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Chancellor Kent Syverud addressed the national response to Tuesday’s congressional hearing on campus antisemitism in a campus-wide email Monday morning.

At the hearing, Harvard University President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill both did not directly answer if calling for the genocide of Jewish people would break their respective university’s code of conduct, prompting criticism from the White House, other electeds and alumni.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and other elected officials have communicated with Syverud since then, according to the email, asking how he would respond to the question. He wrote that advocating for the genocide of Jewish people would violate Syracuse University’s code of conduct.

“Advocacy for the genocide of a group based on religion, nationality, ethnicity, or race requires Syracuse University to investigate and impose appropriate accountability,” Syverud wrote in the email. “The University has disciplinary processes to address such violations of our standards.”

Magill and Scott L. Bok, the chair of the Penn Board of Trustees, resigned on Saturday.

Syverud also addressed concerns regarding academic freedom and free speech during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, writing that there is a fear that current national events will lead administrators to regulate speech in the “name of student safety.” Syverud wrote that these are valid concerns.

“Regardless of what the First Amendment might permit in terms of hateful speech and conduct, as a private institution we should sometimes expect more of the members of our university community,” Syverud wrote. “We should expect that our community members will refuse to advocate for the death of a group of people based on their identity.”

During a Nov. 15 University Senate meeting, Syverud said SU’s administration is prioritizing student safety over academic freedom and free speech. He said in the meeting that the university must act when the safety of students is “significantly threatened.”

Syverud’s statement follows Gov. Kathy Hochul’s letter sent Saturday to colleges and universities across New York state, which stated that calling for genocide on college campuses violates the New York State Human Rights Law and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Syverud concluded the email by asking the community to continue to extend respect, empathy and grace to each other.

“Honoring our responsibilities as citizens of this University has been stressful for so many of you since Oct. 7. Almost to a person, our community has been remarkably responsible and compassionate toward others,” Syverud wrote.

Published on December 11, 2023 at 11:52 am

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu