thursday, october 16, 2025
O • Acting threat
Emergence of AI actress threatens entertainment integrity for the sake of exploitation that humans resist, frightening SU actors.
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celebrating 122 years
C • ‘Mob mentality’ For over 40 years, some members of the marching band have taken over Varsity for the “banner flip” tradition.
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‘Pushed
free
S • The Nixon playbook
Jasmine Nixon’s childhood shaped by competitions with her brother Will and father Jeff brought her to SU.
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By Ally Goelz and Kate Jackson the daily orange
Several leaders of campus multicultural organizations said they feel their sense of belonging on campus is being threatened by Syracuse University’s recent decisions and adherence to federal policy shifts.
SU has recently implemented several changes in response to national rollbacks on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility at higher education institutions, including closing its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and pausing admission to 20 majors.
Amaya Saintal, president of the Haitian American Student Association, said cultural spaces on campus are “slowly disappearing.” For Saintal, these spaces offer conversations where students can express themselves freely.
“Not having those spaces really does impact your experience here and how you show up as a student, but then also how you continue to grow as a leader,” Saintal said.
Since President Donald Trump’s administration issued a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs chancellor search
SU cultural organizations say diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility rollbacks erase belonging
By Sydney DePietto asst. news editor
Syracuse University’s Chancellor Search Committee announced its finalized position description as it begins to search for Chancellor Kent Syverud’s successor.
The document outlines general expectations for SU’s next chancellor and general information under three main sections: The Leadership Opportunity, Candidate Profile and
About the University, the Tuesday campus-wide email stated.
The Daily Orange has broken down each section and what the committee is looking for in a candidate.
The leadership opportunity
This section outlines the expectations and opportunities for SU’s new chancellor, stating they will serve as an “inspiring and transparent communicator,” listening to faculty, staff, students and community leaders.
Expectations include advancing SU’s “unique character” as a private university with a “public spirit” committed to providing access and opportunity to students of all backgrounds, including veterans, first-generation students and international students. The next chancellor will serve as an advocate for higher education in an “increasingly skeptical environment” and be a “champion” of shared governance, fostering a culture of transparency.
Potential candidates should also be “crisis-tested,” comfortable making “difficult choices” and collaborating to create a shared vision.
Creating a campus that is committed to civil discourse and academic freedom is also listed. The next chancellor should uphold diverse perspectives, rigorous debate and protect free speech at SU, according to the document.
The position description mentions Micron, as SU played a role in
the company’s decision to build a semiconductor facility in the Town of Clay. It states the next chancellor will be part of a “critical moment,” developing strategies that work with academic programs, research and workforce development with the needs of developing industries.
Candidate profile
The committee’s ideal leader is described as someone who’s demon-
Members of the Latiné Undergraduates Creating History in America’s executive board for the 2025-26 year. courtesy of jesús tiburcio zane see deia page 6 see profile page 6
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By Brenne Sheehan asst. news editor
As the deconstruction of the I-81 viaduct is slated for 2026, Syracuse lead advocates shared environmental concerns about the project at a Wednesday panel hosted by Central Current.
The panelists discussed the demolition project’s potential impacts on residents in the 15th Ward — a historically Black district of Syracuse containing the Southside neighborhood — during its ongoing lead and water crisis, and highlighted their contribution to the project’s planning so far.
The discussion, moderated by Central Current reporters Eddie Velazquez and Debadrita Sur, featured three panelists — Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, director of the Racial Justice Center at the New York Civil Liberties Union, Oceanna Fair and Darlene Medley, co-chairs of Families for Lead Freedom Now!
Community advocates have called for the removal of the I-81 viaduct since its construction in the 1970s. In response to these efforts, the New York State Department of Transportation released a plan in 2019 to remove the viaduct and replace it with a street-level grid.
I-81’s “community grid,” which replaces the current overpass with a street-level traffic pattern, aims to restore infrastructure and improve walkability. It also hopes to have positive impacts on the local economy and traffic patterns, according to a city release.
While the project is intended to improve the Southside neighborhood, Fair said the
possible release of toxic chemicals could harm viaduct residents already seeking relief from lead contamination.
Before addressing environmental concerns for residents in the 15th ward, Owens-Chaplin highlighted projections of how the community grid can reduce carbon emissions and harmful diesel fuel exposure.
Over 110,000 cars drive through the Southside neighborhood on the I-81 every day, Owens-Chaplin said. With the new community grid and the redirection of through traffic with Interstate 481, she said this number will decrease to about 31,000 cars.
She said most tractor-trailers, which often carry diesel fuel containing lead, will also be redirected out of the community grid. Only 10% of trucks will continue to make deliveries downtown, she said.
“We can calculate through our independent research that air pollution will go way, way down,” Owens-Chaplin said. “While the grid is staying the same in terms of how traffic flows through, traffic is much less. Diesel trucks are out and traffic speed limits are much lower, we feel pretty good about that.”
Additionally, NYSDOT plans to put up concrete walls to prevent noise pollution from traffic, Owens-Chaplin said. She added that community members have given their input on how to make their design “pretty” and culturally relevant, like by painting murals.
All of the panelists said they’re cautious of the release of harmful substances like lead and asbestos into the 15th Ward, and continue
to urge project actors to treat the viaduct’s releases as hazardous waste.
In 2022, a state supreme court judge ruled to halt the I-81 project due to concerns raised by “Renew 81 for All,” which said the environmental impacts of the demolition would exacerbate rather than resolve issues related to environmental racism.
Fair said the paint within the viaduct contains 10 times the amount of lead typically found in residences with lead paint, posing an outdoor threat to residents once the deconstruction starts.
She also noted the importance of informing and educating Syracuse residents who are working on the viaduct about the project’s hazardous materials and how to protect themselves.
“We want to make sure that they’re getting the right training and know the right precautions to take, so that they don’t take any of this stuff home and inadvertently poison their children,” Fair said.
Medley, whose children have been affected by lead poisoning, said protecting Southside residents who are already sick from lead exposure should be a priority as the project rolls out.
“My biggest concern is the people, nothing more,” Medley said. “If the people are not being poured into, if the people aren’t being fed the substance that they’re giving, it’s a waste.”
In May, NYSDOT collaborated with Upstate University Hospital, state and county Departments of Health and local health groups to develop a “comprehensive” health and safety plan to protect residents near the viaduct.
The plan includes a project hotline number for residents to call with health concerns, an
appointed community hygienist and materials like informational magnets, pamphlets and adhesive mats to remove dirt and dust from shoes.
However, the panelists said the city’s distribution of such materials has been ineffective so far, with poor communication and a lack of outreach. By only providing certain materials in English and making certain resources solely available via mobile app, they said some information doesn’t make it to vulnerable residents.
Owens-Chaplin said organizations like NYSDOT and the Onondaga County Health Department often work in “silos,” rarely coming together to discuss community outreach.
Fair said such agencies owe residents more direct access to education by knocking on doors and hearing their concerns directly.
“They can do the same thing that these women at this table do every day,” Fair said. “They need to be at these meetings. They need to be knocking on doors. They need to be educating them in the language that they speak, and they need to get the word out.”
While the effects of the viaduct deconstructions are yet to be seen, the panelists urged attendees and other Syracuse residents to use resources like Families for Lead Freedom Now to educate themselves and others about lead exposure.
“We have to know how to protect ourselves, and that means we’re going to have to learn. Those of us that know, we’re going to have to talk to those that don’t,” Fair said. “We can’t say that we’re going to depend on NYSDOT or anybody else to go do the work.”
bsheeh03@syr.edu
By Chloe Fox Rinka asst. news editor
Syracuse University’s PERIOD. chapter shows practical donations don’t just apply to clothing, but also extend to feminine hygiene products, President Emma Ziff said. Through education, advocacy and service, PERIOD. works to combat period poverty.
Founded by SU senior Ziff, the university’s chapter, like others, collaborates with the local community to normalize conversations surrounding period poverty. The group works together to effectively create change through legislation, donations and community engagement.
Period poverty affects more than a third of all teenagers in the city of Syracuse, CNY Central reported. The monetary cost of a menstrual cycle can reach $18,000 throughout a lifetime, between products and over-the-counter pain medication, according to HuffPost.
The lack of education surrounding menstrual cycles and reproductive health inspired Ziff to bring the national nonprofit to SU.
“There’s such a gap in hygiene product donations, and that a lot of times, can directly correlate with self-esteem and just how you combat your day,” Ziff said. “I’ve always been really passionate about feminism and issues regarding women, so I kind of combined it, started working toward combating period poverty and stigma.”
The broader PERIOD. organization was founded in 2014 to center youth voices in advocacy against period poverty, according to its website. The nonprofit has now expanded with chapters in over 40 states and 20 countries.
Ziff has been an advocate for period poverty since high school, she said. By creating care packages with menstrual products for local families and coordinating donation drives, she learned firsthand how period poverty mainly affects young adults.
PERIOD. at SU’s Vice President Ronit Hizgiaev said issues impacting women have also been a focus for her, and she was appointed to the posi-
tion after having worked with domestic violence survivors in high school.
Hizgiaev wanted to work with PERIOD. to help women receive broader access to menstrual products. Period poverty is a “crucial cause” for her, and seeing other women in her life not able to acquire menstrual products is a “rough sight,” she said.
Period poverty restricts access to menstrual products for every one in four teens and one in three adult women across the United States, according to PERIOD’s website.
The nonprofit aims to meet monthly and has already successfully collaborated with two registered student organizations on campus, Letters of Love and Women in Communications.
“It’s been really nice for the community to come together and work, to come create these really cool events,” Ziff said.
With Letters of Love, the organizations wrote notes and created care packages to donate to the Vera House, a Syracuse-based nonprofit that helps women who’ve experienced domestic violence and sexual abuse.
The event with Women in Communications included resume building while discussing period poverty and other issues surrounding women’s liberation. Hizgiaev said through these partnerships, PERIOD. has received several donations to create period packs, bags filled with menstrual products and uplifting letters.
“It was really special to tie both of our organizations and missions together to make an event like this,” Hizgiaev said. “We’re so thankful.”
The organization also works to educate the Syracuse community on the importance of addressing and eliminating period poverty in the area. Sophomore Lizzy Weiler, the social media manager, said educating at the college level is “important” to generate lasting change.
“Being able to give back to the community that I’ve since been able to call my home is really important, and in general, service for me is a really big value I have,” Weiler said.
The national nonprofit holds its annual global day of action on the second Saturday of October. Throughout the day, PERIOD. works to distribute feminine hygiene products and create policies to ensure free menstrual products. This past weekend, PERIOD. at SU received a donation of 150 period packs from the clothing store, Aerie, to honor the day.
Monetary and product donations are vital to the organization’s ability to function, Weiler said. SU’s chapter has held multiple fundraisers since the start of the year, including one with Purple Banana, with all proceeds going toward period packs.
“I see a really bright future,” Ziff said. “I think for just getting started, like it’s basically been a
month so far, we’ve already had such an amazing turnout and donation and really cool participatory members.”
After about a month of active participation on campus, PERIOD. hopes to become an RSO and receive funding from SU’s Student Government Association to help create more period packs and host more events.
“Everything counts, whatever you donate, you support, however you do that,” Weiler said.”That’s doing so much, especially since we’re such a new organization, every person that comes to an event counts. Every person that shows up or donates matters.”
cfrinka@syr.edu
By Owen Smith contributing writer
For over 40 years, the SU Marching Band has taken over Varsity Pizza after football wins
By Rosina Boehm managing editor
Usually, no one wants someone’s feet on their table, let alone anywhere near their chicken wings or pizza. That changes when the Syracuse University Marching Band enters Varsity Pizza on a college football Saturday for a cozy performance.
