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Syracuse University expects Loretta Lynch to complete her review of the Department of Public Safety in December, though details of Lynch’s report may not become public until later, Chancellor Kent Syverud said at a University Senate meeting Wednesday.

Syverud announced the review in February amid growing concerns about how DPS officers engage with the campus community, especially protesters and students of color, during #NotAgainSU’s occupation of Crouse-Hinds Hall. Though Lynch’s review remains ongoing, she has already proposed a Public Safety Community Review Board, which would examine complaints against DPS.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Jackie Orr, a university senator and professor of sociology, pressed Syverud on why the review remains ongoing eight months after it began.

“In terms of Loretta Lynch and the DPS review, yes it was commenced in February, and a lot’s happened in the world since February that has slowed down many things,” Syverud said. “But I do think that review is expected to conclude this semester.” 

While Syverud said he expects Lynch to finish with the review by December, the university may not share details of the report with the public until it is finalized. 

The chancellor also provided details on how DPS and other university entities have enforced the university’s public health guidelines as outlined in SU’s Stay Safe Pledge. The responsibility of enforcing the pledge — which mandates mask-wearing on campus and limits the size of student gatherings — falls on the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience as well as DPS. 

The way SU handles off-campus student parties has also changed due to the pandemic, Syverud said. In addition to DPS officers, the university has employed Carrier Dome and academic affairs personnel to monitor for parties. 

SU recently experienced a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, which stemmed from at least one off-campus party. While reported case numbers have since diminished, that cluster of cases brought SU closer to having to transition to online classes than any other point in the semester.

“I remain concerned about every single off-campus gathering, because that’s what’s brought down other universities and what could almost bring us down,” Syverud said.  

Syverud said he had not seen a “formal, written document” regarding the university’s response to off-campus parties this semester. If any such document exists, Syverud would try to provide it to the Senate, he said.

Joy Burton, a university senator and graduate student, asked Syverud whether the university had launched an investigation into the death of Trevor Pierce. Pierce died on Oct. 13 after colliding with an SU trolley while riding on his skateboard.

“I want to call it what it is,” said Burton. “Trevor Pierce didn’t just die in a car accident. He was killed when he was struck by a university vehicle.”

Syverud said he could not provide an immediate comment due to the Syracuse Police Department’s involvement in the investigation. 

SPD released new details from that investigation today, stating that Pierce was skateboarding downhill west on Waverly Avenue when his path intersected with the trolley, which was heading north on Comstock Avenue. He abandoned his skateboard to avoid striking the side of the trolley, but slid underneath it in the path of the rear tires, said SPD spokesperson Sgt. Matthew Malinowski. 

Earlier in the meeting, Syverud held a moment of silence for the three SU students and one professor who have died recently.

Published on October 21, 2020 at 11:11 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu