SYVERUD SIGNS
november hate crimes
SU officials respond to questions at forum
By India Miraglia and Natalie Rubio-Licht the daily orange
Hundreds of people filled the pews of Hendricks Chapel just after 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Forty minutes into the forum, only around 150 people remained.
Students, faculty and administrators had gathered at Hendricks to discuss Chancellor Kent Syverud’s response to student demands aiming to protect minority students and change campus culture. #NotAgainSU — a movement led by black students — previously presented Syverud with 18 demands and gave him until 5 p.m. Wednesday to agree to and sign them.
The chancellor released his response to the demands in an email sent Tuesday afternoon. But he had not signed them by the time the forum began. In his opening
Syverud agrees to student demands after calls for resignation
By Gabe Stern asst. news editor
Chancellor Kent Syverud agreed to almost all student demands after protesters called for his resignation on Wednesday night.
The student protest movment #NotAgainSU and international students presented 19 recommendations. Syverud agreed to 16 of them as written, and suggested rewording to the remaining three, due to the need for Board of Trustees approval, according to a campus-wide email sent early Thursday morning.
At a forum Wednesday night in Hendricks Chapel, a student stood up and asked if Syverud would immediately accept #NotAgainSU’s demands word-forword. Protesters had waited on his answer for a week.
his seat in the front row.
“Sign or resign,” students chanted as they moved. They walked out of the chapel doors and down the steps, where they crowded around the building. The students continued their chants as Syracuse University officials inside continued the forum.
#NotAgainSU, a movement led by black students, has occupied the lobby of the Barnes Center at The Arch since 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 13. The sit-in was initially motivated by SU’s delayed communication of racist graffiti against black and Asian people found on two floors of Day Hall.
He’s proven for several years that he’s not capable of his job, so it’s no longer his job
#NotAgainSU organizer
“If the question is ‘Can I produce agreement to every word at this instant?’ The answer is I cannot,” Syverud said.
Hundreds of protesters then rose out of the pews.
After eight days of protesting in response to at least 12 hate crimes and bias-related incidents reported since Nov. 7, the students had heard enough. About 40 minutes into a forum scheduled to last more than an hour, the students funneled into Hendrick’s main aisle and marched out. Syverud walked back to
The forum was held to address Syverud’s response to a list of 18 demands from #NotAgainSU and demands from international students.
Protesters gave Syverud until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to sign the demands, which aim to protect students of color and change campus culture.
At the time. protesters called for the resignation of Syverud, Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado, Senior Vice President for the Student Experience Dolan Evanovich, and Associate Chief for Law Enforcement John Sardino. The university has failed to respond quickly enough to racist incidents, and has not allocated enough resources to minority students, they said.
november hate crimes
By Sam Ogozalek special projects editor
Chancellor Kent Syverud provided several updates on the string of racist and anti-Semitic incidents on or near Syracuse University’s campus in a brief speech to the University Senate on Wednesday. Here are three takeaways from Syverud’s remarks.
Reports of white supremacist manifesto spread via AirDrop “probably a hoax”
The chancellor said it appears that reports of a white supremacist manifesto being sent to students late Monday night via AirDrop were “probably a hoax.”
The Department of Public Safety said Tuesday morning that the manifesto, a 74-page creed written by the suspected Christchurch mosque shooter, was allegedly AirDropped
Hundreds of protesters left a forum at Hendricks Chapel after Chancellor Kent Syverud said he could not immediately agree to all of #NotAgainSU’s demands. Students marched to the chancellor’s house on Harrison Street, chanting “Sign or resign” along the way. They returned to the Barnes Center sit-in afterward. tj shaw staff photographer
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P • Creative outlet
Bri Tolani’s debut single and music video “Hazy,” released Nov. 20, deals with mental health issues and features SU students and alumni.
Page 7
S • Their two cents
Andre Cisco, Kenneth Ruff, Dino Babers and the rest of the Syracuse football team weigh in on the #NotAgainSU movement.
Page 12
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Behind the scenes
Syverud addressed demands from international students after the forum on Wednesday. See dailyorange.com
A group of Jewish students will present the chancellor with a separate list of demands. See dailyorange.com
In response
KENT SYVERUD addressed community members at a forum in Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday. Syverud stayed to answers questions from students after #NotAgainSU protesters walked out of the chapel. The chancellor previously released an 11-page chart detailing the university’s response to demands from #NotAgainSU and international students. ali harford senior staff designer
Students leave campus amid safety concerns
By Emma Folts asst. news editor
Some students have left or made plans to leave campus days before Thanksgiving break after a series of hate crimes and biasrelated incidents at or near Syracuse University.
At least 12 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related events — including racist graffiti, racial slurs and swastikas — have been reported since Nov. 7. A white supremacist manifesto written by the Christchurch mosque shooter was allegedly AirDropped to students’ cellphones in Bird Library. A naked man flashed two students at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday, according to two student reports to the Department of Public Safety.
Kayleigh Weil, a junior communications design major, didn’t leave her house Tuesday because of the manifesto and the flasher.
She didn’t know if there would be more incidents and wasn’t sure that morning if she should go to class.
“The string of incidents that have gone essentially unpunished and seemingly unrecognized by the university has just made me feel extremely unsafe,” Weil said.
Some university professors and departments cancelled classes Tuesday, a few hours after the manifesto was sent to students.
Junior Ariana Reif excused herself from all of her classes and left campus Tuesday at 8 p.m., she said. She didn’t feel comfortable on campus, she said, and thought the university and DPS should’ve communicated
with students earlier about the hate crimes and bias-related incidents.
The university should have canceled all classes, she said.
Weil also said SU and DPS should’ve communicated with students sooner. Students should’ve been immediately notified after they became aware of the hate crimes and bias-related incidents, she said.
DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado said Nov. 13 that any student involved in the writing of racist graffiti on the fourth and sixth floor of Day Hall — the first two hate crimes and bias-related incidents committed and known of at the time — would be expelled.
Maldonado made the announcement on the first day of a sit-in held at the Barnes Center at The Arch
in protest of the racist Day Hall graffiti. The demonstrators, a blackled movement organized as #NotAgainSU, have peacefully protested in the space since Nov. 13.
Protester Lauren McLean was considering leaving campus early as of Wednesday morning. She also feels unsafe at SU, a feeling that hasn’t gone away even with DPS around, she said.
“The only reason I’m here is for this movement,” McLean said. “I wouldn’t be if it were not for me advocating for my education.”
She said there needs to be additional safety measures other than DPS on campus.
“Just seeing a police car drive down the street, that doesn’t make me feel any safer because
Explainer: Suspending fraternity social activities
By Casey Darnell news editor
Editor’s note: This article contains details about the usage of racial slurs.
Syracuse University has suspended all fraternity social activities following Alpha Chi Rho’s involvement in a racist incident near College Place. Members and guests of the fraternity, known as “Crow,” yelled the N-word at a black woman Saturday night.
Chancellor Kent Syverud said the suspension of social activities will allow all fraternities to “reflect upon how to prevent” more troubling behavior. There are only
two weeks and two weekends left in the fall 2019 semester.
