A petition was filed Sunday requesting that the Syracuse University College of Law adequately address recent safety issues involving female College of Law students.

A law student and her friend were allegedly drugged at off-campus house parties hosted by third-year law students in the fall of 2014. Victims reported adverse effects such as lack of mobility, loss of consciousness, physical tremors and seizures and memory loss.

The petition accuses the College of Law of trying to keep the reports under wraps and spread misinformation regarding the incidents.

The change.org petition filed by “Concerned SU Law Student,” who claims to be one of the victims in the incident, has received more than 300 signatures and urges the university to “present a factually accurate account of the events and to promote an environment in which victims are not shamed into silence to save the university’s reputation.”

The petition requests that Hannah Arterian, the College of Law’s dean, directly address the student body and inform them of what happened. It asks that the administration acknowledge to students that the incidents are a safety issue, rather than attempting to minimize the severity of the problem. Lastly, it calls for the administration to keep students informed on issues of student safety by providing resources such as pamphlets and speakers at Dineen Hall.

The College of Law’s Office of Student Life held a personal safety forum on Tuesday. The Department of Public Safety and Counseling Services also participated in the forum to discuss the recent incidents.

“We take student safety very seriously and it is one of our paramount concerns,” said Tomás Gonzalez, the senior assistant dean of student life at the College of Law, on Thursday. “We always urge students to come to us with issues of safety both on and off-campus.”

According to the petition, the Student Bar Association was in charge of the forum, and would not allow representatives from Planned Parenthood and the Vera House, a domestic and sexual violence service agency, to speak at the forum. In regard to this, the petition states, “This and other factors makes one question the school’s sincerity in addressing this matter.”

Farrell Brenner, a sophomore citizenship and civic engagement and women’s and gender studies major and a member of THE General Body, said the THE General Body, a coalition of student organizations, has been circulating the petition in support of the law student.

“We would love for administration to listen to everything said in the petition and to support the student’s demands for safety and to be heard,” Brenner said.

Brenner said she believes the university has attempted to distance itself from the incident. She said that the College of Law is one of many communities at SU, and often there can be a division between communities, but it is not disconnected from campus and shouldn’t be treated like it is.

Brenner echoed the petition’s request that the administration make resources more accessible for law students.

Said Brenner: “I would encourage all students to look at the petition and think about if the culture that we have here supports or doesn’t support assault victims.”

Published on February 4, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Lydia: lawilson@syr.edu