“If you do get a chance to go, you pretty much just blow your face off,” baritone horn player and alum Garrett Szczucki said.
“Just let out any frustrations you had throughout the game, if you’re tired, maybe you’re hurting a little bit, you just let it all out there and get to eat some pizza afterwards.”
For over 40 years, some members of the marching band have taken over Varsity for the “banner flip” after Syracuse football
wins at home. What was once just a marching band hangout spot has turned into a marching band tradition.
Instead of bleachers, the Shaw Quadrangle or the JMA Wireless Dome field, the marching band heads to the pizza joint after the game for a musical celebration. They turn tables into their own personal stage, breaking a barrier between the performers and the crowd.
“I’m wearing, like, filthy shoes. I’ve been walking all over Syracuse’s campus,” said Jess Strausser, SUNY ESF junior and trumpet player. “I didn’t think people would actually want me on their table.” Strausser’s favorite part is the free pizza Varsity provides after the performance. Before they eat the slices, a senior band member gets up on a rickety, old ladder to flip over the banner of the team SU just beat. The banners of Syracuse football’s opponents hang around the restaurant.
Feature Twirler Abigail Veccia flipped the banner after this year’s first home game and season win against UConn in overtime. After the close game, sophomore and trumpet player Lillian Lavalette said the energy was high in the Dome and carried through to the Varsity performance. It was her first time going to Varsity since transferring from Onondaga Community College and starting at SU this fall.
“I was expecting the people who were sitting at the table to just ignore me, not really notice me,” Lavalette said. “But they were immediately so just incredibly friendly. They were asking, ‘Oh, what’s your name? How long have you been in the marching band?’ And they were cheering me on the entire time.”
Once the Orange win, Varsity starts to limit the number of customers into the restaurant. Patrons who didn’t make it in time peek through the windows, seeing what they miss.
“It feels so much like such an intimate performance, which you don’t really get in the Dome or on the Quad,”said Szczucki, class of 2021 undergraduate and class of 2022 graduate.
Sophomore and tenor saxophone player Nicole Vasilev described it as a “mob mentality,” with the marching band shouting, playing and standing on tables. She said it would’ve been fantastic if the whole band could fit into Varsity, but said the “roof would have come off.” Band alum Lindsay Zerfas graduated in 2018 and said, even without the whole band, it still felt like they were going to blow the roof off.
Rookies are usually unaware of the tradition, having only heard rumblings of Varsity. When Zerfas was a freshman, she remembers running down Crouse Hill, out of breath. The older band members told her: “We go to Varsity.”
“I’m like, ‘What the hell is Varsity?’” Zerfas, who played the flute, said. “I didn’t even know that it was a restaurant. I didn’t know anything about it. I barely knew my way back to my dorm, let alone down the hill to Marshall Street.”
Strausser said during the UConn game, one of the rookies in her section forgot his trumpet since he didn’t know the details of the tradition. He mimicked the movements and played along, even borrowing others’ instruments.
SUNY ESF freshman and trombone player Derrick Spike went for the first time this year after Syracuse beat Colgate. He was aware they performed on tables, but wasn’t prepared for how cool it would be. He was nervous getting onto a table because a man had two large drinks and joked with him not to knock them over. As soon as they started their first horn section movements, the man picked up the drinks.
Brian Harrison, a clarinet player, graduated from SU in 2005. When he goes back to Varsity, he watches the crowd rather than the band. He’s played the fight song thousands of times himself and now likes to see the surprise on some people’s faces. Sometimes a nurse happens to be grabbing a slice of pizza or other customers are there coincidentally, not realizing it’s a game day, he said.
Despite the tradition being ingrained in the goings-on of the marching band, none of them know its origin. Class of 1986 alum and baritone horn player George Gross said a football player or the coach would flip the banner during the ‘80s and without the band playing any music. They aren’t sure exactly when the band transitioned to playing music.
Varsity and the band have been linked for a long time, Gross said. Gross and another alum, saxophone player and friend of his, Russell Ford, said anytime they went to Varsity as students, they knew another band member would be there.
“I spent so much time there that jokingly I have so many memories of closing the Varsity,” Ford said.
In the early ‘80s, Varsity used to be somewhere students — like Ford and Gross — could drink, as the legal age was 18. They would stay there until 2 or 3 a.m. with all the band members, Gross said.
Gus Forsman has worked at Varsity for more than 40 years, making chicken wings. He remembers the band beginning to play in the mid to late 1980s and said people like Gross were some of the “original” members who would hang out at Varsity. Forsman has had a front seat to the band tradition since it began and now sees it as “just part of the day.”
Harrison described the current tradition as “almost legend.” None of them really know the specifics, and Szczucki said none of it is documented online. Still, looking back, Gross likes to see how it has changed.
“It’s just different times. It’s kind of really neat,” Gross said. “And it’s neat that you have to wait in line to get in to see that. People are peering through the windows.”
While the tradition is different, Varsity isn’t, Gross said. The furniture is the same. The banners are the same. Many of the employees, like Forsman, are the same.
Gross has season football tickets and usually goes to Varsity when he comes for a game, even if it’s before rather than to watch the band afterward. He always comes back to the joint,
and he got to see his son, who graduated from SU in 2016, flip the banner himself.
As an alum who partook in the tradition return to campus, Gross said he finds his way back to Varsity.
Szczucki was at last season’s game when Syracuse football upset then-No. 8 Miami. He remembered thinking the game was over when the Orange were down 21-0 in the first quarter. When they came back, Szczucki didn’t think about storming the field like everyone else. Instead, he bounded down the hill with another marching band alum and grabbed a table at Varsity before a “herd” of people followed behind them.
“I was texting the couple people in my section around, ‘I’m like, you better get to Varsity. If you don’t go to Varsity now, I will disown you,’” Szczucki said.
As a rookie band member stood on his table, Szczucki remembers sitting back and feeling a sense of awe. Strausser, who also got to partake in the tradition that day, said they went over the capacity that time, but no one really cared because everyone was so excited.
Vasilev is one of the few band members who knew of the tradition before experiencing it; she had friends in the band her freshman year before she joined as a sophomore. After the Miami upset game, she and her friends went to witness the performance: her first Varsity marching band experience. She said it was the loudest she ever heard the tradition. That Varsity experience is one of the reasons she joined the band, she said.
“As a fangirl of the marching band, I love the marching band so much. I love their enthusiasm, discipline and etiquette,” Vasilev said. “Even though I was always an orchestra kid, it was incredibly inspiring. I loved seeing my friends standing on the tables. I recorded with them. I chanted ‘Go Orange.’”
Connecting with the community — friends or not — is one of the biggest parts of the banner-flipping tradition. Strausser said the crowd that makes it to Varsity consists of
After a football win, the marching band flips the banner of the team SU just beat. The Orange defeated the University of Maine in 2010 (left) and UConn in 2025 (right).
dedicated fans. Since it’s not super well-known, Veccia said it’s “insider knowledge.”
“One of my favorite things about it is you really get like the die-hard Syracuse fans because the people who aren’t really crazy die-hard Syracuse football fans have no idea that this is really a tradition,” Strausser said.
Veccia has had people ask her where she’s going and follow her all the way to Varsity. Trombone player Evan Oliveras — standing on a group’s table — spoke with a kid who was watching on FaceTime with one of them. He appreciated being a part of a longstanding tradition as it has changed, Oliveras said.
“Seeing (the tradition) change into something bigger is way more impactful for everybody, both the band and the community as a whole,” Oliveras said.
Now, some, like Harrison, flip their own banners every week. Hanging in both his law and at-home office are his own personal printed banners. His law office setup is complete with a SU-themed clock and Fran Brown poster. A photo of a packed Carrier Dome basketball game accompanies the paper banners in his home.
While Varsity is a huge part of SU’s gameday culture, Gross said he feels the band has always been the closest with the restaurant. There are band members who’re featured on Varsity’s walls and are people employees remember 40 years later.
“If you’re a band member, especially an older band member, it’s kind of like going home,” Gross said.
rosinaboehm@dailyorange.com
speech impairment app, a sign language recognition tool, an AI-powered quiz creator and a time management app.
Members will work on their projects over the semester with help from the Cuse AI executive board.
Freshman Tony Spaziani said he was excited to join the speech impairment team, saying the tool could have a lasting impact for those who struggle to communicate confidently.
Another team member, Sam Landa, echoed Spaziani and said the project shows how AI can be used positively. He highlighted that AI can be used beyond technical applications.
“It’s about making something useful for people,” Landa said. “We’re learning, but we’re also making a difference at the same time.”
Another project, the time management app, has a team of only freshmen members. They all expressed their motivation and interest in building the platform due to its practical and everyday use.
“We’re most excited for our project to help optimize our time,” freshman Ria Yagielski said. “We wanted to create some -
earlier this year, colleges and universities nationwide have removed DEIA language, policies and offices to comply with new federal guidelines. Over the summer, SU replaced ODI with an Office of People and Culture unit under the Office of Human Resources, removing references to “diversity” and its DEIA Strategic Plan from its website.
SU follows other higher education institutions’ decision to remove DEIA language. Currently, 400 United States institutions have eliminated or rebranded centers or programs promoting DEI, according to PBS.
In September, the university also paused admissions to 20 majors within the College of Arts and Sciences, including African American studies and Latino-Latin American studies, without faculty input. The decision was part of SU’s ongoing portfolio review.
“It’s exhausting,” said Jesús Tiburcio Zane, the president of Latiné Undergraduates Creating History in America. “We’ve been pushed to the side.”
In a September University Senate meeting, Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew cited overextended resources and the university’s attempt to support more programs than it can afford as the reasons for the portfolio review.
Along with limited cultural spaces, Saintal said there’s an increased fear among students that they’ll be punished for speaking out. She said college campuses should be a place where students can speak openly and feel safe doing so.
Tiburcio Zane agreed that the changes have impacted Latine students’ sense of community on campus, and several Latine students have told him they are now considering transferring, he said.
“Some people might be targeted because of their skin color, how they act, how they feel, how they look. And it’s just been extremely difficult to just try to live,”
Tiburcio Zane said.
Currently, SU’s fall 2023 undergraduate makeup was 44% minority groups. Eleven percent of students are Hispanic and Latino, 11% are U.S. nonresidents, 7% of students are Asian, 7% are Black or African American, 4% are two or more races, 2% ethnicity is unknown, and 1% are American Indian or Alaska Native, according to National Center for Education Statistic data.
Saintal said while SU is recognized for its connections, failing to prioritize cultural organizations in the same way as other organizations harms students’ overall experience, along with future career opportunities. Without community networks, students aren’t able to form connections.
Tiburcio Zane said he’s noticed a difference this year in how SU supports its cultural organizations. He said they haven’t been given the same platform as previous years, specifically, for the Welcome Fête and the Latine Heritage Month opening ceremony.
Despite planning beginning in July, the university moved the Welcome Fête from the Women’s Building field to the Schine Student Center just two days before the event, he said.
In a Wednesday statement to The Daily Orange, an SU spokesperson said over 2,000 students attended the 2025 Welcome Fête, a record-breaking turnout.
“The move from the Women’s Building field, which was responsive to student feedback, not only allowed for increased visibility and attendance, it also provided a more accessible location, ultimately creating a more inclusive and welcoming experience,” the spokesperson said.
