.”
Many, including Cuomo, remain critical of the university’s response to the hate-filled month.
“Despite his efforts, I do not believe Chancellor Syverud has handled this matter in a way that instills confidence,” Cuomo said in the statement.
The Daily Dot has reached out to #NotAgainSU for comment.
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