At least 12 hate crimes and biasrelated incidents have been reported on or near campus since Nov. 7. Black, Asian and Jewish people have been targeted in these incidents. Racial slurs have been yelled or written on walls. A swastika was etched in a snowbank off campus, and another was found in a dorm building. An anti-Semitic email was written to an SU professor.
What does suspension mean?
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs lists Crow as suspended, but it does not specify how long the sanction will last. SU can suspend
Greek life organizations for violating the university’s Code of Student Conduct, which bans actions that threaten someone’s mental health, physical health or safety. Hazing and harassment are also prohibited. Suspended Greek life organizations are not allowed to operate at SU in any capacity. The university bans students and registered student organizations from affiliating with suspended or expelled Greek organizations. Involvement with such organizations can result in conduct sanctions. Crow is the only fraternity that SU has suspended since the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year. Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Beta Tau have been on “investigative sta-
timeline
Here’s a breakdown of the events of Wednesday’s community forum at Hendricks Chapel.
CALL FOR RESIGNATION
Chancellor Kent Syverud spoke 20 minutes after the forum began. He told the audience that he could not agree to all of #NotAgainSU’s demands. Protesters at the forum said they would call for Syverud’s resignation, along with the resignation of Senior Vice President Dolan Evanovich and DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado.
FACULTY INPUT
Professor Biko Gray spoke to Syverud during the forum and recommended that SU implement a liberal arts core for all students that includes a required course in African American Studies. He also urged SU’s Board of Trustees meet with protesters on campus. Syverud said he could not immediately agree to these suggestions.
OUTSIDE PROTESTS
Hundreds of student protesters walked out of the forum following Syverud’s remarks and continued their protest outside the chapel. The group marched toward Syverud’s home, chanting “sign or resign.” The Department of Public Safety blocked the entrance to Syverud’s home.
OPEN FORUM
After #NotAgainSU left the chapel, the forum continued inside with SU administration. Syverud said he would sign off to the majority of demands he agrees with and has the power to implement as quickly as he can. Students and staff members who remained at the forum criticized SU administration’s response to the hate crimes and bias-related incidents on campus.
ANOTHER MEETING
Toward the end of the forum, Syverud left the main room of the chapel to meet with a group of #NotAgainSU organizers. He said he was also planning to meet with international students and Jewish students. Syverud is working with Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith Alford and Gray to arrange the meetings.
STUDENT SAFETY
tus” since at least Oct. 25.
A total of 12 Greek organizations cannot currently operate officially at SU, according to FASA. The university can extend a chapter’s suspension if it is found to be operating an “underground” organization. An organization with its recognition revoked can’t reapply for recognition for a minimum of four years.
How does this affect social activities?
Social activities have been suspended at all fraternities, regardless of council affiliation. Crow was in the Interfraternity Council before leaders of the council expelled the fraternity. Other councils include
Several students told SU administrators that they felt unsafe due to the white supremacist manifesto that was posted online Monday night. One student said DPS’ assessment that the manifesto posed no immediate threat was dismissive of students’ fears. John Liu, incoming interim vice chancellor and provost, said he would work with SU administration after the forum on the issue of class cancellation.
Officials work to address inequity among property taxes
By Sarah Alessandrini staff writer
City councilors are continuing efforts to resolve issues of uneven property tax assessment.
An investigation in September found that many high-value homes are under-assessed and pay too little in taxes, according to Syracuse.com. The report said the city has not updated the values of all 32,000 residential properties in over two decades.
The Finance, Taxation and Assessment Committee met Nov. 1 to discuss property tax assessments. David Clifford, assessment commissioner, and his team have been continuing their current pace of changing property assessments to reflect the current market. These efforts have been ongoing since June, following the request of Mayor Ben Walsh and his administration, Clifford said.
“We’ve been taking a much closer look at these kinds of changes because, over time, the market changes and assessments tend
the National Pan-Hellenic Council, National Association of Latin Fraternal Organizations and the Multicultural Greek Council.
Social activities include registered and unregistered parties, date nights, dinner par-
from page 1
demands
After leaving Hendricks dissatisfied with Syverud’s response, students marched to the chancellor’s house on the 300 block of Comstock Avenue. DPS officers blocked the entrance to the house, and Syracuse Police Department vehicles lined the street.
Protesters spread into the street, blocking Comstock. SPD cleared one lane for cars to pass.
Students have said SU’s inaction to racist incidents represents a pattern of inaction and a lack of support for students of underrepresented communities. They referenced the Theta Tau controversy, the assault of students of color on Ackerman Avenue and people using the N-word in SU’s Madrid program.
They chanted many things in their march from Hendricks to the chancellor’s house, but they always circled back to one: “Sign or resign. Hey hey, ho, ho, Kent has got to go.”
THE General Body, a student protest movement, produced a 45-page document of grievances in 2014 that includes many of the same demands as those from #NotAgainSU.
Student activist group Recognize Us produced a list of demands following the Theta Tau videos in 2018. Students demanded changes in campus policing and communication about crimes after the assault on Ackerman in February. SU touted new initiatives after both, including the SEM 100 forum and the creation of a DPS Student of Color Advisory Committee.
Now, students are again dissatisfied with Syverud’s response.
Forums similar to the one on Wednesday night were held after Theta Tau and the assault on Ackerman. Protesters have said Syverud’s changes haven’t gone far enoughSyverud has had several years to address the
to stay static,” he said.
Assessors have been looking at several areas throughout the city, including neighborhoods surrounding Syracuse University, Clifford said. Parts of the city’s Southside and other areas identified as being either under-assessed or over-assessed are also being reviewed, he said.
A hardworking group of professionals are in the assessment office, but there’s a physical limit to the number of reassessments the office can accomplish, Clifford said
“Our job in the administration is to make sure they have sufficient resources — people, technology — to do the job,” he said. “It’s not an easy thing to do, but we’re committed to it.”
Syracuse conducts about 2,000 reassessments each year, said Chief Administrative Officer Frank Caliva at the committee meeting. If the assessment office could do 4,000 every year, it would be a much more fair and equalized system, he said.
The city is looking at a broad range of possible actions to reform property tax assess-
ties, tailgates, formals and dance parties, said Dean of Students Marianne Thomson in a campus-wide email sent Monday. Events cohosted with fraternities are also banned for the rest of the semester.
Registered parties must meet numerous requirements outlined by FASA. Some of those include: a guest list from all participat-
administration’s heavily-criticized response to hate and bias incidents, said an organizer of #NotAgainSU outside Watson Hall. She declined to be named for this story.
“For him to get up in front of everyone, speak for less than a full 60 seconds, just to say that he does not agree with the demands that were written for him by a group of students that have been missing classes, getting sick and doing the administration’s job, is ridiculous,” she said.
If the question is ‘Can I produce agreement to every word at this instant’ The answer is I cannot.
Kent Syverud chancellor
After a half-hour outside the chancellor’s house, protesters walked back to the Barnes Center. It was 8:40 p.m. The forum was still being held in Hendricks.
