By Emily Costantino
The Black Lives Matter banner on Degenstein Campus Center was vandalized on March 7.
According to a March 8 email sent to all students from President Jonathan Green, the banner will be replaced as soon as possible, but, for now, a temporary banner has been hung in its place.
A message from the Executive Board of the Black Student Union (BSU) titled “The Unremitting Anti-Blackness of Susquehanna University” detailed the club’s response to not only this incident, but several other issues present on campus.
“We do not feel safe. This started with the banner. A BANNER. How far will this go? What happens next?” Read the message that was posted on the BSU Instagram on March 8 and was later emailed to all students on March 9.
BSU drew on the recent Feb. 27 Alice Pope Shade Lecture where author Irshad Manji hosted a student panel on politics and identity. The lecture, which was titled “Taboo Questions About Identity: How to Discuss Faith, Justice and Politics Without Melting Down,” was meant to foster positive dialogue amidst disagreements.
However, BSU said in its statement that Susquehanna’s campus was not ready for a conversation surrounding race and politics.
Additionally, BSU noted that during Manji’s lecture, messages on the anonymous social media platform YikYak said that the Black Lives Matter flag should be removed.
President Green’s email also acknowledged the recent discourse on social media.
“The timing of this targeted destruction follows recent social-media commentary opposing our principled efforts to foster an inclusive and welcoming community,” read a portion his email.
A follow-up email was eventually sent out by President Green to all students on March 9 explaining that three suspects had been identified. The primary suspect was reported as not being a member of the Susquehanna community, while the remaining two were identified as students of the university.
This incident has since been reported to local law enforcement, and the university plans to take appropriate action regarding the student suspects.
The Student Government Association (SGA) sponsored a Call for Unity event at Arthur Plaza that aimed to show solidarity toward the Black community at Susquehanna.
The event, which was held on the evening of March 9, allowed students from various organizations to come forward and share their feelings regarding the recent incidents.
Representatives from SGA, BSU, the Asian Cultural Association, the Association of Latinx & Allied Students, Susquehanna National Congress of Black Women, and the International Student Association all gave speeches condemning violence and hate on this campus. Additionally, President Green and Laurie Carter, dean of the School of the Arts and School of Humanities spoke up to show their support for Susquehanna’s Black community.
According to President Green’s most recent email, the university is planning to develop new diversity programming following the upcoming spring break. Additionally, they have begun assembling a task force that will review policies in hopes of creating a more inclusive environment. The task force will be chaired by Dr. Maria Muñoz, Interim Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer.
However, much of the student body is left wondering what comes next for the university.
Chandler Scott, BSU Recruitment Chair, provided this statement to The Quill following these events:
“It was Wednesday morning when I found out that our Black Lives Matter banner had been vandalized and stolen from our Degenstein Campus Center. A banner that has been on campus since I’ve been here as a mere freshman. The news shocked me, our executive board and the Black student body as a whole. Our numbers are small enough as a student body of color. All types of emotions are flying through the air right now. We are afraid, we do not know what will happen next. This could be the start of something bigger, but I will say we cannot and will not sit down and ignore this situation. During this time, we will stand together and stand up for what is right.”