September 21, 2023

By Daily Orange Staff

On Sept. 15, 1903, The Daily Orange, then known as Syracuse Daily Orange, printed its first issue. Founding Editor Irving R. Templeton and his staff outlined the newspaper’s mission in a short announcement at the top of the second page.

“The Orange aims to furnish all the college news while it is news, to serve as a bulletin both for Professors, and for students’ activities, to give the alumni news and news of other colleges, and in all things to unify the interest of all the Syracuse colleges.”

One-hundred-twenty years later, we still have the same goals, but have expanded what it means to be the campus’ paper. Today The D.O. covers not just SU, but SUNY ESF and the city of Syracuse. While Syracuse University may be a “campus on the hill,” its impact on Onondaga County doesn’t stop at Marshall Street.

A lot has changed since The D.O.’s inception. In 1971, we became independent from the university — today’s logo pays homage to that staff. In 1991, we became fully financially independent, moving away from Student Association funding. In 2019, we moved our office to 230 Euclid Ave. after 20 years at 744 Ostrom Ave.

C • Fractured worlds

Evan Starling-Davis uses photogrammetry to create digital versions of little-seen artifacts from museum collections around Syracuse

Page 5

S • ‘Golden child’

Felipe D’Agostini was working for his parents in Brazil four years ago. Today, he’s vital for Syracuse’s attack after transferring from Oral Roberts

Page 12

SU College Republicans host Alex Epstein

By Sammy Olander asst. digital editor

Around 50 people gathered in Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium Wednesday night for a carbon emissions policy lecture and Q&A session with Alex Epstein, a speaker for the conservative group Young America’s Foundation. SU College Republicans hosted the event.

Epstein has advocated against “net-zero” carbon emissions policies and for the use of fossil fuels. The event was also live-streamed and now has over 3,000 views on the YAF’s YouTube channel.

The lecture, titled “The Case Against Zero,” was originally set to be a debate between Epstein and Tom Rand, a self-identified climate capitalist and author of “The Case For Climate Capitalism.” The event changed when Rand was unable to attend the debate due to “bureaucratic reasons,” John Parker, president of the College Republicans at SU, told The Daily Orange Wednesday afternoon.

Epstein, author of “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” and “Fossil Future,” is known for being a fossil fuel advocate and for publishing racist and colonial statements during his time at Duke University.

In the lecture, Epstein’s main argument was against carbon emission policies that aim to be net zero by 2050. He said net zero policies have been and will continue to be “catastrophically destructive” if they continue to be implemented.

Running a nonprofit newspaper in this century hasn’t been easy. The D.O. dropped the Friday print edition due to declining advertising sales in 2008. The Tuesday print edition was dropped starting in fall 2018. Now, we print once a week on Thursday mornings.

But we’ve thrived through the constant help of our donors, alumni network and advertisers. As a staff, we are forever grateful for that support. In a world that looks much different from when The D.O. started, we’ve moved much of our work online, meeting our readers where they get their news, sports, culture and opinion.

So, what’s next? In the future, we will continue to be the bearer of truth at Syracuse University. We will continue to do our best to be accurate and honest in our coverage. We will continue to tell important stories about Syracuse University and SUNY ESF faculty and students, as well as the surrounding city.

“We cannot be perfect in literary style or selection, but we shall endeavor to attain an excellence in the Orange, which shall make for it an honored name in college journalism,” the original announcement ended.

It’s been an honor to serve Syracuse for the last 12 decades. Here’s to 12 more! editor@dailyorange.com

Instead, Epstein advocated for what he calls “energy freedom policies,” which support all forms of energy to be produced and consumed, including nuclear energy and fossil fuels.

“I’m also very enthusiastic about people being free to use fossil fuels. For the foreseeable future, I believe that’s the only way that billions of people can get the energy they need to have really good lives,” Epstein said.

In an effort to make up for the initial debate being canceled, Epstein organized his lecture into addressing every “plausible” counterargument against his energy freedom policies and support of fossil fuels. In order to formulate potential opposing views, he said he had researched opposing views, specifically Rand’s.

One of the opposing views Epstein addressed in his lecture was that the world is more endangered than ever by climate because of fossil fuels’ carbon dioxide emissions, which he called a “myth.” see lecture page

The Daily Orange celebrated its 120th anniversary last Friday. The D.O. staff is continuing the original mission of the newspaper while expanding what it means to serve the community. maxine brackbill photo editor

Editor@dailyorange.com

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The Daily Orange is an independent, nonprofit newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which started in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — is entirely run by Syracuse University students.

The D.O., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is editorially and fi nancially independent from SU, and the paper receives no funding from the university. Instead, The D.O. relies on advertising revenue and donations to sustain operations.

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INSIDE

The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.

NEWS

“I think the best thing you could do is start small because truly, we have to change our lifestyles to accommodate the state of the environment, and that’s what we do, is one little step at a time.” - Sophomore Izzy Kaufman

Page 1

CULTURE

“We have 40,000 objects, and none of that’s seen on a regular (basis). How can technology really help solve this issue of non-transparency or inaccessibility?” - Evan StarlingDavis, artist and doctoral candidate in literacy studies

Page 5

OPINION

“The excitement from talking or meeting up with someone you find attractive can be validating. But this relief is an empty, temporary stimulant..” - Brian Joseph Cohen, staff columnist

Page 9

SPORTS

“I always say that there’s no better place than being on the fi eld, that’s where I’m the most happy.” - Felipe D’Agostini, Syracuse midfi elder

Page 12

COMING UP

Noteworthy events this week.

WHAT: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion: Open Skate

WHEN: Sept. 21, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion

WHAT: Café con Leche: Salsa Workshop

WHEN: Sept. 21, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

WHERE: Barnes Center at The Arch, 042

WHAT: Orange After Dark: Open Mic Night

WHEN: Sept. 22, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

WHERE: Schine Student Center, Atrium

SU, ESF students join March to End Fossil Fuels in NYC trip

By Stephanie Wright news editor

When Izzy Kaufman began her high school job at a restaurant, she immediately noticed the amount of food waste it produced.

Kaufman, now a sophomore at Syracuse University studying environmental sustainability and policy and international relations, decided to implement change by starting a program for local farms to pick up leftover food. She pointed to this experience as a key reason why she attended the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York this weekend, seeing the impact of taking initiative toward addressing environmental issues.

“I think the best thing you could do is start small because truly, we have to change our lifestyles to accommodate the state of the environment, and that’s what we do, is one little step at a time,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman was one of approximately 90 students and community organizers from the Syracuse area who attended the protest Sunday, joining about 75,000 total protesters as they marched through Manhattan to the United Nations building.

The march, organized by several New York grassroots organizations, called for President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency and an end to the use of fossil fuels. SU and SUNY ESF students who attended, along with local community activists, said the march instilled a sense of solidarity and inspiration for action.

“Everyone was kind of on the same page, and everyone should have the same passion for sustainability and ending fossil fuels in that area,” said Kaufman, who also currently serves as the co-chair of sustainability for SU’s Student Association. “It was so exciting from that standpoint, to be around like-minded people.”

The New York Public Interest Research Group organized a cohort of students to travel from Syracuse to New York City. Chet Guenther, a program director for NYPIRG, said organizing the group showed him the potential students have to influence change, despite sometimes being dismissed by older politicians.

“Something that really matters to young people is the climate crisis and making sure that we are addressing the issues that come with using fossil fuels to make sure that we have a world that we can live on, in years to come,” Guenther said. “It was very important that students were given a presence.”

city

Guenther said that seeing students and other protesters from different areas and walks of life at the march gave him hope for the future of mitigating the “existential threat” of climate change.

“I am very hopeful, and I think that everyone should take hope and solace in what this march symbolizes, but not lose track of the idea that we are in a climate crisis,” Guenther said.

The march came before the U.N.’s Climate Action Summit, a meeting of global governmental and economic leaders to present and discuss policy actions to address climate change, on Wednesday.

The march specifically highlighted the impact of climate change on Black and Indigenous communities who have historically borne the brunt of climate change. Makiyah Lazore, a sophomore at ESF and member of the Onondaga Nation in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, said she marched at the front of the protest with other Indigenous protesters.

Lazore, who has participated in other local environmental education programs through the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at ESF, is now planning to create a club at ESF to educate other students about the environment in her culture.

“In my culture, we plan ahead for the next seven generations, and so it’s really important for me, as a youth, to continue what my elders have done and also just by continuing like culture and keeping indigenous voices out there because like they have been silenced for so long,” Lazore said.

As a lifelong resident of the Syracuse region, Lazore said she and her community have seen the effects of climate change firsthand in central New York. This summer, Lazore was unable to perform land surveys as part of her internship in Tully, a town south of Syracuse, because wildfire smoke, unpredictable weather patterns and temperatures have affected traditional ceremonies, she said.

“The main reason why I stepped out and started doing stuff with climate change was because it really was affecting my culture and our growing seasons and our ceremonies as well as our water pollution,” Lazore said. “Obviously, we can’t go fishing out on Onondaga Lake, and that’s a really big tradition for the Native American culture.”

