Throughout the winter months, Syracuse University students took part in nationwide campaigns and protests for justice from Atlanta to New York City, including #BlackLivesMatter and similar rallies following the lack of indictments in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner decisions.

During the time that photos were posted and experiences shared, SU students turned national discussions into interpersonal dialogues, which should make their way to campus upon the start of the spring semester.

As SU students rally for a safer national and local community by taking into consideration ability, ethnicity, financial standing, gender, race and sexuality, these efforts should inspire the Syracuse community. The university’s authoritative actions and policies this semester should reflect these efforts and make the university a more inclusive academic and social atmosphere for all students.

Activism was seen at the end of last semester at a “die-in” in Bird Library representing the four and a half hours that Michael Brown’s body was lying in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri after being shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. In this way, it is clear that national protests in recent months have posed as a catalyst for more local demonstrations to take place.

When looking back on SU’s recent history, activism has accounted for a large part of campus culture, as demonstrated by the establishment of THE General Body, a coalition of students and student organizations whose goal is to educate and generate positive change on campus.

While some students have made it clear they do not agree with the ideas represented by THE General Body, one cannot deny that the dedicated students brought change to SU.

THE General Body generated a discussion on campus about issues regarding diversity and inclusiveness that gained the attention and input of faculty, media organizations, neighboring universities and students. The 18-day sit-in in Crouse-Hinds Hall led to several developments, including the addition of 11 more student positions to Fast Forward workgroups, a commitment to an immediate search for an Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator and a 7 percent increase in Teaching Assistant pay for 2016.

However, the completion of the fall semester was just the beginning for THE General Body. The group will be hosting Teach-In to Act Out – a conference consisting of discussions, panels and more –  with The Democratizing Knowledge Project later this month regarding the history of student movements and activism-related topics in partnership.

As the fall semester was not the end for student activism, the administration should continue to make the university a more accepting environment.

In December, the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Sexual Violence Prevention, Education and Advocacy published a series of “short-term recommendations” to be addressed in the spring semester. The recommendations included the establishment of a Chancellor’s task force on sexual assault and relationship violence that reviews services, policies and programs every semester.

The report also recommended that the administration introduce culturally relevant approaches to strengthen the support of victims and survivors from marginalized identity groups including “students of color, students with disabilities, queer students and transgender students.” The report also suggested heightened efforts to encourage students from these groups to participate in leadership roles and in the development of sexual assault and relationship violence policies.

How the administration chooses to carry out these recommendations will stand as a reflection of our administration’s values and set the tone for Chancellor Kent Syverud’s receptiveness to student concerns.

In developing policies to accomplish these recommendations, the administration must remember to keep policies inclusive for all SU students, as it is for this reason students have protested on campus and across the country in the past few months.

Alexa Diaz is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at adiaz02@syr.edu.

Published on January 14, 2015 at 12:57 am