Organizers passed by the chapel and returned to the Barnes Center. About 100 protesters were waiting for them there.
A week ago, the protesters formed a path for Syverud as he read their original demands for the first time. It was silent then.
On Wednesday, those at the Barnes Center lined an entrance for the protesters, and they applauded. They blocked DPS officers and the media from entering the center.
“Let’s occupy,” an organizer shouted from a megaphone. They would stay another night. gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326
ments, Caliva said. It considered doing a full, city-wide reassessment, which has not been done since the mid-1990s. Doing so would cost around $2 million, he said.
Syracuse is also continuing to look at new technology, advocating for changes at the state level and potentially looking to work with other municipalities to create a better system, Caliva said.
Technology is rapidly becoming part of the solution, Caliva said. Technology adopted in Florida has allowed a single assessor to conduct multiple assessments, he said. While these technologies are still imperfect, Caliva said Syracuse continues to look for such opportunities to increase the system’s productivity.
Data also allows the city to do assessments in a more efficient manner based on information about the current marketplace, Caliva said.
“Our goal is for the assessment process to be as fair and consistent as possible,” he said.
Another report in April found that the 485-a tax exemption, created by state law-
ing chapters, wristbands to indicate students of drinking age and security throughout the event. They can only be hosted on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Sorority chapters cannot host parties. Drinking games and hard liquor are violations of FASA policy. The university may revoke the social privileges of a chapter that hosts unregistered
from page 3 safety
I’m still walking by myself,” McLean said.
The Alpha Chi Rho fraternity was suspended last week after members and guests allegedly yelled the N-word at a female student as she walked by, but no perpetrators of other crimes have been confirmed. McLean feel unsafe knowing
makers to help revive old commercial buildings, has been misused by luxury student apartment complexes.
Clifford said the city signed onto this exemption in 2010 and it has been very successful in reviving unutilized space in the downtown area. Certain “loopholes” in the law, however, do allow individuals to take advantage of the generous tax break.
Part of the city’s efforts in ensuring an equitable tax system is proposing new legislation to correct the 485-a exemption, Clifford said.
“We want to put some definitions in place around what constitutes a conversion,” he said. “That would mean you’d have to keep 60% of the existing building. We’re also proposing at least 15% of new mixed-use buildings be commercial.”
Clifford said the city’s next step is to continue looking for ways to make the overall assessment process easier, from conducting more targeted assessments to finding new resources and solutions.
scalessa@syr.edu
events or violates social event policies.
Recognized chapters, however, can still hold on-campus recruitment events, probate shows and educational speaking events, Thomson said. Probates are new member presentations usually associated with historically black fraternities and sororities in the NPHC.
cdarnell@syr.edu | @caseydarnell_
the people involved in the other incidents have not been found.
Reif said she’ll return to campus after Thanksgiving break on schedule, but thinks the campus will be “eerie and weird.”
“I’m sure once they keep updating us and stuff I’ll feel a lot more secure,” Reif said.
— Asst. Digital Editor Natalie Rubio-Licht contributed reporting to this article. esfolts@syr.edu | @emmafolts
Hendricks Chapel was completely filled for a forum on Wednesday night. All three balconies of the chapel were packed. . ali harford senior staff designer
letter to the editor
We’re giving racists too much power
Dear Editor,
The series of hate crimes that have been occurring on campus has inflicted fear and anxiety among our students of color and non-Christian students and faculty. Students and staff have shown solidarity through the sit-in protest at the Barnes Center at The Arch. They’ve provided a list of demands to administration in an attempt to promote change and safety in our community. Professors have cancelled classes and postponed assignments. Safety precautions have also been offered and suggested to students as a result of these heinous acts.
As a fellow student and an Asian American, I relate to those who are offended, angry and afraid because of the racist incidents. It is not right for us to feel unsafe in a community in which we spend so much of our time in and live in. These hate crimes are unacceptable, and whoever is
letter to the editor
responsible should be punished.
We need to unite against the crimes themselves, yet there has been more anger directed towards the university and administration than towards the culprit. I have seen a tremendous amount of negative energy directed towards the university for their lack of transparency. I haven’t seen nearly the same amount of positive energy focused on the value of coming together in a time where it is more necessary than ever.
Although I condemn racism and harm towards others, I feel that we have given whoever is responsible exactly what they want: the attention that they were seeking; the ability to hurt and scare us; and influence over others to act in a similar fashion as them.
We have given those responsible for racism on campus too much power over us. I
understand that it is conflicting to approach these incidents because our safety is most important; I understand that similar incidents have occurred over the years and that it is important to put a stop to them; but I believe we should work on making a change through a different approach because these crimes keep happening despite the measures being taken.
I am not saying that students should be required to go about their regularly scheduled days if they feel threatened in any way. However, we shouldn’t let the unknown culprits consume our emotions and control our actions in the way that they have. We are letting them win by allowing them to affect our education and our ability to walk freely in our own community.
Sincerely,
Jessica C. Infante Sophomore
Cuomo’s comments are ‘disgraceful’
Dear Editor, Syracuse University has been grappling with a grotesque series of racist slurs and threats that have convulsed the campus in the last few days. Students, faculty and staff have been shaken by these events. Many students, not surprisingly, feel unsafe as the search for the perpetrators continues. But as Chancellor Syverud’s letter to the community on Tuesday demonstrates, the university is effectively responding to this crisis.
The several specific calls for action from students all have been accepted, and the chancellor has detailed how the university will act and which administrators will be accountable for the implementation of changes.
The last thing SU needs in this difficult hour is the uniformed intervention by the State Governor Andrew Cuomo, in our judgement, knows next to nothing about SU. Yet on Tuesday, he made an outrageous attack on Syverud, a vote of
no confidence in the chancellor that Cuomo knew would become a national news story. He even called on the Board of Trustees to replace the chancellor in leading the response to this crisis. We were pleased to read the board’s strong endorsement of Syverud’s stewardship of our university and its rejection of Cuomo’s wholly unwarranted attack.
We have been SU faculty members for over five decades, and while now we are emeritus professors, each teach a class in Maxwell this semester. We have been deeply involved in the life of this institution, served for so many years in the Senate, as department chairs and on so many university committees. This is not the first crisis to deeply affect members of the campus community, but the university has continued to grow and prosper. And, like so many colleagues, we can attest how Syracuse has changed across the years, including the ways in which diversity and inclusion have become a
central mission of the institution, reshaping so many departmental curriculums and adding so many units and personnel to the administration and staff.
What students have called for is just a continuation of what has been happening here. Under Syverud, Syracuse has grown and prospered. Its reputation, its new financial stability, the breadth of its curricular offerings, the increasing strength of its faculty and of its student body have made all of us who care about SU proud.
What Cuomo did is inexplicable and disgraceful. Yet SU, as in the past, will move beyond this crisis.
With the leadership of the chancellor, and the active involvement of students like those at the Barnes Center and other members of the community, SU will continue to prosper.
Sincerely,
David H. Bennett, James Roger Sharp Emeritus Professors of History
letter to the editor
Omissions in SU’s emails to parents about racism
Dear Editor, I am writing as a concerned parent with a daughter who is a first year student. I also have considerable expertise in dealing with hate and violence having been the Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and President and CEO of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, writing on antisemitism, the Holocaust, racism, genocide and mass murder. I worked in Rwanda.
The first communication parents received from the university indicated all of the resources that the university offers to protect and support its students. There was a notable and most obvious omission: an expression of outrage at the acts of hatred, a manifest expression of solidarity with those who have been its targets, a determination to remake Syracuse into the caring, safe and inclusive community it should be and it must be.
Having just returned from Pittsburgh which marked the first anniversary of the murder of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue, permit me to express to you what I learned there. This is an opportunity for the university to proclaim clearly, loudly and proudly that Syracuse University must become a community that celebrates its pluralism and one in which the many different people who call the campus home
letter to the editor
are committed to one another and the common task of learning. Syracuse University can be known as a community ripped apart by intimidating and hateful acts against minorities or it can become known as a community that has drawn together to defeat hate, division and violence.
There should be a march against hatred now, before Thanksgiving break. Have the football team and basketball team and every other Syracuse University team wear logos that express solidarity with the victims of hatred and the unity of the community in the wake of such expressions of hatred. Pittsburgh developed the logo of Pittsburgh Strong because the community came together. Professors should wear it to class. Students should wear it all over campus. Let the administration wear it as a symbol of unity and solidarity.
The Syracuse community must come together so it can be Syracuse strong. If minority groups feel unsafe on campus, let them not walk alone. In the Civil Rights movement, the presence of Whites made African Americans actually feel safer. Walk together arm in arm proudly, defiantly, but carry your phones to record and broadcast any assaults.
Sincerely,
Michael Berenbaum American Jewish University
Students protesting racism will win
Dear Editor,
Students: I hoped to prevent this. Four years ago, I saw the writing on the walls and worked tirelessly to prevent future students of color from feeling how I felt — ignored, disrespected and marginalized.
Despite the 18-day sleep-in, history repeats itself. And although the university’s response profoundly saddens me, I am not surprised. However, I bleed orange, and I am incredibly proud.
Witnessing a diverse group of brilliant and radical students occupying a building on campus and truly fighting for what is right warms my heart and is the only
positive thing that has come out of this diabolical, preventable series of events.
It is so unfortunate that after #itooamSU, the 2015 Blacktivism Conference, Hanna Strong, and the Yik Yak debacle, the university has learned nothing and continues to fail its students of color. However, I am here with you. I commend you for your bravery, your fearlessness and your organizing. I believe in your cause, and most importantly, I believe that you will win. Stay safe, thrive in truth and fight like hell.
Sincerely,
Olivia T. Johnson
Former NAACP President Syracuse University ‘16
to students at Bird Library. A link to the manifesto was also posted on a discussion board on Greekrank.com.
Syverud repeatedly apologized for SU’s response to the “alleged Internet attack,” saying the university “did not have a team in place that could deal with it effectively.”
“To date, law enforcement has not been able to locate a single individual who directly received an AirDrop,” Syverud said. “Not one.”
“It was apparent that this rumor was probably a hoax, but that reality was not communicated clearly and rapidly enough to get ahead of escalating anxiety.”
In his speech, Syverud did not mention the Greekrank.com post.
Tayla Myree, a member of the #NotAgain-
1
forum
remarks, Syverud said he couldn’t agree to every word of the demands without consulting other university officials.
“Sign or resign,” protesters chanted as they headed to the chapel doors. “Sign or resign.”
Syverud would later meet separately with some #NotAgainSU protesters and international students. The chancellor announced early Thursday morning that he agreed to 16 of 19 demands, as written.
After many students walked out of the forum, SU community members continued to share their experiences, fears and concerns — all without knowing the state of the demands and the #NotAgainSU movement.
The forum began with senior Jett Cloud and other #NotAgainSU representatives speaking about the movement and their concerns with SU’s response to hate crimes and bias-related incidents that have been reported in the last two weeks. Cloud called on Syverud, Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado and Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience, to resign if the demands weren’t signed.
“The present situation is only the latest
SU movement who attended the meeting, later criticized Syverud’s use of the word “hoax” to describe the incident, pointing to the PDF shared on Greekrank.com.
“I have personally reported what we saw on that forum,” Myree told senators. “It’s not false information. I have screenshots of that post. … It’s not a hoax.”
Students suspended over College Place incident
Four SU students have been placed on interim suspension for involvement in a racial verbal attack near College Place on Saturday night.
Those students are not on campus and are not in classes, Syverud announced. A total of 14 people leaving an Alpha Chi Rho, “Crow,” fraternity party were involved in the incident, he said.
Syverud said several students from other schools outside of central New York were in the
incident in the unfortunately long timeline of students of color consistently being under attack on this campus,” Cloud said.
Cloud was one of the many students who marched out of Hendricks. Those who remained asked questions and told stories that echoed what he had expressed: the university has not done enough.
In response to #NotAgainSU’s fifth demand, SU said they would implement revisions to the university’s Student Code of Conduct by August 2020.
“Why not now?” one student asked.
Dean of Students Marianne Thomson said August 2020 was the timeframe chosen because students have to sign the code at the start of each year. Changing it during the school year would be unfair, she said.
One student asked about the white supremacist manifesto allegedly sent to students’ cellphones Monday night in Bird Library. DPS said the manifesto presented “no direct threat” to the SU community in a campuswide email sent Tuesday. One student at the forum asked how that was possible.
Maldonado said he is unsure how the manifesto made its way to campus. The FBI, Syracuse Police Department and New York State Police determined that the manifesto did not
group. He said the “most aggressive” of those students is affiliated with Rutgers University.
The chancellor said the non-SU students have been “referred for appropriate discipline,” including at the colleges they attend.
“The entire case has been referred to the Onondaga County District Attorney.
The New York State Police’s Hate Crimes Task Force has been partnering with us and we’re working with the New York State Division of Human Rights on this matter,” Syverud said.
In a campus-wide email Saturday, DPS initially said that a “large group of individuals,” including members and guests of a fraternity, reportedly yelled the N-word at a black woman student near College Place.
The incident led Syverud to suspend all fraternity social activities until the end of the fall semester. Crow was also suspended.
pose a threat, he said.
A Chinese international student said they did not understand why certain professors canceled classes in response to the manifesto, but schools and colleges remained open. John Liu, incoming interim vice chancellor and provost, said he will be working on the issue of class cancellation.
The
present situation is only the latest incident in the unfortunately long timeline of students of color consistently being under attack on this campus.
Jett Cloud su senior
Addressing Syverud, one staff member said students’ parents are paying the university to keep their children safe in a “world that hates them.”
‘One and five members’ perpetuating hate speech
Syverud said there have been at least 12 cases of racist or anti-Semitic vandalism reported at or near SU over the last two weeks.
“Based off of conversations with Chief Bobby Maldonado earlier today, indications are there are between one and five members of our community perpetuating this hate speech,” the chancellor announced.
Racial slurs have been written in buildings across campus, including Day Hall, Haven Hall and the Physics Building. A swastika was found in a stairwell in Haven. A swastika was also found stamped into snow across the street from the 505 on Walnut.
The Daily Orange had previously counted at least 12 hate crimes or bias-related incidents on or near campus since Nov. 7.
sfogozal@syr.edu
“You have students over there standing in front of you, and you were asked one question: yes or no?” The staff member said. “I feel sorry for everyone up here because you couldn’t say yes.”
#NotAgainSU’s third demand is to revise SEM 100, a first-year seminar that teaches diversity and inclusion. Amanda Nicholson, assistant provost and dean of student success, said at the forum that the course was originally structured in a way that was never meant to be “long term.”
“We were trying to do something quickly, and we had eight weeks to get it done,” Nicholson said.
About 20 people addressed SU officials at Hendricks, but many in attendance still had questions when the forum ended around 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday. Syverud emerged from his meeting with #NotAgainSU protesters at that time and addressed the students in front of him, many still waiting for answers.
“Something is going to happen on this tonight or tomorrow morning,” Syverud said at the forum’s end. “That doesn’t solve the things I heard tonight.”
irmiragl@syr.edu | @indyrow nrrubiol@syr.edu | @nrrubiol@syr.edu
Tale as old as time
Syracuse Stage and SU Department of Drama to present “Beauty and the Beast” musical. See dailyorange.com
Painting over hate
SU art students and professors will create a mural over the graffiti found in Comstock Art Facility. See dailyorange.com
Women in Communications to host SU alum and former bachelor contestant Ashley Iaconetti. See dailyorange.com
Finding peace
By Mandy Kraynak asst. copy editor
When Sainte Marie among the Iriquois, a reproduction of a Jesuit mission in Onondaga territory, went out of business in 2012, Philip Arnold thought the land could be better memorialized.
The Arnold family share history of Haudenosaunee through Skä·noñh – Great Law of Peace Center
Today, the the Skä·noñh - Great Law of Peace Center sits in the same spot as the former mission, but as a museum that tells the story and influence of the Haudenosaunee people at Onondaga Lake. Arnold, the founding director of the center and a Syracuse University associate professor, said the foudning of the Great Law of Peace at Onondaga Lake was the more important story to tell. The Jesuits, for which the site was formerly dedicated, were in Onondaga territory for less than two years.
“Skä·noñh” is an Onondaga greeting that means peace and wellness, referring specifically to the peace that comes about when humans live in harmony with the natural world. The rooms in the museum tell stories of the people.
One of the rooms in center focuses on the influence that indigenous people have had on Western democracy in culture.
An exhibit at the Skä·noñh Center gives an account of a messenger, known as the Peacemaker, going to Onondaga Lake to reconcile the five warring nations of the Haudenosaunee people. Bigtree said this account is still relevant today, given the state of the environment.
“This very lake where the Peacemaker came is now today the most chemically polluted lake in the Americas,” Arnold’s
see heritage page 8
from the studio
Artist features SU students, alumni in mental health music video
By Chris Cicchiello asst. copy editor
Bri Tolani could feel a panic attack coming. Her breathing quickened. Her brain became muddled and fuzzy with incoherent thoughts.
“Why don’t you write a song?” she remembered her mom saying. This was during her semester abroad in California through the Syracuse University Los Angeles Semester, and her mom had come to visit.
“We were at the pool, and (I) start-
ed humming to myself and, for some reason, the lyric ‘everything is just so damn hazy’ popped in my head, and I have no idea why, but then I was like ‘this is kind of sick,’” Tolani said. She left the pool area, and pretty soon after, she fleshed out the song with lyrics and chord progressions. Almost a year later, she released her debut solo single, “Hazy,” on Nov. 20 with a music video accompanying it. SU alumni and students came together to help bring Tolani’s vision to fruition. The song delves
More than anything, I just want this song to talk to people, even if someone isn’t going through stuff
Bri Tolani su alumna and musician
into Tolani’s experience with mental health issues, including a condition known as dissociation.
“Dissociation is basically when your brain feels really stressed or overwhelmed,” Tolani said. “Basically, if you have really intense levels of anxiety or stress and you don’t treat them or if they’re out of control, your brain can kind of shut off, and it’s almost like you’re feeling kind of numb.”
Tolani likened it to the term “foggy brained,” which people some-
times use when referring to a lapse in memory. She added that it can happen to anyone who is under immense pressure or stress, and that it’s the brain’s way of “protecting you.” Tolani’s dream of being a singer started in high school and continued into college, where the 2019 graduate was part of the Bandier Program. During this time, she created a YouTube account dedicated to covers of famous pop songs like Julia Michaels’ song “Issues” and Drake’s
SANDY BIGTREE (LEFT) AND PHILIP ARNOLD first met each other in Boulder, Colorado. Now, the married couple works for the Skä·noñh Great Law of Peace Center, where Arnold is the founding director. hannah ly contributing photographer
SU offers 35th annual international Thanksgiving dinner
By Mandy Kraynak
copy editor
Every year, Joe Sidoni, associate director of catering of Syracuse University Food Services, dons a chef hat and coat, gets on stage and carves a turkey at the International Thanksgiving Celebration.
This year’s International Thanksgiving Celebration will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium.
About 450 international students and 50 table hosts usually attend the dinner, said Michelle Larrabee, a Parent and Family Services office coordinator. Staff, faculty and members of the community serve as table hosts and introduce students to the American
wife, Sandy Bigtree, said. “So, I think that story is right at the core for where we need to go as human beings to have a viable future for all of us.”
Though Arnold isn’t indigenous, his wife is of Haudenosaunee descent, and has inspired his passion for Native American heritage, along with his sons, he said.
Arnold is also a co-coordinator of the
“One Dance.” Soon after, she did topline vocals for beats she was sent by electronic dance music artists like Fluencee, Wiles and Steve Void.
“She got to work with producers all over the world from her dorm room in Syracuse, so that was a really great way for her to start her career,” Tolani’s manager Cassandra Couwenberg said.
Tolani said that while she is extremely grateful for these opportunities, she is trying to leave the EDM sphere and establish herself as an alternative pop artist. “Hazy” is a step in this direction.
As Tolani’s manager, Couwenberg said that she was told by others to release songs that were more “happy and upbeat,” but she supported Tolani’s decision.
“While it’s super vulnerable and scary, at the same time, that’s pure art in its finest form, when you have music that’s so organic and raw to what’s going on in someone’s life. It’s not just like releasing a song to release a song, it’s releasing a story in a chapter of your life,” Tolani said.
Tolani knew that she wanted a visual component to “Hazy,” so Couwenberg created a mood board and list of scenes that would be in the video. This was relayed to the directors, SU alumni Sam DelFavero and Austin Cieszko, who were instructed to tell a visual story about a group therapy session.