Andy Mager, another longtime Syracuse resident and community organizer who attended the march, said he’s noticed weather

changes in the area that have impacted his gardening. He’s changed planting seasons because of warming temperatures.

Mager said it was inspiring for him to see the commitment of students at the march, as he was a student protester himself.

“Sometimes as a young person, these things can feel completely daunting, but recognizing that you’re part of this historic tradition, and as a young person really welcomed into that tradition and into the organizations and spaces to find your voice to add your contributions to the next, I think is a very empowering and important experience,” Mager said.

Many march participants showed their energy through drumming, singing, chanting and holding signs, Kaufman said. Messages at the march included signs saying “Biden, out future’s on fire,” and chants like “Exxon Mobil, BP, Shell, take your sh*t and go to hell,” she said.

Mager, who is the coordinator of the Syracuse Cultural Workers and a member of the Syracuse Peace Council, has been involved in environmental sustainability advocacy and other community work for over 40 years. He said bringing in the help of young people brings a new energy to the movement.

“I recognize that we need to continue to encourage and support new generations of activists and organizers, and also to recognize that young people bring their own sort of perspective and ideas to this work,” Mager said.

“It was like you could actually feel the energy in the crowd. You feel the passion, you could feel everyone’s determination to make this big change that we’ve been fighting for for so long and will continue to fight for it for so long,” Kaufman said.

While Kaufman agreed that it was inspiring, Lazore said the march had a solemn undertone of urgency.

“In some ways, it made me glad that I was able to be there, but also, it’s sad that we had to be there,” Lazore said. “In the moment, (it) feels so empowering. But then when you take a step back and look at it, it’s like, we really shouldn’t be in this situation.”

spwright@syr.edu @stephaniwri_

Syracuse receives $1 million in funding for urban forestry

By Claire Harrison asst. copy editor

The city of Syracuse will receive $1 million to plant trees and increase youth education and job training as part of the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program, Sen. Chuck Schumer announced in a Thursday press release.

The new funding will build on Syracuse’s Urban Forestry Master Plan from 2019, a multi-decade plan that aims to grow the canopy equitably, improve urban forest safety and resiliency as well as connect the entire community to the urban forest by 2038.

The provisions stem from the USDA’s Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program, which is funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Clare Carney, a community forester at the Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation, & Youth Programs, said the funding gave local community organizations and university researchers the chance to collaborate and build a foundation for structural and economic stability in the city.

“It was just a really great opportunity to have all those kinds of gaps that we see in our community filled in so that we can start reaching some of our planting goals, start reaching some of our goals for community wellness,” Carney said.

To apply for the funding, the city of Syracuse submitted a proposal titled “Rooting for Syracuse: A community-based approach to advancing tree equity” this summer. It joined hundreds of proposals submitted by other local and state governments, community-based organizations, nonprofits and other entities, according to a release from the USDA UCF program.

Syracuse’s proposal was one of 385 selected. Nearby Auburn will receive $945,000, and

the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board will receive $9 million, bringing the total funding for central New York to $10,945,000, according to Schumer’s press release.

In addition to increasing education and workforce training, the city intends to use the funding to plant thousands of trees, revitalizing the urban forest in the city area, according to the release. Trees combat the effects of urban heat islands — a phenomenon in which urban areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding areas — in addition to sequestering carbon and providing shade.

Ted Endreny and Lemir Teron, two professors at SUNY ESF, conducted research on heat islands last year and found that low-income community members in downtown Syracuse are disproportionately affected by the urban heat island effect. Downtown neighborhoods have the highest average temperatures while having a lower average income than other city areas. The pair concluded that an area at 100 degrees would be around 90 degrees Fahrenheit with 20% more tree coverage.

Historically, the largest environmental detriments to human health come from buildings without sufficient ventilation or air conditioning, which are more common in lower-income communities, said Jay Golden, SU Pontarelli professor of environmental sustainability and finance and director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab. Planting trees can help to mitigate the issue, he said.

“If you focus on underserved communities or low-income communities, from just an engineering standpoint, there are strong benefits to reduce the impacts of the urban heat island or these heat waves,” Golden said.

With the funding, the city of Syracuse will collaborate with community partners to increase environmental education and employ

hundreds of people with the goal of preparing them for careers and higher education programs in urban forestry, land management and landscaping, the release said.

Partners include SUNY ESF, the Gifford Foundation, Onondaga Earth Corps, Tree Equity Fund, Department of Neighborhood & Business Development, Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs, Syracuse Land Bank and Home Headquarters.

Beyond just reducing urban heat islands, Golden said other benefits of such a large investment in urban forestry are “multifold.” Research shows that planting trees will provide community health benefits like lower morbidity, diminished crime, higher property values and greater pride in one’s own community, Golden said.

Environment investments are a relatively newer strategy in the environmental movement, with the IRA being the largest in U.S.

history, said Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Regulatory politics were common at the beginning of the 1970s, but after failed attempts and years of gridlock, the Biden administration may have shifted its approach to investment, Pralle said.

An investment of this size, she said, demonstrates how critical and transformational infusions of federal money can be. Carney said she views the funding as a way to support projects Syracuse knows it needs to be doing.

“Funding is really where we need to go. We have the motivation, we have the enthusiasm, we have the people behind it, the expertise behind it, and so this was just a really great step in the right direction for us,” Carney said. charri39@syr.edu

The entire central New York region was granted a total of $11 million through the USDA’s Forest Services’ Urban and Community Forestry Program. daily orange file photo

Syracuse University and SUNY ESF students marched in NYC to the United Nations HQ in a protest against fossil fuels and a call for climate action. courtesy of chet guenther

We have to change our lifestyles to accommodate the state of the environment, and that’s what we do, is one little step at a time, Izzy Kaufman s a sustainability co - chair

Be With Survivors SU hosts Release Your Rage online form

By Kendall Luther asst. copy editor

Be With Survivors Syracuse University relaunched its “Release Your Rage” initiative through Instagram on Aug. 25 to allow students to express their frustration about sexual assault and relationship violence at SU.

Release Your Rage 2.0 is a Google form where students can anonymously submit their concerns about sexual violence on campus, said Jessica Rosen, BWSSU president and founding member. The first iteration of the initiative began in the summer of 2022.

“We wanted to create this for survivors or people who are just sick of all of the sexual assault and rapes that are going on on campus as a way for people to get all that rage and energy out there,” said Rosen, a junior in the School of Education.

BWSSU — formerly known as Stand with Survivors SU — began in 2021 as a survivorled organization that aims to support and advocate for survivors on campus, former co-president and executive board member Kayla Turner said.

“It basically came out of a need for sup

porting survivors on Syracuse’s campus and just the righteous indignation that a lot of people felt surrounding how the culture is perpetuated on this campus,” said Turner, a senior studying neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Maymuna Rahman, a junior studying psychology and neuroscience, wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange that BWSSU

works to create a safe environment for all survivors on campus.

“Regardless of social constructs, every single person, every single survivor, deserves to be treated with grace and respect,” Rahman wrote.

In 2022, two SU students, Evan Bode and Sarah Aristy, used the anonymous responses to create a short film with stock footage from around SU’s campus at the end of the fall semester. Rosen said that she would like to do something similar if BWSSU receives enough responses on the form.

BWSSU has led several protests on campus, including a protest against several Interfraternity Council chapters in September 2021 and a peaceful protest on the anniversary of Columbine in April. The group also released a manifesto in October 2021 with 18 demands for SU administrators to properly address sexual misconduct issues on campus.

“It’s important for the campus to uplift the voices of people who are marginalized and people who are survivors of violence to feel like they have a space here, to feel like they can continue their education in ways that are supportive for them, and also in ways that validate their experiences and empower them to feel like this is their space too,” Turner said.

In addition to the relaunch of Release Your Rage, Rosen said the organization has been undergoing the application process in hopes of becoming a registered student organization on campus.

As Rahman begins work as a planning and arts chair for BWSSU in her first semester with the group, she said she’ll be working on

timelines and logistics for events and projects alongside other members.

“It’s no secret that there’s a thriving rape culture on SU’s campus. No one should have to be a survivor, and not enough is being done,” Rahman wrote. “Being a part of BWSSU means being able to use my voice for the community and advocate for the students at SU.”

BWSSU is hosting a Red-Zone Awareness Vigil — the organization’s first event of the 2023-24 academic year – on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. outside the Hall of Languages. The vigil will encourage students to be more aware of the high levels of sexual violence on college campuses during the fall semester, which is known as the Red Zone.

Turner referenced data from the Me

Too movement’s website, which states that 50% of sexual assaults on college campuses occur during the start fall semester through Thanksgiving break. She said she hopes to keep amplifying the voices of students and survivors in meaningful and impactful ways.

