thursday, november 13, 2025
O • No ‘right way’
Our columnist argues there is no right way to immigrate to the U.S., and systemic issues suggest there never will be.
C • Warm and toasty
The Daily Orange shares easyto-make soup recipes for the fall and winter season, as picked by Syracuse University students
If nothing else, I want to be viewed as someone that tried to do the right thing for the right reasons.
Ben Walsh syracuse mayor
By Leah Cohn senior staff writer
Keynote speaker Jon Youshaei told Syracuse University students to “de-risk” their career, listening to experienced professionals while also letting their “creativity find an audience or find a format.”
During SU’s Center for the Creator Economy launch party
Wednesday night, Youshaei said sometimes forcing yourself to make money out of art limits creative flow. Youshaei, a content creator and entrepreneur, joined student influencers and SU administrators to celebrate the opening.
The center, which has caught the attention of Times Magazine, is a collaboration between Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Newhouse School of Public Communications. It’s the first creator economy education center on a college campus in the United States, according to the center’s information page. Whitman Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie said the event celebrated leveraging “the best of both schools,” calling the center a “joint venture” that makes the university
Syracuse soccer alumni who’ve played for their national teams recalled their favorite memories on the journey to international soccer.
S • Int’l soccer stars Page 16
Outgoing Mayor Ben Walsh speaks to 8 years of growth, ambition and investment
By Sydney DePietto and Brenne Sheehan the daily orange
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh grew up surrounded by elected officials.
His grandfather, William F. Walsh, was the city’s Mayor from 1961 to 1969 and served in the United States House of Representatives for four years. His father James T. Walsh was a member of Congress for 20 years. Both served as Republicans.
But at 18 years old, Walsh registered as an independent voter in what he called an act of “youthful defiance.”
“If I was going to put myself out there, I needed to do it in a way that was authentic and sincere, and for me,” Walsh said. “That was maintaining my independence.”
He’s never affiliated with any political party and ran his mayoral campaign on an independent bid, eventually becoming Syracuse’s first independent mayor in 2018.
Despite their party differences, Walsh attributes many aspects of his leadership style to his father and grandfather. He said both men were “humble public servants” who weren’t interested in “grabbing headlines,” but rather focused on leading and serving.
“I would not be doing this work if not for those two men,” Walsh said. “I learned those leadership traits, first and foremost, from them.”
Walsh said working under former Mayor Stephanie Miner, despite not having much “tolerance” for politics, is what helped him find his passion for local politics and make the run for mayor.
First taking office in 2018 and facing reelection in 2021, Walsh led the city through a global pandemic and three presidential administrations. As his term limit approaches in December, he reflects on positive moments throughout his tenure, his shortcomings and looks to the city’s future leadership under current deputy mayor and mayor-elect Sharon Owens.
“If nothing else, I want to be viewed as someone that tried to do the right thing for the right reasons,” Walsh said. “That I was an honest, dedicated public servant who moved this city forward, and I certainly believe I’ve accomplished that, and I hope others do as well.”
Serving as mayor for eight years, Walsh said he’s tried to take an “understated approach” that focuses on serving the community effectively and working collaboratively.
Compared to 2018, Walsh said the city is in a stronger position across “most metrics.” As an alum
see walsh page 6
stand out in comparison to others.
“We built the number two program in the world for entrepreneurship,” McKelvie said. “And that is being able to recognize that next wave of what students want to do and pursuing their own passions and their own independence.”
Several university administrators attended the opening, including Chancellor Kent
Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois
Dean
and Whitman
Dean Michael Haynie, who gave opening remarks.
Both deans said they’re excited to make strides with inner-university collaboration. They hope the center will encourage SU students to become trailblazers in the eversee launch page 7
saturday, november 8
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SYRACUSE 83, DELAWARE STATE 47
coming up saturday, november 15
SYRACUSE VS DREXEL
tuesday, november 11
SYRACUSE VS WAGNER coming up sunday, november 16 men’s women’s
SYRACUSE 96, CANISIUS 72
By Owen Smith contributing writer
When Philip Bordallo created a small website in 2015 to help his then-girlfriend avoid parking tickets, he didn’t expect it to become part of Syracuse residents’ daily routines.
Bordallo noticed his then-girlfriend, who attended Syracuse University for graduate school, received multiple parking tickets for violating the city’s odd/even parking rule.
Now, over a decade later, his small-scale website, oddeven.org, continues to help people figure out which side of the street to park on, despite Bordallo never living in Syracuse.
“She moved (to Syracuse), and she had a car, and she kept on getting tickets,” Bordallo, a software developer now based in New York City, said. “Immediately, I was like, how can I solve this problem by building something for her?”
When users click on the site, they’re met with a simple display informing them
whether the day is odd or even. For Syracuse drivers, it can mean the difference between a free spot and a ticket upwards of $50.
The city’s parking rules require drivers to switch sides of the street for snowplows and street cleaning to access narrow residential roads. Cars must be parked on the designated odd side of the street from 6 p.m. on an odd day to 6 p.m. on an even day, according to the city’s website. At 6 p.m., drivers must switch to the even side.
Exception days, known as “fool’s days,” are at the end of some months when an odd day is followed by another odd day. Fool’s days fall on Jan. 1, Feb. 1, April 1, June 1, Aug. 1, Sept. 1, and Nov. 1. On leap years, March 1 is also a fool’s day.
Although several cities across the country, including Syracuse, use the odd/even parking rule, Bordallo said many people are unaware of it. He said the site receives traffic
By Sydney DePietto asst. news editor
As Syracuse University continues to seek reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, faculty, staff and students are working on the “self-study” reports section, according to a release.
The reaccreditation process involves several evaluations to confirm the university is complying with higher education standards. SU is currently in the “self-study portion,” where university administrators create a plan and self-analysis after dialogue with stakeholders.
In early 2025, the“self-study design,” a document developed by SU to serve as a guide for the entire self-study process, was completed. It has since been approved by MSCHE, according to the release.
Since September 2025, working groups consisting of over 140 faculty, staff and students have been reviewing materials from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to complete their reports, according to the release.
These draft reports will then be compiled into a “draft self-study report,” which will be available to the campus community in Fall 2026.
The reaccreditation process is overseen by Julie Hasenwinkel, co-chair of the steering committee and associate provost for academic programs. She said this is an opportunity to reflect as an institution.
“It’s not just about compliance; it’s about institutional improvement,” Hasenwinkel said in the release. “The process gives us a structured framework to examine our strengths and identify areas where we can do even better.”
Next year, an open comment period will begin, allowing feedback from the campus community to be part of the finalized report.
A final version will be sent to MSCHE in December 2026. Peer evaluators from other institutions will visit the university in March 2027 to review the report and meet with “key” campus leaders, making their final determination by June 2027.
In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the “unlawful discrimination and ideological overreach” of the previous accreditation process. It stated
accreditation institutions were enforcing “discriminatory” DEIA standards which violated federal law.
Over the summer, SU erased mentions of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility from its shared competencies, six institutional learning goals. The university said it’s doing so to comply with MSCHE’s accreditation process.
“These competencies are part of the university’s obligations under MSCHE accreditation
and reflect ongoing alignment with accreditation standards,” a university spokesperson told The Daily Orange in October. “The University has a duty to ensure compliance with our accreditor body’s expectations.”
MSCHE is one of 19 college and university accreditation agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education, responsible for assessing institutions throughout the country.
To earn accreditation, SU will need to satisfy MSCHE’s seven key standards: mission and goals; ethics and integrity; design and delivery of the student learning experience; support of the student experience; educational effectiveness assessment; planning, resources and institutional improvement; and governance, leadership and administration.
Higher education institutions must be accredited for students to receive federal grants and loans, according to the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions. Only accredited institutions are eligible to receive and distribute federal financial aid to students.
Additionally, in order to transfer credits between universities, students must be coming from accredited institutions.
University accreditation enhances a school’s reputation for potential employers, licensing boards and other colleges, according to the Higher Learning Commission. Employer-paid tuition reimbursement programs often require enrollment in an accredited institution.
“Accreditation provides current and potential students assurance that they are receiving a quality education,” its website states.
The university was most recently reaccredited in 2018 and must conduct a self-study every 8 years to retain its MSCHE accreditation, which it has done since 1910.
sadepiet@syr.edu
By Kate Jackson asst. copy editor
Bundled in heavy layers, around 200 people gathered outside the Syracuse Federal Building for the “BRING THEM HOME!” rally Monday, demanding the release of two SUNY Upstate Medical University employees.
The employees, Alex Gonzalez and Yan Vazquez — a married couple — were detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Oct. 29, while on their way to an immigration hearing in Mattydale, New York.
“They were deceived, and then they were kidnapped and put in detention, and with a scary and uncertain future,” said Rich Veenstra, former chapter president of Upstate’s United University Professionals.
During the rally, attendees held up signs with statements such as “Immigrant Rights are Workers’ Rights” and “No Human Being is Illegal.” People also carried glowing, rainbow batons, which they waved in the air despite heavy snow.
UUP, Civil Service Employees Association and the Greater Syracuse Labor Council organized the rally. Gonzalez is a member of UUP, and Vazquez belongs to CSEA, according to a Friday release.
The protest featured several speakers from each union, as well as representatives from community groups, including the New York Immigration Coalition, Upstate Medical University and the city of Syracuse.
New York state Sen. Rachel May, Syracuse Mayor-elect Sharon Owens and Syracuse City Auditor Alex Marion also attended. Owens called the detainment a “kidnapping” in her speech and urged attendees to take action.
“We’ll stand out in the middle of a snowstorm to stand up for what’s right and to stand up for our family,” Owens said.
Community leaders spoke about the legal right to due process, immigration laws and funding in New York state and community strength.
Speakers also led the crowd in a series of chants, including “bring them home” and “abolish ICE.”
CSEA President Kenny Greenleaf said Gonzalez and Vazquez were detained despite following the law and going to immigration court, making them victims of “kidnapping.”
“They’re sitting in a detention center separated from the people who love them because of a cruel system that punishes the very values we claim to stand for,” he said. “Shame, shame, shame.”
Following his speech, the crowd chanted “shame” in unison.
Both men had “almost completed the process to legally emigrate” before they were detained, according to the Friday release. The two employees were taken to a detention center in Batavia, New York, where they await court dates on Nov. 12 for Gonzalez and Nov. 17 for Vazquez, the release states.
The two fled Cuba in 2021 and 2022 to seek asylum in the U.S. and now own a home in North Syracuse. Both recently passed an immigration test that proved their lives would be in danger if they were to be deported to Cuba, the release states.
UUP Vice President for Academics Alissa Karl encouraged the crowd to “stand together” as a community. She said there are two types of people in the world — “working people” and “oligarchs and authoritarians.”
rally page 7
The Daily Orange asked Syracuse University students what their favorite soup is, and compiled these recipes
Wash and peel the potatoes. Dice the potatoes and add them to the pot of boiling chicken broth for 15 minutes. leeks. Saute for about 5 to 10 minutes until translucent. Add the sauteed leeks to the potatoes and broth, and let boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and can be pierced with a fork. Next, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it reaches a thin consis tency. Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer
for 20 more minutes,
Editor’s recommendation:
tablespoons butter
Dice the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute the chopped vegetables and garlic with butter in a mediumsized saucepan for about 5 to 10 minutes, until they become translucent. In a large pot, bring the chicken broth, vegetables and garlic to a boil. Prep the chicken by washing in cold water, then add the chicken to the broth. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and pull apart the meat with two forks. After the chicken is shredded, return it to the pot. In a separate pot, cook the egg noodles, drain and add to the soup. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for an hour.
Tomato basil with grilled cheese (serves seven people)
tablespoons unsalted
28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
cups chicken stock (can substitute with a vegetable stock Parmesan cheese (optional) (optional)
Dice the onions and garlic. Then, saute the garlic and onion in a medium-sized saucepan with butter for about 5 to 10 minutes until brown. In a large pot, bring the crushed tomatoes to a boil with the chicken stock, sugar, basil, heavy cream and sauteed onions. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches an ideal consistency. Let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes or keep the pot on low until ready to serve. Top the soup with basil and parmesan cheese and serve a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.
of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, he said his terms have meant fulfilling his “Athenian Oath” and leaving the city better than he found it.
“We’ve implemented these changes to try to ensure that these changes are systemic, so it doesn’t necessarily matter who’s sitting in the mayor’s seat,” Walsh said. “These are things that are being baked into city government.”
Several of his projects and initiatives have brought significant improvement to the city, while others have fallen short of expectations. His tenure oversaw the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the “unprecedented” years after.
Walsh also oversaw notable progress in the deconstruction of the I-81 viaduct, attracted capital investment and launched infrastructure improvements.
City officials and nonprofit leaders alike describe Walsh’s eight years in office as a period defined by growth, ambition and investment in the city.
“We became a more resilient city and community because of it,” Jennifer Tifft, the city’s director of strategic initiatives, said. “The administration proved a good example of how to make lemonade from lemons.”
Promoting an
Throughout his tenure, Walsh left a notable impact on the city’s economy — from techbased initiatives to bolstering small businesses.
Walsh said one of his biggest accomplishments was increasing the amount of money in city reserves from $50 million to over $130 million, maintaining Syracuse’s A1 bond rating, a credit score that assesses a city’s financial stability.
Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO, defines the Walsh administration as “dynamic” and “interesting,” highlighting Walsh’s commitment to rebuilding a postindustrial economy.
“If you look around Syracuse right now, at the end of those eight years, you see a lot of cranes in the sky. You see a lot of dynamic and exciting things happening around the city,” Simpson said. “The mayor deserves a tremendous amount of credit for helping to operationalize that pivot that we’ve been trying to make for a long time.”
Nonprofit CenterState CEO acts as the city’s chamber of commerce, playing a pinnacle role in implementing one of the Walsh administration’s largest undertakings — Syracuse Surge. Launched in 2019, the project aims to build an inclusive economy and make the city a hub for technology and digital infrastructure.
