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Syracuse University’s Student Association announced it is in the “early stages” of introducing more inclusive graduation caps for students of all hair textures.

SA’s Speaker Pro Tempore Richard Maj shared with the assembly during Monday’s meeting that its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is beginning to work with SU administrators to fund the initiative and find businesses that produce these caps, which primarily seek to make graduation caps more easily wearable for Black students’ hair texture.

“We’ve talked with many Black students on campus and many have negative memories from their high school graduations of having to awkwardly pin their caps to their heads,” Maj said. “Graduation is a special event. This should not be something people have to struggle with.”

The need for graduation caps accommodating Black hairstyles is not exclusive to SU. Several states across the country have implemented legislation that prohibits race-based discrimination based on hairstyles, such as The CROWN Act. New York state passed its version of the act in 2019.

There are various companies and brands that sell inserts, special clips and headbands that can be attached to graduation caps that SA hopes to work with, Maj said.

The DEI Committee is still in the exploratory phase of this project and has begun discussing options with businesses that offer these products, Maj said. As of Monday night’s meeting, no decision was made regarding where the caps will be purchased from or whether SA will fund the initiative.

SU’s 2024 graduation festivities will begin on May 11 with the university-wide commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on May 12.

During Monday’s meeting, SA also approved funding for a “Saturday of Service” tree-planting event in collaboration with SUNY ESF’s Earth Week Committee.

The event, scheduled for April 27, will feature the planting of 53 saplings on SU’s South Campus. The exact location of the planting will be announced at a later date, said SA Vice President Yasmin Nayrouz.

Students interested in participating in the tree planting will be offered free transportation services via trolley, Nayrouz said. The trolley will pick up students at Centennial Hall and College Place.

SA will announce specific details about scheduling for Earth Week at a later date, Nayrouz said.

“Please encourage your friends and classmates to attend,” Nayrouz said to the assembly. “This event is the perfect opportunity to take part in Earth Week and make our campus greener.”

Other business:

• SA’s spring general elections opened on April 1 and will remain open until April 5 at midnight, Nayrouz said. Individuals interested in voting can access their ballot by going to the link in SA’s Instagram bio. SA Board of Elections Chair Otto Sutton also sent the ballot link in an April 1 campus-wide email.
• SA will celebrate Multicultural Week from April 8 to 14 with several events hosted in collaboration with on-campus cultural groups. The final day of festivities will be highlighted by the university’s first “Multicultural Olympics.”
• Nayrouz said that SA’s executive board will meet with SU Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves later this week to discuss concerns regarding transportation safety.

Clarification:The work on the graduation caps is still a work in progress and is not final.

CORRECTIONS:A previous version of this article misquoted Richard Maj. Maj did not say that graduation caps accommodating Black hairstyles is not exclusive to SU. Maj also did not state that he received feedback from students who have voiced concerns in regards to the caps. The Daily Orange regrets these errors.

Published on April 2, 2024 at 12:14 am

Contact Duncan: digreen@syr.edu