Syracuse University’s bias incident reporting policies lack transparency and urgency

Editor’s note: this article contains mentions of anti-LGBTQ language.

On Friday, Feb. 24, Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety received a report of anti-LGBTQ graffiti in the men’s bathrooms on the third and fourth floors of Watson Hall. The university displayed little urgency in addressing the situation and being transparent with the campus community. The bias incident was not added to DPS’ Bias Incident Reporting website until the following Thursday.

Upon receiving the report, DPS began an investigation and canvassed the floors where the incidents took place. Watson residents were not notified of the incident until the Office of Student Living sent an email on Tuesday, two days before DPS communicated the incident to the rest of the campus community.

DPS’ bias incident reporting policy states it will add reports to its web page within 48 hours of receiving them, unless it decides that a public report risks jeopardizing an active investigation.

DPS and SU officials addressed the decision to delay the public report in a campus-wide email on Thursday — the same day the incident was added to the reporting website — saying that DPS had identified a person of interest and determined that communicating the incident to the campus community would risk compromising the investigation.

To access DPS’ bias incident reporting, students have to either subscribe to receive emails about bias incident reports, or check the website for updates on their own. Thursday’s campus-wide email addressed the bias incident, but placed more emphasis on explaining why the information was delayed to the public rather than providing concrete details on their next steps and solutions.

This incident reinforces the fear that marginalized students experience on SU’s campus. DPS is responsible for the safety of students, and despite its precautions to not jeopardize its investigation, it jeopardized the safety of LGBTQ students and the entire campus community by neglecting to notify students in a timely manner of a danger posed to them.

Regardless of its nature, a bias incident is both a threat to any student who may be targeted and a threat to the community, and should be communicated to the campus community immediately in order to protect students’ safety. SU promotes diversity on campus, yet reserves a prerogative to delay reporting incidents which put marginalized communities and individuals at risk.

The lack of immediate and transparent communication in cases of hate speech on college campuses creates safe spaces for bigoted groups rather than protecting marginalized students.

Receiving no information about this bias incident until nearly a week later is disappointing and frustrating for the student body, especially considering that the bias incident reporting policy resulted from students’ demands during #NotAgainSU in 2019.

Student outrage and resolve to hold SU accountable sparked the #NotAgainSU movement after university officials waited four days to alert the community about racist graffiti found on two floors of Day Hall. The incident garnered nationwide attention and led to days of student protests on SU’s campus, including an eight-day occupation of the Barnes Center at The Arch.

SU’s policy should transparently, urgently and directly address incidents of bias and discrimination on campus. University administration and DPS need to act in line with the reality that their lack of transparency is a threat to the safety of students, and adjust the bias reporting policy to notify students of events that may put them in danger in a straightforward and explicit manner.

SU continues to create distrust and unease, even after students protest and actively communicate with university administration on how it should handle bias and hate-related incidents differently. Students should not have to actively seek out information about dangerous acts of hate on SU’s campus. Rather, the university should immediately send campus-wide emails alerts for all bias-related incidents, allowing students to take precautions if they feel the need to do so.

While university officials and DPS do need to weigh the implications of a public notification on the integrity of an investigation into a bias incident, they also need to balance that need against students’ right to be informed of events that stand to threaten their safety or otherwise cause them harm.

Students are actively calling for change to bias incident reporting. If SU’s bias reporting policy is going to maintain DPS and SU administration’s ability to hold off on publicly communicating an incident based on the integrity of an investigation, it must outline and establish a clear set of criteria for officials to justify any decision to withhold information from students.

If SU neglects to act on these calls for change and continues to lack the necessary immediacy and transparency to inform students of dangerous, hateful incidents as soon as possible, the lack of trust and the divide between university officials and the student body will continue to grow.

The university should respect that this straightforward communication makes students safer, and that it makes them feel heard on campus. These results are only possible if SU officials and DPS listen to students’ pleas, alter their bias incident reporting policy and prioritize both their own accountability and the safety of all members of the SU community.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@dailyorange.com.

DISCLAIMER: Hamere Debebe is the Editorial editor for The Daily Orange and a resident advisor in Watson Hall. She did not influence the decision to publish this editorial board.