Instead of having pockets of safe spaces on the Syracuse University campus, one group at the SU Community Visioning Session on Diversity & Inclusion said the whole campus should be a safe space.

Many suggestions, recommendations and visions like this one were given on Wednesday afternoon during the SU Community Visioning Session on Diversity & Inclusion, which took place in Goldstein Auditorium inside the Schine Student Center.

About 80 members of the SU community — including many members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion — gathered inside Goldstein to discuss different ideas for diversity and inclusion at SU. Roughly nine people, including a facilitator and a note-taker, sat at each round table. About eight tables participated in the discussion.

Francine D’Amico, an associate professor and undergraduate studies director of international relations at SU, moderated the session, and began by explaining the purposes and goals the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion were trying to achieve through it.

She said many campus community groups, organizations, agencies and individuals have been raising concerns about diversity and inclusion-related issues. This session and the second one at 7 p.m. were held to address these concerns and formulate ideas to possibly make changes in the future.

The first step of the session was for each table to discuss among its members what those table members think the big picture or vision for SU should be moving forward.

For the first 30-40 minutes of the session after the introduction, each person in their particular group discussed their individual vision for SU in terms of how the university can be more diverse and inclusive. Then, each group’s facilitator shared with the entire room what they talked about.

Some common points were made about the need for more transparency and dialogue on the SU campus. Others felt it was important that everyone feel safe and comfortable at SU, emphasizing the fact that SU should be one university and not separated based on culture, race, gender or any other factor.

After sharing visions for a better SU, D’Amico instructed the groups to then discuss more concrete ways in which these visions can be implemented.

One problem that was brought up in one of the groups’ discussions was the fact that South Campus is not very accessible to people with disabilities. Taking steps to change this was one of the suggestions.

Another idea from one of the groups addressed the fact that some students at SU come from certain socio-economic backgrounds that limit their ability to travel back home, or anywhere else, during Thanksgiving break, Winter Break and/or Spring Break. One way this could be resolved is by providing different affordable break alternatives for students to participate in.

As far as making SU a more diverse university, one group suggested that topics of diversity and inclusion be incorporated into class requirements. For example, the writing class required of all students in the College of Arts and Sciences could be on topics about diversity and inclusion, they suggested.

A second session, similar to the first one at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, started at 7 p.m. and had the same format in which groups discussed and shared ideas with each other.

At the end of both sessions, all of the notes from each group were collected and will be transcribed for the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion. A final report, including these notes and more information, will be put together and made public on March 11.

Published on February 10, 2016 at 10:50 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann