The
365 foundation has raised $365,000 in
year
Eisner, a former SU student, died of cancer.
N • ‘Annie’s legacy’ Page 3
C • Music collaboration Behind the scenes of Syracuse University’s live music scene is a close-knit community that carefully plans each event.
By Delia Rangel asst. news editor
Nick Piato pays almost $1,000 a year to park where he works –Syracuse University.
Several university employees said they experience financial strain from the parking fee system SU has in place. Piato said SU’s parking lot rate system disproportionately impacts lowerwage employees, creating a disparity between the amount they make and what they spend to park on campus.
United Syracuse — a coalition of unionized university employees — is pushing for change to SU’s parking fee system. The group has collected petition signatures and pushed for meetings with university administrators to address the discrepancies.
Parking rates for SU employees are set according to a 14-tier system based on salary, with each tier encompassing a roughly-$5,000 range. This structure results in employees at the lower end of each salary tier paying a larger percentage of their total income than those who make higher salaries within the same tier.
“I tell people who work outside the university that I pay to park, and they’re amazed that I pay it at all,” Piato, who is
the program coordinator for the Studying an Environment that Nurtures SelfExploration in Students lab, said. “And then the fact that it’s such a high amount is really shocking to people.”
SU employees’ parking lot fees are set on a fixed rate within each salary tier. For example, an employee earning $25,000 would pay the same $350 fee as someone making $29,999. At a salary of $150,000 or above, the parking rate caps at $1,525, meaning an employee earning $150,000 pays the same as one earning $300,000.
United Syracuse members say SU’s parking fees have increased steadily since 2012.
In a statement sent to The Daily Orange Wednesday, a university spokesperson said the tier system ensures equitable parking based on position title, available space, work location and years of service, regardless of salary.
The parking revenue funds support SU facilities’ infrastructure, sustainability goals of reducing traffic congestion and efforts to reduce the overall amount of vehicles on campus, the spokesperson wrote.
“University employees are not charged a fee to come to work. Employees who elect to park on university property are required to pay a parking permit fee, which is common practice for employers with limited parking inventory, including
Crouse and Upstate Hospitals and the City of Syracuse,” the spokesperson wrote.
Other universities — including SUNY Oswego, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Cornell University — offer employee parking at a fixed rate. Oswego employees do not pay more than $120 annually for parking. Employees at SUNY ESF do not pay parking fees at all.
“For a university that is constantly preaching equity, this is the furthest thing from equity,” Piato said. “They want to talk about equity all the time until it comes to the budget, right?”
Margaret Butler, an interim operations specialist at SU, said United Syracuse began collecting petition signatures in Sept. 2023 to show Chancellor Kent Syverud the number of employees who feel the current parking fee system is unfair.
The petition resulted in a meeting between United Syracuse members and administrators, including Pete Sala, SU’s vice president and chief campus facilities officer, and Joseph Carfi, director of transportation services.
Piato said during this meeting, Sala told the union that Syverud views parking “not as a necessity, but as a service.”
“We live in Syracuse. It’s not like we’re in New York (City). Unless you live in Westcott, how are you going to get into the university,
S • Failed upset Page 16
Syracuse women’s basketball couldn’t pull off an upset against No. 11 Maryland, falling 84-73 in its third game of the season.
By Julia Boehning news editor
Syracuse University will transfer its human dynamics programs from David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics to other colleges by fall 2025, according to a Wednesday afternoon news release.
Effective July 1, 2025, SU will move all four human dynamics programs out of Falk. The Marriage and Family Therapy and Human Development and Family Science departments will merge into one program housed in SU’s College of Arts and Sciences. The public health program will move to the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the social work program will join the School of Education.
The change will not affect students graduating from these majors this semester or in spring 2025, the release states. SU will officially begin transferring students next July, with the intention of having them matriculated by the start of the fall semester.
“I know this has been a challenging time, and there are still many details that will need to be worked out in the coming months,” Falk Dean Jeremy Jordan wrote in a Wednesday afternoon college-wide email. “We will keep you informed as those details are finalized, and as we continue with this transition we ask for your patience and cooperation.”
SU transferred the departments based on compatible “academic synergies” between schools, according to the release. The change serves to “enhance the academic and community impact of these programs (and) grow enrollment,” among other goals.
In April, SU first announced its decision to drop “Human Dynamics” from Falk’s name, making it the first college at a Research-1 institution to solely focus its academics on sport. The announcement left faculty, staff and students in Falk’s human dynamics programs feeling uncertain, as SU’s initial communications did not clarify plans for the non-sport departments’ futures.
SU will transfer four human dynamics programs from Falk to other colleges by fall 2025.
SU established a task force dedicated to the future of human dynamics programs, announced in the initial April message. A separate group focused on “elevating” Falk’s sports management programs had already been in place since March 2023.
After hosting several town halls and gathering feedback on the changes to Falk, former Provost Gretchen Ritter assembled the Human Dynamics Task Force at the end of May. The 15-member task force — composed of SU administrators, human dynamics faculty and other community stakeholders — drafted a report of recommendations, which they submitted to the provost at the end of October, according to Wednesday’s release.
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The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.
NEWS
“When you get hired on, you don’t expect to be handed a bill at the same time.” - Matthew Moon, carpenter at SU Page 1
“I liked the idea of collaboration because it pulls all sorts of different demographics of people that maybe the music scene at SU doesn’t tap into.” - Ania Kapllani, SU senior Page 6
OPINION
“Instead of reinforcing a universal right to speak and protest freely, the Trump administration’s approach implies that only certain voices and perspectives would be protected.” - Sarhia Rahim, columnist Page 10
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WHERE: Pink Rock Culture Co-op how to
scribble
“We used to win games with 73 points, but you got to be able to stop somebody.” - Syracuse women’s basketball head coach Felisha Legette-Jack Page 16
Noteworthy events this week.
WHAT: Unraveling U.S. and Indigenous History
WHEN: Friday, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Bird Library, Scholarly Commons
WHAT: Campus Clothing Swap
WHEN: Friday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Hendricks Chapel, Noble Room
WHAT: Syracuse Run Club Mixer
WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m.
By Roxanne Boychuk asst. copy editor
Growing up, Annie Blair Eisner celebrated her Oct. 8 birthday for the whole month every year. She called it “Annietober,” which would later become the motto of a cancer foundation in her honor.
Annie, a former student in Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, died on Aug. 25, 2023, from Acute Myeloid Leukemia. During her cancer treatment, Annie received two bone marrow transplants. Today, the Annietober 365 Foundation continues celebrating Annie’s birthday through raising money for medical research.
Her parents, Jodi and Andrew Eisner, started the foundation to raise funds for cancer research and finding matches for bone marrow transplants. In the past year, they have organized cookie sales and transplant match swab drives, raising $365,000 toward cancer research organizations and bone marrow registries.
“(Jodi and Andrew) had been doing a lot of work all last year, but I think they just really wanted to do more. And then it was really the foundation, the nonprofit was really their next step … in keeping Annie’s legacy alive,” Maddie Brachfeld, an SU senior and Hill Communications’ Annietober account supervisor, said.
The foundation needs only five more swabs to reach its long-term goal of 4,400, Brachfeld said.
Annietober was officially founded this past August, though the Eisners first began fundraising through Annie’s Army — an organization that began facilitating swab drives at SU — shortly after Annie’s death.
Brachfeld said they get approximately 100 swabs per drive and are planning to hold up to four drives within the next week. During the drives, they ask volunteers to swab their cheeks for testing to see if they match with a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant. Brachfeld
said they have already found 20 matches just from Annie’s Army alone.
Before her diagnosis, Annie would fundraise and participate in cookie sales for cancer, Gabby Izversky, a senior studying business and communications at SU, said. Izversky met Annie in kindergarten and the two remained friends through college.
Izversky said the foundation aims to continue the work that Annie did throughout her life and share her passion with the SU campus community.
The foundation held drives at 20 different colleges over the month of October, largely through the help of Annie’s sorority, Sigma Delta Tau. Through their work, the foundation found a match that led to a bone marrow transplant, Izversky said.
Izversky said she attributes the foundation’s success to the Eisners’ focus on broader on-campus outreach, rather than targeting individuals.
“They’re really, really making sure that everyone understands the mission and (that) what they’re doing is actually going towards something super important,” Izversky said.
Olivia Dublin, an SU senior who first met Annie at Camp Lokanda, called getting involved with Annietober a “no-brainer” — saying she wants to carry on Annie’s legacy of kindness.
She said that, along with the technical fundraising work, the foundation also urges people to appreciate each day as Annie did during her birthday month. Through bone marrow matches and transplants, Dublin said the foundation hopes to give patients another day to celebrate alongside their birthday — their transplant date.
Dublin said she first heard about the foundation from Annie’s mother, Jodi — one of her close friends. One day, when Dublin was at the Eisners’ house, she was brought to tears as Jodi described Annietober to her.
Dublin said her involvement with the foundation, as well as the involvement of others, is done out of love for Annie and the way she moved people.
“Knowing Annie since 2012, (she’s) just a ray of sunshine, very sparkly, every room she walked into, she was always smiling,” Dublin said. “She always made sure to put a smile on everybody’s faces, and that’s something that I continue to do in her memory.”
To celebrate her 22nd birthday, Annietober hosted a “birthday party” tabling event on Oct. 8 in the Schine Student Center. The foundation handed out cupcakes while hosting a swab drive. Brachfeld said, beyond Annie’s birthday month, the foundation hopes to continue its work. Within the next year, it hopes to double its swab count to 8,800.
Jodi wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange that they are trying to expand their reach and connections to grow faster than they did last year, and they ideally hope to reach their new goal in less than a year.
“She loved celebrating her birthday, and she loved life and she was just like this ball of sunshine and rainbows and unicorns,” Brachfeld said. “Everybody who knows her really misses her. And I just want to do everything I can (to help) until I graduate.”
rmboychu@syr.edu
@Roxanne_Boychuk
By Dylan van Breda staff writer
Syracuse Graduate Employees United members gathered in Maxwell Auditorium Wednesday evening to collect feedback on its first contract with Syracuse University, which it ratified in late March. Attendees were generally supportive of the terms during the forum but said that it is only the first step in its efforts to support graduate student workers.
During the meeting, union leaders described the history of SGEU’s negotiations and reviewed some of its agreements — including wage increases, healthcare benefits and union contract security. They then opened the floor to an audience Q&A and feedback session.
“It was finding a balance in negotiation of how much we can get and how much we’re willing to back off on those things for now and get them next time,” Bridget Mack, a fourth-year PhD candidate and union chair member, said. “A good first contract not only lifts everyone up, but it also lays the groundwork for future growth in the union and with our contracting.”
The agreement was approved by a vote of 92% on March 26, which came after over two years of organizing and bargaining. The contract raises the minimum wage for graduate student employees from $18,000 a year to $28,000, with the median wage rising by 24%.
Employees are also granted a more flexible schedule, better preventive dental coverage and a work limit of 20 hours a week, among other benefits.
Following SGEU’s contract ratification, several other on-campus workers also made steps toward unionization. Hourly food service, library, facilities and maintenance workers unionized under Service Employees International Union Local 200United reached their own contract agreement this September. An organizer with SEIU told The Daily Orange in April that SGEU’s efforts motivated other groups to form unions.
Joseph Beckman, a former member of SGEU’s bargaining committee who attended the forum, described how graduate students were struggling on the wage SU provided prior to the agreement. He said many of his colleagues have families whom they were unable to support, making only $25,000 a year. Even
without these extra expenses, Beckman said he could “barely get by” on his wage before the new contract.
Beckman said non-unionized graduate student workers who benefit from the agreement should acknowledge the union’s role in improving working conditions and urged them to consider joining.
“That doesn’t just fall out of the sky,” Beckman said. “That’s something that happens because, on the last day of bargaining, 200 people showed up and paraded outside of the office … it had the university representatives shaking in their boots.”
Despite these successes, Beckman said he still finds some of SU’s attitudes toward gradu-
ate students problematic. As a PhD student himself, he said that he believes SU continues to favor graduate workers pursuing doctorate degrees while it views masters students as “borderline worthless.”
During SGEU’s contract negotiations, university legal representation wanted to establish separate terms for master’s and PhD graduate student workers. Despite these efforts, the contract agreement gives both the same minimum wage and benefits, Beckman said.
During the meeting, graduate students also brought up concerns regarding receiving adequate recognition for their work as teaching assistants — bringing up the fact that
the MySlice student portal does not list TAs’ names like it does for instructors.
Attendees also mentioned the expenses international student TAs face when paying for translators, which can cost about $400.
Mack said that, while graduate student workers will reap the benefits of the contract regardless of their union affiliation, he believes joining SGEU gives them a community that will continue to “go to bat” for them when engaging with the university.
“We run this campus,” Mack said. “(Classes) wouldn’t get taught, research wouldn’t get done. At the end of the day, it’s our strong workforce that does that.”
By Henry Daley asst. copy editor
Syracuse University’s Center of Excellence held its November Research & Technology Forum Wednesday afternoon, discussing efforts to implement drone-based techniques as an affordable solution for energy-saving in New York state.
The forum is designed to highlight research that helps buildings in New York adhere to the standards of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, according to the event’s website. Approximately 80% of residential and commercial buildings were constructed before the existence of modern energy codes.
SUNY ESF professors Shayan Mirzabeigi and Paul Crovella were featured as the event’s keynote speakers. Both discussed the initial modeling for the drone-based techniques, which allow researchers to analyze the buildings’ integrity and emissions, Mirzabeigi said.
“There is significant need for (low-income and disadvantaged communities) to improve the housing quality, to improve the energy efficiency in these buildings, so these techniques help to address both challenges,” Mirzabeigi said.
Mirzabeigi described the BEST Lab, a research group and testbed for CoE on SU’s South Campus, as his first “case study” using these drone techniques. The structure is a single-family residential building that was converted into a laboratory — used to assess the design and implementation of building controls, energy supply and demand systems.
especially in the winter? It snows buckets here,” Piato said. “To me, that was very telling.”
Sala and Carfi agreed to build shelters above shuttle stops for employees who park at the Raynor Avenue Lot on West Campus, which Piato said have not yet been completed.
Butler said the union gave a presentation to USen that outlined the disparities in parking rates and showed the percentages of their own salaries that go to parking.
“We just wanted somebody to look at it and say, ‘Yes, there has to be a better way.’ So that’s why we did the research, to see how other people were doing it, to see if there was something that was a little bit fair, that maybe we could emulate,” Butler said.
The parking fees also impact employees’ raises – even negating raise amounts, Butler said. She said staff typically receive a 2% raise every year. If an employee making $59,999 gets a 2% raise, their salary increases to $60,399. Their parking fee then jumps from $750 to $900, as they move into the next salary tier, according to SU’s Employee Lot Criteria Information page.
Matthew Moon, a carpenter at SU, said maintenance workers like himself have to pay extra to park in campus garages because of the equipment they carry, which comes at a higher fee because of garages’ proximity to campus. He said maintenance workers’ early morning work hours also force them to use the garages because they’re the safest choice.
The CoE has tested two types of drone networks at the BEST lab: one with a rectangular flight path for when a high resolution of data analysis is needed, and one with an elliptical flight path that captures data faster, Mirzabeigi said.
Jensen Zhang, an SU professor and the executive director for the CoE in Environmental and Energy Systems, said he hopes the forum encourages people to think about ways to improve and build on Mirzabeigi’s concept.
“There’s still many challenges,” Zhang said. “(We want to) motivate people to think about his idea, improve his technology, make it more accurate and cheaper to use or potentially even get someone to take the idea for new products.”
While drones are a generally viable method of analyzing buildings, Mirzabeigi said there are challenges associated with these systems, such as their reliability and vulnerability to weather. Other concerns include existing government regulations on drone usage.
While the CoE and Mirzabeigi are still working on ways to remedy these concerns, he said that he’s confident in the technology and the data it will collect toward reducing emissions.
Alex Dietrich, an associate vice president in SU’s Human Resources department, said she decided to attend the forum because she heard about the CoE in a newsletter sent from her colleague. Dietrich said she was so interested in the event that she showed up early to introduce herself to CoE leaders and receive a tour of the facility.
Dietrich said she believes some of CoE’s innovations exemplify the importance of research on topics like drone networks. The building’s features include solar panels, a green roof with
Parking garage permit rates cost employees $200 more than outdoor parking rates, according to SU Parking and Transportation Services.
“Being in facilities, I have to service these buildings and have a parking pass that gets me everywhere on campus, but we’re still limited with a proximity to certain buildings and where we can actually park,” Moon said. “We have to haul our materials and tools to and from locations. The parking and access on campus is dwindling.”
Piato said employees, including himself, have asked for fee waivers in extenuating circumstances and been denied. In the union’s presentation, which The D.O. obtained, union members shared anonymous testimonies describing their claims of financial strain as SU employees.
“One faculty (member) had appendicitis and had serious trouble walking to campus from her home and requested, if a 2-week pass was possible, to accommodate her health issue. This request was denied,” the United Syracuse presentation claimed.
Moving forward, the union’s hope is to hold consistent meetings with the university to continue expressing their concerns and revise the parking fee system, Piato said.
While students might not be aware of employee parking fees, Piato said it impacts the student experience in ways they may not even notice, like professors arriving late to class because they park far from campus.
plants to collect water and heating and cooling systems that have earned the building a LEED certification — the most widely-recognized green building rating system.
Zhang said that he hopes the forum encourages more collaboration between the tech industry and academic faculty from SU and SUNY ESF. He said both industry profession-
als and academics were well-represented in the audience.
“Everybody’s talking about Micron. Micron is important, but there are other industries on the cusp of the next big thing and I think that might actually be happening here right in this building,” Dietrich said.
hdaley@syr.edu
Moon said the parking fee is just another bill employees incur from working at the university, like health insurance payments.
“It’s a constant question in employee’s minds. At the end of the day, is it worth working here? Especially for new employees, they really have to take a look,” Moon said. “When you get hired on, you don’t expect to be handed a bill at the same time.”
dsrangel@syr.edu
The decision to move Marriage and Family Therapy, Human Development and Family Science, Public Health and Social Work was “informed in large part” by the task force’s recommendations, according to Wednesday’s release.
Prior to the university’s campus-wide announcement, the deans of each SU college affected — including Arts and Sciences Dean Behzad Mortazavi, Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke and School of Ed Dean Kelly Chandler-Olcott — issued a school-wide email to their respective student bodies about the decision.
In Mortazavi’s message, the dean welcomed students of the Human Development and Family Science program, which is the new combination of Marriage and Family Therapy and Human Development and Family Science. He said he believes Arts and Sciences’ interdisciplinary focus best suits the new department.
Van Slyke and Chandler-Olcott’s messages echoed Mortazavi’s tone. Both said they look forward to welcoming the new students into their schools and highlighting how their respective schools will accommodate the newly-added departments. jmboehni@syr.edu @juliaboehning
SU students collectively manage the campus music scene, collaborating on organizing and scheduling shows
By Irene Lekakis asst. culture editor
On Thursday nights, Syracuse University students pool outside of the Cage, swaying to electronic dance music and forgetting the worries of the week. Most Fridays, students file out of their dorm rooms and onto Euclid Avenue, headed toward the house with the red torii gate that’s playing live music.
On Saturdays, Crater entertains students with alternative and rock bands. Of course, Sage Haus and Thornden Underground are part of the rotation adding their musical vibe, too.
The paced-out schedule of these shows is no coincidence. These student-run music venues are connected through more than just a shared love of the arts.
“It’s one big community of friends,” Troy Connor, a junior and member of the Cage Collective, said. “We all know each other.”
Last summer, Romy VanAlmen and Anjali Engstrom made a shared Google document with all the other students who run house show venues at SU. The Bandier Program students had seen their upperclassmen friends organize joint schedules when they led the venues.
Now, running their own venue as juniors, the two wanted to continue the tradition.
Each house venue adds their planned shows for the year to the document to prevent overbooking artists, and so that students don’t have to choose between similar shows. Shows that do overlap are usually intentional, as they cater to different audiences.
“We see this great diverse scene for what it is and we pick our favorite bits of it,” Oliver McKay, a Bandier junior and member of Crater, said.
In his freshman year, Connor said he met many Dazed members on his floor in Brockway Hall. This proximity quickly turned into friendship. When the groups realized they would both be running venues in their junior year, it only seemed natural to work together.
By Kelly Matlock senior staff writer
Before he became a New York Times featured author, George Saunders worked as a knuckle puller at a slaughterhouse and a groundsman at an apartment complex. With an unglamorous past, “less than no money” and a 1966 pickup truck to sleep in, Saunders was selected
for the Syracuse University MFA in creative writing.
“They literally lifted me out of that (life), put me among people who were wiser and better read than I was,” Saunders said. “Suddenly, you feel those changes start to work in your mind and your body. You get this whole life that you literally couldn’t have had. It’s a miracle, really.”
Saunders received his MFA from SU’s creative writing program in 1988 and has become its most notable alumnus, with honors such as winning the Booker Prize in 2017 and appearing on the 2013 TIME 100. He now teaches at SU, and in July 2024, The New York
By Julia Pryor asst. culture editor
If you walk a few minutes outside of Syracuse University’s campus on a weekend afternoon, you’ll find a big white house on Madison Street with racks of clothes in the front yard. Cars line each side of the street and groups of people thumb through clothes before leaving with a bag of new additions to their closet.
“It’s a really cool feeling to give someone a new option of fashion,” Andrew Rainbow, coowner of The Yard, said. “Instead of spending $100 on a new denim jacket, people can shop here and express themselves or experiment with their style.”
It spiraled into, ‘Oh, I like old hats, well now I want an old sweatshirt to go with my old hat.’ And then I was like, ‘I kind of want an old coat to go over the sweatshirt.’ And then it snowballed into, ‘Oh, man, I have four closets worth of clothes.’
Andrew
Syracuse natives Rainbow and Steve Davis opened The Yard, a pop-up vintage business, in August 2022. Almost every weekend since then from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the duo has set up shop in Rainbow’s front yard. With countless racks of vintage SU gear, sports jerseys, pop culture t-shirts and
tables of hats and other accessories, The Yard attracts crowds of Syracuse locals and students alike.
Davis met up with Rainbow when he bought a few items from his table at a flea market near Destiny USA Mall. The two bonded over a shared love of vintage clothing and Rainbow invited him to set up at The Yard.
Though The Yard’s offerings rotate every weekend, the duo’s personal vintage item collections are years in the making. Davis began
collecting retro Nintendo 64 video games as a child, while Rainbow followed in his father’s footsteps, collecting vintage Philadelphia Eagles snapbacks. As the two grew older, their collections inspired a love of all things vintage.
“It spiraled into, ‘Oh, I like old hats, well now I want an old sweatshirt to go with my old hat,’” Rainbow said. “And then I was like, ‘I kind of want an old coat to go over the sweatshirt.’ And then it snowballed into ‘Oh, man, I have four closets worth of clothes.”
Once Rainbow and Davis’ collections grew large enough, they teamed up to sell items. Rainbow described the collecting and selling process as a “sickness.” As he collected more pieces and made bigger sales, it sparked a desire to throw himself further into the business.
The Yard reaches a wide range of people because it’s within walking distance of both residential and college neighborhoods.Davis said students living in the University Neighborhood
By Eliana Rosen staff writer
When Syracuse University sophomore and caricature collector Lupe Rosas, found out a caricaturist was coming to campus, she immediately texted junior Gabriela Peniston “we HAVE to go.” After receiving their cartoon, the two laughed as they examined it.
“It literally looks exactly like us,” Rosas said. “It’s actually insane. They’re very talented artists.”
SU hosted the two caricaturists from Blue Apple Productions in the Schine Student Center on Wednesday. The event was part of SU’s “Let’s Be Engaged” program, which supplements “Orange After Dark” by creating compelling daytime events.
A continuous line formed for the duration of the event as attendees waited their turn to be cartoonified. The artists skillfully drew the subjects in less than five minutes. For two hours, over 40 students received free caricatures of themselves or with their friends. When the event ended at 3 p.m., the people still in line were turned away as the artists packed up.
Caricature artist Michael Carter said he was excited to see so many students eager to receive one of his drawings. He wore a feathered fedora and a wide grin as he drew the students.
“I really have a job like no one else,” Carter said. “Having a line of students waiting really feeds my ego.” Carter acknowledged that his career is somewhat unconventional; he began doing caricatures as a high school student when a teacher noticed his in-class doodles and asked him to participate in a school event. He said he wants SU students to see him as an example of a successful artist.
“I hope to encourage students to start their own business and to be entrepreneurial,” Carter said. “I want to show them a career like this can be successful.”
Lily Wegerski, Student Engagement’s events and activities coordinator, helped plan the event and said she hoped it would provide students with a positive souvenir and a fun midday break from their schedule.
“College is all about work-life balance,” Wegerski said. “The caricaturist is a great way to provide entertainment to students and create memories, because you’ll leave with a little piece of art of you.”
At Schine, many students stopped doing their work to get in line. They said the event was a welcome break, especially during an otherwise stressful time of the year as the semester begins to wrap up. Peniston said she was grateful to do something outside of her normal daily routine when she’s been so overloaded by classes.
Many students were impressed with the accuracy of their drawings. Senior Olivia Sauda said she had the event in her calendar since the beginning of the semester. She was very happy with her caricature and enjoyed the process, impressed by the ease and speed with which the artists completed their work.
“The attention to detail is crazy,” Sauda said. “The necklaces, the eyebrow slit, he got everything right.”
Others were shocked by the final product and said it leaned into the exaggerated nature of caricatures. Freshman Alexia Landry has pin-straight hair and a selfdescribed “larger than normal forehead” but was caught by surprise when she saw the artist’s depiction of her.
“I think I was done a little dirty but it’s OK,” Landry said. “The caricature made my forehead much larger than it is in real life. My head takes up half the page.”
Carter said he appreciates when subjects have a sense of humor and understand that being made fun of is part of caricature art.
The artists talked with students as they sketched, getting to know the subjects and drawing more accurate pictures. Students laughed with the caricaturists for the entire duration of their turn.
Carter said the conversations get students to smile and act naturally, making the drawings easier and more true to the subjects.
“You get to talk to these people and learn a little bit more about them,” Peniston said. “And now I get a whole different perspective of myself because I know how they see me.” ehrosen@syr.edu
By Sarah Wells humor columnist
If you’re anything like me, then you instantly decided to delete Instagram the moment the official 2024 election results were announced last Wednesday. Mostly, in the hopes of isolating yourself from the aggressive slew of American flag and bald eagle emojis.
Once again, if you’re anything like me, you sat in silence all of last Wednesday, staring at the wall. Completely still, might I add, aside from the occasional eye twitch. It was a weird day. But it makes sense. It’s been a weird couple of years.
After last Wednesday, it’s hard to have a lot of hope. Especially as a woman, I feel angry. I want to scream all of the time. One time, I actually did, but after, DPS told me that I was scaring people.
Quite frankly, I’m sick of talking about the election. I’m sick of asking, “How could this happen?” when I know the answer. And no, the answer is not the “Wonka” movie. I have
able place,” Josh Chun, another member of Cage Collective, said.
Dazed member, and Chun are both classically trained musicians.
Fireside Collective
Join folk-blues quartet Fireside Collective Thursday for a performance at Middle Ages Brewing Company. The seven-year-old group, whose members include Joe Cicero, Jesse Iaquinto, Tommy Maher and Carson White, hails from Asheville, North Carolina. The band experiments with various genres inspired by the musical traditions of its southern roots and is known for songs like “Blue is My Condition” and “Movin’ on Down That Line.” Doors open at 7 p.m.
WHEN: Thursday from 8-10 p.m.
WHERE: Middle Ages Brewing Company PRICE: $22.08
Dunkle and Between Friends
Ilan Rekem, a sophomore, added his own energy to the music scene when he created The Shipyard, one of the only venues on South Campus. While visiting his brother in Boston at Berklee College of Music, Rekem saw intimate, laid-back music venues. He wanted to emulate this on SU’s campus, so he started The Shipyard as a space for people who struggle with anxiety or want a change of pace.
Rekem plans to work with Crater after seeing a crater-like mountain on South Campus. He wants to create a mix of calm music with some of Crater’s signature sounds to complete the night.
Recently, the venue owners have been relying on each other more than ever, as police have shut down some shows.
When police shut down a Dazed show one night because of what house members speculated were neighborhood complaints, Keith Kuss agreed to continue the show at Thornden Underground. From that night alone, Kuss amassed 500 new Instagram followers.
“We all try to promote each other and help each other out,” Samara Vachani, a member of Dazed, said. “They post, repost our parties, we repost theirs.”
This momentum allowed Thornden Underground to host more annual shows like Rave at the Rocks. The rave, a major show they’ve done for the past two years and hope to continue, takes place on South Campus. Connor helps Kuss set up for the event and the two share equipment.
Venues still take preventative measures to ensure students’ safety above all else.
“We want to create a community that everyone comes back to and knows it’s a safe but enjoy-
Being careful to respect neighbors is also important for the student venue owners. McKay and Powers decided to bake for their neighbors before one of their shows.
“It was just a preemptive ‘Sorry, this could be kind of loud,’ kind of thing,” McKay said.
Connor and Chun slipped notes under their housemates’ doors to let them know about their upcoming Halloween show.
One senior, Ania Kapllani, has hosted a joint event called Spook Jam with other venues for the past two years. Though she originally hosted it at Westcott Theater, Kapllani turned to the student venues for partnerships because they were more accessible and less costly, she said.
Last year, she partnered with the Cage. This year, she worked with Crater and Sigma Alpha Mu. Kapllani knew Crater members from their work with Saint Luke and GUNK!, who she manages.
“I liked the idea of collaboration because it pulls all sorts of different demographics of people that maybe the music scene at SU doesn’t tap into,” Kapllani said.
Kapllani worked to ensure all aspects of Spook Jam ran smoothly. Balancing managing musicians, performing with GUNK! and putting on her own shows takes significant organizing and advance planning, she said.
As most venue owners are musicians themselves, they can relate.
McKay and Powers are both in a band called The Local News, like Engstrom, who’s in the band Luna and the Carpets which has performed at Dazed. Samara Vachani, a member of Dazed, DJs at the Cage, while Kuss DJs under the LATEX brand. Kieran Romano, another
The musicians said their talents help them run their venues. When he does soundchecks before shows, Romano is better equipped to tell what sounds good and what doesn’t.
“Being a musician and having a vision, it never comes out exactly how you expect it to,” Kuss said. “That’s the same for an event, you always got to be ready to change it up on the fly.”
Beyond getting performers from other venues, the venues also have a pull for musicians from outside Syracuse. Buff Chick, a 2022 SU graduate, performed at this year’s Spook Jam. The previous owners of Dazed, then known as Redgate, hosted DJ Lucas and Laundry Day to perform.
Thornden Underground, which tries to emulate a New York City club scene, likes to book musicians from that region. They’ve reached out to musicians who performed at Trans-Pecos in Brooklyn, specifically.
The outside influences on the music scene at SU show the venues’ reach and solidifies their legitimacy, Kapllani said.
As the music scene continues to evolve, with new venues coming in and old ones retiring, student owners continue to work together and bond over the tensions of running a venue.
Knowing anything could go wrong in an instant, but holding it all together, brings everyone together and creates a community, Rekem said.
“The students run the music scene. There’s no outside power, nobody has a hand in this but us,” Kapllani said. “We cultivate this and create this.” iclekaki@syr.edu
Celebrate the launch of WERW radio station this Saturday in the Schine Student Center Underground. WERW is Syracuse University’s student-run independent internet radio station. Enjoy a night of live music and dancing with opening performances by indie folk singer and SU student Nancy Dunkle, and indie duo Between Friends. The event is in collaboration with Orange After Dark. Free merchandise will be handed out to those who arrive early. A ticket and valid SUID are required to attend.s will be allowed at the event.
WHEN: Saturday from 8-10:30 p.m.
WHERE: Schine Student Center, The Underground PRICE: $5
Drew Baldridge
Drew Baldridge is performing this Sunday at The Song & Dance. The Illinois-born country singer started creating music in 2013, and his career has grown since. He released his viral track “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” in 2019, amassing over 29 million streams on Spotify. He has shared the stage with artists like Luke Bryan and Eric Church. Baldridge’s performance will include musical appearances by Tori Martin and Dylan Wolfe.
WHEN: Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
WHERE: The Song & Dance PRICE: $26.44
Funk ‘n Waffles will host free performances by Tim Herron and Charley Orlando this Sunday. Herron, an upstate New York rock and roll artist, is notable for blending a range of genres, from folk to jazz. Grammynominated, New York-born folk artist Orlando fuses heartfelt lyrics with blues and rock sounds. Doors open at 5 p.m.
WHEN: Sunday from 6-8 p.m.
PRICE: Funk ‘n Waffles
PRICE: Free
Attend a solo, acoustic performance by singer Mikaela Davis on Wednesday at Center for the Arts of Homer. Based in Hudson Valley, New York, Davis released her debut album “Delivery” in 2018 and is inspired by ‘60s pop melodies and folk rock sounds. This event is open to all ages. Doors open at 7 p.m.
WHEN: Wednesday at 8 p.m..
PRICE: Center for the Arts of Homer
PRICE: $17.51 to $28.33
pus.
Luckily, she lived in Haven Hall her freshman year, which was a short walk from The Yard.
“When we do the application reading, it’s hard to say what you’re looking for, but you know when you see it. It’s right there in your face, and it’s a person talking to you,” Saunders said. “I think they saw something like that. And so on the basis of that, they took a chance on me.”
When Saunders started the program, he did not know how to channel his skills. SU helped him develop proper writing habits and learn how to revise a story over months of close work.
“(They said) ‘Well, yeah, you’ve got some interesting experiences in your life,’” Saunders said. “Even though I was maybe a little bit embarrassed about those experiences, working at a slaughterhouse or whatever.”
A distinguishing characteristic of the SU creative writing MFA program is the support it offers its students. It provides students with a stipend to allow them to spend their time focused entirely on their work, instead of charging tuition.
Dee previously taught at Columbia University, New York University and Brooklyn College, but stays at SU because of its supportive, collegial atmosphere. He finds it gratifying to help students improve their art.
“Just worrying about, ‘How good could I become at this if I really gave it my all and devoted myself wholly to my art?’ – which is pretty hard to do when you’re living in the real world,” Dee said.
Molly Gorevan is a third-year MFA student in Saunders’ workshop class. She described the program and its stipend as a dream because she could spend three years focusing on writing a novel.
In return for the lack of tuition, students teach undergraduate classes at SU. With the new undergraduate creative writing major that began in 2021, MFA students can now teach classes in the English and textual studies, writing and rhetoric and creative writing departments.
Gorevan was a high school English teacher and enjoys teaching undergraduate classes as a
MFA student. She said the classrooms are locations for “pure” discovery.
“I love fiction, and I find it so mysterious,” Gorevan said. “None of us really understand why a story is so moving. It’s beautiful to get together and try to figure it out for each person’s weird story that’s sort of weird in the same way that each of us are weird.”
Gorevan said she came to SU pretending to be a “capital W” writer but, through the program, has learned how to write authentically. Now, with the guidance of faculty like Saunders, she brings all she has to offer “as a human being and writer” to her work.
“He challenges people, and he kind of shakes them up to be their best, right?” Gorevan said. “He takes what he knows about writing and he offers it to us, and then we can take it or leave it. But I don’t know who would leave it.”
Saunders tells his students they should always feel like they aren’t a “real” writer because it forces them to push themselves. His writing method reflects his philosophy, and he considers it a form of meditation. He reads the words he wrote the day before and tries to just perceive and react to the words, rather than have conceptual thoughts about them.
Today, Saunders and his family live in California, but he returns to Syracuse multiple times each fall semester to teach the thirdyear workshop. He is always working on a new project but finds time to help his students whenever possible.
In October, Saunders met with all the MFA students and told them to email him personally if they had questions about anything. After he left, Dee made sure to tell the students that Saunders wasn’t offering to help them just as a nice gesture, but because he really wants to.
“If you contact him, he will answer,” Dee said. “He’s very generous with his time and with his expertise, and very supportive to young writers who were going through the same struggles that he still remembers going through.”
kamatloc@syr.edu
were the shop’s first customers, buying vintage SU jerseys to wear to games. In recent months, other members of the community— from neighbors to the mail carrier to delivery drivers— have browsed the shop’s racks too.
Because of its proximity to SU, The Yard partners with student organizations, including philanthropies, sports teams and Greek life. Last spring, the shop sold at Walnutpalooza, an annual studentrun music festival, and the Fashion and Design Society’s Fashion Expo. Davis said these events gave The Yard more exposure to SU students than ever before.
When SU junior Bella Tabak tabled with University Girl at the Fashion Expo, she was already familiar with The Yard. Passionate about sustainable fashion, Tabak knew she wanted to scope out Syracuse’s thrift stores as soon as she got to cam-
“I remember grabbing my friends and being like, ‘It’s literally less than a 10-minute walk, we have to go,’” Tabak said.
Since then, Tabak returned to The Yard with her friends to shop for everything from gameday apparel to going-out tops. So far, she’s picked up a vintage SU athletics t-shirt from the ‘70s, a vintage Nike sweatshirt and a Hannah Montana baby tee, which she said are some of her favorite pieces in her closet.
With the success of The Yard off-campus, Rainbow and Davis hope to expand the business onto SU’s campus with a storefront in the future.
“The students have shown us so much love just hanging out in our front yard,” Rainbow said. “And we want to show love back and be a part of the university community.”
jepryor@syr.edu
an entire conspiracy theory about Wonka’s relationship to the election that’s already been disproven by numerous Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs professors. Let’s just say, Oompa Loompas are not an actual marginalized community and are apparently fictional.
You might ask, “Well, Sarah, how have you coped with this last week of absolute misery?” Like I said, screaming helps. Just not in public, apparently. A few other things helped me blow off steam and make the world feel a little less hopeless.
If you need to vent but don’t feel like having a political conversation, I strongly recommend confiding your feelings in a furry friend. A dog, a cat, a guinea pig, a bunny — really any kind of pet works.
Unfortunately, my landlord doesn’t allow pets, so I go to my local cat cafes and tell them all about my stances on reproductive rights. They usually listen as long as I’m holding a treat. One cat didn’t seem to agree with me on some issues, but he was respectful about it, so that was okay. I think he was a libertarian.
Another way I’ve been coping is affirmations. Just for you guys, I’m gonna give you my top five, most special affirmations that I’ve been working with this past week:
1. Everything is okay.
2. The world is most definitely not going to end.
3. Having anxiety about this issue will not change the outcome.
4. I refuse to be anxious about things I cannot control.
5. AHHHHHHH THE WORLD IS LITERALLY MELTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT AND WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!
That last one is reserved for the especially frustrating days.
The fact that I have to write a column about this is, not going to lie, hurting my heart a little bit. I was hoping to see headlines about a
woman president, and now I’m writing about talking policy to cats.
If you’re reading this and you feel the same way I do, I urge you to please laugh. If not at my column, that’s okay. I’ve been told my humor can be “an acquired taste” by many. Either way, take time to find the good things in life rather than hyperfixating on the bad. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize that, holy crap, there is a lot of bad in the world. Try to smile about the things that bring you joy instead of this often horrible world we live in. If you can’t, you and I can go to the cat cafe together and show them what we’re made of.
sswells@syr.edu
By Vale Martinez columnist
In the aftermath of an overwhelming election, it’s easy to fall into despair –– but action is the best antidote. Our power lies in the strength of collective action, which means leveraging privilege and advocating for the politically vulnerable, challenging policies that harm our communities and supporting movements that uplift the voices of those most affected.
When there’s academic apartheid (racialized school systems that exacerbate disparities and perpetuate poverty) and we overexploit communities in a late-stage capitalist status quo, when wealth is kept by the rich and doesn’t trickle down; when we live under the false promise of American meritocracy, people — especially BIPOC communities — are kept in survival mode. Stuck in a cycle of economic and political despair, these communities are often deprived of the privilege of education. Americans must devote more time to think critically about our systems and question the structures that hold us back. Many who feel immense despair following the recent election results must know that this is the path forward.
We’ve been conditioned to disregard basic human empathy, upholding an individualistic “American Dream” that pits people against each other and distracts us from collective action. Sociologists have long documented “The Myth” of meritocracy — the idea that individual effort determines success rather than systemic inequities.
It’s a belief that keeps us blaming ourselves for failures that are, in reality, designed symptoms of inequality. It’s easy to turn a blind eye to marginalizing systems, even when they do affect you, but fighting back through acts of community solidarity and strengthening systems of support is the radi-
cal empathy that our government has never shown us.
So, here we are. Donald Trump has overwhelmingly won the presidential election and an “unexpected” red wave claimed the House and Senate, allowing unchecked authoritarianism to possibly take hold. It’s tempting to think racism and hate alone won the election. But that view, though somewhat true considering when Hillary Clinton went against Trump in 2016 she at least won the popular vote, misses the systemic issues at play, absolving those very systems of the accountability they deserve. Racism in economic and educational inequality and the myth of meritocracy aren’t just individual problems; they’re woven into the fabric of American society.
The Trump administration has promised to revive many of the policies we saw in his previous term, including mass deportations and civil rights crackdowns. Such policies would devastate communities like mine in Laredo, Texas, disrupt safe havens like Syracuse, home to tens of thousands of refugees and harm millions of undocumented people across the country.
Families will be torn apart and privacy will become even more precarious for undocumented communities. That’s why now, more than ever, we must commit to protecting each other and respecting the privacy of undocumented people. Refusing to cooperate with authorities who seek to surveil, detain or deport members of our communities is crucial to the cause as well as co-creating inclusive opportunities for work and experience. Such opportunities could include fellowships that don’t require social security numbers, work permits or immigration statuses to pay the labor, skills and services of the undocumented/migrant community.
It’s important to note that anti-immigrant rhetoric is baseless, considering undocumented immigrants paid almost $100 billion in taxes while being shut out of programs they’re paying
for such as social security. This is a higher tax rate paid in comparison to the top 1% of the income scale which epitomizes the true issue at hand: our democracy has shifted into an oligarchy. Right after Trump was confirmed into office, the world’s 10 wealthiest people got a record $64 billion richer, with Elon Musk, who has recently been appointed into Trump’s administration, leading the list. Such trends epitomize the priorities of the next presidential term: making the rich richer.
If a system aims to strip communities of their resources and education, then we must actively resist by building our own or supporting those who already have begun grassroots work. In moments like these, mutual aid becomes essential. It’s not a new concept — mutual aid has long been practiced by marginalized communities, particularly Black and Indigenous groups who have historically had to fend for themselves. By providing food, healthcare, shelter and emotional support, these networks create the solidarity we need to endure and thrive.
We must be holistic in our justice and truly emphasize the intersectionality of social and environmental issues and actively resist the white feminist agenda that often fails to include BIPOC experiences, which are usually more violent and simultaneously silenced.
On college campuses and in our communities, we can form and support mutual aid networks. Here in Syracuse, local organizations like Syracuse Cultural Workers, Syracuse Peace Council, Syracuse DSA, La Casita and more detailed in CNY Solidarity Coalition, are great first steps to volunteer, contribute and stay involved in grassroots movements. Mutual aid emphasizes a community-first approach, rejecting the notion that help should only come from formal institutions or through competition for limited resources.
As Angela Davis said, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world,
Stephanie Wright EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
flynn ledoux illustration editor
And you have to do it all the time.” Organizing can often lead to burnout if done alone and without support, so push for your student organizations to volunteer with some of these grassroots; we’re not helpless if we have each other.
For young people everywhere, organizing mutual aid on college campuses is powerful. Resisting oppression unconditionally requires a range of actions; ensuring that everyone can contribute regardless of their skills. Even if you aren’t immediately successful, building a strong community of people with shared interests is meaningful and rewarding in practice. Whatever you do, don’t choose inaction — that’s what allows fascism to thrive.
On campus, get involved with student associations, multicultural centers and advocacy groups. Syracuse University, like many institutions, has spaces dedicated to supporting students of color and LGBTQ+ communities. By showing up for each other and listening in these spaces, we’re building the cultural competency and empathic understanding that encourage us to take steps toward an equitable future.
This is a critical moment. If we accept the imposed reality, we allow the racially inequitable system to continue. But if we choose action over apathy, compassion over division and collective well-being over individualism, we can build a future that serves us all. Let’s turn despair into action, frustration into solidarity and grief into resilience. We’re not doomed if we commit to taking care of each other through solidarity and justice-driven action. Show up, because some of our lives truly do depend on it.
Valeria Martinez-Gutierrez is a junior majoring in Geography, Sociology and Environment, Sustainability and Policy. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at vmarti10@syr.edu.
By Sarhia Rahim columnist
The right to assembly and freedom of speech have been topics of discussion for the past three presidential elections. What often comes into question is whether or not our society today is too sensitive to opposing perspectives and in turn restricts people’s right to freedom of speech. While this may be true for some under the Trump Administration, data and incidents from his presidency reveal an additional concerning trend of the suppression of voices correlating with a recent rise in police brutality.
In numerous protests, particularly those led by marginalized communities and activists, forceful responses from police and limitations on peaceful demonstrations points to a troubling disregard for fundamental American rights. In fact, during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, he called for police to use force and advocated for policies that promote profiling.
Words have power, and when left unchecked, they can spark conflict, harm communities and erode trust
Sarhia
Rahim columnist
Trump directed comments like, “please, don’t be too nice,” to law enforcement officials in 2017. Such rhetoric not only impacts policing tactics, but also signals to citizens that dissent, particularly dissent challenging government actions and policies, would be met with law enforcement.
This selective support for freedom of speech creates a dangerous precedent and signals that these rights are conditional, subject to the political interests of those in power. Instead of reinforcing a universal right to speak and protest freely, the Trump administration’s approach implies that only certain voices and perspectives would be protected.
Such comments made by the president create a ripple effect. We have seen other communities that were targeted after Trump made further statements stemming from ignorance and hate. During the rise of COVID-19, tweets made by Trump calling it the “Chinese Virus” fueled violence against Asian communities. When leaders use charged language, especially around health or race, the social impact can be all encompassing, exposing communities to prejudice and undermining social unity.
We can see this continue as we enter his second term. While the bill was rejected as of Nov.
13, it would have allowed Trump to eliminate dissent and target his political enemies. H.R. 9495, The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties On American Hostages Act, would target nonprofit organizations, universities and news outlets that may uphold the mission, including human rights, reproductive health and immigrant rights advocacy.
With this in mind, it’s clear that freedom of speech exists for some but not all. Consistently, Americans have seen a disregard for the rights of those who challenged Trump’s administration in his previous term. This selective support for free speech creates a dangerous precedent as it tells citizens that their rights are conditional, under the control of the political agenda of those in power.
While, in absolute numbers, white Americans may appear most affected by police violence, a closer look at population-adjusted rates tells a different story. Black people make up
approximately 14% of the United States population, but are killed by police at over twice the rate of white Americans.
This disparity highlights a systemic issue: Black Americans face disproportionate violence and suppression, especially when protesting for their rights. When this reality is met with a government response that implicitly or explicitly encourages aggressive policing, it compounds the barriers faced by marginalized communities in exercising their fundamental rights.
It’s vital to recognize that while free speech is protected, it also carries weight. Words have power, and when left unchecked, they can spark conflict, harm communities and erode trust. Responsible freedom of speech means acknowledging these consequences and using our voices to foster understanding rather than division. When claims go unchecked and the responsibil-
ity behind them is ignored, the consequences can ripple far beyond the initial statement — shaping narratives, influencing behaviors and even undermining the very freedoms we claim to protect.
True freedom of speech is a commitment to universality, free from bias and political manipulation. It’s a principle meant to empower diverse voices, protect individual expression, and support social progress. As we look to the future, it’s essential that we demand this equality in speech protections, recognizing that selective support for free expression not only undermines democracy but can also have serious consequences in society.
Sarhia Rahim is a senior policy studies major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at slrahim@syr.edu.
By Dan Tiwari columnist
Coming out of a very controversial presidential election, it’s important for college students to remember that the United States is a country founded on citizens’ political participation. But we have reached a time when many Americans, especially young people, don’t feel motivated to participate in or even educate themselves on fundamental political issues.
For many reasons, including the fear of being politically incorrect, people have resorted to the excuse of “I don’t care about politics,” which I find incredibly problematic and unethical.
The right to cast a vote is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. Importantly, the people who state their political indifference completely overlook the glaring ignorance of their apathy. Anyone who believes the outcome of the election will not affect them are blind to the struggles of Americans across the country, and are thus liable for the cycle of a passive and ineffective democracy.
There must be a larger degree of empathy toward our fellow Americans. We need to foster a larger worldview that encourages and advocates for political conversation. Especially among marginalized communities that experience a multitude of political challenges.
An individual’s ethnicity, gender/sexual orientation, physical ability, education or socioeconomic status can all supply them with certain privileges. With this comes the responsibility to speak up for those who can’t. For example, white privilege comes from being
white, but also being straight, cisgender, ablebodied, well-educated, from a high-class private institution or from an upper-class background makes living in America much easier. The way race as a social construct has commanded many of the laws and amendments of the U.S. demonstrates the advantage of being white.
Remaining silent doesn’t keep peace, it perpetuates privilege. By acting as a bystander, harmful political policies get enacted and marginalized demographics suffer at the hands of indifference.
The right to cast a vote is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. Dan Tiwari columnist
Although the ensuing policy enactment and increasing termination of reproductive health rights may not affect cisgender men, they will affect their friends and families — mothers, daughters and sisters, queer peers and people of color — each in different ways.
People tend to care more about politics as they get older, simply because policies become more prominent in their lives. This typically tends to come around college when people begin to lose a safety net they may not have realized was previously there, especially from
parental support. It’s during this time in their lives that people begin to consider housing, jobs, groceries, taxes and gas prices, which may not have been at the forefront of their minds previously.
College students often forget how big of a role the government plays in their education. Public universities are state-run, and almost all private universities receive governmentfunded financial aid. Public university tuition and subsidies are decided by politics, as well as student loan rates and tax money allocation. Aside from mere economic factors, students tend to weigh local politics when considering secondary education options, as one in four people admit to rejecting particular colleges because of their state’s laws.
Furthermore, while some people say they choose not to weigh in on governmental policies because they think it doesn’t affect them, a past study shows that more than half of those receiving government assistance didn’t realize it was coming from the government.
It’s important for everyone to vote, especially in presidential elections. A study conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation found that “direct constituent interactions have more influence on lawmakers’ decisions than other advocacy strategies.”
This means taking action and staying politically active, whether supporting a particular campaign or candidate or exercising your right to protest, is the most productive way to enact the change you want to see in the world. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Democracy transformed from thin paper to thick action is the greatest form of government on earth.”
While voting is important, it’s not a good idea to turn in an uninformed ballot. People are growing more comfortable with aligning themselves with a particular party without reading up on the candidates and voting exclusively Democratic or Republican. A reason for this could be that there is just simply too much news, primarily negative, for people to keep up with. In fact, a Pew Research Poll found that roughly two-thirds of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of news there has been in recent years.
Then there are those, who, particularly in relation to this most recent election, abstained from voting because they didn’t want to feed into a two-party system that pressures people to vote for what can feel like the “lesser of two evils.” When it comes to this, it’s important to recognize that the ability to pick and choose which issues to care about is a luxury, and, at the end of the day, you need to make the best decision based on the options presented.
For college students directly, it’s our futures on the line when it comes to exercising our democratic right. So, read books, watch the news, join clubs, socialize in diversified communities and find something political to care about. It’s unrealistic to expect young voters to verse themselves in everything, local and national, so find a topic that resonates with you. Stay informed, stay active and check your privilege.
Dan Tiwari is a freshman film major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at dtiwari7@syr.edu.
But SU could not string together stops or convert on offense. Instead, it repeatedly sent Maryland to the free-throw line. The Terrapins shot 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the last three minutes.
“Eventually our defensive progress is going to show its beautiful face, but (right now) there’s no excuse,” Legette-Jack said.
Syracuse had one change in its starting lineup. Sophomore Angelica Velez got the nod to start over Dominique Camp. The sixth-year point guard played nearly 19 minutes in the second half and logged 10 points, but didn’t see any action in the first half because “she didn’t practice that well,” per Legette-Jack.
For her part, Velez’s impact was instant. Fifteen seconds in, she zipped a pass across the court to find Woolley open in the left corner. Woolley swished the 3-pointer to put the Orange on the board.
The Brisbane, Australia, native scored SU’s first eight points. Off another Velez pass, Woolley launched from the top of the arc and her shot was pure. Maryland responded with a 3 of its own when Sarah Te-Biasu converted a contested shot before Woolley made a layup.
“I just happened to be on the end of the points going through the basket, but I think we came out really strong and focused,” Woolley said.
As the seconds ticked away to close the first period, Sophie Burrows picked up her second offensive board of the game. Once she gained separation in the right corner, Burrows made a 3 before the buzzer sounded to hand Syracuse a 20-14 lead. In SU’s first two games of the season, Burrows has shot a healthy 5-for-8 from 3, and her form continued into Wednesday’s game. She shot 3-for-4 from 3 and finished with 13 points.
SU extended its lead to 24-14 at the 8:13 mark of the second quarter. But then the Orange’s advantage evaporated as Maryland went on a 15-0 run in four minutes to put it in front 29-24. Ultimately, the Terrapins outscored SU 28-11 in the second quarter. They shot 12-for-17 (70.6%), propelling them
Ott moved to Las Vegas in his sophomore season for family reasons and transferred to the prestigious Bishop Gorman High School. His success continued, but he didn’t play his junior season due to COVID-19. For his senior year, he moved back home to play for Norco.
(Ott) was a playmaker for us. The type of guy where we run the ball right up the middle, trying to get a third-and-1, and he takes it to the house for 60 yards.
Kyle Crum
ott’s former teammate
As a top player on the Cougars, Ott upped his game through extended film sessions. Chastain said unlike most running backs he’s coached, Ott wanted to know the ins and outs of every detail. He studied where blocks were, how the offensive line adjusted to different fronts and where the trap block would be, among other elements.
While scoring 17 touchdowns and amassing over 1,100 yards in his senior season, Ott impacted all aspects of the Cougars roster. Per quarterback Kyle Crum, who now plays at San Diego State, Ott was lethal in the passing game. He was also used as the punter, where he had the “green light” to take off when a crease opened.
“(Ott) was a playmaker for us,” Crum said. “The type of guy where we run the ball right up the middle, trying to get a third-and-1, and he takes it to the house for 60 yards.”
Ott’s status as a highly-touted recruit continued. He finished as 247Sports’ No. 23 running back in the 2022 class and had his pick between schools like Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, BYU and Oregon. Ott was committed to the Ducks for about a year before decommitting in June 2020.
Following his senior season, Ott chose the Golden Bears and enrolled in the spring. The transition was seamless. He eclipsed 100 rushing
to an 11-point halftime lead off a 10-2 run to close the frame.
“It’s unfortunate that second quarter took place, and I take blame myself, because I think I put the wrong kids in the wrong time,” LegetteJack said.
Three minutes into the third quarter, an Allie Kubek layup pushed Maryland’s lead to 13 — its largest of the game up to that point. SU struggled to contain the Terrapins down low, allowing space in the paint and not defending without fouling. The Orange had 18 fouls Wednesday, giving Maryland 24 free throws — 14 of which were in the fourth quarter.
Syracuse responded with a run of points to trim the deficit to single digits. Camp netted a 3-pointer and Burrows sank a jumper while the Orange forced two charges on the defensive end. Plus, they got Kyra Wood going inside, registering eight third-quarter points.
But no Syracuse run could be sustained, and Maryland maintained its distance from the Orange by working the ball down low, scoring 36 points in the paint. On a sequence early in the fourth quarter, the Terrapins had three close-range attempts, rebounding their misses to extend the possession. Eventually, Christina Dalce was fouled.
Camp drained a 3 to make it 62-56 Maryland with 7:59 to go. But again the Terrapins answered with two layups to protect their cushion.
Izabel Varejão, who fouled out with four points in 14 minutes after two fruitful outings against Niagara and Saint Joseph’s, scored and then intercepted a Maryland pass. Woolley took advantage of Varejão’s steal to make it a fourpoint deficit with under four minutes to go.
SU then went cold, only scoring seven more points and allowing Maryland to pull away as the clock waned. The Terrapins were sent to the free-throw line and cashed in on their opportunities.
While Syracuse may be 1-2, Legette-Jack said SU has a long way to go. After all, as Legette-Jack needed reminding, this is only game three.
“Our veterans are getting better, and they’re understanding the assignment more, but you can’t beat the No. (11) team in the country by giving them 84 points,” Legette-Jack said. njalumka@syr.edu @Nalumkal
yards in his first college game, helping Cal to a 17-point win over UC Davis.
Three games later in his Pac-12 debut, Ott went nuclear. The freshman ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Arizona, cementing himself as a top running back in the conference. He finished his freshman campaign with 1,218 allpurpose yards, 11 touchdowns and Freshman AllAmerican honors.
His success continued as a sophomore. Ott took his film sessions more seriously than ever. According to Ifanse, Ott broke down the opponents’ defense quarter by quarter to see how their effort changed throughout a game.
With the added expertise, Ott became more dangerous, scoring in 10-of-12 games he played in. No performance was bigger than Cal’s matchup against USC and future No. 1 National Football League Draft pick Caleb Williams.
In a classic Pac-12 shootout, the Trojans outlasted the Golden Bears 50-49. Ott paced Cal throughout the game, though, racking up 153 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
“It just seemed like he was on fire and was doing anything and everything he wanted to with the USC defense,” Ifanse said of Ott’s performance against USC. “When he’s playing in the game, he’s just relaxed, locked in.” Ott, despite being only a sophomore at the time, also became a governing voice in the running back room. Ifanse joined the Golden Bears in 2023 following four seasons at Montana State, where he became the all-time leading rusher in program history. Ifanse said Ott didn’t look at his transfer as competition, making the competition within each other rather than against each other.
This year, Ott hasn’t been at full strength. He’s played in just 6-of-9 games in 2024 and totaled 10
or fewer carries three times. Yet, he’s still made his presence known in the passing game, notching three or more receptions in five games.
The injuries have hindered his career totals compared to the rest of the field. However, his 2023 rushing total of 1,315 yards was the seventh-best single-season mark in program history. Entering Saturday’s game, Ott has 2,381 career yards, just 118 outside of cracking Cal’s top 10 list.
He still has a ways to go before being among the all-time greats in program history. But with time to spare and an eventual NFL Draft selection looming, Ott is well on his way.
“It’s hard to compare anybody to Marshawn Lynch and the success that he’s had. But I think Jaydn has a high potential,” Chastain said.
By Daily Orange Sports Staff
Last Saturday against Boston College, Syracuse’s defense was gashed by the Eagles’ potent rushing attack in a 37-31 defeat. The Orange allowed a season-high 313 yards on the ground as BC’s two-headed monster of Kye Robichaux (198 rushing yards) and Jordan McDonald (133) were deadly throughout the afternoon.
SU quarterback Kyle McCord threw for a season-high 392 yards, but his lone turnover on a Donovan Ezeiruaku strip-sack gave Boston College a 23-21 lead. The Eagles never relinquished it, handing the Orange their third loss of the season.
Syracuse now travels across the country to take on Cal for its final road game of 2024. The Bears have just one win through their first five games in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (6-3, 3-3 ACC) will fare against California (5-4, 1-4 ACC) on Saturday in Berkeley:
I can’t seem to figure this team out. But I’m going to stick with my gut here. All along, I had the Orange at 8-4. Entering November, I had them going 3-2 in the final month. And before the final two-game road trip, I saw them splitting the pair. So I’ll keep with those metrics and pick Syracuse to come away with a win.
Poor running defense is the glaring weakness of this team. SU now allows the third most yards on the ground in the ACC following its abysmal performance in Chestnut Hill. Luckily for the Orange, the Golden Bears average the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game. sports@dailyorange.com @dosports
men’s basketball
AIDEN STEPANSKY (5-4)
Syracuse 31
Cal 27
DREAM OF CALIFORNICATION
I can’t seem to figure this team out. But I’m going to stick with my gut here. All along, I had the Orange at 8-4. Entering November, I had them going 3-2 in the final month. And before the final two-game road trip, I saw them splitting the pair. So I’ll keep with those metrics and pick Syracuse to come away with a win.
Poor running defense is the glaring weakness of this team. SU now allows the third most yards on the ground in the ACC following its abysmal performance in Chestnut Hill. Luckily for the Orange, the Golden Bears average the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game.
In recent weeks, McCord has faced some of the best pass rushers in the conference, Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Ezeiruaku. Syracuse’s offense will have another tough task Saturday, as Cal’s defense ranks first in points allowed in the ACC, and has a top pass rusher in Xavier Carlton and the interception leader in Nohl Williams.
It will be a tough day for SU’s offense to push through, and we may see another poor first quarter. Still, I think Syracuse will stop the run just enough to give it added possessions. In the end, McCord will use those added possessions to his advantage, helping the Orange squeak out of California with a victory.
COOPER ANDREWS (4-5)
Syracuse 24
Cal 20
CONQUERING THE CALGORITHM
Disclaimer: I’ve picked the wrong outcome in each of Syracuse’s last three games. Still, I feel an undeserved sense of confidence this week. There’s a reason why California is 15th in the ACC standings. The Orange are better and will escape Berkeley victorious.
The Golden Bears started this season as one of college football’s best Cinderella stories. They were selected to host College Gameday after starting out 3-0. Though much of Cal’s hype was due to the “Calgorithm,” a social media trend where its fans used AI-generated memes to poke fun at the state of California’s left-leaning politics.
That off-the-field stuff was pretty hilarious. But on the field, the Golden Bears haven’t been anything special. They lost four straight games before recently defeating Oregon State and Wake Forest, scoring 40-plus points in both. Against heightened competition, though, California’s offensive line has been brutal. Pro Football Focus grades Cal’s run blocking at 53.9, the 19th-worst total in the country, and its pass blocking at 62.7, the 38th-worst. I expect Fadil Diggs, Maraad Watson and others to feast in the trenches.
Cal’s defense, led by edge rusher Carlton (nine sacks), is formidable, allowing less than 20 points per game and ranking as PFF’s No. 40 overall unit. Yet I think SU’s offense will score enough to eke out a low-scoring affair.
JUSTIN
GIRSHON (4-5)
Syracuse 24
Cal 27
STILL STINKY
In my preseason prediction, I said a potentially tough yet winnable stretch against Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Cal would define SU’s season. Fast forward to the present day, and this still rings true. Though already with losses to Pitt and BC, the Orange can’t call this stretch a success — no matter what happens against the Golden Bears.
Instead, Saturday’s matchup likely determines whether Syracuse has an adequate 8-4 first year under head coach Fran Brown or a disappointing 7-5 one, as a split against UConn and Miami to close the season seems likely. With what the Orange have shown this year, I don’t think there’s much reason to believe they’ll pull off a win traveling across the country as an 8.5-point underdog.
SU has consistently started games slowly, only accumulating three first-quarter points over its last four games. I think it will continue this trend against the Golden Bears, forcing it to yet again play from behind. While this isn’t necessarily an issue for Syracuse, as it typically leans on McCord’s arm to carry its offense anyway, I think it’ll be the difference in a one-possession game against a lethal Cal secondary.
While the Golden Bears don’t boast the most deadly offense in the ACC, they have a quarterback in Fernando Mendoza who can pick the Orange’s defense apart enough to defeat them. And as a result, Brown will be held showerless for the second straight week.
By Aiden Stepansky asst. sports editor
Two games into Syracuse’s second season under Adrian Autry, the Orange are 2-0. The undefeated start hasn’t come without its fair share of criticism, however. Despite starting the season with two victories, SU barely scraped by two Quad-4 opponents.
The Orange opened their season with a nailbiter against Le Moyne. The Dolphins jumped out to a 41-36 lead at halftime, but SU came storming back after the break, dropping 50 to take the game 86-82. Off the bench, Jyare Davis led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
A week later against Colgate, Syracuse again fell into trouble. The Orange were up and down throughout the night, and three missed free throws in the last minute allowed the Raiders to stick around until the final buzzer. SU escaped victorious, winning 74-72 but with room to grow.
“It’s a new team,” Autry said postgame. “We are still trying to figure things out.”
SU now takes on Horizon League foe Youngstown State in its quest to stay undefeated. The Penguins are 1-1 to start the campaign, recently falling by 34 points to Ohio State on Monday.
Here’s everything to know about Youngstown State (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League) ahead of its matchup with Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome:
All-time series
This is the two teams’ first-ever meeting.
KenPom Odds Syracuse has an 81% chance of winning, with a projected score of 82-72.
The Penguins report
Like Syracuse, Youngstown is a different looking squad in the 2024-25 season compared to a year ago. The Penguins finished 22-10 last season where their season ended in the Horizon League Championship, falling to Cleveland State 82-70. Head coach Ethan Faulkner is in his first season at the helm and sixth in the program, helping Youngstown to five winning seasons.
Faulkner lost fifth-year seniors Ziggy Reid, DJ Burns, Brett Thompson, Brandon Rush and Bryson Langdon, who led the Penguins in points per game last season. All have since graduated. In their place, YSU brought in transfers Nico Galette from Sacred Heart and Ty Harper from Eastern Washington. Galette leads the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game while Harper is second at 10.5.
Sophomore Gabe Dynes is an imposing threat down low as the Penguins starting center. Junior
Juwan Maxey is just 6-foot-1, 165 pounds but is their best weapon from 3. He’s attempted 11 triples — three more than the next closest — and has cashed in four times.
Defensively, Youngstown State ranks 146th in efficiency, per KenPom, allowing 70.5 points per game. The Penguins have totaled 4.5 steals and 5.5 blocks per game.
How Syracuse beats Youngstown State
The Orange will move to 3-0 by making the Penguins’ offense continue to look belowaverage. Syracuse’s defense has been less than impressive thus far, allowing 77.0 points per game. Its transition defense has been abysmal, allowing 22 fast break points versus Colgate.
Youngstown State hasn’t seemed to find a groove offensively. It scored 80 points in the season opener but recently dropped a measly 47 points against Ohio State. The Penguins have been hor-
rific from 3, totaling a 19% mark from beyond the arc on 41 attempts.
If Syracuse can limit the Penguins’ open looks and play any source of competent transition defense, it should cruise to a win heading into the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center.
Stat to know: 101
Following its two middling performances to open the season, Syracuse currently ranks 101st in the nation, per KenPom. SU’s opening win over Le Moyne didn’t hold much strength due to the Dolphins’ 337 ranking. Colgate wasn’t much better at 226. The way Syracuse won both of its games likely was a killer to its ranking.
The Orange opened the season at 68th, along the bubble of the NCAA Tournament field. Only two games in, their numbers have drastically dropped with a defensive rating that ranks 144th (103.5). Based on the ranking system, Youngstown State is SU’s top opponent yet at
185. Syracuse likely needs a win by a significant margin to make any push back inside the top 100.
Player to watch: Gabe Dynes, center, No. 45
Dynes has been an impact player on defense. The sophomore is coming off an impressive freshman season where he was named to both the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team.
The 7-foot-3 center scored only 3.9 points per game in his freshman campaign but led the conference in blocks with 61 (2.3 per game). His skillset has transitioned into his sophomore year, where he’s totaled 10 blocks, including seven in Youngstown State’s season opener versus Chicago State.
The potent shot blocker is by far the tallest opponent the Orange will play thus far and serves as a threat to SU’s inside scoring.
By Timmy Wilcox senior staff writer
After sitting since the 3:49 mark of the first quarter, Izabel Varejão returned to the game to start the second half. Despite having two fouls, Varejão looked to help Syracuse out of its 42-31 deficit.
The Terrapins went right at SU’s center. As a result, Varejão picked up her third foul just over a minute into the second half. Maryland continued to push the ball inside the paint, and Varejão got a hand on Allie Kubek’s shot for a denial.
Though, the Terrapins kept possession. Just 51 seconds after picking up her third foul, Varejão was whistled for her fourth, sending her back to the bench with over seven minutes left in the third quarter.
After totaling 19 points and nine rebounds across the Orange’s first two games, Varejão was held to a season-low four points and three boards Wednesday. Due to being in constant foul trouble, Varejão played just 13 minutes and the Terrapins took advantage, as Syracuse (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell 84-73 to No. 11 Maryland (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten).
“Having (Varejão) in foul trouble definitely affected us a lot tonight,” Georgia Woolley said.
Without Varejão’s 6-foot-4 presence on the court for over half the contest, the Terrapins capitalized on SU’s shortened defense. Maryland guards Kaylene Smikle and Bri McDaniel combined for 35 points.
Varejão picked up her first foul just over two minutes into the first quarter and Smikle cashed in immediately. She knocked down two subsequent shots at the charity stripe. The Terrapins garnered 20 points off free throws throughout the contest.
Four minutes after collecting her first foul, Varejão got docked for her second. Through six minutes of play, Varejão collected two rebounds and turned the ball over twice, and SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack opted to put her on the bench.
The Orange took a 20-14 lead into the second quarter, but things started to unravel shortly into the frame. SU turned to a younger lineup and turned the ball over five times in the quarter.
Without Varejão to anchor SU’s defense, the Terrapins went on a 15-0 run to catapult them
into the lead. Maryland frequently attacked the paint, tallying 10 points on layups alone. Kyra Wood and Woolley ended Maryland’s run with baskets on back-to-back possessions, but the pair still couldn’t find an answer to the Terrapins’ dominance inside. In the final three minutes of the second quarter, Maryland
added three more layups to extend its lead to 42-31 at halftime.
