decolonizingdescendent

If you are a person of color or international student-- do NOT attend Syracuse University for sociology. I urge you not to be fooled by the Maxwell moniker and its neoliberal nods to citizenship. The department is getting flack for being racist because it is. The continual silencing of POC's in the department is not only antithetical to sociology, but is also just very negatively impactful to grad students' lives. Multiple chairs have been complicit in forms of suppression, and one the former director of graduate studies is a horrid racist who has repeatedly targeted students of color in classes and the dept at large. I will say there are a few faculty that can be allies and support, but they come few and far between and are outnumbered. The department does not care for activism and will try their damndest to weed out "troublemakers" and frame students as "good and productive" or "bad and unfit." On the level of scholarship, there's a lot to be admired and critiqued. But on the ground in the everyday operations, the connections between theory and practice are nonexistent. Would say it's laughable if it wasn't so violent and traumatic. If you do decide to go, read your contract to ensure how much funding you are actually getting-- this has been a huge problem in the past and I hope it's resolved now. Side note: for folks who have been accepted to any PhD programs. Congratulations!!! It can be an isolating experience for a number of reasons, esp for folks of marginalized identities. I truly hope that you are able to carve out a space for yourself in ways that are productive to your personal growth and happiness. If you are waiting still, fingers crossed. And those receiving rejections-- I am sorry. Keep your head up. It is a part of the process and speaks nothing to your capabilities and competencies. Get a feel for the fit of the depts you are looking at to see if they support you, your intellectual work, and your politics. just want to keep people informed as the decision letters come in.