UPDATED: March 5, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.

Syracuse University’s Student Association approved a resolution calling for a review of the Department of Public Safety on Monday night, following an assault along Ackerman Avenue that SA described as racially motivated.

The review would record student experiences with DPS and would collect data on the department, according to the bill. It would be conducted in the same manner as the Greek life review, completed last semester.

Public Relations Committee Co-chair Torre Payton-Jackson first proposed the bill at SA’s Feb. 25 assembly meeting.

Students asked about the possibility of a DPS review at a Feb. 18 forum in response to the Ackerman Avenue assault. DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado said he would not oppose a review at the forum.

SA aims to have the data gathered by an impartial third party and then presented to the wider student body, Speaker of the Assembly Will Pritchett said in an interview after the meeting. One point in the resolution requires all data recorded in the review to be publicized. SA wants the university to contract an outside organization that has experience reviewing police departments and racial justice issues, Pritchett said.

“There’s definitely a divide between DPS and students,” Pritchett said. “I think the concerns that students have (with DPS), this review would give them concrete data to back up their different claims.”

Pritchett said the review would address race statistics by looking at different response rates between students of color and white students.

“In the four years I’ve been here, it’s pretty well known that parties hosted by African-American students get shut down much faster than parties hosted by white students,” he said. “A review would look into those into specific statistics.”

During the meeting, an assembly member expressed fear that the review would strain SA’s relationship with DPS. Payton-Jackson and Pritchett said it would not because they are simply holding DPS accountable.

SA Vice President Kyle Rosenblum said the University of Iowa conducted a similar review of their police system. He said it was important because it sets a precedent for DPS and has been done at other universities.

Pritchett said that while policing is a very controversial issue, a third party conducting the review will increase communication between students and the department.

“There’s definitely a divide between DPS and students, and I think the concerns that students have, this review would give them concrete data to back up their different claims,” he said.

Other business

● Mary Graham and Anne Mosher of the University Senate Ad Hoc Committee gave a presentation on shared competencies at SU. In December of 2018, USen approved six objectives that will ensure consistency in student learning across schools and colleges. These learning objectives will be implemented in the fall.
● Rosenblum and SA President Ghufran Salih pushed the due date for cabinet applications back until after break. Their goal is to increase voter turnout from 19 percent last year to 30 percent this year.
● SA teamed up with organizations such as the National Pan-Hellenic Council and University Union for the “Cuse It Starts with Us” event on April 6, Salih and Rosenblum said. A musical artist will perform at Goldstein Auditorium and then the event will have two panels at Watson Theater, they said.

— Staff Writer Hannah Graf contributed reporting to this article

CLARIFICATION: In a previous version of this post, the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s title was unclear. 

Published on March 5, 2019 at 1:06 am

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21