PARTLY PADDY MURPHY’S hi
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THURSDAY
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april 12, 2012
t h e i n de pe n de n t s t u de n t n e w spa pe r of s y r acuse , n e w yor k
INSIDENEWS
INSIDEOPINION
INSIDEPULP
INSIDESPORTS
Memories afloat Titanic tragedy brings family
Safety zone The bomb threats at University of
Chronicles of courage Four students share their experiences
Noel chooses Kentucky Nerlens Noel, the top recruit in the Class of
members together after being separated. Page 3
Pittsburgh remind Syracuse students to review safety procedures. Page 5
regarding cancer and how it has shaped their lives. Page 11
2012, chooses Kentucky over Syracuse and Georgetown. Page 20
fine a llegations
Additional concert falls short
Tomaselli sentenced to three years By Liz Sawyer
By Maddy Berner
NEWS EDITOR
Zach Tomaselli was sentenced Wednesday to three years and three months in prison for sexually abusing a boy in Maine. He will begin serving his sentence April 18, according to an article published Wednesday by The Associated Press. Police arrested Tomaselli on April 13, 2011, on charges of having sexual contact with a boy who attended a camp where Tomaselli was a counselor. The boy was 13 and 14 years old when the abuse occurred. Tomaselli, 23, of Lewiston, Maine, accused Bernie Fine, former Syracuse University associate men’s basketball coach, of molesting him in a Pittsburgh hotel room in 2002 during an away game. He was the third accuser to step forward with allegations against Fine. Fine has denied the claims and has not been charged. Much of Tomaselli’s sentence was suspended when he pleaded guilty to gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and two other sexrelated counts in December. His plea was part of an agreement that allowed seven other counts to be dropped as well. At Wednesday’s hearing in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Maine, Tomaselli apologized to the victim and accepted full responsibility for his actions, according to the article. Tomaselli told Maine Supreme Court Justice Robert Clifford that he used drugs and was angry because he was also sexually abused and his abusers weren’t brought to justice, according to the article. “I was always advised to leave out Bernie Fine as much as I could,” Tomaselli said. “Today was not about Bernie Fine. Today was about the victim in this case, and it was a
SEE TOMASELLI PAGE 6
ASST. COPY EDITOR
andrew renneisen | staff photographer SU students and faculty took part in the “Take Back the Night” annual event Wednseday night. The event started with speeches in Hendricks Chapel and was followed by a campus march.
Take Back the Night advocates tolerance, safety By Shannon Hazlitt STAFF WRITER
To the attentive audience that filled Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday evening, Thomas Wolfe said he senses a unique energy building whenever he comes to Syracuse University for the annual event, “Take Back the Night.” “Feel the energy building in the room,” said Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “We are creating tonight the next step in creating a safe place on this campus.” Wolf encouraged the diverse audience, filled with students, faculty and community members, to use this energy in fighting against violence in all forms and promote widespread tolerance. As Wolfe stepped down from the podium, the crowd erupted in an applause that echoed throughout the chapel, which was decorated with colorful, student-made signs promoting open-mindedness. Working together to end all forms of violence and promote tolerance for diversity was a theme
the other speakers at the event stressed as well. After the speeches, the attendees took their message to the streets by marching around campus to show their dedication to these values. The national event, sponsored at SU by the Advocacy Center, started at about 7 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. It concluded with a “speakout” after the march that allowed victims of ethnic or gender abuse to share their stories. Janine Savage spoke after Wolfe on behalf of the Student Association, which recently passed a reso-
lution supporting the Vera House White Ribbon Campaign. Savage said not a day went by when she didn’t see somebody in SA wearing a white bracelet or ribbon supporting the organization. She said supporting this organization has helped her see how SA and other groups at SU can become more engaged on campus, especially in battling sexual violence. “I challenge that leadership is not a position,” Savage said. “It is an action.” Paul Ang, of the Advocacy Cen-
SEE TAKE BACK THE NIGHT PAGE 6
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE
The first Take Back the Night event in the United States took place in Philadelphia in October 1975 after a young woman was stabbed while walking home alone. Abroad, the first event took place in March 1976, where 2,000 women representing 40 countries congregated in Brussels, Belgium. The movement began to grow internationally, from Europe to Australia to India, during the next several years. The “Take Back the Night” slogan was officially introduced by Annie Pride in 1977. Since it began, the movement has grown to focus on eliminating violence in all forms. Source: takebackthenight.org
Lorna Rose and Michelle Campbell saw the image in their heads: the two of them standing onstage in the Carrier Dome in front of a crowd of cheering students. “Welcome to our house party,” they would say. “Are you ready to get this going, Syracuse?” After hearing reactions from students about this year’s Block Party lineup, Rose, a first-year law student, and Campbell, a senior civil engineering major, wanted to arrange another concert titled “House Party.” The event would have been held the night before MayFest and would have featured seven well-known hip-hop artists. But complications securing a venue ultimately halted their plans. Even before Block Party was announced, there was interest in putting on a show in Syracuse. The planning stages started in late March, when Rose was discussing another event with Norris Taylor, president and event coordinator of concert production company Carefree Nation. Once Block Party’s lineup was released to a less than positive response, Rose had a stronger incentive to go through with her plans. “MayFest is the biggest deal of the whole school year, besides the basketball season, let’s be honest,” she said. “And for graduating seniors who are never going to be able to do this again, for people who look forward to Block Party, it’s really disappointing.” When Rose asked friends who they would like to see in concert, a few named some of the artists she later booked for the show. She said she cannot disclose the seven artists, as they are no longer contractually committed to the event, but she described the headliner as a big-name DJ, along with six other established artists who have songs on major hip-hop radio stations. However, multiple roadblocks hindered Rose and Campbell’s plans,
SEE HOUSE PARTY PAGE 6