6 nov ember 6, 2 01 2
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Lit bench on Quad honors former Chancellor Kenneth Shaw By Levi Stein STAFF WRITER
Two years after the Syracuse University Quad was officially named and dedicated to former Chancellor Kenneth “Buzz” Shaw, a bench has been installed in front of Hendricks Chapel in Shaw’s honor. During the 2010 dedication ceremony, preliminary plans were in the works to build an official monument to mark the name change. “The plan was to erect a bench at the base of the Quad in front of Hendricks Chapel,” said Rex Giardine, assistant director for capital projects at the Office of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction. “It was important for the bench to be in a very prominent location. This particular step in the project started back in early fall of this year and was relatively fast-moving.”
DESALVO FROM PAGE 3
role. Jeff Rickert, a graduate of SU and current graduate accounting student, served as comptroller before DeSalvo and immediately recognized his successor’s potential. While DeSalvo was still on the Finance Board, Rickert made an effort to show him the ins and outs of what being comptroller required — the behind-the-scenes duties, the extra work done outside Finance Board meetings. “On the backroom stuff that you have to do yourself, I worked with him,” Rickert said. “Right from when he was first elected to the assembly, it was obvious that he had something else. He has always shown willingness to do what needs to be done.” With help from Rickert, DeSalvo was able to step into the position without feeling overwhelmed. “Speaking with Jeff, he taught me a lot about what the position entailed and what the responsibilities were,” DeSalvo said. “So going into the job, I knew what they were. I really
PAT- OSAGIE FROM PAGE 3
He has been a member of SA since spring 2011, but has not yet served on the Finance Board. “One of my flaws may be the fact that I do not have Finance Board experience,” PatOsagie said. But Pat-Osagie said his experience as a leader in various student organizations has given him the necessary experience to understand how the budget process works from the perspective of the students. “I know how difficult it is to plan and organize an event with the Finance Board,” he said. “I can relate to the student organizations because I know the struggles that they face.” Pat-Osagie said students have approached him about issues regarding the budget process in the past. The realization that technicalities are the only reason many student groups are denied funding inspired him to launch his own campaign.
SANDY FROM PAGE 3
Donation Day,” which marks the official start of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, will expand to benefit victims of Superstorm
The initial stages of construction included replacing portions of the sidewalk in front of Hendricks Chapel back in late summer. The granite bench was specially ordered and the construction workers poured a concrete foundation for it, said Giardine. When the construction team was replacing the sidewalks, electricity was wired out so that the LED lights could be installed within the panels. The backside of the bench features the name Shaw Quadrangle in bold lettering. “Our intentions coming in were to dedicate a well-thought-out monument to Ken,” Giardine said. “The project is almost complete and we’re very happy with the results.” While there was certainly lag time between the dedication ceremony and the construction of the bench, the highest-quality construction
was desired, said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs. “It obviously took some time to get from conception to design to installation, then construction. We just wanted to make sure that the monument was perfect,” Quinn said. Brenda Law, manager of design and documentation in the Office of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction, designed the bench, said director Eric Beattie in an email. The bench itself is made from a granite species from Vermont and was chosen because of its flecks of orange. It was milled and installed by the local masonry business Turner Stone Co. Recessed into the granite beneath the bench are engraved glass panels, made by local glass carver Jerome Durr, Beattie said. The panels are backlit with energy-efficient LED lights that
are controlled by photocells. The lighting color range and intensity are programmable and will be fine-tuned to provide a warm glow over the next few weeks, Beattie said. The permanent bench was installed this year, and pole banners were initially placed around the Quad in November 2010 to inform people of the new name, according to a 2010 press release. Some students admired the new bench and commented that it was the first time they were informed of the official Shaw Quadrangle name. “I think they did a great job on the bench,” said Garrett Braddock, sophomore television, radio and film major. “To be honest, I didn’t even know the Quad had an official name.”
liked the process and I liked the ability to be more involved.” While in the general assembly, even before serving on the Finance Board, DeSalvo showed commitment to the budgeting process when he created the university’s budget website,
designing a site for his uncle’s company, local janitorial firm Corporate Maintenance Systems, Inc. Today, he maintains about 40 clients, mostly small businesses that don’t have significant excess funding to devote to Web design. Growing up in the Syracuse suburb of Cicero, DeSalvo always wanted to attend SU. His father and grandfather went to SU, and he first started attending events at the Carrier Dome when he was in middle school. As SA comptroller, DeSalvo is required to serve 20 office hours per week at minimum, where he works with groups that request funding for special programming outside the approved budget. Sometimes groups come in to talk about the budgeting process, or to discuss the feasibility of acquiring special funding, DeSalvo said. But the process picks up during budget season, when the Finance Board looks at 150 to 200 proposed budgets. Budgets were due Oct. 19 and reviewed during the past two weeks. “I’m in here 13 hours a day,” DeSalvo said. “Just inputting stuff into the computer, making sure my Finance Board is looking over the budgets, getting the budgets to them on time.”