“I think the nature of Be With Survivors Syracuse has always been so kind and centered around healing first and then healing and restorative justice for survivors,” Turner said. “At times that message gets mixed up, especially when we’re doing work that is rooted in advocacy and is rooted in protests, but the very nature of it is to be a healing center for students who’ve experienced violence on campus.”

kaluther@syr.edu

@kendallaluther

Local libraries see results of Rachel May funding in renovations

By Faith Bolduc asst. news editor

After years of renovations, library construction across Onondaga, Madison and Oneida Counties has officially been completed after New York Democratic State Senator Rachel May secured over $700,000 in grant funding for the projects.

The funding, which May announced in October 2020, was allocated to 14 libraries across the three counties she represents. The construction projects included improvements to lighting and ventilation systems and renovations for children’s facilities and restrooms.

Sen. May, whose district includes Syracuse University and the city of Syracuse, said the project was essential to her after seeing the resilience libraries showed during the COVID19 pandemic. She said libraries needed the financial support to reinvent current spaces.

“Libraries serve all kinds of purposes that they weren’t necessarily built to serve,” May said. “They’ve been reinventing themselves, so this kind of funding really is important to allow them to do the work that they’re being called on to do in the 21st century.”

Each of the libraries requested the grant, with some being accepted as recently as this year. Libraries from the Onondaga Country system, like Salina Free Library, received funding, as well as Madison and Oneida County libraries such as Canastota Public Library, according to May’s website.

Liz Metzger, director of Canastota Public Library, said her library put the funding

toward a new roof. Although the library received tax revenue funding because it’s a public school district library, the grant allowed the library to create a safer space for its community, Metzger said.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have been set up (as a school district public library), and so we have a steady stream of money coming in every year. But of course, our total annual budget is just over $300,000, and if we had to pay $72,000 for a roof, it wouldn’t leave a whole bunch left for other things,” she said.

Metzger also explained the process of receiving a grant from May’s office, which included an application and approval process. Canastota Public Library applied in 2021 but didn’t receive the funding until May, Metzger said.

Jeannine Chubon, director of Salina Free Library, said the library used the funding for various plumbing projects, including a new water bottle fountain for children, improved public restrooms and new concrete front steps.

“These are all things that are very much needed, but that we can’t always accommodate these things in our operating budget, so to have this extra state funding is really essential for us to be able to complete these projects,” Chubon said.

Canastota Public Library, like the Salina Free Library, focused on construction to create a more modern environment for its patrons.

Metzger said the library has a rich history going back to its founding in 1896, which they hope to preserve for generations to come with help from the funding.

With recent legislation focusing on book bans and restricted curriculum for K-12 students, May said libraries often are a place where people can get information about questions they may have.

May confirmed her opposition to book bans because of the danger of restricting people from information that may help them understand the world around them.

“(People) may include kids who have questions about their gender identity or people who are experiencing trauma of various kinds,” She said. “That’s one of the reasons why some of the bans that people are talking

about are not just counterproductive and kind of an expression of intolerance, but they may also be dangerous.”

May said she sees many reasons to support libraries, from her time as a student and as a teacher, and that it was the pandemic that pushed her to implement these grants.

“In the first year or two of the pandemic, we saw just how crucial libraries are in maintaining a public sphere in our society,” May said. “The last really public space where people can gather or use computers or get assistance in various issues. It’s the amazing institutions that really need our support.”

flbolduc@syr.edu

To rebut this argument, he claimed that climate-related disaster deaths were down due to “enormous fossil fueled climate mastery abilities,” citing data that showed a 98% decline between the 1920s and today. Reuters recently found this data to be “misleading,” saying disaster mortality is not a useful metric for quantifying climate change.

“If we have energy freedom to use fossil fuels and other forms of energy we are going to get ever better at mastering climate danger,” Epstein said. “Whereas with net zero, climate danger will drastically increase.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the world’s population can reduce the rate of global warming by reducing human emissions. The administration wrote that while keeping global temperatures below 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the pre-industrial era would require “dramatic action,” the more the planet overshoots the threshold, “the more serious and widespread the negative impacts will be.”

Epstein also said many scientists and media organizations who claim fossil fuels will contribute to a future climate disaster are often “distorting climate science for effect.”

“I definitely listen to experts if they are actual experts, but I need to listen to their reasons because often people who say they’re experts are actually distorting the facts,” Epstein said.

In attendance at the event were members of the YAF along with a variety of local students and faculty members, many of whom said they came wanting to see a debate.

“I was here for a debate to get a more precise and detailed explanation of what the two parties are seeing, instead of just one guy presenting,” said Piyush Mishra, a computer science graduate student at SU.

Grayden Mitchell, a freshman studying political science in SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said he thought Epstein still addressed some of Rand’s points despite his absence. Mitchell, a member of YAF, said he views the energy industry as crucial during a time of climate uncertainty.

“It’s really important to have a clear and concise plan rather than just to say, we need to go all in on

renewables as quickly as possible,” Mitchell said.

The lecture portion of the event lasted approximately an hour and 10 minutes, whereas the Q&A session lasted under a half hour, allowing for four audience members’ questions.

“None of us are professionals in climate

science who have done this before, and so having us hold him accountable and only have four questions to do that, it’s just kind of ridiculous and he kind of got to say everything without any pushback at all,” said Spencer Berg, a student at SUNY ESF. saolande@syr.edu

Onondaga County, along with surrounding counties in CNY, finalized library renovations with the help of funding from State Sen. Rachel May. joe zhao assistant photo editor

Alex Epstein advocated for fossil fuels in a lecture hosted by the Syracuse University College Republicans on Wednesday. isabella flores asst. photo editor

PROJECTING THE UNSEEN

Teddy Hudson asst. copy editor

Evan Starling-Davis was inspired to create his latest exhibition after spending long hours in the back rooms of the Syracuse University Art Museum among thousands of artworks and cultural artifacts. Starling-Davis, an artist and doctoral candidate in literacy studies at SU’s School of Education, noticed how many of the museum’s pieces he had never seen before.

As a curator himself, with a master’s in museum studies from SU, he understood the practical limitations that caused these hidden gems to go unseen: a lack of funding and physical space meant that only so many pieces could be shown at a time. He wished there was a place beyond the physical world where the public could form a relationship with the museum’s collection.

“We have 40,000 objects, and none of that’s seen on a regular (basis),” Starling-Davis said. “How can technology really help solve this issue of non-transparency or inaccessibility?”

His answer to that question, “FRACTURE,” helps to bring some of these underseen artworks from local museums and archives to the public, combining extended reality technology, poetry, yoga and West African artifacts. StarlingDavis used photogrammetry, a technique that creates 3D models using a set of 2D images, to create digital versions of lesser-known pieces that spoke to him.

He was particularly struck by a set of artifacts from the African diaspora donated to SU by former professor Andre Nitecki, who also served as an art historian and museum curator at the university. Starling-Davis said they have not been exhibited since the 1970s.

It took Starling-Davis as long as an hour and a half to photograph and scan each individual artifact in the collection, but he found the long stretches of time he spent alone with them to be meditative. “FRACTURE” uses the video game engine Unity to host a virtual world that displays a select group of 3D models to the public on the nearly IMAX-sized wall on the side of the Everson Museum of Art.

In the world of “FRACTURE,” the one-to-four-foot statues that StarlingDavis scanned are supersized into monuments. They tower over the scenery, which consists of rolling green hills and blocky structures floating on an island in outer space. As a viewer navigates the world, poems and readings are narrated aloud while soft music plays in the background.

Starling-Davis wrote more than 200 poems for the project, although not all are featured in the final version. He is an avid practitioner of yoga and

hoped to create an environment that would inspire mindfulness.

“I’ve been meeting people in the plaza night after night, or whoever hits me up on my cell phone, they’re just like, ‘Hey, can you walk me through it and walk me through some meditation?’ So I’ve actually done some yoga sessions downtown,” Starling-Davis said.

The project is projected on the side of the Everson through a partnership with the Urban Video Project, a program dedicated to public displays of media. The exhibition is a partnership between Light Work, the Everson and Onondaga County. Anneka Herre, the director of UVP, was first introduced to Starling-Davis’ work through a speech he gave as part of his 2020-2021 Public Humanities Fellowship.

In the speech, Starling-Davis showed off a proof-of-concept of what would eventually become “FRACTURE.” At the time, Herre was looking for ways to expand UVP’s work from single-channel video projection into interactive work. She asked Starling-Davis if he would be interested in developing the concept with the help of UVP.

“Light Work’s fundamental mission is the support of emerging underrepresented artists working in mixed-media, and UVP really is an extension of that into the realm of moving image, video film, but also, these broader areas that include things like virtual reality, interactive,” Herre said.

Among other things, Starling-Davis used his funding to hire a small team to help him with the technology side of the project: lead developer Sonny Cirasuolo, consulting developer Gary Tyler McLeod and 3D model and game design consultant Chanee Choi.

