After facing some resistance, around 50 Syracuse University students made their way inside Crouse-Hinds Hall around 5 p.m. on Monday, where they have staged a sit-in as part of the Diversity and Transparency Rally.

When students marched from the rally outside of Hendricks Chapel to Crouse-Hinds Hall to deliver a list of demands and grievances, they were met with locked doors. They were told that senior administrators would be willing to meet with them in the Schine Student Center. Some protesters left, while others found other entrances.

Around 5:15 p.m., a small group of about 20 students met with members of senior administration, which included:

• Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina
• Dean of Student Affairs Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz
• Director of Athletics Daryl Gross
• General Counsel for SU Daniel French
• Department of Public Safety Associate Chief John Sardino

While that group met in a classroom in Crouse-Hinds, about 50 other protesters remained in the building. Some went on their laptops, some began to socialize and others made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to share with the group.

The plan for the sit-in is to have students remain in the lobby of Crouse-Hinds until Thursday, which is when the Board of Trustees will have its meeting, said Yanira Rodriguez, one of the organizers of the rally.

“There’s a Board of Trustees meeting happening Thursday in which the board is going to be voting on a new mission and vision statement for the university, and we’re hoping that we’re probably going to be here until then,” she said. “We don’t know how today is going to go.”

Students have signed up for shifts to stay in the building until then, or until something is accomplished, said Becca Glaser, a graduate student.

Just before 7 p.m., Ben Kuebrich, a leader of the rally, told the remaining protesters that those in the meeting were working to plan a “negotiation meeting.” He asked for input from those in the lobby about what the set-up and location of the meeting should be.

Most of the protesters said the meeting should involve a panel of representatives from the protesters, but everyone should be able to be at the meeting.

Danielle Reed, another leader of the rally, spoke shortly after that about some of the topics discussed in the meeting up to that point. In addition to the negotiation meeting, she said the group discussed the list of grievances and demands created by THE General Body, the group that planned the rally.

“The administration said there was some misinformation in our demands document,” Reed said. “We said it may have been because there was a lack of transparency on those issues, and they should question why it is that the student body believes that.”

As of 7:20 p.m., students and administrators remained in a meeting, while about 50 students remained in the lobby of Crouse-Hinds.

Published on November 3, 2014 at 7:43 pm

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27