Amid growing concerns about racism and anti-Semitism at Syracuse University, four students have been suspended for allegedly calling a black student the N-word.
Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the suspensions late Wednesday in a public address about a dozen incidents of hate speech on campus in less than two weeks that have spurred protests.
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The unidentified student reported that a group of 14 people shouted the N-word at her Saturday night as she was waiting for a bus and they were leaving an Alpha Chi Rho fraternity party. Syverud confirmed the group had been identified and that four were Syracuse students. Nine were students at other schools; it's unknown who the 14th person was. The four have been suspended, as has the fraternity. All social activities for the other fraternities have been suspended for the rest of the semester.
The case has been referred to the Onondaga County district attorney.
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Syverud noted 12 cases of racist and anti-Semitic graffiti found on campus, including a swastika painted on a building and racist graffiti "derogatory to Asian individuals" found at Haven Hall.
Reports that a white supremacist manifesto had been Air-Dropped to students were "probably a hoax," Syverud said.
"But this is Syracuse. This is 2019. I do not accept this hatred here and now. This is not who Syracuse is, at its best, and it is not who we can let ourselves become." — Chancellor Kent Syverud
"I do understand it. I spent six years of my life publicly fighting to permit affirmative action in higher education admission based on race, leading to the Supreme Court's decision. I did this while raising a mixed race family in the South. My kids were threatened, my wife was subjected to many racial epithets, our car tires were slashed, and my kid's dog was shot. There was little investigation, and those responsible were never found. That was then, that was the South, and it was hard for my wife. It was hard for my kids," Syverud said.
"But this is Syracuse. This is 2019. I do not accept this hatred here and now. This is not who Syracuse is, at its best, and it is not who we can let ourselves become. We just cannot let our students of color, our Jewish students or our Asian students — or any of our students or faculty and staff — be afraid on this campus because of who they are."
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