Their support allowed him to achieve his vision by ironing out glitches, building QR codes that could facilitate player movement and providing other technical support. Choi, who works at Light Work, said she was proud to work on a games-based project that, like her own multimedia projects, is about more than entertainment.

see fracture page 7

Student DJ Mark Samuel to kick-off UU’s Juice Jam 2023

Kelly Matlock

asst. culture editor

Mark Samuel was exposed to DJ electronic dance music culture on a trip to Europe the summer before his freshman year at SU. He bought a DJ board and started creating his

own mixes after returning to the United States and is now the student DJ for Juice Jam this Sunday.

“I’ve always wanted to do a festival like this,” Samuel said. “I always tell all my friends, my dream is to do a big festival like Tomorrowland, Ultra Festival or Coachella.”

Samuel, now a junior, began his DJ career by organizing concerts with his roommate in their freshman dorm. He bought a DJ deck over winter break, giving them the spring to try it out.

“I honestly was not good at DJing at that point, but I enjoyed doing it,” Samuel said. “My friends pretended that I was (good).”

Samuel started DJing at small events in his hometown at graduation and birthday parties before branching off into his own shows. Samuel said that this event will push him out of his comfort zone and force him to expand his music outside of the house, pop and rap that he usually plays.

Evan Starling-Davis has uncovered hidden gems from the backrooms of local art museums, displaying them as 3D models in a virtual world

Evan Starling-Davis is a doctoral candidate in literary studies at SU’s School of Education. He also has a master’s in museum studies from SU. malcolm taylor staff photographer

Evan Starling-Davis used the Unity game engine to showcase a virtual world that displays a select group of 3D models. courtesy of light work

Get ready to get ‘Low’ at Juice Jam with these 7 songs

Olivia Boyer

asst. culture editor

Ranging from rap to indie, a variety of performances are set to take place this Sunday at Juice Jam. These highly anticipated artists include Denzel Curry, Rachel Grae, Ryan Beatty and headliner Flo Rida.

‘Low (feat. T-Pain)’ by Flo Rida

When “Low” was released in late 2007, it became an instant classic. The recognizable chorus, sung by the Juice Jam 2022 headliner, forces everyone to sing along when it starts playing. In 2008, the music video accompanying the song was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards. The song was also nominated for a Grammy that year and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Club Can’t Handle Me (feat. David Guetta)” by Flo Rida

Whether you’re in an actual club or singing in the shower, the hit “Club Can’t Handle Me” is the perfect anthem. The 2010 release was extremely popular internationally, becoming the No. 1 single in both the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2010. Somehow, this absolute banger isn’t as popular as some of the musician’s other songs.

“Wild Ones (feat. Sia)” by Flo Rida

Flo Rida is well known for his features with some of the most popular artists of different genres, and his collaboration with Sia is no different. “Wild Ones” was released in 2011 on the album of the same title, including other hits from the Florida rapper, including “Whistle” and “Good Feeling.” The title track received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/ Sung Performance in 2012.

“Walkin” by Denzel Curry

Although Denzel Curry was introduced to

from the studio

fame through his viral punk rap song “Ultimate” in 2015, it’s just one of many impressive feats from the rapper. The Florida native is also well known for his cloud rap songs, a dreamier softer form of hip-hop, like “Walkin” which is from his 2022 album “Melt my Eyez See your Future.” The song offers a softer style of hip-hop for the artist, tearing away from what he’s known for.

“DIET_” by Denzel Curry

“DIET_” is an example of Curry’s more hardcore rap and punk influences, similar to his most popular track, “Ultimate.” The song was released on the EP “UNLOCKED” in 2020 that he released alongside producer Kenny Beats. Curry was on the XXL Freshmen Class in 2016 and is the youngest artist from the list to have his own solo album at the age of 19.

“Ribbons” by Ryan Beatty

“Ribbons” is a soft melodic song, flexing the vocal muscles of Ryan Beatty. His lyrical voice echoes through the song’s verses, as if he was singing in the same room. Beatty began his music career on YouTube with a cover of “Marry You” by Bruno Mars. Since then, he’s worked closely with now-disbanded Brockhampton and released three albums of his own, the most recent being “Calico” earlier this year.

“Outsider” by Rachel Grae

California native Rachel Grae is known for her artistic mix of soul and pop genres. Her most popular tune, “Outsider,” is a commentary on how she can feel out of place and need someone to depend on, not someone that will use her. The song is a must-listen in preparation for her performance this Sunday.

oliviaboyer@dailyorange.com

Syracuse Symposium hosts annual Human Rights Film Festival

Nate Lechner

culture editor

The 21st annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival will be held at the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium and the Shaffer Art Building this weekend as part of this year’s Syracuse Symposium: “Landscapes.” The festival is presented by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the SU Humanities Center in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The festival was founded by television, radio and film professor Tula Goenka and english professor Roger Hallas to advocate for human rights and social justice as well as create enriching experiences for students and visiting filmmakers. The six films that will be shown at the festival come from all around the world and highlight themes of identity, struggle and overcoming tragedy. All screenings are free and open to the public.

“North by Current”

After the inconclusive passing of his young niece, Angleo Madsen Minax returned to his rural Michigan hometown to make a film about addiction, Christian fervor and transgender embodiment. Throughout the film, Madsen presents the audience with challenging questions about identity, the nuances of family and the difficulties of growing up. The film will be screened on Thursday night at the Joyce Hergahan Auditorium at 7 p.m. and a Q&A with Madsen will follow.

“Twice Colonized”

An official selection of the World Cinema

Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the film centers on an Inuit lawyer, Aaju Peter, as she embarks to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union. Along the way, she also experiences a deep, emotional struggle dealing with the unexpected passing of her youngest son. The film will be screened on Friday night at the Joyce Hergahan Auditorium at 7 p.m. and a Q&A with director Lin Alluna will follow, along with a virtual Q&A with Peter.

“My Favorite Job”

In the film, Ukrainian director Sasho Protyah documents a volunteer group evacuating people from the city of Mariupol, Ukraine as it was surrounded by Russian troops. After each trip, the group meets to share information, support each other and talk about their traumatic experiences. Protyah uses images from the volunteers, her own personal archives and animation models in the film. The film will be

screened on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium at the Shaffer Art Building.

“When Spring Came to Bucha”

Directors Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz tell the story of the Ukrainian city of Bucha and those who survived its distruction. Yuri is a municipal services manager who struggles to keep people supplied with clean drinking water, Lidmula searches for her husband’s body to properly bury him and Olenka is the only student in School No. 1 after her peers were either killed or fled the country. In the middle of all the sorrow, the film captures a young couple getting married. The film will be screened on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium. A Q&A with Teshaieva will follow the screening.

“FRACTURE”

Syracusan Evan Starling-Davis will showcase an innovative exhibition on Sept. 23 in collaboration with the Urban Video Project at Light Work. In the exhibition, viewers can interact with a projection on the facade of the Everson Museum of Art. The projection uses smart devices to explore the virtual world of “FRACTURE,” which features 3D renderings of objects from Afro-diasporic culture in local collections and archives. Pieces from the SU Art Museum, the Everson Museum, SU’s Special Collection Research Center and the Community Folk Art Center will all be used. As part of the presentation, Starling-Davis will be discussing the project and allow audience members to participate in the projection. Starling-Davis will host a talk about

the exhibit at 4 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium.

“Peacock Lament”

This film from award-winning director Sanjeewa Pushpakumara follows the film’s main character, Amila, as he moves his siblings from their village in East Sri Lanka to the capital city of Colombo. Amila takes a job at “Baby Farm,” a business that traffics infants from unwanted pregnancies to wealthy foreigners. There, the women give up their babies without question once they are requested by the buyers. Over time, Amila begins to feel remorse for his work and empathizes with the women. The festival will hold a screening of the film on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Shemin Auditorium. culture@dailyorange.com

The films at this year’s Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival range from touching autobiographies, tragic stories about destroyed cities and narratives about finding identity. daily orange file photo

nora benko illustration editor

surreal game world is part of what makes the project exciting.

“It was an honor for me to work with him because his project is not just about the video game,” Choi said.

In addition to the nighttime projection at the Everson, “FRACTURE” will be presented as part of the 21st annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival this weekend. Starling-Davis will host a talk at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Shemin Auditorium in the Shaffer Art Building as part of the festival.

While “FRACTURE” is different from many of the more traditional narrative and documentary films that the festival selects, its inclusion is a way for the festival to celebrate alternative methods of communicating about social justice.

The exhibition’s themes of unearthing and reclaiming lost histories through a lens of speculative science fiction brought a style to the festival that it hadn’t previously seen, said Roger Hallas, associate professor of English and the director of the festival. Hallas said that the contrast between the realistic scans of the museum pieces and the

At one point, Samuel stood behind the DJ booth in an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn, NY, mixing at a party for eight straight hours. At 7 a.m., when the event ended, he collapsed because he couldn’t stand anymore. Since the beginning of his DJing career, Samuel said he has improved on several fronts. It took him a long time to learn how to mix songs that aren’t close in beats per minute and how to read a crowd.

