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The Syracuse University Senate approved its curriculum committee’s February report and discussed President Donald Trump’s recent orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in its Wednesday meeting. University administrators explained how potential federal funding freezes could impact SU.

Throughout the meeting, SU Chancellor Kent Syverud and Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew told senators the university remains committed to its students and is navigating the uncertainty coming from the White House.

The curriculum committee’s February report, which senators voted to approve, outlines the 135 new courses, 120 revised courses and several programs reviewed by the committee.

“Even though it’s a formality, this is the by far most important vote we are doing as Senate,” Albrecht Diem, a professor and director of undergraduate studies in SU’s history department, said. “Because we as Senate have, by making this vote, control over the curriculum.”

Over 200 professors signed a petition earlier this month urging the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs to work with the CAS/MAX Curriculum Committee to delay the implementation of the new Liberal Arts Core.

The senate’s curriculum committee is responsible for evaluating the curricula of the various schools and colleges across the university, approving courses and programs and recommending changes to the Senate regarding instructional policies, Thomas Barkley, a professor of finance practice at the Whitman School of Management, said.

Syverud highlighted the university’s stable budget amid uncertainties from executive orders. He also said he would not impose hiring or salary freezes as other universities such as The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University have.

Syverud also said he has tasked a committee with conducting a study of SU’s Parking and Transportation Services. The committee will collaborate with chief facilities officers and stakeholders to assess how parking policies should be revised.

“I know some of you are thinking it is odd to be talking about parking when so much more important is happening in the world, ” Syverud said. “But many in our community have raised parking concerns, including through the University Senate, and I do think we have the bandwidth, including in the Senate, to move forward with this, while also responding fairly to actionable changes coming from all directions, including from Washington.”

Biko Gray, an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the department of religion, said many students are looking to university officials and watching how SU responds to Trump’s policies and rhetoric.

“To what extent are we leaning into compliance with rules that will increasingly get stringent over time, that we know will get stringent over time?” Gray said. “To what extent are we leaning into compliance, actually enabling the very violences that could produce disastrous effects for many communities in the United States?”

Neither Syverud nor Agnew responded.

The senate’s Intersectional Equity for Race, Ethnicity, Sexuality, Gender Identity, & Disability Committee, co-chaired by PJ DiPietro and Suzette Melendez, presented an update on its efforts to prioritize discourse on campus regarding fair inclusion and creating an equitable environment.

Melendez, a professor in the College of Law, said the committee has addressed concerns and engaged in discussions regarding a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Asian hate and antisemitism across the United States. She said the committee has worked with students and faculty who have expressed feeling “invisible” on campus due to their identities.

“The main charge, which we’ve consolidated here, is to prioritize discourse and inquiry regarding fair inclusion and an equitable environment on our campus and among all university constituents,” Melendez said. “And you know, we really wanted to emphasize that inclusion and equity.”

DiPietro, assistant professor in women’s and gender studies, echoed Melendez’s remarks, noting that many students involved in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment during the spring 2024 semester have shared feelings of disempowerment. These students perceive the university as “a punitive organizational culture” rather than one focused on accountability in disciplinary matters, DiPietro said.

She also said many graduate students on campus feel “alienated” and invisible because of limited support and guidance from the university.

Devashish Mitra, a professor and chair of the economics department, echoed DiPietro and said graduate assistantships were reduced after the Syracuse Graduate Employees United received its new contract, worrying many graduate students.

With Trump’s recent efforts to pause federal funding programs, Mitra expressed concerns that the funding for such positions will diminish, noting the importance of graduate student teaching assistants to undergraduate learning.

Agnew said while she can’t promise increased funding for graduate student programs, the university is committed to supporting them and maintaining the strength of its programs.

In response to the uncertainty caused by the White House, the university has worked to support members of the community impacted by Trump’s orders, she said. In light of recent cuts to the National Institutes of Health funding, Agnew said she and Duncan Brown, SU’s Vice President for Research, personally called every faculty member impacted by the cuts and assured them of SU’s support.

“There are challenging moments ahead,” Agnew said. “But I’m comforted by the fact that despite all the noise and energy in the system, our academic enterprise remains strong and focused with a clear vision and values that have guided us in sustaining a strong and vibrant community across many decades.”

Other business:

• Craig Stone, chief of SU’s Department of Public Safety, is retiring, Syverud announced during the meeting. The university will begin the process of finding his successor soon.
• Agnew said the final two of four town halls regarding the university’s Academic Strategic Plan will take place via Zoom on Mar. 21 and April 29.

Published on February 20, 2025 at 1:58 am

Contact Delia: dsrangel@syr.edu