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THURSDAY
jan. 30, 2020 high 32°, low 23°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
P • Leaving a legacy
N • Violation of privacy
dailyorange.com
khristian kemp-delisser left their position as director of the LGBT Resource Center at SU, where they made an impact despite an unexpectedly short tenure. Page 7
Faculty advisers can access the academic information of any SU student through the Degree Works portal. An SU professor says this is a violation of privacy. Page 3
IN THE PAINT See the insert
ON CAMPUS
With a vision Raj Dewan hopes to help students become free-thinkers as dean of SU’s iSchool
Racist graffiti to result in suspension By Sarah Alessandrini asst. copy editor
Syracuse University will immediately suspend any student involved in acts of bias-related vandalism or graffiti, the university announced Wednesday. While hate crimes and bias-related acts are difficult to police, SU recognizes it must take action to ensure consequences, said Rob Hradsky, vice president for the student experience, in a campus-wide email. “Let me be clear: If you are someone inclined to spread hate, bigotry and fear on our campus, Syracuse University is not the place for you,” Hradsky said.
Let me be clear: If you are someone inclined to spread hate, bigotry and fear on our campus, Syracuse University is not the place for you Rob Hradsky vice president for the student experience
RAJ DEWAN began his role as dean of Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies on Jan. 13. Dewan hopes to increase community engagement within the iSchool and across other SU colleges. emily mcneill staff photographer
By Sarah Alessandrini asst. copy editor
D
ean Raj Dewan has a vision for Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies that extends well-beyond the classroom. Dewan, who began his role as dean of the iSchool on Jan. 13, views undergraduate education as a way to prepare students to enter the world as freethinking citizens. “That’s what I would love to do,” he said. “To shape the growth of people as they go from high school to undergraduates and into the world.” Before accepting his new position at SU, Dewan served multiple roles at the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. He most recently directed a Master of Science program in business analytics that he developed. While he enjoyed his time at Simon, Dewan said he looks forward to working with students and faculty who share his interest in technology. “I feel, in a way, I’ve come home,” he said. The iSchool formed a search committee for its new dean in November 2018 after former dean Liz Liddy announced she would retire after the 2018-19 academic
year. Dewan’s background in data science made him stand out in the search process, said Jill Hurst-Wahl, associate professor of practice at the iSchool. Dewan earned a Bachelor of Technology at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 1980. As an engineer, he considers himself both a natural analytical thinker and problem solver. “I think all engineers are at heart problem solvers,” he said. “I think that’s a good way of thinking about deans as well: as practical problem solvers.” Two problems in particular altered the course of Dewan’s life and career. While developing new production methods for a coffee and tea company in India, he began reading about the traveling salesman problem, which questions how to optimize travel routes if an individual needs to visit multiple places. A professor at Simon wrote a paper about the problem. Inspired by the professor’s work, Dewan decided to attend the school in 1986 for his Ph.D. in information systems. He later returned to Simon in 1994 as a professor, after teaching information management at Northwestern University. The second problem occurred after the Simon School ran into financial trouble during the economic recession
see dean page 6
Students will have the opportunity to appeal the suspension, but will be removed from campus until the case is cleared, Hradsky said. Students who witness, protect or know an individual who commits acts of bias-related vandalism will also be held accountable, he said. The email comes a day after racist graffiti targeting black and Asian students was found behind a vending machine in Day Hall. At least 23 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents have occurred at or near SU since Nov. 7. Day Hall has been the site of five additional incidents of racist graffiti, sparking the black student-led movement #NotAgainSU. The movement held a sit-in at the Barnes Center at The Arch in protest of the incidents. #NotAgainSU demanded that SU punish those involved in hate crimes and bias-related incidents in its list of 19 demands presented to Chancellor Kent Syverud in November. The demand is one of 16 Syverud signed as written. The chancellor suggested revisions to the remaining three. The Syracuse Police Department, New York State Police and FBI are still actively investigating the incidents, Hradsky said. scalessa@syr.edu