Aspects of Surge include socioeconomic initiatives that provide affordable internet access, financial support and resources to Black, Indigenous and people of color-owned tech startups and constructing the INSPYRE Innovation Hub, a $32 million facility that expands the project’s former Tech Garden.
“You’ve got hundreds of millions of dollars of investment that have been driven into a part of our community that has not seen meaningful investment in probably 50 or 60 years,” Simpson said. “There is no better proof for the tangible and physical impact of the mayor’s policies than the Syracuse Surge.” Surge initiatives have also coincided with the introduction of Micron Technologies to the city. With plans to build a four-plant semiconductor fabrication facility in Clay, Micron expects to provide over 50,000 jobs to New York residents.
Tift said the Walsh administration made fundamental changes to city services, such as trash collection and automated traffic enforcement in school zones.
“Trash collection is probably the unsexiest thing a city does, but it’s so important,” Tift said. “There’s a reason why previous administrations didn’t necessarily want to tackle everything that we took on, because it’s just a lot of change to help people through.”
Syracuse resident and SUNY ESF professor Jacob Gedetsis said he’s noticed positive changes to the city’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods since Walsh took office. He said he’s seen more restaurants and shops stay in the city longer.
“There’s definitely a lot more to do, a lot more restaurants, a lot more community-focused stuff going on downtown,” Gedetsis said. “There’s always been major anchors, but it’s really great to see an expansion of some of those businesses and an expansion of what there is to do downtown.”
A self-proclaimed “Cleveland transplant,” Gedetsis said he’s lived in Syracuse for the past 10 years, even buying a house in the city due to its “hopeful” atmosphere.
“Not only does Syracuse need you to be here, it wants you to be here,” Gedetsis said. “It feels
like a really great place for me to grow as a young person and invest in.”
But Walsh’s developments haven’t come without their challenges.
Despite a consistent A1 bond rating by Moody’s Investor Service, the Walsh administration has faced budget cuts from the Common Council, claiming city spending has gone too far.
The cuts affect park maintenance, trash pickup frequency and public safety programs, which many residents claim disproportionately affect low-income neighborhoods. Walsh said the funds were a significant liability but eventually proved a significant strength for the administration.
“We’re really proud of the kind of ways in which we’ve impacted people’s quality of life,”
Walsh said.
Movements in housing, infrastructure
For Walsh, it’s the “little things” his administration has been able to do that improve residents’ quality of life.
Michael Collins, Syracuse commissioner of neighborhood and business development, said Walsh’s tenure marks one of the “most proactive” administrations that has tackled housing in a rust belt city.
“He’s the housing mayor of this century, or at least of the last 40 to 45 years or so,” Collins said. “We’re seeing housing development in all quadrants of the city. It’s not just all concentrated in one particular area.”
Collins said Walsh’s initiative, combating the city’s housing crisis through both development and improved code enforcement, allows more people to live in better-quality homes.
Median home prices in Syracuse have increased more than 5.9% since 2024 and more than doubled compared to 2017, according to a Zillow Housing Market review. However, housing affordability remains challenging for low-income families, while income rates have plateaued in comparison.
The mayor’s housing strategy project, launched in 2024, uses data from a housing survey that found one-third of Syracuse homes show signs of distress or deferred maintenance, and the cost to remediate these problems would be between $300 million and $1.5 billion.
“Housing is something that in 2018, we know we need, and in 2025 is really viewed as critical,” Walsh said.
From the findings, the housing strategy outlines a framework to restore the city’s residential infrastructure by 2050, including working in neighborhood “clusters” of 30 to 50 blocks and addressing Syracuse’s housing market and affordability gap.
Much of this involves working with already existing and vacant properties, which Collins
said is at the heart of improving citizens’ quality of life.
“It’s an increase in the quality of the properties that already exist,” Collins said. “That’s been tremendous for people who are living in the existing housing that we have.”
Within the housing strategy is the “Housing Promise,” which states that 2,500 new quality housing units will be close to completion by the end of 2025. As of November, Collins said he’s confident the city is approaching that point.
“We have seen a resurgence of Syracuse under Mayor Walsh,” Collins said. “And you can’t have a resurgence and leave out a major component of society: how we live.”
Walsh said there’s still work to be done. As the Syracuse Housing Authority’s East Adams project broke ground in October after its launch in 2015, Walsh said housing needs to become a priority for the city in the coming years.
“There’s a lot of housing that’s under construction and in the pipeline, but we need more,” Walsh said. “Some of the major housing projects that we’ve tried to push haven’t moved as quickly as I would have liked.”
The Walsh administration faced challenges in securing capital investments and addressing suppressed property values while rents face concurrent growth.
“We need to make sure we are engaged with our community so that we’re getting the feedback from them on what they want and what they need,” Collins said. “A lot of people will go ‘But they didn’t do this, and they didn’t do that,’ and there’ll be a lot of valid points that are made. It’s still an amazing success in every way.”