In their comment, the spokesperson did not address The D.O.’s request for confirmation if the location change was made two days prior.
Although Tiburcio Zane doesn’t know the exact funding amounts, he said both events had
thing that makes lives easier, especially (for) college students.”
Her teammate, Paige Siciliano, said the project gave her a way to delve deeper into the power of AI early in her college career. She explained that the time management project was the first time she’d explored AI on a “more technical level” rather than using generative AI solely for simple tasks.
“Projects like the speech impairment app can help give people more confidence and prove that AI is a tool that can help in so many different fields,” Carnahan, community engagement chair, said.
Members will present their final projects at Cuse AI events with other students, faculty and industry professionals in attendance, Goodman said.
He said the board set $500 aside for project awards to be given out at the end of the semester. Multiple projects will win prizes in their respective categories and all completed projects will be featured on its website.
Cuse AI also hosts workshops, weekly meetings and learning events throughout the academic year. Members will have the opportunity to hear from a variety of faculty guest speakers from across campus, ranging from the School of
limited promotion and appeared less organized than in past years.
Registered Student Organizations receive annual budgets through SU’s Student Government Association, which allocates funding based on event proposals and available resources, according to its policies. Earlier this year, SGA implemented catering caps for student organizations due to over allocation to RSOs in previous semesters.
Yogesh Mohapatra, events chair for the South Asian Student Association, said he’s seen a decrease in RSO funding. This semester, SASA received $3,000 for its catering — about a third of last year’s budget, he said. Mohapatra said the cuts have limited the events the organization can host, directly affecting student engagement and turnout.
“That’s really messing up a lot of the community that has been created, and putting a lot of unnecessary roadblocks that did not need to exist,” Mohapatra said. “I think the university could definitely be doing so much more.”
When SU decided to close its ODI, Saintal said the university failed to clearly communicate what the change would mean for students.
Lylla Schindler, president of Indigenous Students at Syracuse, also questioned the university’s decision to change ODI’s name to fit within federal policy guidelines.
As a member of SGA, Schindler said she was involved in the name-changing process, where administrators explained the office would still support students in the same way. She said the office’s reach appears the same, and changing the name shouldn’t impact its values or ideology.
Ainsley Puc, Pride Union’s president, said SU administrators may have “swept things under the table” to avoid student panic, but believes the university has generally been transparent.
Landon Nance, Pride Union’s vice-president, said her organization has been “lucky” to not be affected by SU’s changes. Though she said she’s noticed other groups changing event names and not openly promoting certain language to protect their organizations.
“It’s kind of scary to be threatened with such a big, ambiguous message of ‘Give no one support ever,’ especially on a college campus,” Nance said. “I think they’re just trying to keep what we do have in a safe bubble.”
Puc and Nance said Pride Union’s focus remains on providing a fun, safe environment rather than political discussions. Both said its funding hasn’t changed this semester, allowing the group to operate normally.
In response to SU’s changes, La L.U.C.H.A. and other student organizations have taken to social media, advocating for minority communities hit hardest by the Trump administration’s policies on diversity and immigration.
In June, La L.U.C.H.A. posted a statement on Instagram in response to ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, encouraging members to stay informed and find strength in their community, promising to fight for students’ “right to live freely and without fear,” the post reads.
Despite being an activism-based organization, Tiburcio Zane said La L.U.C.H.A. was less vocal last year out of concern it would be targeted as a minority organization. This year, he said he hopes to take more of a stand.
Most members have supported activism efforts, Tiburcio Zane said, but La L.U.C.H.A. will continue to prioritize student safety.
“I do notice a change in terms of how confident students feel in the ability to use their voice,” Saintal said. “It’s tough trying to navigate, ‘When I can speak up and when can I not, and am I putting me, my friends, or my work at risk?’”
SU’s Black Student Union also released a statement following the AAS admissions pause, calling
Information Studies to the Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Kahn said the organization’s bigger vision is to bring AI conversations to campus the same way they’re happening in the tech industry.
on students to take collective action by attending AAS events and enrolling in courses. The post also acknowledged the major’s “slow death” over the past three years, after being “starved of resources” and facing low enrollment.
“The survival of African American Studies depends on us, the student body, recognizing its value and fighting for it in practice — not just in words,” the statement says. “Allowing it to disappear because of our own inaction means complicitly contributing to its erasure.”
Saintal said she worries about how students will learn about Haitian culture without the AAS major. While HASA aims to create educational spaces, the organizations will now have to “tiptoe” around controversial language, she said.
“It does leave a lot of us wondering whether or not the school wants to prioritize us as students and offer more conversation, dialogue and opportunity,” Saintal said.
Schindler said the AAS major, which had existed for decades, stood for cultural change.
With admission to the 20 majors paused, Schindler said she’s worried about what will happen to the Native American minor program and its faculty members.
“It kind of puts us in a position where we’re thinking, ‘SU really only wants students that are from a certain background,’” Schindler said.
ISAS has five professors who self-identify as Native American all of whom are heavily involved in the organization and serve as mentors for Indigenous students, Schindler said. As the only direct representation of the Indigenous faculty on campus, Schindler said its staff provides vital support.
Schindler said with SU’s “lack of transparency,” the organization relies on the Native Student Program Coordinator to inform students about what’s going on. As an SU alum, the coordinator has been “straightforward” and doesn’t avoid controversial topics, she said.
ISAS hopes to provide a community where students can feel safe voicing concerns, Schindler said. She added that several of the organization’s Canadian members have also raised concerns.
“We all feel like family,” Schindler said. “Not being alone in a time of uncertainty just definitely helps, and knowing that other people are kind of in the same situation as you.”
Tiburcio Zane said Latine faculty have inspired students to potentially pursue careers in higher education despite ongoing attacks from the Trump administration.
He said that everyone needs a support system, and La L.U.C.H.A. has helped him form his own.
“Having this community has kept me and other people going,” Tiburcio Zane said. “Knowing that we have similar cultures, traditions and just backgrounds in general, just makes us feel understood and seen within each other.”
After Chancellor Kent Syverud announced his resignation, SU’s Board of Trustees said it would work with “input from faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the University,” according to an August campus-wide email.
Schindler said she hopes the next chancellor is more involved with campus cultural organizations, so when the university has to make funding cuts, they understand the importance of these communities.
Tiburcio Zane agreed he would be “disappointed” if the chosen chancellor tried to “hide” or “limit the existence” of minority groups, and restrict what student organizations can do.
“We’re students, we have work and projects, exams. We already have a lot to do,” Tiburcio Zane said. “Having to carry this emotional and mental burden, along with that, it’s just impossible to function.”
news@dailyorange.com
“If you went to San Francisco, AI would be in every conversation,” Kahn said. “Here at Syracuse, it’s just starting to grow. We’re taking the initiative to bring that conversation to campus.” osmith18@syr.edu
strated leadership in a context of “commensurate scope and complexity” with proven success as a senior executive leader within a similar institution.
Other characteristics include showing strong leadership during periods of “significant upheaval” and changes and experience making “difficult, strategic decisions” for SU’s success in the future.
The section notes that the chancellor position holds “comprehensive oversight” of SU’s 13 schools and colleges, which include 23,000 students, 1,900 faculty and 6,000 total staff, according to the document. It states the university has an approximately $1.9 billion operating budget and $2.2 billion endowment.
30,900
The number of students, faculty and staff the next chancellor will oversee
The document states that a chancellor is responsible for managing all aspects of the university and a candidate should have skills in crisis management. They should have an ability to handle “complex financial, reputational, and operational situations” and adapt to political and societal changes.
According to the profile, a strong applicant would be committed to teaching, research, scholarship and innovation and have forwardthinking skills when approaching challenges.
Capabilities surrounding external engagement and brand management were also mentioned. The document says an ideal candidate would have experience “engaging with external constituencies” and have a comprehensive and collaborative method to elevate SU’s “brand and public perception.”
The document states the next chancellor will inherit a university in a “strong financial position” and that SU has the financial stability to continue its investment in faculty excellence, student financial aid, research infrastructure and campus facilities.
The document notes SU is “not immune” to the pressures facing higher education and the next chancellor will make decisions about resource allocation, endowment fundraising efforts, expanding financial aid and investing in programs that aid SU’s success.
The document also says that college athletics has experienced a dramatic change with the introduction of name, image and likeness rights. It says the next chancellor must be a strategic leader who understands the complexities of current day collegiate athletics and will preserve SU’s “competitive position.”
All information is available on the Chancellor Search website.
In the Tuesday email, search committee CoChairs Shelly Fisher and Lisa Fontenelli said the update is a culmination of an “intensive and deliberate engagement process.” They said hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteer leaders, community partners and elected officials participated in engagement sessions. With the conclusion of the position description, the search committee will begin reviewing candidates.
The committee hopes to identify candidate finalists in January 2026 and select the next chancellor in the spring for the start of the 202627 academic year, the email states.
Chris Murray’s Jim Boeheim mural will be unveiled this Saturday, honoring his contributions to Syracuse and the artist’s identity.
By Tara Binte Sharil asst. digital editor
For Chris Murray, art and Syracuse basketball have always been constants. In middle school, Murray attended Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s basketball camps, where he remembers chatting with Boeheim and even receiving a high five from the legend.
“It’s a full circle moment now that I’m painting a mural of (Boeheim),” Murray said. “(The project) is kind of tapping back into my childhood in some sense.”
Years later, Murray’s two passions merged: he had the opportunity to paint a five-story mural of his basketball idol:
Boeheim. Murray, who started painting the mural in Armory Square in September, will wrap up the mural this Friday and unveil it on Saturday.
Boeheim became Syracuse basketball’s head coach in 1976. During his 47-year coaching tenure, Boeheim led the SU basketball team to the school’s first NCAA championship in 2003 in addition to three Final Four appearances, leading to his Hall of Fame induction in 2005.
Murray’s knack for art stems back to childhood. When Murray’s parents noticed his gift at an early age, they encouraged him to focus on his talent. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology, soon flourishing into a career.
While many artists choose a single medium to portray their works, Murray stretches his pieces through all disci-
plines, from prints to murals. However, murals offer an incentive that other mediums don’t share, he said.
“It is one of the parts of the art that allows me to be outside, to have conversations with people, to engage with the communities, and that’s really what I love about it,” Murray said.
From attending Boeheim’s basketball camps to watching the Syracuse University basketball team compete under his wing, Boeheim’s influence became part of Murray’s identity. This impact has carried on throughout Murray’s life, from childhood to when he first came up with the idea for the mural a year and a half ago.
When Murray was scrolling through his phone one night, a picture of a mural titled “Legendary Syracuse Firsts” showed
This was one of those occurrences where I had this passion and energy all of a sudden to do a little digging to see if there was a Jim Boeheim mural, and, surprisingly, there wasn’t one.
Chris Murray muralist
“Giving thanks to the sun, giving thanks to the water, giving thanks to everyone that has made this possible — we just had a lot of gratitude,” said Michelle Schenandoah, a member of the Oneida Nation Wolf Clan. “There was this moment where we all acknowledged how that space encapsulated the practice of rematriation through centering the health of our women.” Schenandoah is the founder of Rematriation, an Indigenous
women-led nonprofit dedicated to supporting the movement of rematriation — the returning of the sacred to the Mother — across Turtle Island through uplifting Indigenous women’s voices. On Monday, Rematriation premiered its five-episode talk show series, “Rematriated Voices with Michelle Schenandoah,” on WCNY, a collaboration with Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center.
