free
WEDNESDAY
march 7, 2018 high 35°, low 28°
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 • Speaker announced
P • Luck of the Irish
MSNBC political analyst and anchor Joy-Ann Reid will speak at Syracuse University as part of the University Lectures series on April 3, SU announced Tuesday. Page 3
dailyorange.com
Blake Condolora, an SU senior, has combined his interest in world cultures with his love of photography to create books about Celtic and Nordic culture. Page 7
S • Get Ma-wrecked
Marek Dolezaj led the charge as Syracuse, with its NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, pulled off a big win against Wake Forest on Tuesday night. Page 12
Drone zone Mayor’s pledge to support drones gets mixed reactions By India Miraglia staff writer
student association
Election dates announced By India Miraglia
M
ayor Ben Walsh plans to expand Syracuse’s involvement in a major regional drone initiative, a move that has raised concerns from a local anti-drone action group and support from drone research and development organizations. In his January “state of the city” address, Walsh pledged to help Syracuse become a more active partner in the drone initiative as development continues on unmanned aerial systems in the region. “Soon, Syracuse will be the largest city in the nation covered by the instrumentation and software necessary to fly unmanned craft safely and efficiently for commercial purposes,” Walsh said
staff writer
Elections for Syracuse University’s Student Association will start this semester on April 9 and run until April 12, a week earlier than last year’s election. SU students will be able to vote on MySlice for SA’s next president, vice president and comptroller, as well as assembly representatives. SA plans to officially announce the election dates this Friday.
see drones page 4
what is sa? The Student Association is the student government body of the university. SA is currently in its 61st session, and James Franco is president. Outside of the cabinet, there are five committees and four boards, which report to the association.
illustration by sarah allam head illustrator
county
Mahoney touts economic progress in speech By Jordan Muller asst. news editor
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney touted her administration’s achievements during her “state of the county” address Tuesday night, detailing progress on citycounty shared services, infrastructure projMAHONEY ects and local
graduation rates. Mahoney delivered the speech to government officials, including Mayor Ben Walsh and other community members in a packed Oncenter Carrier Theater in downtown Syracuse. In her wide-ranging address, Mahoney at times praised some officials such as Walsh, and pleaded with the Onondaga County Legislature to pass a sustainable development plan that hasn’t been updated since 2012. When Mahoney praised newlyelected County Legislator James Rowley for his ability to quickly
merge the Town of Clay Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department, she said fellow county legislators might not want to implement policies with such speed. “Not all of your colleagues like to be pushed,” Mahoney said, looking at Rowley. “They tend to like to read, and read, and read, and talk, and study, and convene committee meetings.” The county executive, though, described what she said were the county’s accomplishments in recent
years, including the 2017 completion of the first city-county shared services plan, which she said identified $5 million in potential savings. She pointed to a recent partnership between the county and 35 government entities such as cities, towns, villages, school districts, the airport authority and Oswego County to buy salt for winter weather. The partnership, she said, resulted in savings that were 15 percent greater than if each entity bought salt through the previous state contract. see mahoney page 4
Initially, SA’s Board of Elections and Membership committee chose April 2 as the beginning of elections, but President James Franco and Vice President Angie Pati decided that date was too early, Pati said. Pati said campaigning is hard and candidates need to be able to reach out to people and connect with their bases. An April 2 start date would be too short of a time frame for candidates to do that, she said. Last year’s elections started on Monday, April 18 and ended at midnight on Thursday of the same week. This year’s earlier election date will help facilitate “a smooth transition in general” between the two legislative sessions, Pati said. SA wants to ensure longevity for the programs and initiatives created this year, Pati added. Giving newly appointed members more time to be involved with SA before summer begins may help with that goal, she said. Members work throughout the summer in preparation for the next academic year, so it’s beneficial to start those efforts as soon as possible, Pati added. “The date lets the new members to form a relationship with the assembly before next year begins,” she said. April 9 was also chosen because it was far enough away from the last weeks of the semester so candidates could campaign, talk with students and meet with current SA members without added academic pressure, said Evanna Ojeda, an SA assembly member who serves on see elections page 4