Jim Crow on Campus, Episode 4: "The Case Against SUNY Canton"

Welcome to SUNY Canton, a technical college of 3200 students in upstate New York. It’s located in Canton, NY, the county seat of St. Lawrence County, a county that’s just 2.7% Black and 2.3% Latinx. But at SUNY Canton, two-thirds of the students who live on-campus are Black and Latinx. It’s like a pocket of NYC in the backwoods of rural New York.

So what happens when those students of color are policed by all-white cops? In Jim Crow on Campus, a new podcast series from Weave News, reporter Erin Corbine aims to answer that question by covering the students, the police, the administration, and the surrounding community. It’s available now on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, and here at Weave News, via the widget below.

Episode 4, “The Case Against SUNY Canton” begins with reporter Erin Corbine telling her story on the origin of the controversial anonymous Facebook page, Concerned Students of SUNY Canton. This Facebook page caused an uproar on campus and ultimately led to a campus-wide open forum discussion. Andre Lynch, SUNY Canton alumnus and former employee, attended the open-forum and weighs in on his experience.

In the episode’s second half, local attorney Diane Exoo offers her input on the powers of the University Police department. Diane questions whether or not officers are in violation of student’s Fourth Amendment rights. She offers students advice regarding their rights on campus and how to navigate encounters with the police.

Jim Crow on Campus will return will a new episode on Friday, March 24, 2017.

If you are a current or former SUNY Canton student or employee and would like to contact reporter Erin Corbine about your experiences, you can reach her at erincorbine[at]gmail.com.

If you have experienced racial or ethnic discrimination and would like to file a complaint, SUNY Canton allows for both formal and informal complaints to be filed with their Affirmative Action Co-Officers, William Jones (jonesw@canton.edu or 315-386-7063) or Lashawanda Ingram, (ingraml@canton.edu or 315-386-7128). In addition, students also have the right to file complaints with both the New York State Civil Rights Bureau and the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. NYSCRB complaint forms can be found here (and in Spanish here), and Department of Education complaints may be filed here. If you require any help filing a complaint, get in contact with We Got Your VI, a North Country organization devoted to helping students of color assert their legal rights.

Media inquiries, complaints, and other feedback may be directed to producer Christian Exoo at christianmexoo[at]gmail.com.

Jim Crow on Campus logo by Alex Soto