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SU’s College of Law has a diversity problem, students and faculty say, but is working to
Establish
equity Story by Natalie Rubio-Licht asst. copy editor
Illustration by Sarah Allam illustration editor
S
tudents, professors and administration of Syracuse University’s College of Law — in recent interviews with The Daily Orange — acknowledged a lack of diversity in the student body and faculty there, detailing a slew of wide-ranging initiatives and ideas to bolster representation at Dineen Hall. The college is addressing concerns with multiple diversity and inclusion initiatives, including programs to introduce historically underrepresented students to the law profession at SU. About one-quarter of students in the law school are students of color, Dean Craig Boise said in an email. And 20 percent of the school’s faculty and staff are minorities, according to data on the law school’s website. Second year law student Saron Berhe, treasurer of SU’s Black Law Student Association, said she was not aware that the College of Law lacked diversity when she first arrived on campus. She said she thought the demographics would be similar to that of the State University of New York at Buffalo, her undergraduate alma mater. “I remember that when we first came here, the class before us was shocked at how many of us there were that were considered diverse,” Berhe said. “Our class came in with about a dozen or so. The (College of Law) kept touting the numbers, as far as us being one of the more diverse classes.” In a conversation with Chancellor Kent Syverud late last year, law students expressed concerns with the lack of diversity in faculty, encouraging the university to hire a more diverse set of attorneys. Caleb Williamson, director of community service for
the BLSA, said he was not surprised by the lack of diversity in the College of Law. Williamson attended Hamilton College, a private university in central New York, for his undergraduate degree, where the college’s black student population was low. “I know this is a problem that’s nationwide, and I knew that going to a college in central New York wouldn’t help my cause,” he said. “I recognized it would be an issue.” Boise, dean of the College of Law, said in an interview that the law school is gradually diversifying its student and faculty populations. Thirty-four percent of the Class of
2021 is made up of students of color, according to data on the school’s website. Nine percent of that class is made up of black students and 15 percent of Hispanic students, he said. The number of minority faculty has grown from 17 to 20 percent since 2013, Boise added. He said the College of Law hired three new faculty members this year: one Israeli man, one white woman and one Asian woman. “When I became dean, I made diversity a preferred qualification,” Boise said. “We need to have a greater percentage of our faculty who are minorities, no doubt about it.” The College of Law hires faculty and staff from a database of applications gathered by the Association of American Law Schools, Boise said. This year, the database had more than 400 applications for teaching positions at the 205 ABA-approved law schools in the United States, he said. The database included 30 Asian applicants, 20 Hispanic applicants and 36 black applicants, Boise said. The best way to recruit students of color, he said, is to approach them during their undergraduate education. see diversity page 9
on campus
Pete Sala details upcoming SU construction projects By Kennedy Rose news editor
Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala discussed updates on multiple Campus Framework initiatives, including the National Veterans Resource Center and the future of Schine Student Center, in an interview with The Daily Orange. SALA Syracuse University will continue to work with minority- and women- owned business enterprises on construction and
renovation projects, Sala said. Every project at SU has a goal of 10 percent of the workforce being from MWBEs, he added. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said in his 2019 “State of the City” address that SU works on some of the largest construction projects in the region, and applauded the university’s effort to hire local, minority and veteran workers. “It’s important to try and get as much local support we can,” Sala said. Construction continues on the NVRC, which is slated to open in the spring semester of 2020, Sala said. Last week’s warmer weather allowed construction crews to pour concrete,
which they typically cannot do in the cold winter months, he said.
It’s important to try and get as much local support we can. Pete Sala su vice president and chief facilities officer
Plans for the redevelopment of the 700 block of Ostrom Avenue is still very conceptual, he said, and the university is currently working with a design team to
understand what they can do with the street’s properties. Several organizations, including the LGBT Resource Center and the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services, moved out of their locations on Ostrom to accommodate for future construction projects. The Daily Orange is currently located in the 700 block of Ostrom Avenue. “We need to have an idea of what we’re going to do, because we’re going to have to go to the city and say, ‘Hey, we’re not just coming in knocking houses down. Here’s what we’re going to build, or what potentially we could build,’” Sala said. Planning for the Bill and Penny
Allyn Innovation Center, a new student support facility set to be built onto Link Hall, is also still in preliminary stages, he said. Campus facilities is working with a construction management firm for pre-construction services on the center. Construction designs for Schine Student Center are about 65 percent complete, he said. Renovations are scheduled to start in May, Sala added. The Barnes Center at The Arch, SU’s new gym and wellness complex that’s replacing the Archbold Gymnasium, is still set to open in September, he said. krose100@syr.edu @KennedyRose001