The series features 11 guests, including Onondaga Hawk Clan Chief Spencer Lyons, Potawatomi botanist and New York Times best-selling author Robin Wall Kimmerer and the late women’s suffrage historian Sally Roesch Wagner. The talk show centers on the knowledge of Haudenosaunee women and elders, seeking to educate through their lived experiences and traditional knowledge. The show will be released
throughout Native American Heritage Month in November, with new episodes every week. In addition to the launch with WCNY, the show will be released in the coming months as an extended podcast series.
The Rematriation team gathered in mid-September 2024 to film the talk show on Blue Mountain Lake at SU’s Minnowbrook Conference
10 see rematriation page 11
By Claire Zhang asst. copy editor
TAZ has had a passion for music since childhood, often playing games like Guitar Hero.
At just 10 years old, TAZ was featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” for his guitar talent. By the time he was 12, he was touring with the Broadway musical production of “School of Rock.”
“When my dad showed me the movie ‘School of Rock,’ I was like, ‘Woah, kids can do this.’ I didn’t know that was possible,” Brandon Niederauer, known as TAZ, said.
On Wednesday night, TAZ played a mix of recent singles, unreleased music and covers at Funk ‘n Waffles. Syracuse University freshman Dylan Steele — known as DJ Amplitude — opened for him, mixing a set of recognizable pop, rap, rock and hip-hop hits.
The night drew a mix of students and older audiences who resonated with TAZ’s covers of throwback hits like “Blackbird” by the Beatles and an acoustic rendition of “Hey Ya!” by OutKast. The audience especially resonated with the many instrumental breaks; cheers erupted when he showcased his guitar skills.
TAZ is currently on tour with Grammy Award-winning artist Jon Batiste, playing guitar with his band, which he said has been an amazing learning experience. He also played at Coachella with Batiste in 2024. Batiste keeps his touring band “on their toes,” TAZ recalled, always prompting them to learn new songs right before soundchecks.
“I’ve always wanted to do the tour bus thing, you know, as every kid rock star wants,” TAZ said. “It’s been an endless party, it’s been awesome.”
Playing small, intimate shows like Funk ‘n Waffles allows him to be experimental with his band in a similar nature, TAZ said. He sprung a new arrangement on his band just two hours before the show, but they riffed off each other energetically throughout the set.
“The best thing about these small rooms is that you can put on a really raw performance and get an intimate setting to really throw your balls to the walls,” TAZ said.
Syracuse local Cheri Giancola has been a fan of TAZ since he first played Funk ‘n Waffles years ago when he was in high school. When she heard him play, she was drawn in by his guitar skills and said he reminded her of a young Jimi Hendrix. She then saw him play at the Peach Music Festival in Pennsylvania a few years later and considers herself one of his first devoted fans.
“I’m the OG,” Giancola said.
She brought her friend Cindy Boehm to the show; they both love Syracuse’s live music culture. They take any opportunity to seek out new artists, like TAZ, the two said.
Giancola said she and Boehm often have vastly different music tastes, so TAZ’s mixed genre style was a good middle ground for them.
Giancola also enjoyed the DJ set before, and it got her amped up for the show, she said.
“I will be dancing tonight,” Giancola said. “I wanted to dance to that cute little DJ guy, but I didn’t wanna be the only one out there.”
Freshman Kevin Lamprey and his group of friends gathered at Funk ‘n Waffles to support their friend Steele. They were eager to listen to their friend’s set and excited to hear TAZ perform. Having seen a Grateful Dead tribute show at the same venue a few nights ago, they love to indulge in the music scene in Syracuse, Lamprey said.
Steele is a freshman in SU’s Bandier Program. He’s been DJing since he was nine years old and said he is excited to continue networking and connecting with the SU community, playing shows both on and off campus. Since the semester started, he’s played at a Welcome Week event, opened for Juice Jam and more.
“It’s just easy to get connected with people and create lively events and showcase what
I’m capable of to the audience in Syracuse,” Steele said.
Steele hadn’t previously heard about TAZ, but got in contact with his team through Bandier. Watching TAZ and his band play at the pre-show rehearsal and seeing what they were capable of was amazing, and he’s excited to be connected with them now, he said.
Currently, TAZ has two singles released, “Running After You Again” and “Say Something,” both of which he played on Wednesday night. He said he’s finding his sound as an artist, influenced by many genres and writing songs based on his real-life experiences. As a 2025 Yale University alum, he’s thankful for his college years and the friends he made; they’re valuable inspiration, he said.
TAZ aims to cater his music to a Gen Z and millennial audience — people who’re familiar with the music he grew up with. His main idols have always been the “Justin Biebers of the world,” and he wants to create music he’s truly
passionate about, specifically contributing to the pop music scene, he said.
TAZ has played some of the biggest performances of his career alongside his mentors, like Batiste. Through touring, he’s traveled to countries like Japan, Switzerland and Brazil. He aims to replicate his mentors’ ability to perform and cater to their fans, and spread not just music, but love and joy to the audience, he said.
At last year’s Coachella Festival, TAZ watched the audience watch Batiste and be infatuated with him. He recalls appreciating the fans’ carefree energy; they weren’t thinking about the trials and tribulations of life. That’s what music is all about, he said.
“What I’m trying to do right now is cater my shows toward not just a musical experience, but also an experience where people can unplug,” TAZ said. “It’s more than just music, it’s a spiritual practice.”
cmzhang@syr.edu
By Jack Steinberg staff writer
2025 has been a refreshing change of pace in a decade oversaturated with money-grabbing blockbuster slop.
This year presented a diverse selection for all film goers, from award-worthy creative masterpieces like “Sinners” to “One Battle After Another,” to exciting blockbusters like “Superman” and “F1.”
There’s a movie for any type of audience, casual viewer or cinephile. As it stands, 2025 has been more than satisfactory, but there are still a plethora of films yet to come that will build on what this year has produced. Let’s look at what the remainder of the year has in store.
“The Running Man”
A remake of the 1987 cult classic based on the book by legendary author Stephen King, “The Running Man” holds a lot of potential for its release on Nov. 14. Led by enigmatic director Edgar Wright, who is famous for brilliant films such as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, “Baby Driver” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Wright intends to blend his unique filmmaking approach with this bizarre story to create something exciting for all audiences.
The movie stars Glen Powell as Ben Richards, who joins the top-rated game show “The Running Man” to save his sick daughter. Thirty contestants must survive for 30 days, while the public, who have the luxury of seeing the contestants’ every move, try to track them down and kill them. The prize increases each day the participant survives, but so does the risk.
Based on trailers, Wright and Powell look like a match made in heaven, channeling each other’s charisma to help create one of the most entertaining pictures of the year.
“Marty Supreme”
What would 2025 be if it didn’t include the prince of Hollywood himself, Timothée Chalamet? It’s looking like the year of the Safdie brothers, except this time their films are separate rather than together. A couple weeks ago, Benny Safdie released his new movie “The Smashing Machine” starring Dwayne Johnson. Come Christmas, Josh Safdie plans to debut his own solo project, the story of phenom pingpong player Marty Reisman. All signs are pointing to this movie being excellent.
Between its interesting story, A24’s involvement and movie Midas Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” is looking like it’s going to be one of the best movies in a loaded 2025. Maybe this will be the year that Timmy finally takes home the gold trophy, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”
Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return with another “Knives Out” mystery that might be the best of the series to date, based on recent reviews.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” follows the franchise’s main character, Benoit Blanc, while traveling to investigate the murder of priest Monsignor Jefferson Wicks’ congregation.
If “Wake Up Dead Man” lives up to the hype, there’s no telling how fantastic this film could be, especially following the success of its predeces-
sors. Make sure to check this out when it comes out on Netflix on Dec. 12.
Honorable Mentions
I could’ve put so many films on this list, but these three are definitely the movies I’m looking forward to the most as the year comes to an end.
Another movie to look out for is “Wicked: For Good,” set to release on Nov. 21. The sequel to 2024’s “Wicked” covers the same cast of characters following Elphaba’s demonization as the newly crowned Wicked Witch of the West, as well as the journey of Glinda, Fiyero and other main characters.
Finally, I’m very excited about the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” coming out on Oct. 24. Starring Jeremy Allen White, the movie should add to the historic run music biopics have been on this century, and we could see the young superstar get his Academy Award nomination.
Movie fans have had a spoil of riches this past year, but 2025 isn’t over yet and there are a lot of great things to come. Make sure you see one of these films before the year is over — who knows if the rest of the decade will be as incredible as this year was.
jstein15@syr.edu
up on his feed. The mural, painted on the Monroe Building, depicted four basketball players connected to Syracuse: Breanna Stewart, Earl Lloyd Jr., Dolph Schayes and Manny Breland.
“This was one of those occurrences where I had this passion and energy all of a sudden to do a little digging to see if there was a Jim Boeheim mural, and, surprisingly, there wasn’t one,” Murray said.
Spontaneous ideas like these are hard for Murray to ignore. As Murray “went down the rabbit hole” to see who he had to reach out to to kickstart his mural, he got in contact with Syracuse International Jazz Festival founder Frank Malfitano, who spearheaded the “Legendary Syracuse Firsts” mural in 2022.
Malfitano knew Boeheim from his early walk-on days for the SU basketball team in 1962. He’d seen how Boeheim placed a spotlight on Syracuse athletics over the decades: from getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame to becoming an Olympic gold medalist as an assistant coach for Team USA.
“If you think of someone who personifies Syracuse athletics and placed Syracuse on a national stage, it’s Jim Boeheim,” Malfitano said.
Whether it was securing finances to navigating city approval, Murray and Malfitano spent a long time discussing the do’s and don’ts of painting a mural in Syracuse. Despite challenges, Malfitano saw Murray’s will to do anything necessary to ensure his project would come to fruition.
“I answered his questions and I tried to provide advice, but Chris is responsible for this mural happening,” Malfitano said. “He deserves all of the credit. It’s his perseverance and stick-to-itiveness.”
Murray based his initial sketches on the mural’s location. Location was a hurdle for Murray — he first designed the mural on the Bank of America building, then considered a building on West Genesee Street surrounded by trees that would’ve blocked the mural. That all changed when Murray reached out to William Severyn, the CEO of Offer Advantage.
Through Offer Advantage’s work as a partnership of real estate investors, Severyn helped Murray finally find the mural’s home.
Murray painted the mural on a recently refurbished five-story apartment complex in Armory Square. Since many of the tenants work at SU, the building’s location makes it a fitting spot to house the Syracuse icon, Severyn said. The apartment’s proximity to downtown Syracuse is an added plus.
The mural’s location wasn’t Murray’s only challenge — funding the mural was another obstacle. Though Murray was often left hanging or denied donations, he was able to pull through thanks to donors like Keenan Nolan, senior sales engineer of Stark Tech and a friend of Murray’s.
Nolan, who’s familiar with Murray’s design style, was quick to jump at the opportunity to be part of the project. A lifelong Syracuse resident, Nolan grew up with Syracuse football and basket-
ball. Connecting Murray with other donors helped secure the mural’s funding, Nolan said.
“The football and basketball programs and the other programs give us residents something to look forward to,” Nolan said. “So (Syracuse athletics) is very impactful to the quality of life to the Syracuse residents. And Jim Boeheim, of course, has been a huge part of that for many years.”
Malfitano, who’s watched the mural’s progression over the past few weeks, said the designs morphed throughout the process. Now it’s “larger than life,” he said. Nolan said Murray’s vibrant colors and hidden Easter eggs were a special treat.