“The first time you perform, you get really nervous,” Samuel said. “You get locked in on your DJ board, your computer and your music, and you forget to look at the crowd.”

Now, Samuel doesn’t have to prepare an entire set before he goes on. He prefers to plan a song or two to start with then pull from a larger playlist in the moment.

The concert directors for University Union, Camille Rolands-Rees and Annie Levin, are in a unique position to provide opportunities to student artists. Levin feels grateful to be able to provide those opportunities.

“Something that was really important to Annie and I is having it be like a DJ that could

“Dissonance can create new kinds of ways of thinking about the future,” Hallas said. “In my mind, the sort of exciting aspects of Afrofuturism and that kind of speculative fiction is, so often, the popular imagination of the future in science fiction has been racialized as a kind of white space.”

really involve the crowd,” Rowlands-Rees said.

“Based on the mix that he sent us, it was a very engaging mix and it was just like, ‘OK, cool, really good blend.’”

The show’s title, “FRACTURE,” references this dissonance. It’s a term that comes from Christina Sharpe, a professor at York University, describing the effects of significant events in the past on the future. Starling-Davis chose the title because he sees his own navigation of his identity as a fracture and because it also plays on the idea of a fracture between reality and the digital world.

His takeaway from Sharpe’s writing was that people should confront and dive into fractures in order to move culture forward. While he was working in the museum basement photographing the artifacts from Nitecki’s collection to create his models, Starling-Davis felt a sense of connection to the items from his cultural heritage.

“It was a very surreal experience seeing something that’s a part of my own history as someone from the diaspora,” Starling-Davis said. “Knowing that memory gets lost all the time and then physically interacting with lost histories and trying to figure out my identity as an artist as well, while engaging with that lost history.”

ehudson@syr.edu

in. The song was something she hadn’t usually heard at Syracuse.

What made Samuel stand out to Shin was his ability to involve the audience in his mixing. Samuel said his style involves “playing for the crowd,” and that he likes playing what he knows people will dance to.

When UU started internal research into a student DJ, Shin immediately thought of Samuel. She recommended him to the concerts board, and after he submitted a sample mix, he was selected.

As a student organization, UU’s purpose is to cater towards student’s needs and opportunities, Rowlands-Rees said. With a student DJ, their friends come to the show and the event becomes more of a collaborative experience.

Shin said the DJ at a huge show is very important because of their role to hype up the audience and facilitate smooth transitions betweens artists.

Redgate

House show venue Redgate will be taking their show on the road for a concert at The Lost Horizon. Kevin Holliday, Sammy Curcuru and Mimicking Mars will be performing. Free transportation will be provided to and from College Place throughout from 9:40 p.m. to 2:00 a.m

Direct message Redgate on Instagram for more information and to purchase tickets.

WHEN: Sept. 22 at 10 p.m.

PRICE: $11

Funk ‘n Waffles

High-energy punk rock band Crooked Coast brings their tour to Funk ‘n Waffles Thursday night. After releasing their latest album “Picture This” in August 2022, the Massachusetts-based band has performed all along the East Coast. They will be joined by special guest Pop Culture. Tickets can be purchased online.

WHEN: Sept. 21 at 8 p.m.

PRICE: $13.07

Middle Ages Brewing Company

Enoca Shin, the marketing director of UU, went to a social event where Samuel was DJing and walked up to the booth to tell him that she loved his mix. He was playing “Atmosphere” by FISHER and Kita Alexander when she walked

“He’s already great at mixing and bringing in what the student body wants, with the crowd and the vibe,” Shin said. “Honestly, I’m really excited to see what he’ll bring to the Juice Jam stage.”

kellyamatlock@icloud.com

Finnish country band Steve ‘n’ Seagulls will be performing at Middles Ages Brewing Company on Thursday night. The band became popular in 2014 with their bluegrass versions of well-known hard rock and metal songs. Their cover of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC has over 160 million views on YouTube. Tickets can be purchased online.

WHEN: Sept. 21 at 8 p.m.

PRICE: $24.90

The Song and Dance

The ‘70s-inspired disco dance show “Gimme Gimme Disco” will be making a stop in Syracuse at The Song and Dance on E. Jefferson Street. Those who attend are encouraged to dance, and have “the time of your life.” Tickets can be purchased online.

WHEN: Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.

PRICE: $15

Wonderland Forest

Vermont-based jam band Twiddle will be bringing their Tumble Down festival to central New York this weekend at Wonderland Forest’s first show in Lafayette. The curated festival will showcase some of the top jam bands in the scene including Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Andy Frasco + The U.N., Dopapod and Dogs in a Pile (x2). Baked Shrimp and Mike Powell will round out the lineup.

WHEN: Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. to Sept. 23 at 11:45 p.m.

ARTIST: $150 (General Admission), $250 (VIP Weekend Pass)

From his freshman dorm to an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn, this year’s Juice Jam DJ Mark Samuel has been mixing house, pop and rap music since arriving at SU. Now, he will have to change his style for a new audience. cassandra roshu photo editor

It was a very surreal experience seeing something that’s a part of my own history as someone from the diaspora.

Evan Starling-Davis creator of “fracture

The first time you perform, you get really nervous. You get locked in on your DJ board, your computer and your music, and you forget to look at the crowd.

Mark Samuel dj

By Brian Joseph Cohen columnist

Grindr is like a bathhouse open 24-hours a day right on your phone. Although the gay dating and hookup app can be a convenient way for queer people to connect, unless you’re geared toward no strings attached interactions, it’s unlikely you’ll find lasting relationships.

Now central to gay male culture, Grindr may be promoting harmful norms for what young gay men perceive as intimacy within our community.

Meeting other gay people in real life is hard, and seeing your straight friends find people to talk to so easily can make you feel left out. Internalized homophobia causes many gay people to try to act ‘straight passing,’ which makes it harder for gay people to find and connect with each other.

It’s understandable why so many young gay people, including myself, have turned to Grindr. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can have some good experiences on the app, but its potential to damage our perception of intimacy is undeniable.

Attention sparks instant gratification, making the app addictive for those who use it as a form of escapism. The excitement from talking or meeting up with someone you find attractive can be validating. But this relief is an empty, temporary stimulant. It’s like gambling, you never know when you could score so you stick around and keep trying.

The app’s culture also upholds narrow beauty standards that contribute to lower body satisfaction and magnify the longheld image of what the desirable gay male body looks like: either very muscular or thin, fair skinned, able bodied and exerting a certain level of masculinity. It’s even common to see accounts list their racial preferences or include lines like “masc4masc” or “no fats, no fems.”

There have been plenty of Grindr horror stories. Some older men seek out young, barely legal boys for sex. Consent can be an issue, especially if it's someone's first sexual experience and the other person is eager. There are safety risks to meeting up with strangers that could lead to STDs, assault or outing if they’re still in the closet.

Recent Syracuse University student Miles Lamp reflected on his experience using Grindr on-campus before orienting himself towards long-term relationships. He found that changing his appearance to fit conventional norms led to more attention received from other users on the app, pointing to its discriminatory culture.

“As someone who has struggled in the past with self- image issues relating to weight, acne and other factors, I've found the community on Grindr focus heavily on the glorification of attributes such as whiteness, weight and conventional attractiveness,” said Lamp. “Growing up in a place as diverse and populous as Southern California, I had not experienced the same amount of discriminatory interactions as I did when I came to a smaller and less diverse community like the one in Syracuse, which was a massive culture shock for me.”

Many users don't even have a profile picture, and the ones who do rarely display their face, often showing only their headless, shirtless torso. Because the app is designed for finding sexual partners, repeated rejection and objectification from others is common. The act of receiving lewd comments and unsolicited nude

pictures from strangers becomes normalized, and you can even filter the people you see by their body type and sexual position.

“All of those kinds of exclusions and privileges of certain kinds of bodies that we see on Grindr absolutely are not new to Grindr,” said Erin Rand, an SU professor focused in queer theory and queer rhetoric. “Those are things that have been there all along and existed in physical spaces whether that be gay bars or the less formalized hook up spaces all the way through the start of the internet.”

Gay men have disproportionately higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to heterosexual men, and Grindr can be used to relieve negative emotions. Lamp remembered when he would struggle with his self- image or had a bad day, the instant gratification from taps and messages from people who wanted to hook up with him would provide a temporary satisfaction. But the attention eventually led to him feeling worse; men would only see him for his body, not who he is.

“Many times the fickleness of people leads to them bombarding you with texts one minute asking to meet up but immediately ghosting you once a better option makes themselves available, which is incredibly detrimental to the person on the other side of the equation,” said Lamp.

I myself have experienced rejections on Grindr where I’ve been flat out told I’m ugly. I’ve had multiple conversations that resulted in me getting blocked after sending a picture of my face. Although no one is entitled to anyone's attraction, receiving that level of rejection on the basis of appearance from peers you’re trying to connect with is extremely hurtful. Especially since gay men already have lower body satisfaction on average compared to straight men.