DelFavero added that their focus was to come up with a shot list that was more narrative driven. To DelFavero’s surprise, the actors
Thanksgiving tradition.
All the food was donated from vendors that partner with SU Food Services.
Before the dinner of turkey, vegetables and potatoes is served, both Regina Jones, the assistant director of the Native Student Program, and Evangelical Chaplain Jay Koshy will give blessings.
T.E. Koshy, Jay Koshy’s father, started the International Thanksgiving Celebration 35 years ago. It then became an annual tradition.
Larrabee said she has helped coordinate the dinner for at least 12 years. The dinner introduces international students to an American tradition that they may be unfamiliar with.
“It’s really just wonderful, everyone coming together for this celebration,” Larrabee said.
Skä·noñh Center’s academic collaborative, the Onondaga Historical Association, the Onondaga Nation, SUNY-ESF, and Onondaga Community College, among others.
Bigtree is also member of the academic collaborative and has worked with the Skä·noñh Center since its inception, she said.
Bigtree is of Mohawk heritage. Her father grew up on the Mohawk Nation territory of Akwesasne, but she grew up in Syracuse, separated from the community. She later went back and studied her personal background
were all Syracuse students.
The video is a snapshot into a group therapy session where people, including Tolani, voice their problems, but what viewers may not realize is the majority of these confessions by the SU actors are real.
“We had a lot of different options for lines for people who didn’t have their own stories to share, and we let people choose what they felt comfortable in saying or what they personally identified with,” Couwenberg said.
DelFavero echoed this sentiment, adding the space “almost became a support group” for those involved.
In the song, Tolani sings, “There’s no sun in my thunderstorm,” comparing the thunderstorm to life. With the help of Couwenberg, this lyric became the basis for the social media campaign entitled “My Thunderstorm Campaign.” Couwenberg said that this is a way for fans to share “their own thunderstorm through videos.” There will also be a campaign entitled “Clear the Storm,” where fans are encouraged to share coping mechanisms.
While Tolani hopes her music will help fans around the world, she said it also serves as a personal healing tool.
“I’ve always used music as an outlet because it’s really hard to talk about myself and talk about my problems to people. I’d much rather listen and help others, but I feel like when I write songs about my problems, it doesn’t feel like I’m talking about it in that way,” Tolani said.
Similarly, Tolani will be releasing a ‘90s mixtape consisting of covers of ‘90s songs that discuss experiences with mental illness. The list includes Radiohead’s “Creep” and “Mad World”
She wants this year’s event to be a time of community and coming together for those who attend. With the hate crimes and biasrelated incidents that have occurred on and around campus, Larrabee said it’s unclear whether it will affect attendance, but she hopes students still come.
“I hope the kids can come there and find comfort in each other and just enjoy a night out away from everything that’s going on on campus,” Larrabee said.
Yapan Liu, a Ph.D. student studying mechanical engineering, attended the International Thanksgiving Celebration in 2016 and 2017. When he attended in 2016, it was his first semester at SU. He said he knew that Thanksgiving was a major holiday in America,
while doing research in preparation for the opening of the Skä·noñh Center, she said.
Their sons, Clay and Kroy Arnold said they stay in touch with their Haudenosaunee roots through lacrosse, which they’ve both played since they were three.
“(Lacrosse has) been more of a platform for me to share that the Haudenosaunee are still alive and well,” Clay said, “and the fact that we’re in a history textbook is not accurate because we’re not history. We’re still around.”
Clay said his father serves as an ambas-
by Tears for Fears. Tolani said that the campaign is meant to show that “this conversation has always been here and needs to be here.”
Fame has never really crossed Tolani’s mind, she said, but her EDM songs helped expand her fan base to places like Malaysia, India and Morocco. Tolani said she’s most excited for these fans to hear her new track.
“More than anything, I just want this song to talk to people, and even if someone isn’t going through stuff, I think it’s so good for people to be educated about things that are going on so they can help their friends,” Tolani said.
and he wanted to find out more about it.
Liu said there was great food and beautiful decorations at the event. The 2016 dinner was his first time seeing a turkey, he said.
Tej Bhatia, a professor of linguistics and the director of South Asian languages at SU, said he has been a table host at the event for many years. Bhatia was an international student himself, and he attended a similar event while studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He believes the event makes international students feel welcome. He noted that some international students do not get a chance to go home during the break.
“You find family outside your family here, so that’s very meaningful,” Bhatia said. ackrayna@syr.edu
sador of the Onondaga Nation to the Syracuse University community. He’s creating a connection between the university and the heritage of Native American people, Clay added.
“He comes into work every day knowing that he gets to teach, and hopefully open up young minds about the Haudenosaunee,” Clay said, “And that the Haudenosaunee is not just a group of people that happened in the past, but they still practice their cultures and traditions today.”
ackrayna@syr.edu
There have been over 5,000 cumulative streams and views in 24 hours since the song and music video dropped.
While Tolani has had Couwenberg, DelFavero and Cieszko to help bring “Hazy” to the masses, she goes back to the fateful day by the poolside when anxiety struck.
“I honestly give credit to my mom because she was like ‘go write a song’ and I was like ‘okay.’ And now here I am, you know, a year later, ready to release a huge song,” Tolani said. “It was really cool the way it all came together.” cmcicchi@syr.edu | @ChrisCicchiello
men’s basketball
Players make statement with #NotAgainSU warm-ups
By Nick Alvarez senior staff writer
Syracuse marching band drums reverberated, orange-clad fans cheered and the Carrier Dome pregame festivities looked as they always had aside from one slight difference.
It was minutes before tip-off, and across the chest of every SU player read in orange lettering “#NotAgainSU.” The student-led protests against the recent hate acts on campus started two weeks prior in the Barnes Center at The Arch and had manifested on Jim Boeheim Court.
Both Syracuse (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) and Cornell (1-4) warmed up ahead of the Battle of the Boeheims — the annual contest and third-straight SU win between Orange head coach Jim Boeheim and his two sons, SU’s Buddy and Cornell’s Jimmy. A few hundred yards from the Dome, students and administrators piled into Hendricks Chapel for a community forum. The black T-shirts represented the dichotomy
women’s basketball
of each player’s current position: Concerned student taking stock of their campus or basketball player on the school’s most important team.
After a color guard carried the flag off the court, SU starters lifted the black material over their heads. With protests and an impending forum in Hendricks Chapel, the players decided they’d be both.
“When I brought it up everyone really bought in,” forward Elijah Hughes said, “It was something we decided to do together.”
The plan started last night in the team hotel. Hughes, who’d been following the movement outside of practice and games, connected with one of the #NotAgainSU members and “put his thoughts out” on the recent hate crimes that have circulated the recent news cycle. Hughes eventually settled on the idea of the T-shirts, and pitched the idea to the team during a meeting.
Freshman forward Quincy Guerrier, a Canadian-native who arrived on campus in May, said the team bought in immediately. The
movement and basketball team had crossed over before Wednesday night. Ahead of Syracuse’s Nov. 13 win over Colgate, SU’s student section, Otto’s Army, requested all students skip the game in solidarity with the then-early protests occurring in the Barnes Center. Students came anyway. Postgame, Boeheim said comments that angered the protestors.