In Severyn’s eyes, the mural highlights Boeheim’s importance to the Syracuse community while giving visitors a reason to explore Syracuse culture.
“(The mural) gives another reason for people to visit the area while creating a longer, lasting legacy for Boeheim,” Severyn said. “There wasn’t much else that we could paint on that building to accentuate the area. I think this creates a lot more activity and excitement.”
For Murray, the mural isn’t only an opportunity to showcase his next project — a mural of Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson in Philadelphia — but a dedication to Boeheim.
Aptly titled the Jim Boeheim “Legacy” mural, this is Murray’s gift to Boeheim’s enduring career.
“(Boeheim) just gave me a great feeling of representation,” Murray said.“I’ve seen him, spoken to him and watched him coach. He’s like a superhero walking amongst you.”
tabintes@syr.edu
High Fade
Edinburgh-based High Fade plays a mix of funk and disco. The threeman band has sold out shows across the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. You must be 18 years or older to jam to their music at Middle Ages Brewing Company this weekend.
WHEN : Friday, 8 p.m.
PRICE: $24.95
WHERE: Middle Ages Brewing Company
Y2Kage
Cage Collective is hosting a 2000s-themed concert this Friday. The night includes performances from Sergio Sotelo and Sam Tonks. Don’t forget your Wii remotes.
WHEN: Friday, doors open at 10 p.m.
PRICE: $5 for early tickets, $10 at the door
WHERE: DM @cage_collective for address
BELLA’S BARTOK W/S/G PeoplePeople
Punk rock group Bella’s Bartok is performing at Funk ‘n Waffles this weekend. The self-described “Glam Rock band” is known for theatrical performances and their message of finding hope. They will be joined by PeoplePeople, a rock band from Cortland, New York.
WHEN : Saturday, doors open at 7 p.m., show is 8 to 11 p.m.
PRICE: $18.22
WHERE: Funk ‘n Waffles
The Malmgren Concert Series: Remembrance and Resilience
The Setnor School of Music is hosting a concert as part of this year’s Remembrance Week. Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra, Hendricks Chapel Choir and University Singers will perform “Requiem” by Herbert Howells and “Phoenix Rising” by Thea Musgrave. The concert is part of Hendricks Chapel’s Malmgren Concert Series.
WHEN : Sunday, 4 to 5:15 p.m.
PRICE: Free
WHERE: Hendricks Chapel
Jo Koy: Just Being Koy Tour
Jo Koy is bringing his “Just Being Koy Tour” to Syracuse on Sunday night. The former Golden Globes Awards host and comedian won “Stand-Up Comedian Of The Year” at the 2018 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.
WHEN : Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
PRICE: $50.45 to $94.55
WHERE: The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater
Center. Collaborators from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Newhouse School of Public Communications and Orange Television Network, members of SU Libraries’ Sound Beat: Access Audio team and Haudenosaunee consultants joined the team, along with 10 Newhouse students.
Over the course of the weekend, the group filmed five group interviews, including notable Haudenosaunee Confederacy leaders, community members and allies. Hour-long episodes centered on Haudenosaunee cosmology, history, governance and contemporary perspectives.
“Being in the Adirondacks on traditional territory was just empowering,” said Beverly Jacobs, a Mohawk Nation attorney who was featured in the series’ first episode. “It wasn’t just the energy of the people, but the energy of the environment. Just being in that space was really powerful.”
The rematriation movement, Schenandoah said, has its roots in Indigenous midwifery.
When Haudenosaunee children are born, the family buries the placenta and the umbilical cord in the land where their people are from. They’re simultaneously creating a spiritual rootedness to the land and returning life to the Mother.
“Mother as in Mother Earth, mother tongue, mother seeds, mother nation and mother, as in our mothers. What rematriation really is, is centering life,” Schenandoah said.
Katsi Cook, member of the Mohawk Wolf Clan and an Indigenous midwife, introduced the idea of rematriation to modern-day Haudenosaunee communities. Through her activism, Mohawk Bear Clan Mother “Mommabear” Louise McDonald Herne began to see the return of stolen, culturally-significant items to the Haudenosaunee as an act of rematriation.
Many refer to this action as “repatriation,” but as matrilineal people, Haudenosaunee women like McDonald Herne recognized that as the items were returned, they were coming back to the Mother.
The stealing and appropriation of Native remains and sacred items is emblematic of U.S. colonial history and the erasure of Indigenous peoples, Schenandoah said. This erasure often starts with education.
Schenandoah recalled being in seventhgrade history class and wielding a “two-inch thick” U.S. history textbook. When she saw the Native American history section, she was excited that her classmates would get to learn about her history. What she found was one page — filled front and back — with black and white photos, not mentioning the Haudenosaunee by name once.
For Schenandoah, that experience of erasure is an inspiration for Rematriation’s work. Jacobs, who is well known internationally for her work in Indigenous human rights and law, echoes this sentiment.
“Everything that I do is about education,” Jacobs said. “Our history wasn’t taught in schools, nothing about who we are, about trea-
ties, about relationships with each other. The intention was to erase us as a people.”
Rematration’s goal is to keep telling these stories. That’s exactly what “Rematriated Voices” does, Schenandoah said.
A talk show has been a vision of Schenandoah’s for “quite some time,” and putting it together took around three years. The first idea for the collaboration with SU was a podcast following the format of SU Libraries’ “The Land You’re On: Acknowledging the Haudenosaunee.” Rematriation is constantly thinking about how to push its work to the next level, Schenandoah said.
“We felt truly humbled and honored to sit with our leaders, hear from our elders and talk with them,” Schenandoah said. “I would love for other people to sit and listen and hear from them too. I am confident they will feel that impression upon their souls.”
One of the organization’s goals is to connect Western society with the values and knowledge of Indigenous teachings that’ve sustained their peoples for millennia, she said.
Many people today are feeling lost, Schenandoah said, and she believes Haudenosaunee values about living in peace, nurturing one’s gifts as a human being and living in balance with the natural world can help people to feel more fulfilled.
“When people begin to understand that we are all equal to, and no greater than, the trees and the water and the air and the birds, then comes the greater understanding that we are all a part of the natural world, not separate from it,” she said.
Instilling a deeper knowledge of Haudenosaunee values in non-native students and produc-
tion members happened before starting to film the talk show.
Sophia Moore graduated from Newhouse last year with a degree in television, radio and film. During her senior year, she was invited by OTN General Manager Meg Craig to be a production assistant on-set at Minnowbrook.
“It was such a prime opportunity for me to just sit back and listen, really letting what they were talking about resonate with me and color the way I see the world,” Moore said.
SU SCRC Access Audio producer Jim O’Connor also helped to produce the “Rematriated Voices” series. O’Connor first met Schenandoah while creating the podcast, “The Land You’re On: Acknowledging the Haudenosaunee.”
Because of his background at SCRC, O’Connor came into the project with a desire to document everything.
“In storytelling, I love that ideation phase where all of these passionate people gather together and talk about what something could be at the end of it,” O’Connor said. “And to now stand at this phase of it is really gratifying. It involved a million people’s hard work, and I’m really excited to finally share that.”
As the Rematriation team looks to the future and the possibility of a second series, the team is also taking time to revel in the sense of pride and accomplishment, Schenandoah said.
“Mommabear is here to say,” McDonald Herne said in the series premiere, pausing and looking over her shoulder to fellow Haudenosaunee women. “It’s time. The mother is back in the house.” oefried@syr.edu
By Addy Kimball essayist
Campus typically quiets down during long weekends like fall break. Ubers arrive, dining and residence halls empty out and the usual hustle of student life disperses.
At first, I thought staying at Syracuse University for the four-day weekend would be boring and lonely. I expected to sleep in every day, scroll back and forth between TikTok and YikYak and maybe get ahead on a few assignments.
But now reflecting on the break, I’m noticing it was exactly the opposite – staying on campus ended up feeling less like a period of isolation and more like a much-needed mental reset. With no essays or exams hanging over my head, I finally had the chance to explore everything SU has to offer beyond the classroom.
A few of my friends who also avoided the hassle of traveling home and I decided to make the most of our weekend. We got breakfast at Collegetown Bagels without having to steer through the usual Marshall Street crowds, played Uno, tested out the MindSpa massage chairs in Bird Library, played badminton in the Barnes Center at The Arch and went ice skating on South Campus.
Two days were spent perfecting our live version of the game Granny, as seen on TikTok, rearranging lounge furniture as obstacles and testing different rules for difficulty. We also tried the whisper challenge with noise-cancelling headphones, and I quickly realized I possess little-to-no lip-reading ability.
I opted out of playing Catan at Schine Student Center’s Gaming and Esports Center since I have no clue how to use a controller, and kind of learning how to ice skate had been
enough of a challenge for one week. We ended each night with a movie on the television in their hall’s lounge.
None of it was extravagant, but it was fun and easy. As the weekend went on, I realized how underrated staying on campus actually is. Some people assume a vacation only counts if you go somewhere, but I believe that mindset almost defeats the purpose. Traveling back and forth can eat up half the time you’re afforded and leave you more tired than before.
By the end of fall break, I noticed that the best part of staying wasn’t just the peace and quiet. It was the people who stayed there with me.
Addy Kimball essayist
Staying on campus avoids all of that. You get more sleep, more time to relax and fewer logistics to worry about. There’s finally time to take advantage of the SU resources you always say you’ll try at some point but never do. You can actually take a break instead of planning one.
This rest isn’t just nice – it’s necessary for our well-being. According to the American College Health Association’s Spring 2024 Report, 50% of students reported moderate stress and 26% reported high stress within the past 30 days. Taking time off from routine tasks can help alleviate that stress. Harvard Business Review emphasizes that breaks lead to improved mental health and emotional balance.
SU already has plenty of ways to unwind between counseling, fitness classes, pet therapy and other services offered at the Barnes Center.
Some students don’t think to use these recreational resources because they’re often
crowded or we’re too busy during the week. When everyone leaves, though, these spaces open up along with our schedules. I could see campus differently – not as a place to rush through, but one to truly savor and enjoy. By the end of fall break, I noticed that the best part of staying wasn’t just the peace and quiet. It was the people who stayed there with me. Without everyone else’s schedules and academic tasks looming, my friends and I hung out without distractions. We talked late into the night about our lives at home and plans for the future, learning more about each other. The conversations felt easy and genuine, not squeezed in between obligations.
Connection doesn’t always form at big events or parties. Sometimes it happens when everything slows down. In college, there’s pressure to constantly be doing something to prove you’re busy and taking advantage of every opportunity. That pressure doesn’t leave room for stillness.
But staying behind for the weekend pushed me to let loose and appreciate the colors of the lit-up Dome at night, the sound of leaves crunching on the Shaw Quadrangle and the way sunlight hits the buildings I usually rush past. It allowed me to fall in love with Syracuse all over again.
By Tuesday night, when students started coming back with suitcases, duffel bags and stories to tell, I didn’t feel like I’d missed out at all. I felt like I’d truly rested.
Long weekends to travel will come and go, but chances to see campus like that – quiet, calm and yours to explore – don’t happen often. Next time fall break rolls around, consider staying. Try the places you’ve never had time to visit. Get food on Marshall Street without waiting in line. Watch a sunset from the Quad, go ice skating or try a fitness class at the Barnes Center.
Sometimes the best kind of break isn’t about where you go. It’s about finally slowing down where you are.
Addy Kimball is a freshman majoring in political science. She can be reached at akimba02@syr.edu.
