If you’ve visited the Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice lately you may have noticed the doors now have signs posted about our building becoming fragrance free. These signs are not to keep you out, but rather allow more people to come in! In becoming fragrance free, the Center becomes more accessible and opens its doors to all.

The first impact of the announcement on me directly happened even before it was officially made on December 7. The US Consulate in Jerusalem that monitors the safety of US citizens in the West Bank contacted me 24 hours beforehand and directed me to stay away from the campus where I work, warning that “Birzeit University students are known to be highly politicized.” The consulate officer told me to cancel my appointments the next afternoon in Ramallah, and ideally to stay home for at least the next few days.