News

Students hold press conference to discuss Paris Noir program, which was cut due to low enrollment

Members of the Student African American Society hosted a press conference Thursday regarding the Paris Noir program being cut due to low enrollment.

Anju Franklin, the president of the Student African American Society, said at the beginning of the press conference that the recent elimination of the program has made students realize they need the Syracuse University administration to live up to its vision as a great institution of higher learning.

As of March 18, SU Abroad canceled the Paris Noir program due to the fact that only nine students had been accepted into the 2015 summer program, of which only three paid had paid for it by the deadline.

Paris Noir is a 14-year-old summer program in which students explore Black literature, art and history for five weeks in Paris. Among the 18 people present at the press conference were some students who had previously participated in the program.

Whitney Marin, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the Paris Noir program was a really great experience for her, especially since before she participated she did not have a very broad knowledge of African American studies.



“It’s really a shame to see what’s going on now with funding issues or enrollment issues,” Marin said.

Other past participants at the press conference shared their experiences with the program and how it affected them as students.

“The program itself helped me navigate and figure out what I was going to do my honors capstone on so it was super influential with that,” said Courtney Garvin, a senior communications and rhetorical studies major. “For me the program was more than just going to Paris.”

The Paris Noir program is intended to return for student participation in summer 2016.





Top Stories