Tackling crime
Walsh said he’s proud of the improvements his administration made to the Syracuse Police Department. Reflecting on his tenure, however, he said he ultimately didn’t meet his goal of increasing the number of police officers.
In his first executive order, Walsh outlined 16 actions to increase police transparency and accountability, strengthening police-community relations. But the push for police reform that followed the death of George Floyd in 2020 discouraged many from joining the police force, he said.
“There’s just a much smaller pool now of people that want to be police officers,” Walsh said. “We’ve been very aggressive in tapping that pool, but we haven’t been able to do it at a rate that’s been able to keep up with retirements.”
Crime rates today are similar to those at the beginning of Walsh’s term in 2018. In 2017, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data reported 705.25 crimes per 100,000 resi -
dents, increasing to 765.28 per 100,000 residents in 2024.
The Walsh administration has touted the drop in crime since COVID-19, when crime decreased by 11.3% in 2025, including a 25.7% drop in violent crimes and a 7.1% drop in property crimes.
In an Oct. 23 mayoral debate, Republican candidate Tom Babilon highlighted the lack of police officers along with high crime rates and the city’s housing crisis as “failures” of the Walsh administration.
Babilion and the other candidates, Tim Rudd and Alfonso Davis, criticized Owens for her involvement in the Walsh administration, questioning her credibility for the role.
Looking forward
Walsh’s term will end in December when he will be succeeded by Owens, who will take office on Jan. 1. He said Owens has been by his side “every step of the way,” and he couldn’t have done the job without her.
Despite this, Owens has proven to be an effective leader throughout her career, Walsh said. He explained that back when he took office in 2017, it was important to evaluate what was working and not simply change things “for the sake of change.”
He expects Owens will do the same.
There’s always more work to be done, he said. In his first year, Walsh said he felt like he was “chasing a finish line” that he eventually realized didn’t exist. He said city government is never perfect, it’s a “dynamic, fluid process” and new problems constantly emerge.
He stressed the importance of being a self-reflective and self-aware leader, but also staying true to himself. Walsh said that in moments of doubt, he would remind himself to “go with (his) gut.
“Especially difficult times where you may question yourself and your abilities, during those points I would try to remind myself, and I would remind Mayor-elect Owens, that it’s who you are that has gotten you to this point,” Walsh said.
He said Owens has different strengths and different ideas, and that it’s necessary for any mayor to make their own “imprint” on the city.
While it’s unclear what’s to come for Walsh after leaving office, he plans to remain committed to public service. Walsh said he’s open to working in several different capacities, even outside of government.
“Syracuse is home, and I expect it to be home in the future. I’m looking for a new way to serve and to help people,” Walsh said. “I expect to continue to serve the community for many years to come.”
news@dailyorange.com
changing sphere of influencer media and teach them how to lead themselves as entrepreneurs.
Preparing students solely for “big business” is a dated approach, McKelvie said. Now, students are encouraged to become creators in addition to being employees of major companies.
Lodato said Newhouse and SU must take a “big step forward” in the business of media production.
“We as a school have to make sure we are preparing our students for the future of news and the future of communications,” Lodato said.
Haynie said the opening was a way to honor the future of media entrepreneurship, which has expanded what professionals can and cannot do.
“A filmmaker can be a CEO, and an entrepreneur can build community with art, and the next global brand might not, likely not, start in a corporate office, but in a dorm room right here on this campus,” Haynie said.
Youshaei, who’s been recognized by NPR on its list of top commencement addresses for his high school graduation speech, alongside Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey, gave advice to attendees on creating multimedia content. Youshaei is the founder of Youshaei Studios, a company that assists major influencers in developing content and business strategies.
He also provided insight on how to determine whether creating an Instagram reel, YouTube video or news article is the best way to create content. He highlighted an interview he hosted on his YouTube channel with YouTuber and filmmaker Johnny Harris.
The interview explored the concept of using a “visual anchor” in YouTube videos to make memorable content, demonstrating
from other confused users in cities throughout the United States.
“Overwhelmingly, most of the traffic is from Syracuse, but then there’s sporadically other places that have odd/even parking where the site receives traffic,” Bordallo said.
Jason Scharf, deputy director of digital services for the city, said he reached out to Bordallo, asking to implement the functionality on the city’s site. Oddeven’s open-source code and design became public on the city’s municipal violations bureau page around six months ago.
Scharf said the city’s approach to implementing the open-source tool aligns with its broader efforts to make local government services easier to use.
that without the image, the story would lack significant detail and importance.
A fan of Beyoncé, Youshaei used the singer’s exponential fame and likeness as an example of how her music videos and concerts use anchors to capture audience attention. He described this approach as elevating content in a competitive industry while staying relevant and changing with the times.
