free
TUESDAY
march 6, 2018 high 43°, low 31°
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 • Campus construction
SU is installing all gender bathroom signs at more than 700 single-occupancy bathrooms on campus, an administrator announced Monday. Page 4
dailyorange.com
P • Rookies no more
0 • Getting serviced
Former Newhouse entrepreneurin-residence Mike Gursha and his brother, Doug, have combined their talents to create sports information startup Rookie Road. Page 7
Student Life columnist Obi Afriyie makes the case that Syracuse University students aren’t aware enough of the campus services available to them. Page 5
Students raise insurance concerns
SU’s strategic enrollment plan will focus on recruiting in the south and west
asst. news editor
Illustration by Sarah Allam head illustrator
A
draft of Syracuse University’s strategic enrollment plan, which will put a heavier focus on recruiting students from the southern and western regions of the United States, will be finished near the end of the spring 2018 semester. Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president
By Gabe Stern staff writer
for enrollment and the student experience, said a steering committee working on the plan will submit a draft to the Board of Trustees by May. The committee is expected to implement the plan in fall 2019. Evanovich is co-chairing the committee that’s developing the plan. Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the strategic enrollment plan in an address last January. Syverud said the enrollment plan would increase diversity of people with disabilities, international origin, socioeconomic see recruitment page 6
student association
Funding approved for trip to Washington rally By Ryan Dunn staff writer
Syracuse University’s Student Association approved a motion on Monday night to fund buses that will transport students to March For Our Lives, a demonstration that will address gun safety in schools. The demonstration will take place on March 24 in Washing-
ton, D.C., with hundreds of sister marches planned in other cities as well, including one in Syracuse. The March For Our Lives is a movement initially spearheaded by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that urges an end to gun violence, has also contributed to the planning effort.
Kip Wellman never played Division I basketball. But he still worked his way to sitting next to Jim Boeheim on the bench during Syracuse basketball games. Page 12
university politics
REACHING SOUTH
Story by Catherine Leffert
S • Coach’s corner
The funding approved by SA will cover four buses in total. Two of those buses will transport students to the march in Washington, D.C., and two will transport students to the local march. The Syracuse march will also be accessible by buses running in the Connective Corridor, which loops between downtown and SU’s campus. The possibility of allocating
funding for more buses will be discussed further at a series of meetings this week. Diasia Robinson, a senior international relations major and SA’s co-chair of diversity affairs, is organizing transportation to the march, which she said was prompted by student outreach. “Students have emailed me, called me, found me in Schine see funding page 6
Graduate students voiced concerns on Monday over a possible switch of Syracuse University health insurance plans that’s currently being considered by SU administrators. Three high-ranking SU officials hosted a discussion Monday in Lyman Hall regarding the possible changes, with a switch from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Aetna health coverage, officials said. “For many, it’s a really important area and one that helps to decide where they end up going to graduate school,” said Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School, on health insurance. As of now, the possibility of a new graduate student health insurance plan is preliminary, officials said. Administrators are seeking feedback from students about the potential switch. A forum was also held last Tuesday for students to learn more about the university’s discussions. But students who attended the forum Monday said they were concerned about the possible changes. “I have a lot of deep-seated mistrust in the administration” said Emily Bukowski, a Ph.D. student studying geography. “How much negative feedback on the plan do you guys need to have? If it’s bad, how many grad employees does it take to say ‘No dice?’” Skepticism expressed by graduate students during the discussion largely stemmed from an SU decision three years ago that required students to switch to a university health care plan if their plan, at the time, did not meet Affordable Care Act requirements. Four students attended the forum. One said they were married and is supporting a child on the graduate student health plan. Another said he had undergone two surgeries during his time as a graduate student. During the 90-minute discussion, students expressed concern about the continuity of health coverage, the transparency of Graduate School administration and the diverse set of health circumstances that graduate students could have. Gabrielle Chapman, associate dean of the Graduate School, and Associate Vice President for University Communications Sarah Scalese also spoke with students during the event. Vanable, in a campus-wide email to graduate students last month, outlined see insurance page 6