“Weight stigma and related issues like eating disorders seem to emerge from the male gaze. You see people being concerned about weight who are concerned about attracting men, whether that be gay men or straight women. Those are the populations that seem to have this shared experience,” said Rand.

Rand wonders if Grindr’s centrality to what it means to be a gay man today is setting an unhealthy standard for young gay men when it comes to sexual desire.

“Like what it means to be gay male is to have Grindr on your phone and be in pursuit of sexual hooks up with other people with a certain kind of regularity,” said Rand. “If that's what you see your friends and everyone in your community doing, then how would you go about imaging di erent forms of intimacy?”

Grindr is the newest incarnation in a long tradition of spaces designated for connecting queer people, but my experience with the app often left me feeling more lonely and comparing myself to others. I’ve shamefully deleted and redownloaded the app multiple times. I started basing my self- worth around the validation I would receive from other men, creating a vicious cycle through which people were to be consumed rather than understood.

There is nothing wrong with hooking up, if that’s what you want. But rather than accept a platform that promotes purely sexual interactions as our only option for connection, we should allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to intimately and emotionally connect with each other. We shouldn’t let the male gaze define our worth but love ourselves for exactly who we are right now.

Brian Joseph Cohen is a junior Magazine, News and Digital Journalism major with a Sociology minor. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at bcohen10@syr.edu.

Grindr can alter perceptions of intimacy, lowering users’ selfesteem for those who use it as a form of escapism

Grindr’s centrality to what it means to be a gay man today is setting an unhealthy standard for young gay men when it comes to sexual desire.

Brian Joseph Cohen COLUMNIST

from page 12

d’agostini

when Ilmo was younger, he left his family to pursue a career in business. Ilmo’s past helped him understand his son’s ambitions.

Jane Trevisol, D’Agostini’s mother, was less lenient. She didn’t want her lone son and fifth child to depart. Daniela said D’Agostini was the family’s “golden child.” D’Agostini remembered her crying each day begging him to stay.

“At the end of the day she realized, I’m not only pursuing my dream, but hers as well,” D’Agostini said. “She always wanted a soccer player, so it’s hard every single day and she wants me to come back, but she’s also happy for me.”

D’Agostini ended up choosing Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas, over Barton. D’Agostini remem -

from page 12

thatcher

noticed how well he disguised the run while opening up receivers on play actions.

Thatcher said he wants his runs, blocking schemes and routes to look similar no matter what the playcall is. He’ll try to coax the defense into coming downhill enough with a few runs then open a receiver up outside on a play action. Lynn said that’s where the offense “really starts to get deadly.”

from page 11

offense

Isaiah Jones

Jones, who garnered the most targets from Shrader in Week 2, was limited to 20 snaps against Purdue (19 from the slot) for reasons that weren’t injury-related, Babers said. Jones caught five passes for 86 yards after Gadsden went down two weeks ago, but his volume diminished on Saturday.

In the second quarter against Purdue, Jones had a potential touchdown near the left pylon, but a hit from the cornerback jarred the ball loose. It was the second time where contact led to an incompletion on a catchable ball.

His performance against Western Michigan was more indicative of his potential value. From the opposing 32-yard line, Jones ran a go route on the inside, splitting the deep safeties. Shrader’s hand was hit on the pass and it sailed a bit, but Jones adjusted, levitating over the backside defender to make the grab.

from page 11

The Sierzant family didn’t know if Howard would ever be able to walk without a walker. But, when he was 9-years-old, he walked out of a physical therapy session without one. Sierzant said Howard was always independent. She remembered when people tried to help Howard open a door or pull out a chair, he insisted on doing it on his own.

“He gets mad when someone tries to help him,” Sierzant said. “He’s like, ‘no, I can do this myself.’”

In high school, Howard’s day consisted of attending practices where he helped do everything from filling water bottles to setting up

from page 11

army

Player to watch: Leo Lowin, No. 31, linebacker

Lowin is in his fourth year with Army and coming off a considerable leap in production during his junior season.

bered the culture shock after he arrived. He had gone from a city of 1.8 million people to a town with just 7,000. Daniela helped him move in, buying room essentials and offering financial advice. Daniela recalled one of D’Agostini’s teammates mentioning how prepared he was.

Following his first year at Cloud, the head coach was let go. Rideout immediately picked him up. In D’Agostini’s debut season with Barton, it reached the National Junior College Athletic Association Plains District Championship game.

Rideout remembered D’Agostini draped in a Brazilian flag during the postgame celebrations after Barton’s 5-2 semifinal win over Coffeyville Community College. D’Agostini called Rideout over for a picture — the perfect setup to freeze Rideout for a Powerade shower.

The next four seasons, Thatcher put up 40 or more points 12 times through 38 games. The Lopers set program records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, averaging over 400 yards per game in two straight seasons. Lynn’s transition to a gun option offense was complete, but Thatcher sprinkling in his spread offense background took the offense to a historic level.

“He helped open up our offense,” Shade said. “He took the plays we had and added to it, made it more dangerous to defend.”

Gadsden made 10 contested catches last season at a 56% rate, ranking 21st in the nation for receivers with at least 80 targets. Jones said he knows the different coverages and defensive queues to look for from both the slot and out wide.

“That’s kind of how he was. He was just fun tonight and he was always the life of the team,” Rideout said.

Though Barton fell short in Nationals that season, D’Agostini’s stellar play with the Cougars garnered recruiting interest. In 2021, D’Agostini committed to Oral Roberts, the first Division I program to submit an offer.

Over two seasons at ORU, D’Agostini tallied four goals and nine assists in 21 appearances. This summer, D’Agostini entered the transfer portal but trained with the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer. D’Agostini had previous experience with MLS teams, including a trial with the Chicago Fire when he was 16. Daniela said the Fire loved Felipe, but Visa issues prevented a move from materializing.

Through six games with Syraucse, D’Agostini has shown flashes as a substitute. His first goal

In 2022, Army went a disappointing 6-6 — a season that Monken called a step back for the program. When Monken called Thatcher after the year ended, he was done scouting. He wanted to take a chance, revolutionizing the Black Knights’ offense. Thatcher said the call was “out of the blue” and was followed by a three-hour conversation with Drinkall. But after the interview, he accepted his first full-time FBS job.

Monken called his players over winter break and told them the flexbone offense was gone. The

Trebor Pena

Babers alluded to the fact that Pena’s injury could be more serious than the original week-toweek designation. After referring to Pena’s return as an “if” rather than a “when,” he was asked if there’s a chance Pena could miss the whole season.

“I guess there’s always chances,” Babers said.

Pena would add a dynamic aspect to the position as a speedster with a flare for big plays and significant experience in the offense. Without Pena, pass-catchers have relied on broken plays like Brown’s to gain big chunks of yardage.

Dan Villari

Villari has more-than-doubled his snap total from last season in three games.

for the Orange came on Tuesday, when he gave Syracuse an early 1-0 lead at Cornell.

“He’s very different, that’s what makes him unique,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said. “He’s unpredictable. Bit of a maverick out there and he has that ability to just do something very special.”

Even with limited goal contributions while coming off the bench, D’Agostini’s happy being on a soccer field. He’s glad he gave soccer one more chance.

“I always say that there’s no better place than being on the field, that’s where I’m the most happy.” D’Agostini said. “I really don’t care about anything else, just having fun and enjoying my game… I don’t think about pressure or have to do this or that. I just know that things are gonna go well, if I just play my game and just generally have fun.”

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@ZakWolf22

one-of-a-kind formation gate kept by service academies that featured a fullback, two slotbacks, two receivers and almost no passing, was out. Army needed someone who knew a gun option offense. Thatcher had already helped one program successfully transition. The partnership was there. He was in the right place at the right time.

“Coach Monken’s kind of taking a chance with him, and I guarantee he’s not going to regret it,” Lynn said.

anthonyalandt29@yahoo.com @anthonyalandt

short-yardage situations, but he’ll get his fair share of looks in the pass game.

Last year, Villari was a liability in pass blocking situations. But this season, on 20 pass blocking snaps, Villari has a 76.2 PFF pass-blocking grade. His run-blocking grade has dipped with more snaps this season, dropping 10 points to 54.5.

Brown was the only one of the aforementioned pass-catchers with a reception in Syracuse’s first full game without Gadsden. Babers said they had a tough time adjusting to the night sky in Purdue, being accustomed to the Dome and its lighting. Shrader completed a season-low 50% of his passes.

Army averages 35 points per game so far this season. That mark is currently 41st in the country.

In 2022, Lowin recorded a team-high 100 tackles and also notched three sacks. But he saved his best performance for Navy. On Dec. 10, Lowin made a career-best 16 tackles against the Midshipmen.

This season, Lowin again leads the team in tackles with 20 through three games. Against Delaware State, he forced a fumble and logged a game-high 10 tackles.

henrywobrien1123@gmail.com

@realhenryobrien

“I play inside and out,” Jones said. “I think that’s one of the strengths of my game is to be able to do both.”

video feeds. His rigid routine pushed Sierzant to develop a strict workout regimen.