In the 17 minutes when Varejão sat to end the first half, Maryland outscored Syracuse by 14. To start the third quarter, she returned to the lineup, looking to spark the Orange.
Though her third-quarter run didn’t last long. Just over 90 seconds into the quarter, Varejão heard the whistle blow again. LegetteJack was faced with what to do with her only center and chose to keep her in the game.
The decision backfired. Varejão was called for her fourth foul less than a minute later.
“It was so early in the third quarter, she hasn’t had any rhythm and we gambled and lost,” Legette-Jack said.
Varejão was forced to sit for the second period of extended time, and Maryland went back to converting down low in the paint. Kubek, who finished with 16 points, added two layups in the remaining minutes of the third quarter.
When Varejão returned to the game at the 8:23 mark of the fourth, SU trailed by nine points. It didn’t take long for the Terrapins to attack her inside.
McDaniel drove toward Varejão and capitalized on her cautious defense, increasing Maryland’s lead back to double digits.
Varejão didn’t score until the 6:56 mark of the fourth quarter, getting to the cup with a layup of her own. With four minutes left, she added her second basket and picked possession away from McDaniel, but was called for her fifth foul with 2:57 left.
Her exit came with the Orange trailing by four. Syracuse lacked the player who had proven capable of impacting the game in a variety of ways, and without her, the Terrapins went on a 14-7 run to win the game.
“Most people got four or five people that can do what Varejão can do, we have one person,” Legette-Jack said. “We gotta gamble sometimes, and this time, don’t go to the casino on that one.”
tswilcox@syr.edu
@TimmyWilcox32
By Cooper Andrews managing editor
Syracuse enters its final quarter of the regular season with plenty to prove. It’s been inconsistent, particularly with sporadic turnovers and a few games where the defense was gashed, but SU is bowl-bound in year one under Fran Brown. Now, the question is if the Orange can finally end the month of November by playing winning football.
Yet like they have been all year, the start of November yielded up-and-down results. SU defeated Virginia Tech in overtime, then lost to a middling Boston College squad on the road to begin its final month. The Orange’s next task is a matchup at Cal, as they search to avoid their first losing streak of the campaign.
Here’s what to know before Syracuse (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) travels crosscountry to battle California (5-4, 1-4 ACC) Saturday afternoon:
All-time series
The series is tied 1-1.
Last time they played …
Most parents of those working at The Daily Orange weren’t born yet. Syracuse and Cal played twice before from 1967-68. The more recent of the two meetings featured the Golden Bears steamrolling the Orange 43-0 on Oct. 26, 1968, in Berkeley. Both teams were ranked in the top 15 of the country at the time, with SU at No. 10 and Cal at No. 11.
The Golden Bears report
Yet, Cal’s weakness lies in its offensive line. Per Pro Football Focus, its run blocking grade currently is at a 53.3 mark — the 19th-worst in the country — and its pass blocking sits at 62.7, ranking in the bottom 40. Cal quarterbacks have been sacked 30 times in 2024.
Elsewhere, running back Jaydn Ott has been in and out of the lineup with injuries this year. Though quarterback Fernando Mendoza and running back Jaivian Thomas have helped pick up the slack as Cal’s offense flirts with averaging 30 points per game.
How Syracuse beats California
It’s been discussed ad nauseam, but the Orange must start fast on Saturday. All major holes they’ve been in this season have come from doing the opposite. On the road against an inferior opponent on paper is an ideal combination for SU to put together a solid first quarter. But it couldn’t even do that last week.
To start hot, the Orange must establish the Kyle McCord-Oronde Gadsden II connection. With the typical tight end lining up more frequently as a wide receiver, Boston College could not stop him. He blazed for nine catches, 114 receiving yards and a touchdown, though all of that production came after the first quarter. Gadsden is the best playmaker on SU’s offense. He can, and should, be the avenue for Syracuse to put together a quality start.
On the other hand, the Orange have to wrap up on defense. Their 50.4 PFF tackling grade is the 11th-worst mark in the country, and the lowest among ACC teams. California has an explosive running back duo with Ott and Thomas. But the Golden Bears’ offensive line is weak. So, Syracuse must invade the backfield early and often while finishing its tackles, as potential big plays early from Cal could result in another first-quarter deficit.
Stat to know: 90.1
According to PFF, the Golden Bears house the third-best special teams unit in the country. Their special teams grade of 90.1 is tied with Navy and No. 5 Indiana, and only below No. 8 Notre Dame (90.3) and Baylor (90.5).
all season long. The Orange have cycled between three starting kickers, failed to recover an onside kick in their second game of 2024 against Georgia Tech and, most notably, nearly lost to UNLV solely due to special teams blunders.
Player to watch: Xavier Carlton, edge rusher, No. 44
Social media made Cal a superstar program in September. But ever since their 3-0 start, the Golden Bears have slid. They lost their next four games — all of which were ACC contests, including a 14-9 defeat to lowly Florida State — before winning their last two. California currently sits 15th in the ACC standings with a 1-4 conference record. What stands out about the Golden Bears is their defense. They allow 19.3 points per game and have held opponents under 20 points in six of nine games. They boast a dominant pass rush led by edge rusher Xavier Carlton, whose nine sacks rank third in the ACC. They’ve also racked up 17 interceptions — spurred by cornerback Nohl Williams’ NCAA-leading seven picks — and caused 22 total turnovers, the third-most in the country.
Special teams matters. It can be the subtle difference between a win or a loss. Syracuse has weathered special teams issues
The 6-foot-6, 275-pound fifth-year senior spearheads a well-rounded Golden Bears’ defense. Carlton’s sack total ranks tied for ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He also leads Cal with 10.5 tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.
Carlton has spent the last three seasons with the Golden Bears. Beforehand, he played at Utah from 2020-21, where he tallied just one sack in 15 appearances. His playing time gradually increased over the past two years, though this season, he’s at his best.
Syracuse had difficulties defending BC edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku last week, and gave up a sack to Virginia Tech star Antwaun PowellRyland two weeks prior. Tackles Da’Metrius Weatherspoon and Savion Washington will be put through the wringer once again, facing top10 sack leaders three weeks in a row.
ccandrew@syr.edu Cooper_Andrews women’s
SU’s upset bid of No.
By Nicholas Alumkal asst. copy editor
Syracuse head coach Felisha LegetteJack paused for a moment in her postgame press conference. She tried to recall how many games Syracuse had played so far this season.
“This is game (number) what? Three, four?” she asked.
When it was confirmed that it was SU’s third game of the season, despite having a losing record for the first time since 2021 — before Legette-Jack was Syracuse’s head coach — she saw it as a positive. The bump in the road for the Orange came early in the season.
Joining Syracuse in the locker room Wednesday was alumna Dyaisha Fair, who graduated last season
11 Maryland came up short. The Orange fell 84-73 for their second straight double-digit defeat. football
as the third-highest scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history. In the wake of a second straight loss, Fair offered a message to the freshmen.
“Listen, I know it’s uncomfortable. You think you know everything, but just try to listen,” Legette-Jack said, recalling what Fair told the team. “(Legette-Jack) can help you, if you just allow her.”
Syracuse (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) followed up a 84-70 loss to Saint Joseph’s Sunday — its first home nonconference loss since 2019 — with a 84-73 defeat to No. 11 Maryland (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) Wednesday. SU jumped out to an early lead, but a 15-0 run by Maryland in the second quarter gave it a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
SU has allowed exactly 84 points in all three of its games so far this season. It overcame the tally in its seasonopening win over Niagara. But its last two games have resulted in losses, causing Legette-Jack to call for SU’s defense to improve.
“We used to win games with 73 points, but you got to be able to stop somebody,” Legette-Jack said. “And down the stretch, we didn’t stop anybody.”
With 3:53 left in the game, Syracuse reeled in Maryland to within four points at 70-66 after Georgia Woolley made a jumper. Following Woolley’s basket, Legette-Jack said that she sensed SU could go on a run when it mattered most.
see maryland page 13
By Aiden Stepansky asst. sports editor
Jaydn Ott’s days at Cal looked over. The star running back amassed 2,702 total yards and 25 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Golden Bears. But with an underclassman’s success comes the option to go elsewhere for a payday. Ott was highly sought after and, amid the heat of the transfer portal, he took to social media. In a video posted on Instagram and X, Ott — shaded in black and white — sits in a chair and begins a goodbye message.
Captioned “Thank you Cal” with a broken heart emoji, Ott announces he’s entering the transfer portal at the 30-second mark. As he walks off camera to seemingly end the video, he pokes his head back in to complete the joke. “Nah I’m playing,” Ott said. “I’m finna stay.” The video, which now totals over 1.6 million views on X, was the start of Ott’s junior season and continued commitment to his Cal legacy. The First-Team All-Pac 12 running back has just 169 yards on the ground and 192 receiving yards in limited action this
season due to a lower-body injury. Still, he continues to climb the charts among all-time Golden Bears running back greats. Saturday, Ott leads Cal into its third-ever matchup versus Syracuse.
“The tradition is high,” Isaiah Ifanse, Ott’s former teammate at Cal, said of the program’s running back history.
“You got people like Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, Shane Vereen, Patrick Laird and some other guys. But I feel like Jaydn, he’s definitely cemented his legacy for the Golden Bears’ program.”
Ott first burst onto the scene when he got to Norco High School
(California) in 2018. His combination of speed and physicality made him a dangerous back.
With the Cougars, Ott gradually increased his workload, becoming an offensive focal point in the rushing and passing game. In the third game of his high school career versus Rancho Cucamonga, Ott found the end zone twice in a blowout victory.
The next week, against Vista Murrieta, Norco was in a tight game in the fourth quarter when former head coach Chuck Chastain recalled Ott having his breakout play. Ott hit the
hole perfectly on an inside trap play, bursting through the defense.
He galloped into the end zone while pointing a finger skyward for a game-changing score. As Ott jumped up and down with joy following the score, the then-freshman was flagged for taunting. Though the flag was just a sidebar of the story.
“Once he had that moment, everything just changed,” Chastain said. “He just became more comfortable, more explosive and just kept growing and growing as a player.” see ott page 13