By Navya Varma columnist
As if Hollywood didn’t have enough rising stars, an uncanny substitution for true talent has emerged. Dutch actress and comedian Eline Van der Velden recently developed Tilly Norwood, an artificial intelligence actress.
Van der Velden has been touring film festivals with Tilly, and agents are circling around with hopes of representing it.
But we don’t need more actors. There’s no shortage of talented but struggling performers fighting for limited roles. Replacing them with digital replicas is an unnecessary submission into entertainment’s descent.
With today’s media standards and desire for efficiency, though, the appeal is obvious. The AI actress obviously won’t age – something Hollywood has long held against women. It won’t demand fair pay, better contracts or creative control, and it can be engineered to be a mosaic of every star who came before it.
“We want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman – that’s the aim of what we’re doing,” Van der Velden stated.
This is a threat to the livelihood and craft of real aspiring actors, including those still entering the field here at Syracuse University’s highly ranked College of Visual and Performing Arts.
“There is so much to acting that computers can’t comprehend,” said Connor Willingham, a freshman Musical Theater major at VPA.
“It’s unrealistic to assume that a computer can do everything we’ve been trained to do our whole lives,” Lillian Kopacz, another freshman Musical Theater major and member of Papermill Playhouse Summer Conservatory since 2018, said.
For young performers, acting isn’t just about delivering lines, but also about unpredictability and taking risks. The incorporation of AI completely strips this authenticity.
“There’s a beauty in the fact that there’s a chance something can not go perfectly, and without that risk it’s just going to seem so robotic,” Wilmingham explained.
This isn’t a debate about the ethics of technology – it’s about whether they’ll even continue to exist. Not only will performers be competing with each other, but they’ll inevitably be losing a fight with these perfect, malleable avatars.
Denying agency over bodies and careers, or taking advantage of sources that don’t get it at all, displays a problematic change in values.
Navya Varma columnist
National outlets are echoing the concerns of our students, too. Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists released the following statement:
“‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor; it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers—without permission or compensation.”
But Tilly Norwood is “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work–a piece of art. She sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the power of creativity,” Van der Velden said.
But this response doesn’t remedy the very obvious and valid concerns of students.
“This is a threat not only to the performers, but also does a disservice to the audience to be using AI as a performer,” Kopacz said.
“I saw a lot of things about them choosing a woman as the first AI actor, and there’s a lot to say about the fact that she can’t say no,” Wilmingham added. “That’s terrifying, especially as a woman in the creative field.
We’re taught how to set boundaries and communicate, and it’s scary that this gives directors the power to make her do whatever they want.”
Bringing in Tilly Norwood is an ethical step back for Hollywood. Denying agency over bodies and careers, or taking advantage of sources that don’t get it at all, displays a problematic change in values.
Promoting a female AI actress who can’t say no reinforces the very power imbalance women in the industry have fought to dismantle. This advancement is a reminder of how easily a woman’s autonomy is stripped when profit is the priority.
Tilly Norwood isn’t materializing as a tool to enhance a performance – it is the performance.
If it’s treated the same as a human actor, the true skills that build the performance industry will lose their value altogether.
Releasing the Tilly Norwood avatar now, after strikes in the industry have already expressed discomfort with AI usage, is just a slap in the face. The entertainment industry has long been reinventing itself, but this threat is one of a kind.
Tilly Norwood won’t be the first AI star. It’s only the beginning of Hollywood’s choice of convenience over creativity that performers should not have to fight against alone.
Navya Varma is a freshman majoring in political science. She can be reached at navarma@syr.edu.
revealed he’d heard coaches tell Collins during meetings that he needs to do a better job reading the entire field. Willis said Collins plays a “little too fast” sometimes. Wasserman agreed, saying Collins is relying too heavily on finding his first read as quickly as possible.
“It looks like Collins kind of predetermined throws before the snap,” Wasserman said.
If you’ve noticed Syracuse’s offense lacking vertical, explosive plays in the last two games, it’s because of Collins’ poor field vision. Without a quarterback who can cleanly dissect a defense, it’s more difficult for Nixon to dial up deep shots. Instead, Collins has received shorter opportunities, averaging just 6.3 yards per attempt.
Wasserman said reading the field with proficiency separates pro-ready college quarterbacks from those who need immense development. Yet as of late, he hasn’t seen Collins successfully look off safeties or find his second and third reads.
“You hate to say it, but for right now, there’s a reason he was the backup coming into the year,” Wasserman said of Collins. “He’s near that bottom tier of the ACC.”
Are these problems coachable?
Collins wants to see four people at once. Yet on the field, he’s only seeing one at a time.
During media availability on Tuesday, Collins spoke about his goals to improve his field vision. He locked his eyes onto one reporter, then gestured to three reporters nearby in the scrum and said he’s “trying to see all four of y’all right now.” Collins said he’s allowing his eyes to relax, which quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile has implored him to quit doing. He wants Collins’ eyes to be persistent when examining the field.
“You don’t really realize when (you’re) looking at something you’re locked onto. You might get into a daze, like, ‘I’ve been looking at that for a long time,’” Collins said.
Collins said over the bye week, he met with Nixon, Campanile and quality control coach Josh Gattis, among others, to discuss his current
stretch. They want the quarterback to trust SU’s system by taking his time to see plays develop before he throws. However, Wasserman said it’s concerning that Collins’ weak points hadn’t been addressed before transferring to Syracuse.
The redshirt sophomore spent his last two years at LSU — a Southeastern Conference powerhouse that’s produced star quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels. Wasserman questioned how Collins entered SU bearing issues most SEC quarterbacks don’t have. He found it more troubling how Angeli, who transferred to Syracuse five months after Collins, still won the starting job in fall training camp.
“The fact (Angeli) came in with his process and learned the playbook so quickly and took that job so decisively, that is a bit of a concern when you talk about trying to coach those things out of Collins,” Wasserman said.
Though it takes time, Wasserman said repetition is the best way for Collins to improve his field vision. But, is it possible for Collins to rapidly get better? Brown said Monday that Collins has been “ID’ing” the defense better in recent practices. Over the bye week following SU’s two-game losing skid, Collins felt he gained confidence reading defenses and now has more control over Nixon’s offense.
“He’s got plenty of tools to be a starting quarterback,” Wasserman said of Collins. “It’s just a matter of working on that mental process and weaning the offense into those skills.”
How could SU make life easier for Collins?
Running the ball isn’t as simple as it sounds when you’re a team like Syracuse — which fell behind by at least four possessions in its last two games. Nixon said he wants to give Willis the ball, as he feels the tailback is a crucial piece of SU’s offense. But he can’t make Collins’ life easier by using Willis in a game that’s already out of hand.
“It’s situational football,” Nixon said on Sept. 30. “As far as carrying the ball, you like to be in a close game or be winning.”
Wasserman feels Syracuse could look more into the designed run game with Collins. According to PFF, Collins’ most redeeming trait is his ability to escape and rush. His 62.9 PFF running grade is his best individual grade of any attribute, and he tallied a 66.6 rushing grade against SMU, his best of the year.
Especially with Collins having a hard time reading defenses, getting him on the move could both provide him relief and balance SU’s run game with Willis’ physical, betweenthe-tackles rushing style. Wasserman said, though the situations are vastly different, the way No. 5 Ole Miss uses Division II breakout star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss by mixing in designed quarterback runs is a blueprint the Orange could follow.
“They got to lean on the run game and on run-pass options, and then just give (Collins) throws he’s comfortable with,” Wasserman said of Syracuse.
Brown was asked after the SMU game if the Orange would implement more designed runs for Collins in the future. He declined to answer. No matter what Syracuse could change to make life easier for Collins, though, Wasserman feels his problems — and solutions — are right in front of him.
“Even if he’s a one-read or running quarterback, he’s got to be more secure with the football,” Wasserman said of Collins, who has the fourth-worst turnover-worthy play rate in the nation, per PFF. “You’ll never win a game with that ball security.”
ccandrew@syr.edu
@cooper_andrews
By Daily Orange Sports Staff
Halfway through Syracuse’s second season under head coach Fran Brown, the Orange sit at the .500 mark. Following a season-opening loss to then-No. 24 Tennessee, SU rattled off a threegame winning streak, including a second-half comeback win over UConn and a victory to begin Atlantic Coast Conference play over Clemson in Death Valley.
POST-BYE BLUES, SYRACUSE 20, PITT 33
Most teams entering a contest off a bye week are recharged and ready to roll. That has not been the case for the Orange under Brown. Syracuse dropped both of its post-bye games in 2024, and the trend will continue in Brown’s second season.
THE E-ROB LEGACY GAME, SYRACUSE 20, PITT 17
PARTY ON 5TH AVE, SYRACUSE 17, PITT 31
As Syracuse starting quarterback Steve Angeli went down with a season-ending Achilles injury versus the Tigers, so did its season. The Orange lost their first two games with Rickie Collins under center and are fighting for Bowl contention. Collins has struggled to begin his Orange career, throwing five interceptions in 96 passes, one of the worst marks in the country.
Following a Week 7 bye, SU looks to get back on track against Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 4-2 with two one-possession defeats and are 2-0 since naming true-freshman Mason Heintschel their starting quarterback over veteran signal caller Eli Holstein.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (3-3, 1-2 ACC) will fare against Pitt (4-2, 2-1 ACC) Saturday: sports@dailyorange.com @DOsports
That day in Miami, Jasmine’s path began to take shape. Years of recreational practices followed before they turned competitive. But Jasmine’s most growth came at home.
Any time Jasmine and Will sat idle on the couch at their Almaden, California residence — when Jeff coached with the San Francisco 49ers — Jeff would tell them to get up and go to the field. The two trained for hours on end, working through ladders and parachute runs while Jeff peppered them with advice on speed, physicality and footwork.
Jeff constantly advised Jasmine to outwork her opponents. When she was told her workout was almost over, he made her keep going. For Jeff, though, all his coaching was a mere facade.
“I tried to act like I knew what I was doing. I had no idea what to do in soccer,” Jeff said. “But my job was to make sure (Jasmine) was in good shape and to continue to work on things she wanted to improve on.”
As a football player, Will consistently helped Jasmine develop the physicality needed to become a premier forward in any setting. Will would play goalkeeper for Jasmine, who would then return the favor, defending Will as a cornerback or middle linebacker. The sessions were endless.
“(Will’s) dedication and what he’s able to obtain, just working and getting better every day, I think she’s seen that,” Laura said. “It’s just her big brother she looks up to.”
With stints in Florida, California, Texas and North Carolina, Jasmine’s game transformed as she adapted to different styles of play.
In Waco, Texas, when Jeff coached at Baylor, a preteen Jasmine couldn’t locate a travel team that “matched her pace.” While her parents suggested she try a different sport, Jasmine insisted on soccer. An extensive search led Jasmine to FC Dallas’ Academy, located two and a half hours away from the Nixons.
Laura or Charmaine Hooper — a former Canadian soccer star whose daughter, Notre Dame’s Charlie Codd, played alongside Jasmine — pulled Jasmine out of school early every day to drive her to practice. By the time she returned home, the skies were pitch black.
On the weekends, the Nixons virtually lived at the field. Will played on Fridays. Jeff’s team played on Saturdays. Jasmine’s club games were on Sundays.
“There was never a dull moment,” Laura joked. Amid the chaos, Jasmine and Will stepped into their father’s world, using NFL weight rooms and open fields to hone their craft. Some players would dine with the Nixons or make appearances at their practices. When Reggie Bush visited one of Will’s youth football practices, Jasmine stayed in the back as most looked on in awe, quietly taking it all in.