“What we want to see is ‘What are people looking for? Are they finding what they’re looking for on our site? What devices are most people accessing our websites on?’” Scharf said. Bordallo said he coded oddeven.org as a quick side project, not expecting the site to spread beyond his then-girlfriend and into the broader Syracuse community.
“There was no ulterior motive to get tons of people to start using it,” Bordallo said. “I remember in 2018, there was a point where somebody had posted it on Reddit. It exploded after that. I started getting a lot more users, and of course, the most traffic is always around 5 p.m.”
SU students and city residents have continued to share the site between each other, so no one forgets which side to park on.
Zay Goodrich, an SU junior and Syracuse native, said the odd/even rule has affected
“She’s not about copy and paste, she’s more about copy with taste,” Youshaei said.
Youshaei said that just as current authors are influenced by Shakespeare’s works, and ancient philosophers like Socrates and Plato influenced each other’s theories, great influencers learn from successful content creators who have come before them.
Youshaei’s final remarks prompted students to “just be more like Mozart, not
many people in his life. He said his family owns several cars, which don’t all fit in their driveway, leading them to park on the street.
“Sometimes my girlfriend would stay over the night, and we wouldn’t know what day it was and then she’d get a ticket,” Goodrich said. “They weren’t cheap either, they ranged anywhere from $50 to $75. It obviously builds up over time.”
Scharf, who also teaches part-time at SU’s School of Information Studies, emphasized the importance of web designs, like oddeven.org, that can have a real-world impact.
“It’s just a push for making it easier for residents to access specific information,” Scharf said.
He said his team used Claude AI to help implement oddeven.org’s functionality into the government site.
Bordallo said he’s heard from residents directly that his site has slowly evolved into a
Monet,” encouraging creators not to be perfectionists of their work.
“Perfectionism is really procrastination disguised if you think about it,” said Youshaei. “Do not hold yourself back.”
The center is hosting its first ‘CUSE Creator Con Thursday at Newhouse and Whitman. More information for the location and lineup can be found on its Instagram page. lecohn@syr.edu
community solution for the Syracuse area. He said he receives lots of emails — some thanking him and others under the impression that he wrote their parking tickets.
Bordallo says he always tries to be and point them in the right direction.
Now living in New York City, Bordallo said his time is mostly spent on his work and family, giving him little time for side projects. However, he said he still sees the value in smaller, community projects as a way to learn and connect.
“I believe that we’re all standing on the shoulders of people before us that’ve done good things for the world,” Bordallo said. “So if you can do something that helps somebody, whether it’s getting out of a parking ticket or making their lives easier, I think it’s really important at the end of the day.”
osmith18@syr.edu
Karl said people in power want to exploit the working class, whether that be through Medicaid cuts, defunding SNAP benefits or ICE raids.
Kayla Kelechian, a NYIC representative, encouraged attendees to petition state legislators to pass the New York for All Act, a state law that would limit how state and local governments can collaborate with ICE, including prohibiting the diversion of resources to ICE and other federal immigration enforcement.
Family members of Gonzalez and Vazquez also attended the rally, along with a translator.
One family member said they asked Gonzalez and Vazquez for permission before agreeing to have the rally. They said both men were happy to have people supporting them.
Lori Nilsson and Kathy Zabinski, two attendees in CSEA, said they attended to show their support for Gonzalez and Vazquez. They said they were surprised when two state workers, who were doing everything in adherence to federal law, were still detained.
Pride at Work Executive Director Brittany Anderson also spoke, encouraging people to join together despite differences to see a
democracy where everyone “can live and work with safety and stability.”
Another attendee, Jon Pence, came to the rally in a frog costume as a symbol of “resistance against authoritarianism.” He said the Upstate workers had no criminal record and came to America for a better life.
“This is not what I was taught that America is,” Pence said. “I stood up in front of the classroom for 12 years saying, ‘Liberty and justice for all.’”
Pence said the more people who see these rallies and get upset by the current immigration policy, the more collective action can be taken against it.
Veenstra said the couple left Cuba to escape persecution and is now facing persecution again by the U.S. government.
Owens said while some people may believe they aren’t affected by ICE raids, it becomes everyone’s problem when the “definition of illegal” continues to change under the federal government.
“Don’t get comfortable because you’re not LGBTQ, or you’re not a person of color, or you’re not a woman,” Owens said. “If you ignore the plight of your neighbor, because that neighbor doesn’t look like you, speak like you, love like you, you better believe that that plight, that evil is going to someday knock on your door.”
kjacks19@syr.edu
Plushies have provided nostalgia and solace for many SU students from when they were newborns to their college years
Story by Claire Zhang asst. copy editor
Some students’ stuffed animals have seen it all: from hospitals to childhood bedrooms, hotel rooms to college dorms.
“I can’t really remember a time without my (stuffed cat) Kitty,” said Sadie Lehrfeld, a Syracuse University senior.
