Members of THE General Body delivered a letter to Chancellor Kent Syverud at his house on Tuesday inviting him to continue negotiations on its set of grievances and demands.

THE General Body, a coalition of student organizations, has been staging a sit-in in the lobby of Crouse-Hinds Hall since Nov. 3 following the Diversity and Transparency Rally. The group invited Syverud to negotiate on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Crouse-Hinds.

About 25 members of THE General Body gathered outside of the Chancellor’s House, located at 300 Comstock Avenue near Walnut Avenue. The protesters got to the house around 4:30 p.m. and stayed until just after 5:30 p.m., when the seven protesters remaining decided to leave because they were not being recognized and because of the cold weather.

The letter, which was delivered to Syverud by Anne Bellows, a professor in the Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition, invited Syverud to negotiate and listed specific topics that “need further negotiation.” Bellows said she volunteered to deliver the letter to Syverud. The topics included:

• Maintaining all scholarships
• Recruitment of students of color, lower socioeconomic students and other diverse populations
• Expanding mental health resources
• Expanding resources for victims of sexual assault and rape
• Expanding counseling staff
• Increasing financial transparency

“They took it (the letter) at the door. I think they knew that someone was coming with it. There was a lot going on,” Bellows said. “It wasn’t the ideal place to make a formal request, but I introduced myself to him (Syverud) and told him that I was the person who brought the letter.”

A meet and greet with Syverud and other faculty and staff members was going on inside, Bellows said. As some attendees of the meet and greet left the house, they said things like “keep on sticking up for what you believe” and “keep up the good work” to the protesters standing outside.

Bellows, who said she was abroad when THE General Body held its initial protest 15 days ago, said she was encouraged by the protesters and and hopes negotiations continue between the administration and THE General Body.

Said Bellows: “I respect the organizing of the students and I hope that the process will continue.”

Published on November 18, 2014 at 6:30 pm

Contact Justin: jmatting@syr.edu | @jmattingly306