When Boeheim, Buddy and Hughes attended the Barnes Center sit-in on Nov. 16, Boeheim was confronted and the students rejected the pizza he offered them. Through it all, Buddy, Hughes and most of the players stayed quiet.
Said Guerrier after the Cornell meeting: “It’s kind of hard for everyone on campus right now.”
“I’m trying to not really focus on it, I’m trying to focus on school,” he said “... I’m more aware now.”
They wanted to focus on their games, Guerrier said, but the news cycle dictated otherwise. Guerrier and other players had class canceled by professors after a white supremacist manifesto was posted on a forum on GreekRank.com.
As other students stayed in dorms and contemplated attending classes that weren’t rescheduled, NBA veteran and SU alum Dion Waiters visited Orange players in their apartment and played Madden, Hughes said. But the campus movement swirled and amid counterscheduled town halls and impending finals, the players couldn’t avoid #NotAgainSU.
“I thought it was a good idea,” Boeheim said. “Everybody in the University thought it was a good idea.”
A few hundred yards from the Dome court, students and administrators discussed the movement’s demands in Hendricks. When Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud refused to sign a list of requests, protestors filed out of Hendricks and into the cold night. Meanwhile, fans in the student section chanted for Jimmy to air-ball a free throw.
“We can do what we can,” Hughes said. “It’s hard cause at the end of the day we’re 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids. If you can bring the school together in any way we’re going to try to.”
nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez
Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi works to expand game to the perimeter
By Danny Emerman asst. sports editor
Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman tells all of his players to shoot whenever they’re open, no matter how much time is on the shot clock or where they are on the court.
This rule even applies to second-year center Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, who attempted three 3-pointers in 34 games last year. Hillsman has given her the green light to shoot when she’s open.
“She doesn’t really like to shoot it,” Hillsman said, “but she’s a really good shooter.”
The 6-foot-2 redshirt sophomore has been working to expand her range to provide Syracuse with a more multidimensional offensive option at center. Through three games, she’s hit her first collegiate 3-pointer in two attempts from beyond the arc but has struggled inside. Djaldi-Tabdi is averaging four points per game — half of last season’s figure — but has shown potential on the offensive end.
“Hopefully, she will continue to take the shots when (she’s) open,” Hillsman said. “She doesn’t really like to shoot it, but she’s a really good shooter.”
Over the summer, Djaldi-Tabdi worked to expand her offensive abilities outside the paint. She wanted to improve her face-up game and hone her jump shot. Last year, she led rotation players in field goal percentage (54.2%), taking most of her shots at the rim.
Djaldi-Tabdi represented her home country of France in the 2019 World Beach Games
worked his way to the free throw line and dominated the lane offensively, Syracuse failed to create similar opportunities. The Orange shot just two free throws in the first half and couldn’t hit open shots against a matchup zone which was granting open looks, though only from far out.
(Jim
Boeheim) told me to get my rhythm and just get inside, use my physicality. That’s what I did.
Quincy
Guerrier su basketball forward
“We were forcing it a little,” said Buddy Boeheim on Wednesday night, who shot 4-of-13 from 3. “We were just missing open shots and that’s going to happen. We knew that we’d break the game eventually.” Syracuse had hit its shots to start the game but by the time halftime hit, and the Orange led their Ivy League opponent by one point,
in Qatar, an international three-on-three tournament. With only six players on the court at once instead of 10, Djaldi-Tabdi had more room to operate.
She was forced to make quicker decisions because there was a 12-second shot clock, she said. Games were only played in the half court and scores were counted by ones and twos — pickup style. France took the gold medal, and when Djaldi-Tabdi returned to the team, forward Digna Strautmane said she would score in practice without “thinking about it twice.”
“That helped me learn how to actually get my shot off and not hesitate,” Djaldi-Tabdi said.
In the fourth quarter against MarylandEastern Shore on Nov. 12, Djaldi-Tabdi didn’t hesitate when she was open for 3-pointer, making the first shot in her college career from beyond the arc.
Point guard Kiara Lewis walked the ball up and swung it to freshman guard Taleah Washington on the right wing. Washington then sent a pass to Djaldi-Tabdi in the short corner. Djaldi-Tabdi’s defender never closed out and kept her arms by her sides, so Djaldi-Tabdi rose up with 19 seconds left on the shot clock to put the Orange up 21.
Amaya Finklea-Guity said she’s envious of Djaldi-Tabdi’s “inside-out game,” and she’s trying to emulate it. But for now, both Djaldi-Tabdi and Finklea-Guity spend most of their time on offense in the dunker spot — the area on the baseline right outside the paint — waiting for dump-off passes or offensive rebound chances.
If Djald-Tabdi can become a consistent
SU needed something different. With a little more than 13 minutes remaining, a miss down the other end provided Syracuse a fast break opportunity. The Orange had the same look countless times through out the game. Cornell swarmed the ball handler and an open Syracuse player bounced at the 3-point line. This time, it was Joe Girard III and he sank the 3-pointer. What could’ve been a three-point game became a nine-point Orange lead.
Syracuse still didn’t find rhythm, though. It wouldn’t be until Bourama Sidibe reached his fourth foul. With the 6-foot-10 center one slip up away from ending his night, Boeheim enlisted Guerrier and a small lineup featuring Marek Dolezaj at the center.
Gurrier entered the game with Boeheim’s comments on his mind. The 44-year head coach told Guerrier, who claims to be one of the strongest players on the team, to play physical. Syracuse needed someone to drive to the hoop consistently. It needed someone to be physical. It needed someone to demand defense and still not be stopped on offense. On Wednesday, that someone was the man off the bench named Quincy Gurrier. jlschafer@syr.edu | @Schafer_44
scoring threat from the perimeter, that opens up a new element to Syracuse’s pace-andspace offense, Hillsman said. If she can draw her defender out to the 3-point line, that pulls a shot-blocker away from the basket and opens up driving lanes for Orange guards.
Her other 3-point attempt this year came on SU’s final possession of the third quarter against Albany. SU ran a five-out set, placing all players along the perimeter and cycling them through the lane with off-ball
“This is my fourth semester, and this is the third racist act that’s happened,” Cisco said then. “It bothers me a lot, just knowing who I am as a black man and what I stand for. At a school like this, I came here partially because I felt like black people were well represented up at Syracuse.”
The ensuing Saturday against Duke, Cisco wore cleats with #NotAgainSU written on them to stand in solidarity with the protest occurring on campus, saying after the game he felt the protestors deserved recognition.
As incidents kept occurring, locker room conversations intensified. More players took to social media. Safety Evan Foster retweeted Gabrielle Union’s tweet on the protest. Moe Neal said after the Duke game he’d attended the sit-in to listen. Quarterback Tommy DeVito posted on his Instagram story on Tuesday the message from Renegade Magazine calling for classes to be cancelled following the sharing of the manifesto.
