free
THURSDAY
feb. 15, 2018 high 52°, low 35°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Losing sleep
Freshmen living in Lawrinson Hall were rudely awakened dozens of times last semester because of e-cigarettes and popcorn setting off fire alarms. Page 3
O • New on campus
The Daily Orange Editorial Board commends Syracuse University’s establishment of an Ombuds Office but calls on SU to clarify some aspects of the new office. Page 5
P • Empowering film
dailyorange.com
Black Lives Matter Syracuse raised money to bring children to see the new “Black Panther” superhero movie to celebrate representation in film. Page 7
AT THE X SU VS. ALBANY SEE INSERT
suny-esf
Union president responds
Zoning in
Removal of chairs caused ‘unnecessary damage,’ president says By Jordan Muller asst. news editor
Sections of the Marshall Street and South Crouse Avenue area on University Hill could be affected by a major city project called ReZone Syracuse. The project is expected to be finished this year. jason mussman 5th medium
Developers say ReZone Syracuse could benefit property owners
By Jessi Soporito asst. copy editor
B
usiness owners on University Hill are waiting to see how the city of Syracuse’s new administration handles the sprawling ReZone Syracuse project, as officials push to finalize a draft of that plan this year. ReZone Syracuse, which was started in 2015 by former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, aims to update building policy and regulations across the city, including in areas surrounding Syracuse University’s campus. Mayor Ben Walsh, who was elected last year, in his recent “state of the city” address said the city will finish the project in 2018. The project could streamline the development review process, helping Syracuse generate more revenue, Walsh said. see rezone page 6
gso
Private meeting frustrates graduate students By Gabe Stern staff writer
Graduate Student Organization members expressed frustration and said they were unaware of a private meeting exploring the possible replacement of an independent student law service with lawyers that would work for the university. Jack Wilson, GSO’s president, during the organization’s Wednesday night meeting said he heard that
the Student Legal Services replacement plans have been discussed by Chancellor Kent Syverud, Student Association President James Franco and Senior Vice President for Enrollment and the Student Experience M. Dolan Evanovich. Wilson said he was notified of the meeting after it had taken place, adding that it raised concerns that the interests of GSO members were deliberately left out of the preliminary talks.
“We do not like this,” Wilson said. “The degree of independence that the SLS provides is absolutely critical.” SLS, which is jointly funded by the SA and GSO, provides free law services to Syracuse University undergraduate and graduate students. It operates independently of the university. Wilson said there were discussions at the private meeting to replace SLS with an in-house SU
law service. GSO members are worried that if SLS is defunded, they will not be represented in cases where there is a legal conflict between them and the university because the in-house legal team wouldn’t be independent of SU. As a result, members said they believed they would be at a disadvantage if they needed to take legal action against the university. Last year, Wilson said SA found
see meeting page 4
The SUNY system’s faculty union president on Wednesday voiced concern about SUNY-ESF’s abrupt removal of three department chairs in January. Frederick Kowal, president of United University Professions, said in an email to union members KOWAL that the removals, “caused unnecessary damage to the reputation of the institution.” “The abrupt timing of this change, along with the conflicting messages as to why it was done, has negatively affected faculty, professional staff and students,” Kowal said. The leadership shakeup occurred in mid-January, when President Quentin Wheeler and Vice Provost and Executive Vice President Nosa Egiebor told three SUNY-ESF department chairs to immediately step down from their positions just days before the start of the spring semester. Wheeler initially said in a campus-wide email the move was part of a university-wide policy change limiting department chairships to two three-year terms. Donald Leopold, one of the department chairs removed by SUNY-ESF, disputed the reasoning behind his removal. Leopold has said he believed the policy change was a cover to remove the chairs from faculty leadership, and that Wheeler made it “crystal clear” in the January meeting that he blamed the chairs for his failures. Leopold said Wheeler called the department chairs “saboteurs” — a claim the president did not deny, when asked in an interview with The Daily Orange last month. Wheeler said the comments were made in a different context, but declined to elaborate further. “The conflicting messages about the reason for the change, along with the defamatory comments directed at these three members, are not actions that we take lightly,” Kowal said. UUP members are voting to request that Wheeler’s contract not be renewed, among other things. The results of the vote are expected to be counted on Friday, according to an email from the SUNY-ESF UUP chapter president obtained by The D.O. jmulle01@syr.edu