Whether it be a stuffed animal they’ve had since birth or a recent Jellycat purchase, many SU students still have a collection of plushies that lie in their college beds. Stuffed animals are nostalgic for students like Lehrfeld and sophomore Vanessa Kramer, who haven’t been without them since childhood.
“I literally don’t go anywhere without (my stuffed animal),” Kramer said. “A lot of times I refuse to put him in my suitcase, because I’m scared that my suitcase will get lost.” Max, a stuffed dog, is Kramer’s “No. 1” stuffed animal. She’s had him since she was 6 months old; he was a gift from her grandma. Kramer said when she was a baby, he was the same size as, if not bigger than, her. Now she still uses him as a pillow and always sleeps next to him.
Junior Sofia Lentz has a stuffed monkey, also from her grandma, which she “creatively” named Monkey as a kid. Monkey
came on all her adventures growing up, from sleepovers to Disney World, she said. Today, Monkey still accompanies Lentz, sitting in her apartment next to a frog Jellycat and a sloth that doubles as a heating pad.
“There was a time in high school where I put her off to the side and practiced sleeping without holding her, but that didn’t work,” Lentz said.
Childhood stuffed animals are comforting to keep, and they aren’t something Kramer thinks anyone needs to grow out of. As a kid, whenever she was sad, she’d talk to her stuffed animals,
By Tara Binte Sharil asst. digital editor
Four and a half grams of helional, three grams of dihydromyrcenol and 1.5 grams of ambroxan. Mixed together, these chemicals create the base recipe for an oceanic scent. This aroma isn’t crafted in a lab in a major city, but right on Syracuse University’s campus.
“Fragrance Club is a way for people to have hands-on activities with their friends, or just something different to do,” Ta’Nasia Coleman, the club’s
workshop coordinator, said. “It’s something interesting and something that you can physically take away from the workshop.”
Sophomores Marc Rhodes and Sam Dultsin started Fragrance Club last semester. One of the only clubs of its kind on the East Coast, Rhodes, Dultsin and two other students created the organization as a space for perfume enthusiasts on campus. Less than a year later, the club has grown to a 300-member organization. They host workshops
on the art and science behind perfumery, with an upcoming event this Friday.
Since fragrances are a niche area of interest, Rhodes and Dultsin spent their first semester tabling to gather interested members and securing funds to hold workshops. Fragrance Club needs more resources than other SU clubs in order to operate, Dultsin said, so they spent the first semester figuring out financial logistics.
Fragrance Club became an official registered student organization and
and Max’s ears were always there to wipe her tears, she said. Today, he still provides the same solace. Anytime she’s upset, she lays in bed with Max — it’s comforting to know he’s been there for every part of her life, she said.
Meanwhile, junior Sophie Engels often found herself tending to her stuffed animals while growing up. She frequently played veterinarian, treating them like real animals. Stuffed animals were often the subjects of her imaginative childhood, she said.
“I was elected for president many times in front of them,” Engels said.
For sophomore Lena Vaisey, stuffed animals are a tie to her family. She has a bear and a lamb in her
see stuffies page 11
Evoking emotions, this club can definitely do that for some people.
Ta’Nasia
Coleman workshop coordinator
was able to secure funds for its next step: holding workshops for members to learn about the process and ingre-
dients behind fragrance making, as well as creating their own perfumes from scratch.
Before holding a workshop, Rhodes, Dultsin and Coleman first settle on what accord — a blend of ingredients that create a singular scent — they should make. For this week’s workshop, the trio decided on an aquatic accord, a scent that brands like Cool Water by Davidoff and L’Eau d’Issey by
are known for,
see fragrance page 11
By Noah Nussbaum sports editor
Michael Borkowski, a Syracuse native, felt overjoyed when he realized his favorite comic book artist, Bart Sears, lived in Syracuse.
“My art teacher urged me to contact him, so I did, and he brought me under his wing,” Borkowski said.
Now, Borkowski’s comics have appeared on major platforms, like CBS, MLB and Syracuse University Athletics.
These are just a few gigs in the Syracuse native’s art career. He’s mostly served as a freelance comic artist, working with the popular CBS reality show “Big Brother” and also producing sports art and superhero drawings. This fall, he started creating animated sequences for MLB’s “No Easy Outs.”
“You can really see that he understands storytelling with the beautiful storyboards he does,” Sears said. “I’ve always thought storytelling can be transcended if you understand it naturally. And I think he’s one of those guys that does.”
Borkowski’s career started at a young age. His best friend Michael Atiyah remembers he was always drawing growing up. They began hanging out after school to draw together in fourth grade.
Their canvas was a blank slab of drywall in Atiyah’s basement. The two would often draw Marvel characters like Spider-Man and Venom, mimicking the original artists’ styles.