She started practicing before school. Her father, David, said Sierzant underwent skill training before going to the YMCA to run on the treadmill after practice. Howard told her to stay disciplined and stick to a routine everyday.

“He’s had a hard life, but he’s had a normal life,” Sierzant said about her brother, “He’s taught me that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Though Sierzant won the Hollis Stacy Award in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Howard has earned silverware as well. In 2022, Howard won the Coastal Empire Sports Courage Award, which is given to a person in the Savannah region who has overcome

Villari is at the line of scrimmage 76.4% of the time, according to PFF, acting as an extra tackle on jumbo sets over half the time. Syracuse’s spread offense doesn’t include many passing sets with a traditional tight end as the primary target. If last game is any indication, Villari’s usage will be the most prominent in

great adversity to become an inspiration. Howard’s accomplishment made the front page of the Savannah Morning News the day after, something that neither Sierzant, nor her sister, a standout basketball player, were able to do. It gave him bragging rights at the dinner table.

“Talking about Veronica without talking about Howard would be a mistake,” Savannah Morning News writer Dennis Knight said.

Now at Syracuse, Sierzant is off to a strong start. The freshman has been a key player for the Orange, recording 31 kills, 56 assists, 49 digs, and seven aces in 10 games.

Sierzant always wanted to play at Syracuse. David grew up in Binghamton and Sierzant’s

The whole unit is still adjusting to their respective shifts in volume and placement. Tons of targets are up for grabs. There is no longer a clear-cut No. 1 in this offense, but the scheme is set up for the slot receiver to succeed.

When asked about expectations for the group going forward, Babers said “catching the ball would be great.”

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@wymill07

grandfather was a huge Syracuse fan. When the Syracuse head coaching job opened up in 2022, Sierzant closely monitored the vacancy. As soon as Bakeer Ganesharatnam won the job, Sierzant sent him an email with her film.

Just days after Ganesharatnam’s appointment, he traveled to Indianapolis to watch Sierzan play. The two scheduled an official visit in the fall. Sierzant didn’t even leave Syracuse’s campus before committing to the Orange.

“She’s a true six-foot-three setter, that’s very rare to find.” Ganesharatnam said, “Her feet are very good, her hands are very good, and I see a lot of potential in her.”

sefederm@syr.edu

The last time Syracuse and Army faced off was on Nov. 16, 1996, where the Orange defeated the Black Knights 42-17. SU enters Saturday’s matchup perfect while Army holds a 2-1 record. jacob halsema staff photographer

I play inside and out. I think that’s one of the strengths of my game is to be able to do both.

Isaiah Jones wide receiver

football

Who will step up in Oronde Gadsden II’s place?

By Wyatt Miller senior staff writer

When Oronde Gadsden II was helped off the field early against Western Michigan, it created a hole in the slot for Syracuse. SU’s leading passcatcher announced he would miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury before the Orange took on Purdue last week, where he watched from the sidelines.

Head coach Dino Babers, who has listed Gadsden at tight end, had two telling replacements in mind during Monday’s press conference.

“I think what they have to do is carve out a niche for themself,” Babers said. “We have other guys that play that position besides Oronde. Donovan Brown is in the position, if Trebor Pena ever comes back, he’s part of that position as well.”

Last season, 65% of Gadsden’s snaps came in the slot, while 12% were inline, according to Pro Football Focus. Against Purdue, Donovan Brown was the main beneficiary of Gadsden’s absence, garnering four catches for 54 yards while running 60-of-66 plays from the slot.

This confirms what Syracuse fans have suspected for years: The tight end in this offense primarily serves as a slot receiver. On Saturday, Villari’s reps increased as a traditional tight end, while Brown and Isaiah Jones handled slot duties. Until Pena returns, Brown, Dan Villari and Jones will try to replicate Gadsden’s production.

Donovan Brown

As a former track star, Brown brings the burn-

volleyball

ers to an offense that is missing the speed of Pena and Gadsden. Against Western Michigan, he broke free down the right sideline as Garrett Shrader scrambled. Brown had the presence of mind to streak up the sideline into a wide-open secondary. After the catch, he left the entire Broncos defense in the dust for an 86-yard score.

Shrader leaves the pocket a lot, sometimes even when it’s clean, Babers said. Because of that tendency, SU’s receivers have to know

where and when to create space on broken plays. Brown said they practice that every day. Brown has flashed his big-play ability in a clean pocket as well.

Against Purdue, Brown made a 26-yard, back-shoulder grab and beat his man off the line consistently. The redshirt freshman was SU’s primary slot receiver in his first full game of action this year.

see offense page 10

Veronica Sierzant’s routine stems from brother

By Sam Federman staff writer

Veronica Sierzant wanted to win the Hollis Stacy Award. She wanted to win it three times. And, by the end of her high school career, she succeeded. Nobody had ever accomplished the feat.

Sierzant’s brother, Howard, is her inspiration. When Howard was 3-months-old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a motor disability restricting a person’s ability to control their muscles. The disability didn’t stop Howard from serving as Islands High School’s (Georgia) manager for three varsity sports.

“My brother was a good example for doing the impossible.” Sierzant said.

Howard helped Sierzant set goals for herself as she dominated on both the volleyball and basketball court. She was the first to record 1,000 kills, 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in the Savannah region of Georgia. Now an outside hitter at Syracuse, Sierzant has shown promise on offense early in her career.

see sierzant page 10

football

Opponent Preview: Everything to know about Army

By Henry O’Brien senior staff writer

Dino Babers has never totaled consecutive 3-0 seasons. Until now.

Following a 35-20 win at Purdue the Orange now return to the JMA Wireless Dome with a chance to start 4-0 for the second year in a row.

Standing in SU’s way is Army, a team that lost its opening game of the season but has responded with back-to-back wins. The two sides haven’t faced off since Bill Clinton was president.

Here’s everything you need to know about Army before it visits on Saturday:

All time series Syracuse leads 11-10.

Last time they played

In their last matchup, Donovan McNabb was a sophomore quarterback. Rob Konrad was the running back, sporting a now-retired No. 44. Then-No. 19 Syracuse hosted No. 22 Army, who was in the middle of an undefeated season.

The Orange remained in front for the entire matchup, led by McNabb who threw for 285 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

While the Black Knights rushed for 288 yards, the most Syracuse had allowed all year to that point, they still couldn’t overcome SU.

Late in the game after another Syracuse score, McNabb performed a snap-salute in front

of Army’s student section. While many did not notice the salute in SU’s 42-17 win, the picture appeared in the print edition of The Daily Orange the following week.

When McNabb picked up a copy of the paper and saw the picture, he regretted what he had done.

The Black Knight report

In the offseason, Army head coach Jeff Monken, in his 10th year with the program, decided to transition away from their coveted triple option offense to a more standard shotgun offense. For many, the Black Knights and the triple option were synonymous. But after back-toback nine-win seasons in 2020 and 2021, the Black Knights went 6-6 last season.

“We kind of limped through last season,” Monken told The Athletic. “I just didn’t feel like it was sustainable. And so I felt like we needed to make a change.”

To helm this new shotgun offense is quarterback Bryson Daily. Through three games in 2023, the results have been mixed. During Army’s opening season loss to UL-Monroe, Daily completed under 50% of his passes and threw two picks. But against Delaware State in Week 2, Daily threw three touchdowns.

Army now averages 35 points per game, which ranks 41st in the nation.

How Syracuse beats Army

While Syracuse’s defense will face a unique, transitioning offense, quarterback Garrett

Shrader will take on a top 50 defense. The Black Knights have only allowed 175 passing yards per game. This comes with the caveat that Army’s toughest opponent so far was UTSA in Week 3.

If Shrader and the offense can prove they can pass without tight end Oronde Gadsden II, wide receivers like Damien Alford, Donovan Brown, Isaiah Jones and Umari Hatcher need to be involved. Against Purdue, Alford had the most receiving yards with 70.

To put it simply, Syracuse needs to develop more of a passing game. The defense is capable of shutting down Army but the Orange can’t just rely on the run.

Stat to know: +118.4 run differential

Even with the shift to a shotgun offense, Army still dominates teams with its rushing attack. The Black Knights have averaged 235.7 rushing yards per game and have only allowed 117.3 rushing yards per game, leading to a +118.4 run differential. With additional context, the Black Knights rushing offense (ninth in the nation) makes up for the average run defense (56th).

Daily leads the Black Knights with 228 rushing yards and has 23 more attempts than their starting running back. Under Rocky Long, Syracuse has been very proficient at squashing the run, allowing only 77 yards on the ground per game.

In its Week 3 matchup with Purdue, Syracuse allowed a rushing touchdown to Hudson Card. And with Daily as the leading rusher, expect SU’s linebackers to serve as quarterback spies.

women’s soccer

Murphy brings ‘reliability and consistency’

By Aiden Stepansky asst. digital editor

Kate Murphy struggled to gain recruiting attention.

