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Some Syracuse University Students Leave Campus Early Due To Security Concerns

Citing safety concerns following a string of racist incidents and hate crimes, some Syracuse University students are leaving campus early before the official start of the Thanksgiving holiday break.

Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This month, there have been at least a dozen incidents reported on campus, including racist graffiti, the shouting of racial slurs, swastikas posted and a white supremacist manifesto that was sent to students’ phones.

The Daily Orange reported that some professors opted to cancel some classes this week, while the Department of Public Safety has been on high alert. The student newspaper said that while many students are taking off early, they plan on returning to campus, though one said it will be “eerie and weird.”

According to the Daily Orange, reported that the manifesto is the same 74-page document authored by the suspected New Zealand mosque gunman who live-streamed himself killing 49 people in March.

This week, four students at Syracuse were suspended in connection to some of the racist and anti-Semitic incidents, and Chancellor Kent Severed has canceled all social activities at fraternities for the rest of the semester after an African American student accused a frat of verbally assaulting her on campus.

The suspensions come days after students began protesting the school’s response to racist graffiti, including legendary men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim, who expressed his support for the students.

“I’m with you,” Boeheim reportedly told the protesters. “What you’re doing is what we do in this world. This is how we promote change. Remember, I was here in the 60s. This is not even a protest, compared to the 60s. This is the way things to get to change.”

The verbal assault and string of recent incidents are being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office and FBI. 

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