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As students and faculty voice frustration over Syracuse University’s admissions pause of 18 majors, the Student Government Association held a town hall Monday to discuss academic freedom, enrollment and the future of “paused” majors.

The town hall, hosted in partnership with the Dean of Students Office, SU’s Black Student Union and Latinx Undergraduates Creating History in America, invited students to an “open conversation” aimed at connecting the broader administration with the rest of the student body, SGA’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Diana Bonilla-Prado said.

“We are always advocating for better education, career protection and to create spaces where students can speak without facing fear,” Bonilla-Prado said.

In September, SU paused admissions to 18 programs as part of the university’s ongoing portfolio review ordered by Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew in August. Professors and students from several paused departments have expressed concern and frustration over the pauses, hoping that the university will reconsider opening future admission for prospective students.

SGA Chief of Staff Luis Gomez said the number of majors SU offers is unsustainable. He said while a university of SU’s undergraduate size typically has around 25o majors, SU offers roughly 500.

“It isn’t feasible for any institution of our size to have the amount of majors that we have,” Gomez said. “That isn’t against any specific major, it’s a statement based on numbers and statistics as opposed to a specific cause.”

Tanisha Jackson, an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies, spoke about the future and importance of the department as a faculty member of a paused major.

Jackson said students advocated for an AAS major through student protests, demanding a diverse curriculum. She said that while the pause was upsetting, it’s also allowed her to reflect on ways to improve the department’s enrollment.

“When we heard that we were on pause, we didn’t like it,” Jackson said. “But also understanding that we need to look internally about how we do some things to reach out to students, to let you know what we’re teaching.”

Jackson said it’s “comforting” to know students have concerns about the curriculum. She said she hopes the conversation will continue in 2026 and that students will support departments like AAS, which she said are “committed” to serving them beyond the classroom.

During the discussion, panelists projected a QR code, which allowed attendees to ask anonymous questions. Several students asked about the state of paused majors and minors and how long the pauses will last.

Department chairs will submit plans to the Provost by mid-December outlining their plans to stabilize or increase major enrollments. He said students can help inform the review process by talking to department heads and sharing ways paused programs can “still have space” at the university.

SGA President German Nolivos said students can support affected departments by taking classes in the paused majors.

“We want to emphasize with this part, that this is a battle that has to be peer to peer,” Nolivos said. “You have to make sure that if you’re really passionate about some of these majors being alive, you need to engage with this department.”

Bonilla-Prado and Nolivos said they are both set to meet with Agnew in January to discuss upcoming plans for the majors with admissions pauses.

Nasya Bellard, SGA’s vice president of diversity and inclusion and vice president of BSU, said despite the recent closure of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the mission of the new Office of People and Culture remains the same.

“They’re taking provisions to make sure U.S. students can continue to maintain well-being, through the support from the federal government,” Bellard said. “There’s definitely ways to be a little bit more transparent and get that across, but that is ultimately the end goal.”

About 40 students attended the town hall. Janese Fayson, SGA’s executive vice president, said she was impressed by the turnout, stressing the association’s goal of having important discussions on campus.

Fayson said SGA will readdress this topic during future meetings.

“Next time, it’ll be even better with more questions,” she said. “I definitely see us doing this even on a larger scale.”

After department chairs submit their plans outlining how they can increase major enrollments or stabilize, Agnew will review them and “report on next steps” at the University Senate’s January meeting, an SU spokesperson confirmed to The D.O. on Wednesday.

“This is where you come in by talking to your departments and giving them feedback on what their department is doing well or needs to do better,” Nolivos said. “That is how we make space for these programs at SU.”

Published on December 9, 2025 at 2:00 am