A native of Plano, Texas, Murphy dreamed of playing at a big school in a top conference. But, as a defender, she didn’t possess any eye-popping stats. Then, she met Adam Flynn.

Flynn was Murphy’s club coach for local team, D’Feeters Kicks Football Club (DKFC). He put Murphy in contact with SU head coach Nicky Thrasher-Adams. Murphy’s lasting connection and stellar play with Adams resulted in a scholarship to Syracuse. Four years later, Murphy is the backbone of SU’s backline, leading the team with 34 starts.

Murphy attended the Ursuline Academy of Dallas her senior year of high school, playing under first-year head coach Darrin Hedges. Prior to coaching at Ursuline, Hedges coached at rival Bishop Lynch, just a 30 minutes drive away from Murphy’s school. Hedges’ time with Lynch and later Ursuline allowed him to study Murphy’s play.

“I don’t think I ever saw her get beat,” Hedges said. “I never had to worry about the other team’s right forward as long as she was in the game.”

In 2019, Murphy helped Ursuline win the District Championship for the Texas Associate of Private Parochial School D1 district and advance to the state semifinals. For Hedges, Murphy was the model of consistency.

“No doubt I could pencil her in as my left back no matter who was playing or what the circumstance was,” Hedges said. “She was a kid I always knew I could count on.”

Murphy’s prowess on the left flank was first realized at DKFC. Playing left back, Murphy didn’t flash her offensive potential until arriving at Syracuse. Now, she regularly takes corners and set pieces for the Orange.

“Good lefties are few and far between,” Flynn said. “I was singing Kate’s praises in terms of the balance she brings to a team and her reliability and consistency.”

Near the end of her fall 2019 season, Murphy was still uncommitted. While attending the Elite Club National League Nationals with DKFC, Murphy’s father, Robert, inquired about her future plans.

“I remember Robert went on a trip with her and asked what she was going to do,” said Murphy’s mother, April. “She said she wanted to play in college, but she wasn’t going to just play anywhere. Fortunately she found the right school.”

A few weeks later, Murphy took an official visit to Syracuse. Early into 2020, SU offered her a scholarship. Without much delay, she accepted.

“I wanted a new experience,” Murphy said. “Playing in the best conference in the country was something that really stood out to me and something I wanted to challenge myself with.”

Early last season, against Lafayette, she slotted home an ‘olimpico’ — a goal where a player scores directly from a corner kick. Fifteen minutes later, Murphy delivered a pass that Erin Flurey’s head to put SU up 2-0.

In 2022, Murphy faced her biggest collegiate challenge yet. In back-toback weeks, the Orange faced then-No. 3 Duke as well as then-No. 3 North Carolina. Against the Blue Devils, Syracuse conceded a goal with just 1:40 remaining in an eventual loss.

Next, against UNC, Murphy played the entire 90 minutes in one of the most complete games of her career, according to her father. Both Robert and April had made the trip from Texas to see Murphy play. While the Tar Heels got the first goal of the game 32 minutes in, Murphy and the rest of the backline shutdown UNC for the remainder of the game. Not being able to produce any offense, the Orange fell 1-0.

“Defensively, it was probably the best game I’ve ever seen her play,” Robert said.

amstepan@syr.edu

@AidenStepansky

veronica sierzant became the first athlete in Savannah, Georgia, to win the Hollis Stacy Award three times. ryan jermyn contributing photographer

Syracuse lost its top offensive threat in Oronde Gadsden II to injury. Isaiah Jones could replace part of his production. sadie jones contributing photographer see army page 10

ONE MORE SHOT

Felipe D’Agostini was ready to leave professional soccer behind before moving to the U.S.

By Zak Wolf asst. sports editor

Felipe D’Agostini went to business school and worked for his parents in 2019. On the side, he played in amateur leagues around Porto Alegre, Brazil. His childhood dream of playing professional soccer was completely out of his head.

Then, he got a call from Marcelo Norton, founder and CEO of InterSports America. Norton’s company is built around bringing South American players to the United States for college soccer. He found D’Agostini through glowing reviews from previous recruits.

Four years later, D’Agostini is at Syracuse. His time away from the game made him realize he couldn’t waste his talent. Coming to the U.S., D’Agostini had to adopt a new language and culture, but he’s one step closer to becoming a professional soccer player.

Jordan Rideout, the former head coach at Barton Community College, found D’Agostini through working with InterSports. D’Agostini was forced to begin at the Junior College (JUCO) level after low Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.

“(Norton) called me about Felipe and he told me word for word, ‘I have an AllAmerican player that I want you to have,’”

Rideout said. “I said yes and I didn’t even see the video. He sent me the video. I said yes even more so.”

D’Agostini’s sister, Daniela, helped out with the process. Daniela had lived in America for six years by that point. She mapped out the costs and made sure his housing was sorted. She helped translate the necessary documents for D’Agostini to undertake the “overwhelming” process of applying to colleges.

Once everything was organized, D’Agostini had to convince his parents to let him leave. His father, Ilmo, was hesitant at first but eventually agreed. Daniela said

Drew Thatcher’s plan behind Army’s offensive revolution

By Anthony Alandt senior staff writer

Army head coach Jeff Monken needed a new idea. The Black Knights were transitioning from their traditional triple-option offense that Monken ran since 1997. They had to adjust to modern NCAA rules that eliminated blocking below the waist, cut blocking outside the tackle box and cut blocking outside a three-yard radius of the quarterback.

Monken wanted to learn from some of the most efficient offenses in the country. He sent offensive line coach Saga Tuitele and tight ends coach Matt Drinkall to Nebraska-Kearney, a Division II program that averaged 35.9 points per game in 2019. Its offensive coordinator, Drew Thatcher, ran a double- and triple-option offense from shotgun. Tuitele and Drinkall reported to Monken’s versatility, peaking the head coach’s interest in the offense.

“They wanted to dabble in the gun a little bit more,” said former Nebraska-Kearney coach Shayne Shade. “It opens up more doors as far as the passing game.”

Service academies like Navy, Air Force and the Black Knights, have historically been known for triple-option offenses. But with the rules changes and evolving recruiting landscape, Monken entrusted Thatcher, hiring him as Army’s offensive coordinator. Now, after putting up 97 points in two weeks, Thatcher will look to upend Syracuse and flex his offense against one of the top defenses in the country.

In 2004, Thatcher walked on at New Mexico State as a receiver for head coach Hal Mumme, dubbed the architect of the air raid offense.

After three seasons as a graduate assistant for the Aggies, Thatcher took a job coaching wide receivers and halfbacks at the New Mexico Military Institute, a junior college in southwest New Mexico.

A season later, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, holding the position for the next six years. Thatcher ran a spread offense that helped produce multiple Canadian Football League players and five Division I quarterbacks. He helped the Broncos win the El Toro Bowl in 2013, their first postseason victory since 1999.

“(Thatcher’s) just a worker. He’s extremely sharp,” said former Nebraska-Kearney head coach Josh Lynn. “He’s really good at going from offensive line all the way to outside receiver.”

Thatcher said recruiting bigger offensive linemen for junior college was a challenge, but it was easy to find speedy players. This led Thatcher to take what he knew from Mumme and install a spread-heavy offense. The goal was to spread out defenses and clear the middle of the field so that the Broncos could run into “light boxes.”

It worked, with Thatcher’s time at New Mexico Military Institute highlighted by the development of Jordan Ta’amu, who passed for 3,014 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2017. Ta’amu transferred to Ole Miss after the season and threw for 3,918 yards, the second most in the Southeast Conference.

Though it took two seasons to overhaul the offense, Thatcher said the gun option, including the one he now runs at Army, still hinges heavily on the run and scheming away from challenging defenders. Once the transition was complete, an opportunity opened up for Thatcher.

Lynn, currently the head coach at West Texas A&M, wanted Thatcher on staff at Eastern New Mexico during the five seasons he was head coach. When Lynn took the head coaching job at Nebraska-Kearney, he had an opening at offensive coordinator after the 2018 season.

Lynn wanted someone that was familiar with his inside zone schemes. Thatcher’s success at New Mexico Military Institute made him a top candidate, and Lynn brought him in for an interview.

“I always kind of liked guys that worked their way up and grinded it out a little bit. Drew’s kind of one of those guys,” Lynn said. They exchanged ideas about run schemes and how Thatcher developed successful quarterbacks at the junior college level. Lynn was enthralled with how Thatcher combined the Broncos’ play action plays with their run game, so he hired him. Shade, who was the outside linebackers coach at the time, immediately

Army head coach Jeff Monken needed to adapt his offense to the modern game. So, he hired Drew Thatcher, a master of the gun option scheme. courtesy of army athletics

see d’agostini page 10

Felipe D’Agostini’s mother didn’t want her “golden child” to leave Brazil for soccer in the United States. But after working his way to the Division I level, he’s finally on the right track to go pro. arnav pokhrel staff photographer