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Syracuse University faculty members raised concerns regarding lack of representation of humanities and arts departments in the university’s search committee for its new vice president for research.

The search committee, which was announced on Feb. 10, consists of faculty, staff, student representatives and members of SU’s Board of Trustees. There is a significant absence of faculty in humanities and arts departments amongst 14 members, said Sascha Scott, an associate professor in Native American and Indigenous Studies department, during the University Senate open forum on Wednesday.

“As part of this community, I also worry about the message that it sends to potential candidates for the vice president for research,” Scott said.

While there are three committee members from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, none of the members on the list hold expertise in humanities or arts subjects. Scott said that although there is one committee member, Kristen Barnes, who holds a doctorate in literature, she is not a practicing humanist and is a part of the College of Law.

“We need somebody who is actually practicing research as a humanist now,” Scott said.

Gretchen Ritter, SU’s vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, said there will be a listening session specifically focused on arts and humanities by members of the search committee. Ritter said she is committed to seeking out candidates who will support research and creative work across disciplines.

“Listening sessions are not representation,” said Laura Heyman, an associate professor in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, in response to Ritter in the Zoom call’s chat box.

Heyman also mentioned VPA’s decision to de facto cut its art video program. She said the program was closed by the dean without consultation with faculty in the department or the senate’s academic affairs committee.

Shiilā Seok Wun Au Yong, a Ph.D. fellow at SU’s School of Education, said later in the forum that doctoral students in humanities hardly get summer funding for their research, while their peers in science subjects do because they have the opportunity to work in laboratories.

Peter Vanable, the dean of the Graduate School, said he is willing to sit down with both faculty and students to discuss how to better support their needs and ensure higher success rates among award applicants in humanities.

“My interest in funding humanities students is sincere. We have a track record of funding humanities students and departments in both areas,” Vanable said. “But I also am very committed to helping to ensure even better success rates than we’ve seen so far.”

Faculty members also expressed concerns about the connectivity of campus Wi-Fi, which they believe has not been stable inside some on-campus buildings since a campus-wide malfunction at the beginning of the semester. Multiple professors said it negatively affected their teaching as they couldn’t connect to stable Wi-Fi from the classrooms.

Robert Van Gulick, a professor in SU’s philosophy department, said some of his students had to use their own personal hotspot in class. He even considered bringing in a cable just so he can connect his device to the internet during class, he said.

“Those classrooms used to work fine. You could come in and use my laptop and access the Wi-Fi and bring in things and show videos in the middle of my lecture,” Van Gulick said. “I cannot do it anymore. … It is a problem and it is affecting our ability to teach.”

Steven Bennett, SU’s senior vice president for international programs and academic operations, said that the Information Technology Services is aware of the situation and is working on a solution. He hopes to have something in place over the next few days so the disruptions will be over, he said.

Benjamin Tetteh, a Ph.D. student in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, said he was concerned about the accessibility of sanitary products in on-campus restrooms. Many don’t have sanitary product dispensers, and those that do are often empty, he said.

“It first came from an observation one of the (Graduate Student Organization diversity committee) members had at Bird Library, where a female student had to frantically run across bathrooms looking for a sanitary pad,” Tetteh said. “That piece of equipment where they put the pads in (was) locked and you had to put in a quarter. Notwithstanding, they still put in the quarter and nothing came out.”

Tetteh suggested setting up sanitary item dispensers in every restroom on campus, possibly free of charge. Rob Hradsky, the vice president for the student experience, said free dispensers with hygiene products were installed in Bird Library last week.

“You can’t assume that somebody is always going to have a quarter on them,” said Emily Stokes-Rees, the chair of the senate’s agenda committee and an associate professor in SU’s School of Design.

Multiple senators also mentioned Carmel Nicoletti, an instructor and the coordinator of the School of Design’s design studies program, who, for many years, has donated menstrual products and left them in hand-sewed pocket hangers within the bathrooms at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, free of charge.

“Feminine products are something that women need,” Nicoletti told The Daily Orange. “Sometimes, young women and even faculty women get stuck and you’re like, ‘Oh dear, I need something and there’s nothing there.’”

Nicoletti told The D.O. that people do take advantage of these free menstrual products. She said she usually needs to check and fill the pockets at least once or twice a week.

“I tried to put as many in as I can on each compartment,” Nicoletti said. “I have them in four different stalls, two different sets of bathrooms in the Warehouse and they get used up. So it’s good.”

Hradsky said more free dispensers are being installed in other campus buildings as well, but given the number of restrooms, it will take some time to get to them all. The Student Association funded these machines and the university housekeeping staff will refill them routinely, he added.

Published on February 16, 2022 at 11:03 pm

Contact Francis: btang05@syr.edu | @francis_towne