The week off likely allowed Collins and Co. to refind themselves to an extent and sure up a few details of the offense. The Panthers, however, are not a defense to experiment against. While already recording 18 sacks through six games, Pitt has also proven it can stop the run by allowing just 83.5 yards per game on the ground — the least in the ACC. Kyle Louis is one of the unsung defensive stars in the conference, as proven by his 11 total tackles against then-No. 25 Florida State last week. He’ll torment Syracuse Saturday.
Pitt’s offense has also become intimidating after a needed quarterback change. Heintschel has ignited the Panthers over the last two games with his elite accuracy and mobility. He’s completed 73% of his passes and run for 92 yards, a recipe for disaster for the Orange, as proven through Darian Mensah and Kevin Jennings.
Somehow, this game won’t be as bad as last year’s matchup, where the Panthers boat raced SU from start to finish and made Kyle McCord look foolish all night. Still, a loss is a loss, and Syracuse will continue piling them up.
In 2020, Jeff, as the Carolina Panthers’ running backs coach, closely advised fourtime All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey. Their bond became so strong that McCaffrey joined the Nixons for dinner at their Carolina home.
“(Jasmine) could see they’re not just celebrities or people you see in a Madden game, they’re actually human beings who are just as nice and down to earth as anyone else,” Laura said.
Those interactions infused a pro lifestyle into Jasmine’s game. Her practice regimen intensified, and she grasped the importance of a healthy diet and getting sufficient amounts of sleep.
I don’t think I’d be here today if it wasn’t for what my family did. I feel like I have a great support system.
Jasmine Nixon su defender
Jasmine was accustomed to moving when the Nixons relocated from Waco to South Carolina in 2020. But after years of playing forward, the physicality she acquired from practicing with Jeff and Will made her an enticing defensive option.
When Jasmine joined the Charlotte Soccer Academy, she made a switch.
“It just clicked with me the moment I tried out. Defense, for some reason, just speaks to me,” Jasmine said. “I don’t even know how to describe it. There’s just a feeling inside.”
Because she was young for her age, Jasmine repeated play in the under-19 age group. She led a defense that allowed the fewest goals in the Mid Atlantic Conference, earning Elite Club National League All-American honors and being named to the conference’s first team.
Away from the field, Jasmine carried a quiet composure that brought comfort to others, her former teammate and current FSU defender Jaida McGrew said. After years of training with Jeff, Jasmine also grasped what a coach expects from their players.
“Success is not always what defines how great a person is. But she always loved the process of getting better,” Jasmine’s CSA head coach Brian Moore said. “That was why I knew she was gonna be great.”
Jasmine came in as a quality one-on-one defender, skilled in possession and excellent in the air. She demonstrated a ruthless, mental aspect akin to a ninja, Moore said.
When McGrew played a year below Jasmine, she faced Jasmine’s older squad in
Alright. Why not? I had this game circled as a surefire Syracuse victory heading into the year. Now, it’s not close to a certainty. But I think second-year defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson has a few tricks up his sleeve to silence Pitt’s freshman quarterback and help the Orange earn a gritty home win over their rival Panthers. Maybe there’s some personal bias involved here — one time in SU’s football facility, Robinson walked by me wearing my red and black Jordan 4’s and complimented them, which I’ll always respect him for. But as casual as Robinson was that afternoon giving me props for my J’s, he’ll calmly draw up an excellent game plan against a Pitt offense that’s bound for a letdown. It starts in the secondary. Cornerbacks
Demetres Samuel Jr. and Chris Peal, among others in a young defensive backs room, can excel in man coverage versus Panthers receivers Raphael Williams Jr. and Kenny Johnson. Robinson shouldn’t be afraid to leave Peal and Samuel on islands with them.
To complement them up front, this is a prime spot for Robinson to blitz the daylights out of Pitt. Heintschel’s offensive player grade when facing the blitz is a measly 57.5, per PFF. This is the time for linebacker Antoine Deslauriers and Co. to shoot through the gaps and wreak havoc in the backfield.
If Robinson employs an aggressive defensive scheme and, of course, if the Orange execute it well, look for defense to be what breaks Pitt and helps Syracuse register an upset victory.
practice. In each one-on-one drill, McGrew’s teammates would calculate spots and move to the back of the line to avoid going up against Jasmine. Her composure and patience resembled those of a ballhawking defender, a trait McGrew attributed to practices with Jeff and Will.
“If you wanna get in a physical duel with her, you’re not gonna come out on the winning end of that,” Moore said. “I can’t imagine she’s anything other than a player that lives the lifestyle of a professional athlete.”
On Sept. 1, 2022, Jasmine announced her commitment to play soccer at Kentucky. Will was at Washington after transferring from Nebraska in 2022, and Jeff was still with the Panthers, leaving shortly after to be the New York Giants’ running backs coach. It was the first time they’d all be apart. That didn’t last.
When Jasmine joined the Wildcats in the summer of 2024, Jeff was already months into his role as Syracuse’s offensive coordinator, and Will pledged his commitment to the Orange weeks before. Just like that, Jasmine felt alone.
She’d always prioritized her academics, and Kentucky wasn’t satisfying that. After sparingly playing in seven games with the Wildcats, Jasmine proclaimed it was time for a change. SU was first on her list.
As her freshman season waned, Jasmine spoke to Will — who’d entered the transfer portal twice — for advice. Jeff had been hinting
Pittsburgh has given Syracuse fits since Pat Narduzzi took over in 2015, and more specifically, SU’s quarterbacks. Last season, McCord looked like he was seeing ghosts, throwing five interceptions in a blowout loss. SU won two years ago, but used Dan Villari as a wildcat quarterback. From 2020-2022 against Pitt, the Orange scored three touchdowns, averaged 11 points, while Rex Culpepper, Tommy DeVito, Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson combined to go 38-for-71 with 457 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
You get the idea by now. Narduzzi is good at frazzling Syracuse quarterbacks, and with Collins under center, that won’t change. Collins said he worked on relaxing his eyes and not staring down receivers over the bye week. That’s been the quarterback’s biggest problem through two starts, so trying to solve that is key. I’m no football savant, but that doesn’t seem like a problem you can fix in under two weeks.
The Orange also can’t even rely on their running game to take pressure off Collins. They’re 13th in the ACC with 111 yards per game, while Pitt’s defense allows a conference-best 83.5 yards. On offense, Heintschel’s introduction reinvigorated the Panthers.
In two starts, he’s completed 73% of his passes for 680 yards and six touchdowns, while Pitt’s offense has put up 82 points, including 34 on the road to defeat then-No. 25 FSU last week. Until Syracuse gets better quarterback play from Collins, it’s going to be a tall task to beat any competent ACC opponents.
at the idea of Syracuse since before her tenure at Kentucky.
Will’s primary selling point for SU was that the two could go out together. Jeff looked more toward the academic side, often citing the prestige of Syracuse’s Whitman School of Management.
Either way, she listened, transferring to SU in the spring.
Through one season with the Orange, she feels like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. She often hears Jeff from the athletic facility’s grab-and-go, yelling out like he did when she and Will were younger. When Will sees Jasmine’s teammates, they call him “Jasmine’s brother,” a name he’s never owned but is proud to have.
“To me, Syracuse was a no-brainer,” Jeff said. “But she had to see that for herself.”
When Jasmine and Will return to their home in Fort Mill, South Carolina, for the summer, they circle the dining room table with their twin sisters. It’s a different table now, but the same stack of Monopoly boards sits in the middle.
Will still makes deals. Jasmine still pushes back. The sibling rivalry still lives on. Only now, a part of it’s in Syracuse.
“I’m proud she’s been able to bring her talents to soccer and Syracuse,” Faith said. “But I’ll always see her as the little sister trying to prove she’s still in the game.”
jordankimball28@gmail.com
@JordanKimball_
By Quinn Postman asst. digital editor
Mia Klammer made a beeline for Shea Vanderbosch as time expired at Miami’s Cobb Stadium. Syracuse’s all-time saves leader had her arms extended high in the air as the Orange’s top goal scorer and match winner embraced her.
Then came Natalie Magnotta, Ashley Rauch and Emma Klein. Suddenly, the whole team surrounded Klammer and Vanderbosch. The celebration of SU’s first Atlantic Coast Conference win in 1,112 days continued into a nearby Cold Stone Creamery, which had a line “out of the door” of Syracuse players still wearing their full kits.
“It was so nice not to feel upset and down. It was really awesome just to see everyone smiling, laughing, hugging each other and just that celebration,” Vanderbosch said.
Saturday was about getting over the line. It’d been too long. Vanderbosch said she felt more relief than excitement once the final whistle blew.
Behind its first clean sheet against a conference opponent since Oct. 29, 2020, and a well-taken goal from Klammer, SU finally won an ACC match. Yet, it remains unclear whether beating Miami 1-0 will be enough to change the narrative around Syracuse women’s soccer.
Vanderbosch couldn’t remember the last time Syracuse kept a clean sheet in ACC play. SU’s conference goal differential this season sat at minus-13 before Saturday.
However, Syracuse has slowly evolved. Seven players currently on the team were on SU’s 2022 squad that defeated Miami 3-1 — its last ACC victory and only the third in head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams’ seven-year tenure. Only Vanderbosch and Rauch have played more than 1,000 minutes across SU’s 15 games.
Bree Bridges, Jasmine Nixon and Magnotta
have all recorded at least 1,240 minutes and started every game in their first seasons with the Orange. Vanderbosch is the only other player who’s done the same in 2025.
After playing in a variation of four-back formations in Adams’ tenure, a 3-5-2 formation offered steady protection and a bona fide way to start attacks in nonconference play. However, it quickly subsided in conference play.
“We weren’t connecting once we won the ball. We would rather go up and out and then have to defend again. When you have to defend a lot, you get tired and you get stretched,” Adams said after SU’s 4-0 loss to then-No. 7 Florida State on Sept. 14.
Three consecutive losses to then-No. 1 Virginia, California and then-No. 3 Stanford plummeted Syracuse to the bottom of the ACC once again. Instead of consistently playing out of the back, the Orange have opted to pass into the channels in transition more often. It might not be the prettiest version of soccer, but it can change games when effective.
It’s how Klammer found the back of the net against Clemson. Vanderbosch went long. Rupert flicked it on. Klammer finished it.
But Syracuse let it slip in the final minute, and it stung.
“Coming back from California, I wanted to see a lot of guts and perseverance. And I can say my girls played extremely hard for 90 minutes and left it out there,” Adams said after the 2-1 loss to the Tigers. “We had really good opportunities. We were dangerous and a lot of Clemson’s opportunities were from 30 out where it went over or Shea caught it. We were doing our job.”
Syracuse’s week-long preparation for Miami was geared toward combating the Hurricanes, who were also winless in conference play, but also toward how SU could flex its muscles.
After the last-minute loss to Clemson, Adams said she wanted her defense, especially
a sign
her wingbacks, to close the space between SU’s midfield and defensive lines.
The Orange have done well limiting their opponents’ high-quality chances early in matches. They hadn’t conceded in the opening 35 minutes of a conference match in four of their six games entering Saturday.
But in each game, time passed. Syracuse’s defensive and midfield lines grew deeper. As a result, SU had to defend against a plethora of scoring chances because of how stretched its outfield players were. Eventually, the ball traveled past Vanderbosch and into the net. Bodies grew tired, and Syracuse’s attacking potency would sharply decline.
That wasn’t the case against Miami.
