free
WEDNESDAY
oct. 25, 2017 high 64°, low 46°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Council update
dailyorange.com
P • Take the stage
Syracuse University’s Diversity and Inclusion Council recently added two members who will help create more inclusive policies for the university. Page 3
Syracuse Stage will host “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a Tony Award-winning play starring Mickey Rowe, the first actor with autism in its leading role. Page 9
S • New frontier
Syracuse’s senior linebacker Zaire Franklin hosts a YouTube segment titled “Z60” that allows football players to show fans a side of them that isn’t seen in-game. Page 16
In the family ANDREW DORRANCE, one of the two Lockerbie Scholars for the 2017-18 academic year, is also connected to the Pan Am Flight 103 attack through his father, who was a first responder to the crash. marianne barthélemy contributing photographer By Sandhya Iyer asst. copy editor
T
he moment Andrew Dorrance found out he was chosen as a Lockerbie Scholar, he rushed to send texts to both his parents. When he sent a text to his older sister Claire, only a few seconds later, he realized his dad had already beat him in telling the news. So, Claire’s first reply was a disgruntled “Why didn’t you text me first?” quickly followed by how happy she was for him. Andrew is one of two Lockerbie Scholars selected as part of Syracuse University’s Remembrance Week program, which honors the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. Andrew represents the 11 people who were killed on the ground when the plane
Remembrance Week 2017
Andrew Dorrance shares special connection with sister through Lockerbie Scholarship
exploded on Dec. 21, 1988. The other Lockerbie Scholar, Heather Mutch, is representing Andrew McClune, a scholar who died while at Syracuse. “It’s a huge honor, such a privilege and a great opportunity,” Andrew said of being chosen as a Lockerbie Scholar. Being a scholar runs in the Dorrance family. Claire was a scholar during the 2012-13 academic year. Andrew credits his sister’s experience as his initial inspiration when applying to the program. When Andrew visited Claire at SU five years ago and met the host mother at the time, Judy O’Rourke, he eagerly asked her to put in a good word for him, said Judith Dorrance, Andrew’s mother. While in high school, though, Andrew
see dorrance page 6
remembrance week 2017
How Pan Am Flight 103 shook up professional fields By Mary Catalfamo asst. copy editor
As the deadliest terrorist attack on United States citizens before 9/11, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 shook up practices in professional fields including the airline security and public relations industries. The flight was carrying 259 people — including 35 Syracuse University students — from London before a bomb in the cargo hold exploded on Dec. 21, 1988. The terrorist attack killed all on board and 11 people on the ground. Activism by the parents and families of the victims was instrumental in influencing national security practices. In 1990, Con-
gress passed the Aviation Security Improvement Act lobbied by some of the victims’ families to strengthen airport security measures. William Banks, founding director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, said there was little security specifically devoted to airlines before the passage of the act. Air marshals would ride on flights with a suspected security risk, airline personnel would be screened and cargo would occasionally be inspected. These personnel and cargo security measures were increased as a result of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, with special attention from the U.S. aviation industry. However, Banks said, making
these practices effective required international cooperation. “Not every nation has uniform or excellent security,” he said. “With global travel, your airline security is only as strong as your weakest link.” Banks said countries agreed to implement screening procedures similar to ones in the U.S. He added many of the current practices were created in response to the Pan Am Flight 103 and 9/11 attacks. The incident also showed how the public relations field was underprepared in crisis management. Maria Russell, a public relations professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said spokespeople from Pan American World Airways and the U.S.
State Department lacked the training needed the handle the attack. In the wake of the bombing, Pan Am implemented a “buddy system” where each family was assigned a liaison for communication with the airline. The liaisons were unprepared and untrained for interaction with families who had lost loved ones, she said. “That ended up infuriating the families more than making the families appreciate the effort,” Russell said. Russell co-authored a book with three SU journalism professors on the news coverage of Pan Am Flight 103. In the book, she examined how organizations responded to the bombing. Of the public relations strategies Russell examined, she said the
spokespeople in Lockerbie were most prepared and professional. Briefings were held every morning and afternoon to disseminate information and keep the public up to date. It’s been said that one positive point of Pan Am Flight 103 was the involvement of Superintendent Angus Kennedy, a policeman from the Scottish city of Glasgow who acted as a police spokesperson and guided families through media interaction. “They were incredible in how they responded to the families, the media, with so much common sense,” Russell said. “Basically: How would you like to be treated if this were you?” mdcatalf@syr.edu @mrycatalfamo