DeSalvo also oversees Finance Board budget deliberations, schedules budget hearings for groups and presides over the hearings. When a group appeals a decision, DeSalvo handles that as well. The job is an ongoing commitment, but DeSalvo does his best to maximize productivity throughout his Board, ensuring that the best decisions are made. One of the challenges of serving as comptroller, Rickert said, is providing significant funds to meet the needs of all organizations. During Rickert’s time in office, SA was asked for nearly $1 million in funding at a point when it had only $400,000 to allocate. The position requires an unbiased perspective, which DeSalvo maintains by not participating in any organization that requests funding, Rickert said. “It’s not easy,” Rickert said. “There are hard decisions to be made. Consistency is so important, making sure you give each group a fair shake. And Stephen understands where things are wrong, he has ideas, he listens to people. He’s not some dominant dictator.”
SA members that would help organizations with their proposed budget, he said. The board would be able to answer questions, review budgets and assist with application issues. The board would assist not only in reviewing proposed budgets, but also in potential marketing techniques and other tips to help ensure that the
organizations produce successful events, he said. “I know how to plan these events successfully because I have actually done it before,” said Pat-Osagie. As a member of many student organizations, including the African Student Union, National Association of Black Accountants and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Pat-Osagie has gone through the process of applying for funding from the student activity fee many times himself and understands the struggles organizations face when applying for funding. “I am really invested in the campus here,” he said. “I’ll have a better understanding of how student organizations handle the process.” Pat-Osagie said he also wants to constantly improve the Finance Board through monthly student surveys. Friends and fellow SA members have approached Pat-Osagie with support for his campaign, he said. “I have a very good chance,” he said. “I’m well connected on campus, share the same views as other organizations on campus and I
think students will relate to that.” Pat-Osagie’s vision for SU goes beyond the Finance Board. Born in Nigeria, Pat-Osagie is planning an event for this spring that will shine a spotlight on diversity within the student body. His plan is to throw a special event on the Quad that involves various student organizations and showcases the different cultures. “I want to open the student body’s eyes to the diversity on campus and to have the entire campus learn about different cultures,” he said. Multicultural organizations and other groups on campus will be able to perform, showcase and display their culture through talents, history and food, he said. The diversity event is just one of the many plans Pat-Osagie hopes to achieve during his time at SU. For now, he’s focused on his campaign for comptroller. Said Pat-Osagie: “I know the students, the campus, the community, and I know I can change current problems with the Finance Board.”
Sandy, as well as the Salvation Army’s annual holiday assistance campaign. During the event, SU and the CXtec and TERACAI companies will work together to collect food and monetary donations from fans as they enter the Carrier Dome. • A similar donation effort to benefit storm
victims will take place at an upcoming men’s basketball game. • Those who wish to donate to the relief efforts can call the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army, or drop off checks made out to these organizations at the Dean’s Office in Hendricks Chapel.
• Any faculty or staff members, individuals or student groups interested in providing longterm support for relief efforts are encouraged to call the Office of Student Activities.
“Stephen understands where things are wrong, he has ideas, he listens to people. He’s not some dominant dictator.”
Jeff Rickert,
FORMER COMPTROLLER 2012 SU GRADUATE
yourstudentfee.syr.edu. The site shows the amount of money requested by each type of group and the total funding ultimately allocated, helping to make the process more transparent, Rickert said. Designing the student fee website wasn’t much of a challenge for DeSalvo, who also runs his own Web design company, DeSalvo Web Sites. He started the business in the sixth grade,
In order to make the process of applying for funding more effective and smoother for student organizations, he wants to create a finance advisory board, he said. The advisory board would consist of the comptroller, Finance Board members and other
“I can relate to the student organizations because I know the struggles that they face.” Osarumwense Pat-Osagie
SA COMPTROLLER CANDIDATE
ldstei01@syr.edu
kmprisei@syr.edu
jbundy@syr.edu
—Compiled by Asst. News Editor Jessica Iannetta, jliannet@syr.edu