An op-ed written for my WRT 109 class at Syracuse University. This piece speaks on the strained relationship between the university and the City of Syracuse.
Why Do Syracuse Students Not Want to Leave the Hill
By: Janai Berrocal
As a freshman attending Syracuse University, the topic of safety is a prominent discussion among the students. When first arriving in August, my peers were troubled when asked to complete simple tasks that required them to leave the bubble that we call campus. One even saying that she was told to never cross under I-81, as it is unsafe. Recently, this specific highway has been included in Syracuse headlines, as it has historically divided different socioeconomic classes and races of the city, demonstrating the institutionalized racism still present here today. As of right now, the city has voted to eventually remove the highway, but the project is currently postponed. Marshall Street, a road about a block away from the center of campus, is characterized as being riddled with homeless people and even rumors of sex traffickers. During my first trip to the Chipotle on Marshall St, I will always remember the way that my friends crossed the street in disgust to avoid a homeless man that was sleeping on the sidewalk.
As a young girl who grew up in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, you would think that the atmosphere of the city of Syracuse was new to me. However, since I have arrived here, I have found myself constantly reminding myself and the others around me that Syracuse, by no means, compares to the conditions of New York City. Living fifteen minutes away from the George Washington Bridge, I am constantly in NYC, alongside the fact that both of my parents grew up in the city, and I actually lived there for four years before moving to the suburbs. New York City is always spoken about as dirty and unsafe, but in some ways, it actually feels safer than Syracuse. In headlines, you always read about the violent acts and scary things that occur in NYC; however, when you are actually there, it feels as though those things could never happen to you because of the vast amount of people that live there. In Syracuse, residents and visitors do not have access to this same luxury.
As of 2021, the homicide rate of Syracuse was 19.85 for every 100,000 residents. That data is more than three times the murder rate of the United States in its entirety. With statistics like that and stories told about the surrounding community, students are apprehensive when the topic of exploring the city of Syracuse is brought up. For instance, almost a year ago, 11-year-old Brexialee Torres-Ortiz was murdered by teenagers in a drive-by after leaving Smart City Market on Oakwood Avenue with a gallon of milk for her family. From where I am right now, that corner store is less than a 15 minute walk away.
To combat this violence, former Chancellor Nancy Cantor worked very hard to create a stronger relationship with Syracuse University and the city. She invested millions of dollars into revitalizing the city and making it more lively that even university faculty who had not entered downtown in a while were shocked. She started projects to help graduates of the Syracuse public school system receive full tuition scholarships to attend Syracuse University. One of her endeavors even included supporting the renovation of a former crack house into a community center for both residents and students to benefit from (Boll 6-7). However, since Cantor’s departure, current Chancellor Kent Syverud has taken a more closed-off approach. His goals for the university are starkly different from Nancy Cantor’s, leading him to stop the funding for many of the programs that she worked so hard to fund and start. Since then, the university and the community have been disconnected from each other, with students sometimes never stepping foot into downtown unless it is required for a course.
Although statistics do demonstrate that the city of Syracuse can be violent and dangerous, Nancy Cantor’s work proves that with the university’s help, these circumstances can improve greatly. If we, as a college community, work together to make the residents, specifically the young members, feel more seen and heard, we can bring the entire city of Syracuse together. By increasing programs that aid Syracuse public school students in eventually attending the university and benefiting their future, it is almost guaranteed that murder rates will decrease. Right now, children are murdering children in the city of Syracuse. However, with the university’s large sums of money and Kent Syverud’s support, we might be able to prevent this from continuing to happen and improve the city further, hopefully changing the viewpoints of Syracuse University students and encouraging them to explore the city.
Works Cited
Breidenbach, Michelle. “A Groundbreaking Cements a Clear Direction for I-81 in Syracuse:
‘Finally, This Day Has Arrived.’” Syracuse, 21 July 2023,
www.syracuse.com/news/2023/07/a-groundbreaking-cements-a-clear-direction-for-i-81-i
n-syracuse-finally-this-day-has-arrived.html.
Boll, Carol L. (2013) "The Cantor Years," Syracuse University Magazine: Vol. 30: Iss. 3, Article
7. Available at: https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol30/iss3/7
“Community Violence Intervention Plan.” – City of Syracuse,
www.syr.gov/Departments/Mayor-Office/Mayors-Office-Initiatives/CVI. Accessed 8
Dec. 2023.
Hayes, Anne, and Darian Stevenson. “How Syracuse Police Made Arrests in the Murder of
11-Year-Old Brexialee in 10 Days.” Syracuse, 21 Nov. 2023,
www.syracuse.com/crime/2023/01/how-syracuse-police-made-arrests-in-the-murder-of-11-year-old-brexialee-in-10-days.html.
Kato, Brooke. “Crumbling Bridges.” The NewsHouse, 2 May 2021,
www.thenewshouse.com/divide/town-and-gown-syracuse-campus-city-divisions/.
Smith, Connor. “I-81 Partial Closures in Syracuse Postponed.” What’s Happening to I-81? Why
There Are New Exit Closures, 13 Nov. 2023,
spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2023/11/13/parts-81-closed-syracuse-.
Voll, Chris. “Bird by Bird: Nancy Cantor, Community Reflect on Her Tenure at Syracuse
University.” The Daily Orange, 15 May 2016, dailyorange.com/2013/12/bird-by-bird-nancy-cantor-community-reflect-on-her-tenure-at-syracuse-university/.