“We were connected and together. I think that was different from other games because we were defending a lot and that just tired us out super quick. We were actually able to attack,” Vanderbosch said.
The key for Syracuse was to sit deep and defend together when it needed to. Miami only had one shot on target. If it were to attack, it needed to be a fluid move. In the 77th minute, a miscued pass from Miami center back Lexi Lerwick eventually found the feet of Rauch. She laid it in front of Klammer, and broke the winless streak.
“That needs to be the standard every game,” Vanderbosch said.
Optimism is radiating through this team for the first time in a while. Beyond its winless run, it had been almost five years since Syracuse won an away ACC match. What’d usually be a quiet three-hour layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport turned into one where everyone was conversing.
It doesn’t excuse the fact Syracuse went over three seasons without winning a conference match. It might still finish in the bottom half of the conference with Boston College, No. 9 Duke
and reigning national champion No. 23 North Carolina remaining on its schedule.
For the first time in three seasons, it’s in uncharted territory. There’s even a chance Syracuse can qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 if it gets above .500.
“These games are pretty much do or die for us. We need to win two more games to have a chance (to make) the tournament,” Vanderbosch said. “It’s firing everyone up because nobody wants your season to end in October. The goal is to obviously play until December.” qdpostma@syr.edu @quinnpostman_
Syracuse won its first ACC match in over 1,000 days, showing signs of potential improvement.
By Spencer Brod asst. copy editor
When Syracuse’s Jan. 17 clash against then-No. 9 Penn State was abruptly interrupted in the third period, it wasn’t due to an injury timeout. It also wasn’t due to a video review. It was because goalie Allie Kelley made a historic save. Kelley, SU’s goalkeeper from 2023-25, broke the NCAA all-time saves record amid SU’s battle versus the Nittany Lions. Her 4,168th career save pushed her over Lovisa Selander’s previous record.
The goalie’s 33rd save of the match was the crowning moment of her illustrious Syracuse career. She also achieved a school record for saves in a single game (65), claimed All-Atlantic Hockey America Second Team honors in 2024-25 and notched a program record 2,371 total saves.
But with Kelley’s graduation after last season, it begged one critical question: Who would replace her? Would it be an in-house option like Bella Gould or Maïka Paquin, or a freshman?
90.1%
Syracuse’s save rate through 6 games
Through six games, the answer is all of the above. While Gould, Paquin and freshman Ava Drabyk haven’t filled Kelley’s shoes perfectly, they’ve remained solid despite SU’s offensive inconsistencies. The unit’s 90.1% save rate ranks fifth among seven teams in the AHA, but it has been one of the team’s biggest strengths through six games.
Drabyk recorded 139 saves across four games against then-No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and No. 7 Quinnipiac. Gould saved 24/26 shots in her lone outing against Stonehill on Oct. 3 and Paquin saved 19/21 against the Skyhawks the following day.
Over the last two seasons, Kelley often bailed out Syracuse’s sputtering offense. Against thenNo. 4 Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 3 last season, SU was outshot a whopping 56-17 by the Bulldogs. Despite the lopsided shot disparity, the Orange fell just 2-1. Kelley’s 54 saves and .964 save rate kept them in a game that shouldn’t have been remotely close.
But when Syracuse opened its season on Sept. 25 against Minnesota Duluth, it didn’t have
Kelley to keep the game as competitive. Drabyk performed admirably in her first collegiate start, recording 44 saves on 48 attempts, but it wasn’t enough for SU to produce a comeback.
“(She had) a tough first goal against. A twoon-one first puck to face in your college career isn’t great, so I thought she rebounded really well and shut it down from there. I have a lot of confidence in her ability,” SU head coach Britni Smith said after the Sept. 25 loss.
It was a similar story the following day in SU’s second-straight 4-0 loss. Drabyk held the Bulldogs scoreless until the 5:14 mark in the second period with several diving saves, but allowed three late goals. The freshman goaltender was far from the main reason for the loss.
“She’s amazing. Obviously she’s got big shoes to fill coming from Allie Kelley, but she stepped in really great, ” SU forward Jackson Kinsler said.
Syracuse’s probable starter heading into the season, however, was Gould. In eight games last season, she tallied 38 saves and didn’t allow a goal in 115 minutes. After Kelley was ejected late in the first period of SU’s 4-1 win over Robert Morris due to misconduct, Gould entered and held the Colonials scoreless for two periods with 17 saves.
She made her season debut against Stonehill on Oct. 3, and picked up her second career win as a starter. Gracie Sacca put Gould in a perilous position with a goal just 11 seconds into the game, but she saved 24 out of the proceeding 25 shots en route to a 3-2 victory.
Even with Gould’s strong performance, Smith continued to experiment with her options. Unlike last year, when Syracuse had the luxury of relying on Kelley to start all but one game, Smith is employing a three-goalie rotation to determine who’ll be the Orange’s long-term keeper.
It was Paquin’s turn in SU’s Oct. 4 clash with te Skyhawks. While Syracuse’s attack recorded its most goals since Nov. 25, 2022, with eight, the Canadian netminder prevented the game from becoming a shootout.
Paquin had a much simpler job compared to Gould and Drabyk, but she made few mistakes in her first career start. The senior kept the Skyhawks off the board until the third period, when Maddie Bibeau and Summer Combe notched their only two goals of the game.
After respectable showings from both Gould and Paquin in a two-game sweep over Stonehill, who would Smith turn to when Syracuse hosted Quinnipiac last weekend?
In search of SU’s first-ranked win since Mar. 5, 2021, Smith went back to Drabyk, the
Syracuse has used Ava Drabyk, Bella Gould and Maïka Paquin to fill program-saves leader Allie Kelley’s void in net this season. lars jendruschewitz senior staff photographer
third consecutive game in which she started a different goalie.
Drabyk, who led all AHA freshmen with a .918 save rate after opening weekend, delivered a performance similar to those in her series against UMD — not enough to mask Syracuse’s offensive struggles, but still solid.
The freshman saved 29/32 shots (90.6%) in SU’s 3-0 loss to Quinnipiac. Despite SU’s attack going 0-for-4 on power plays, the goalie held her ground against everyone except Kahlen Lamarche, who scored two goals in the contest.
It was a struggle for Drabyk on Saturday, as Quinnipiac pounced early and often. Drabyk surrendered four goals through the first two periods in the Orange’s 5-1 defeat.
Syracuse’s goalkeeping trio needs to be near-perfect for it to have a realistic shot at competing in the AHA playoffs.
Many factors are often out of a goalkeeper’s control. The netminder can’t control how a team fares defensively
in transition, nor can it control how effectively it takes advantage of power play opportunities. It’s hard to place much blame on the trio for SU’s disappointing 2-4 record. In many ways, SU’s current goalies have shown progression through six games, though nobody has emerged as the true favorite to be the team’s long-term answer.
Drabyk allowed a goal 27 seconds into her first-ever start, but she responded with 44 saves on 47 shots throughout the remainder of the game. Gould surrendered a goal 11 seconds into her first start of the season, but she responded with a 96% save rate throughout the rest of the contest. At this juncture, picking out a definitive starter is utterly impossible to do.
“Everyone’s competing for a spot right now … it’s anyone’s job,” SU associate coach Heather Farrell said.
sabrod@syr.edu @spencerbrod20
In 1st season, Jasmine Nixon extends family’s footprint at Syracuse
By Cooper Andrews senior staff writer
Syracuse football is 0-2 while being outscored 69-21 since Rickie Collins took over under center in the wake of Steve Angeli’s season-ending torn Achilles. Following SU’s Week 7 bye, reporters asked second-year head coach Fran Brown about Collins’ job status — and if he’s still the Orange’s starter.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t he be?” Brown said Monday as he grasped a football in his right hand and shrugged his shoulders. “He’s OK, right?”
By Jordan Kimball asst. sports editor
Jasmine Nixon quietly sat at her dining room table alongside her brother Will and twin sisters Faith and Hope. It was around 10 p.m., and their parents, Laura and Jeff Nixon, were winding down upstairs.
A Monopoly board — either classic, “SpongeBob” or “Game of Thrones”-themed, depending on the night — rested at the center. A Marvel movie glowed in the background. As the dice rolled, Will negotiated deals with the twins. Moments later, Jasmine scrambled to counter her older brother’s gambit — but it rarely worked.
“I always won,” Will said. “I think Jasmine won once.”
Four hours after the opening roll, Jasmine would bolt upstairs in frustration. Laura and
Brown finds the prospect of benching Collins for a freshman like Luke Carney to be preposterous. But the numbers suggest otherwise. Collins has thrown five interceptions on 96 passes, one of the worst ratios in the country. He’s only completing 55.2% of his passes.
Per Pro Football Focus, his offensive player grade sits at 52.7, the lowest mark of anyone who’s started a game for Syracuse. Across his first seven quarters as the starter, Collins failed to lead SU to a touchdown drive.
Jeff struggled to sleep through the noise. Faith and Hope laughed in confusion, while Will remained seated, adding yet another win to his running tally.
“They’re both really competitive kids,” Jeff said of Jasmine and Will. “It almost gets to a point where it’s kinda ridiculous.”
That rivalry became the family’s signature. It spilled from Monopoly to backyard games, now following them to Syracuse. While Will and Jeff have helped shape SU football as a running back and offensive coordinator, Jasmine has used her family-forged edge to anchor Syracuse women’s soccer’s defense.
“I don’t think I’d be here today if it wasn’t for what my family did,” Jasmine said. “I feel like I have a great support system, like I’m not alone.”
In 2011, Jeff had recently left his job as a coaching assistant with the Philadelphia
Offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon’s unit averaged 38 points per game in four games started by Angeli, who led the FBS in passing yards (1,317) before his injury. With Collins starting, the Orange are averaging 10.5 points.
The difference? It’s all in the eyes.
“When you look at Angeli, there’s a calm approach to going through his progressions and seeing the field,” said PFF analyst Dalton Wasserman. “With Collins, he locks into his first receiver and the vision just isn’t quite there yet.”
Eagles to become the Miami Dolphins’ running backs coach. The move forced 5-year-old Jasmine to restart.
Each Nixon sibling had begun to find their niche. Faith and Hope loved art, and Will spent nearly every waking hour playing baseball or football. Jasmine was still searching.
That changed one afternoon in Miami, when she spotted a group of girls kicking a soccer ball down the street. She didn’t recognize the game, but without hesitation, she told Laura she wanted to give it a try.
No one in the football-focused Nixon family had played soccer before. Prior to bouncing around the National Football League, Jeff played halfback at West Virginia and Penn State from 1993-96. Will was born in 2001, and Faith and Hope were born 13 months later. Jasmine came three years after that.
see nixon page 14
Collins isn’t seeing the field well. What does that mean? Experts, teammates, coaches — and even Collins himself — say he has “soft eyes.” It means that, when he scans the field for receivers, Collins is quick to lock onto one pass-catcher, making him more predictable for defenses to read.
Signal-callers like these are often referred to as “one-read quarterbacks,” who struggle to successfully find their second or third downfield options.
In Collins’ case, the prime example of his problems came during the
first quarter of Syracuse’s 31-18 loss at SMU on Oct. 4. With the Orange backed up near their own end zone, Collins stood in a clean pocket and looked toward tight end Dan Villari on the right side. Collins never took his eyes off him. It gave Mustangs linebacker Brandon Miyazono all the time in the world to jump the route. Miyazono easily picked off Collins, the first of the quarterback’s three interceptions versus SMU.
After the game, SU sophomore running back Yasin Willis