“It goes a long way,” Ruff said. “Because most people see us as — they kind of see as puppets on a string, they don’t expect us to speak out. But they know we have opinions. ” Gauging how and whether to engage with
cuts to the basket. Eventually, Djaldi-Tabdi caught the ball in the corner and shot a contested three with five seconds remaining. It rimmed out.
Despite the miss, she drew a defender away from the hoop. Her outside stroke allowed SU to go five-out, which only works when teams can put five shooters on the floor at once. “I mean, right now, she’s 1-for-2,” Hillsman said. “Fifty percent. Hall of Fame, right?” dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman
situations like the current one and Theta Tau falls on the players. The current situation, players said, feels like more of a groundswell of hate on a campus that’s supposed to be safe and welcoming. That element has driven participation from players.
It’s also difficult to openly criticize the institution that pays for your education, players said. Babers controls scholarships, and players trust their head coach would never punish a player in such harsh a fashion as stripping one’s scholarship for speaking their mind. As a whole, players said, Babers doesn’t encourage or discourage them from speaking up.
“Coach Babers understands in that situation you have a platform as a student-athlete and as a leader on campus to speak on something that may be important to you,” said Zaire Franklin, former SU linebacker.
As some of the most public faces of the student body, Ruff knows he and his teammates can have an incredible reach. That, in part, is why Ruff wants to speak at the sit-in. He’s tired of feeling like he’s on the sidelines, and the team felt comfortable sending him.
The hope, then, is that others can stand behind them.
— Senior Staff Writers Eric Black and Josh Schafer contributed reporting to this story. aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham
from page 12 football
MAEVA DJALDI-TABDI made her first 3-pointer at SU this season. The Orange want all players to shoot when they think they’re open. corey henry photo editor
Contact Tom. 607- 591- 4746
S SPORTS
Wearing their support
SYRACUSE MEN’S BASKETBALL wore warm-up T-shirts in support of the #NotAgainSU movement, which has been protesting a string of hate crimes and bias-related incidents at or around SU. Head coach Jim Boeheim met with protesters on Saturday afternoon at the Barnes Center at The Arch. Now, his team is showing its support. For more, see Page 10.
men’s basketball
Orange pull away from Cornell in 72-53 win
By Josh Schafer senior staff writer
When Quincy Guerrier entered the game with just less than 10 minutes remaining, Syracuse clung to a four-point lead. Guerrier drew a foul on his first possession on offense, and sank a free throw. Then he snagged a defensive rebound and continued the scoring. From the foul line, inside the lane and beyond the arc, Guerrier converted.
Three minutes after strolling onto the court, Guerrier had scored eight consecutive points for the Orange and SU led by 11 in an eventual 72-53 win over Cornnell on Wednesday night.
“(Coach Jim Boeheim) told me to get my rhythm and just get inside use my physicality and that’s what I did,” Guerrier said.
The 3-pointer was Guerrier’s first of the season, and filled a void in the stat column that both he and his teammates had discussed prior to the game. Guerrier’s performance overall, 10 points and five rebounds, was the jolt of offense a team that had none through the first half needed. The Orange (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) shot 47.2% from the field and missed 6-of-18 shots from the charity stripe. The opponent, Cornell (1-4), missed more often, converting on 14-of-40 field goals and never hit enough consistent jumpers to keep a lead in the second half.
“We just had that one little spurt...that gave us the separa-
tion,” Boeheim said.
For the much of the first half, Cornell appeared like Syracuse’s offense against Virginia: Stagnant. The Big Red players took minuscule steps as the ball spread around the perimeter. Syracuse’s white jerseys bobbed left then right then back left, following the flow of Cornell’s lateral passing. Eventually, the red clock above the backboard had ticked to close to offensive failure, the Big Red shot 3-pointers, though only 6-of-27 were hit on the night. Twice in the first half alone, Syracuse forced shot clock violations where the Big Red had done seemingly nothing to threaten a score.
Syracuse noted after the game that the Big Red played intentionally slow at times, holding the ball waiting for a look. The issues arose when Cornell had the look, and couldn’t convert. Cornell’s offense, which entered the game ranked 125th in adjusted field goal percentage, shot 35% from the field.
Cornell’s main source of scoring came from the son of Syracuse head coach Boeheim. Jimmy, a junior forward for Cornell, finished with 25 points, much to the dismay of the Syracuse student section. After an early air ball, the students chanted “air ball” at Boeheim’s oldest son each time he touched the ball for the remainder of the first half. Jimmy wasn’t bothered though, sinking all of his free throws and finishing several passes near the low block.
Midway through the second quarter, Boeheim had seen enough of his son’s offense exploiting the Syracuse defense. Though it wasn’t Jimmy that hit the 3-pointer with 6:48 left in the first half, the Cornell make, in a corner Guerrier was presumably responsible for, sent Boeheim into a frenzy.
“Quincy!” he yelled before lecturing the freshman for the majority of the timeout.
At that point Syracuse’s offense had stalled, and the defensive miscues had become more significant. As Jimmy consistently
SU players speak up during protests
By Andrew Graham senior staff writer
Kenneth Ruff Jr. woke up around 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning and read the same email he and 104 of his Syracuse football teammates received.
As Ruff processed the events described in the email — a white supremacist shooter’s manifesto allegedly being posted online and shared on campus — his attention turned to the quickening pulse of text notifications buzzing his phone. Ruff, a senior who keeps in touch with as many players as possible, sifted through notes of anger, confusion and disappointment from teammates present and past.
It bothers me a lot, just knowing who I am as a black man and what I stand
for
Andre Cisco su football safety
“I’m sad,” Ruff said Tuesday. “I don’t like to be like this. You know how I am. I smile all the time. And it’s been hard to do that today, especially when I have my girlfriend calling me asking me if I could walk her to class because she’s scared.”
A day after Dino Babers said in his weekly press conference the team hadn’t addressed the matter as a whole, every player and coach was in the football auditorium on Tuesday morning.
After a video detailing Theta Tau displaying “extremely racist” behavior was published in 2018, the football team collectively decided to keep any discussion on the issue in house. A similar conclusion was reached after the Ackerman Assault last winter. Even after Jim Boeheim visited protestors at the sit-in in the Barnes Center at the Arch, Babers deflected from the matter.
“I think it’s the Constitutional right that you can protest anything, have free speech. It’s all written into the Constitution,” he said at his Monday press conference.
But by Tuesday night, Ruff was in communication with the #NotAgainSU movement searching for a time he could address the protestors on behalf of the football team. Amid the recent spree of hate speech and bias-related incidents at Syracuse, the football team has started to take part in campus conversations it previously shied away from.
“Now it’s, ‘Maybe we need to use our voice,’” Ruff said.
All-American sophomore safety Andre Cisco made the first public comment, quote-tweeting an article about racial slurs being written in Day Hall and captioning it “...” Later that night, he explained his frustrations.
BUDDY BOEHEIM scored 16 points on Wednesday against the Big Red and his older brother. elizabeth billman asst. photo editor
elizabeth billman asst. photo editor