April 1, 2019

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SUNY-ESF’s “Acorns to Action� disaster relief group hosted an event Saturday to bring awareness to problems still affecting Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the island. Page 3

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Moderate columnist Lauren Spiezia argues that programs like the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative in Buffalo can create jobs in New York state. Page 5

dailyorange.com

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The Residence Hall Association’s “Breaking Down Barriers!� event aims to foster discussion on the impacts of hateful language against marginalized communities at SU. Page 7

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Syracuse men’s lacrosse midfielder Andrew Helmer has diversified his positions and developed into a role player for the No. 8 Orange. Page 12

national

STUDENT ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS 2019

‘START THE WAVE’

Experts: Executive order will do little By Kennedy Rose news editor

First Amendment experts say President Donald Trump’s recent executive order requiring protection of free speech on college campuses is largely a symbolic enforcement of conservative Americans’ concerns and is unlikely to change current practice. The order threatens to pull federal research funding and education grants from colleges and universities that don’t protect “free inquiry.� It comes after multiple incidents of conservative students and speakers being threatened with violence or subject to violence over the last several years. “While this is probably politically popular, its practical effect might not be very much,� Clay Calvert, the Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass

MACKENZIE MERTIKAS (LEFT) AND SAMEEHA SAIED are running for Student Association president and vice president, respectively. Their campaign has five main platforms, including student health. molly gibbs photo editor

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

MACKENZIE MERTIKAS

SAMEEHA SAIED

looks to bring her SA experience to president’s role

wants to focus on diversity at SU as vice president

By Gillian Follett

By Gillian Follett

staff writer

M

ackenzie Mertikas has always worked behind the scenes for Syracuse University’s Student Association. Now, with her campaign for SA president, Mertikas hopes use what she’s learned to make improvements both within SA and across SU as head of the organization. Mertikas, a junior public relations and political science major, worked her way up from being a general Assembly member during her sophomore year at SU to SA’s chief of staff this year. Still, she wants to become more involved in SA next year – making her presidential campaign seem like a natural step, she said. The heart of her campaign is putting students first, Mertikas said. It’s reflected in her campaign slogan: “Start the wave.� “A wave to us is super powerful, and strong, and resilient, and it has the ability to push forward and move things,� she said. “And to us, it means that we’re able to be taking see mertikas page 6

staff writer

S

ameeha Saied, one of three candidates for the position of Syracuse University Student Association vice president, said she hopes to shed light on issues surrounding diversity and racial inequity on and around SU. The sophomore psychology major said her racial and ethnic identities have always been defining aspects of her life, and because of that, she has a personal stake in diversity at SU. “I’m a lower-middle class, half-Indian, half-Pakistani, Muslim woman on this campus,� Saied said. “And each of those identities by themselves aren’t too easy to live with all the time, but put together, it’s even more difficult.� Diversity and inclusion is one of five issues that Saied and SA presidential candidate Mackenzie Mertikas are running their campaign on. The campaign is also focusing on financial accessibility, health and wellness, community engagement and transparency and accountability. see saied page 6

While this is probably politically popular, its practical effect might not be very much. Clay Calvert university of florida brechner eminent scholar in mass communication

Communication at the University of Florida, said. Public colleges are required to abide by the First Amendment, but private universities like Syracuse University are only bound to their own rules regarding speech. Requiring public universities to adhere to the guidelines of the First Amendment is “purely gestural� and redundant, said Howard Schweber, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “On the free speech side or academic freedom side, the executive order literally does nothing,� Schweber said. Roy Gutterman, an associate professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, said the order was designed to signal to Trump’s base that conservative speech would be protected on campuses. Gutterman said there is some validity to conservatives’ concerns, as speakers have been shouted down and disinvited from events at colleges. The University of California, Berkeley settled a lawsuit accusing the school of see order page 6

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