Meaningful change isn’t organic and has to come from something or someone who is courageous enough to challenge power. And at Syracuse University, Recognize Us can spur that major change.

Recognize Us was formed as a result of the Theta Tau videos controversy this spring, but its place on campus goes beyond that. Systemic issues of discrimination existed at SU long before April. The group is working to address those problems.

The Recognize Us movement kickstarted the fall semester with a protest, highlighting some demands of the university.

Those demands included an allocation of more resources to survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence and the hiring of more faculty of marginalized identities. The issues Recognize Us wants to address don’t only relate to the Theta Tau videos, or Greek life.

Recognize Us’ goals and the issues it wants to address exist at a university-wide level. And with demands, Recognize Us is showing that they intend to have a lasting impact at SU.

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Liam McMonagle, a Recognize Us participant declined to comment on this column.

Similar to THE General Body, a coalition of students who staged a sit-in four years ago protesting campus culture, Recognize Us has the opportunity to create real change.

Ghufran Salih, president of SU’s Student Association, acknowledged Recognize Us’ potential.

“Recognize Us brings to light issues, challenges and perspectives that we may not have known about, especially in marginalized communities on campus. And at the same time, we (the Student Association) are a source for Recognize Us to push for the changes they want to see,” Salih said in an email.

Whether SU realizes it or not, students need the Recognize Us movement. A university that’s supposed to benefit students and foster a welcoming community has gotten away with being unresponsive to students for far too long.

Recognize Us is not perfect. But it’s necessary. The group has attracted the attention of SU.

Change is long overdue.

Nick Turner is a senior political science and policy studies major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at nturner@syr.edu.

Published on September 25, 2018 at 7:25 pm