Eventually, Borkowski’s passion grew into a high school job when Sears brought him on.
“When Bart hired him, that’s when I really knew (Borkowski) could do anything,” Atiyah said. “I knew he was gonna definitely achieve his dreams.”
Under Sears, Borkowski mostly worked in toy design, but he also started working on mastering comics. Sears said he first tested him on figure drawing and proportion before leveling up to human anatomy. Because figure drawing is one of the hardest things to master, Sears’ partner, Andy Smith, said that it’s the perfect place to begin.
In his senior year of high school, Borkowski said he spent nearly half of every day in the studio. Smith said Sears was tough on Borkowski. Sears would photocopy Borkowski’s work and cover it in comments using a red marker.
But Borkowski always responded well to the criticism. Sears said he called him “Rock” due to his rock-solid dedication.
“He impressed me with not only his talent and natural ability but more with his determination,” Sears said. “And one thing you definitely need in comics is a desire to sit here 10, 12, 15
hours, day in, day out, year in, year out.”
But as graduation approached, Borkowski had to make a tough decision.
Originally, he wanted to attend the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey. Sears and Smith talked him out of it. They figured he could save thousands of dollars and improve his comic art by staying with Sears. With little hesitation, Borkowski chose Sears, deviating from artists’ typical post-grad routes.
“I can literally count on one hand, if I even need that, guys that didn’t go to art school, especially in this day and age,” Smith said.
But Borkowski didn’t spend much time in the studio after high school. Sears said three years after Borkowski graduated in 1994, the studio dissolved. Through a connection Smith had in Los Angeles, Borkowski moved to the West Coast as a storyboard cleanup artist. He still keeps DVDs of films he worked on like “Ice Age,” which also earned a massive poster displayed in his office.
Borkowski always intended to return to Syracuse. He did so in 2000 and has since built a career as a freelancer. One of his longest-standing jobs was with “Big Brother.”
Beginning in Big Brother 16 in 2014, the show introduced a now-trademark competition called “BB Comics,” which involves houseguests distinguishing the difference between two nearly identical comics of their peers.
“Big Brother” needed artists. That’s when WWE wrestler Shane “The Hurricane” Helms,
who Borkowski had worked with in the past, referred him to a producer.
Despite never watching the show, Borkowski thought the job sounded cool and accepted. That’s not uncommon for Borkowski, who said his jobs often come out of the blue.
“A lot of times I never know where people find me,” Borkowski said. “They find me online, sometimes it’s from a friend, sometimes it’s just a random email that I’ll get.”
His decision led to eight years of designing comics for “Big Brother,” capturing the houseguests’ personalities and hobbies alongside a catchy tagline the show’s producers provide.
He created comics for the show until Big Brother 23.
Producers usually reached out to Borkowski three weeks before the competition ran. They’d give him photos of certain contestants and their ideas for the comic. Borkowski sent them rough sketches to approve before finishing with full color ink.
Borkowski said the comics took anywhere from six hours to a few days, depending on the producers’ vision. Sometimes, he had to draw multiple characters or a cityscape, other times it was much simpler. He said the process usually felt rushed, but he got it done every time.
“That just taught me to not be a perfectionist,” Borkowski said. “You have to do your best work within the time that’s given.”
Borkowski’s online portfolio highlights some of his work. In BB20, he portrayed runner-up
Tyler Crispen as a muscle-laden lifeguard — mirroring his real-life job — featuring the headline “The Life Guardian.” A season later, he drew Kemi Fakunle as “The Keminator,” wearing a superhero suit with the letter K emblazoned on her chest.
In Big Brother 22: All-Stars, he penned winner Cody Calafiore with the bottom half of his body replaced by a red tornado alongside the tagline “Don’t mess with this twisted mister.”
Atiyah said Borkowski “nailed” every contestant and thought it was a great way to promote his brand on national TV. They even attracted houseguests’ attention, including Big Brother 21 and 22’s Nicole Anthony, who hired Borkowski to draw cover art for her podcast after the show.
“Talk about a big multimedia splash,” Sears said. “He’s really good at capturing the likeness without it being weirdly photorealistic.”
Since Borkowski left “Big Brother” in 2021, he’s continued as a freelancer, specializing in superhero and sports art.
Living in Syracuse nearly his whole life, Borkowski and his dad attended SU men’s basketball games from when he was a child until he moved to California at 21. After posting some sports art on Twitter and Facebook, SU reached out, leading to numerous projects across the last decade.
Hand-drawn posters of SU sports teams, including men’s and women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse, are spread throughout Borkowski’s office. A signed drawing of Syracuse men’s basketball legend Lawrence Moten sits next to a piece of the 2018 Boeheim’s Army squad in the right corner. On the right wall is a framed special-edition Defenders of the Diamond Syracuse Mets jersey, which Borkowski helped design.
Along with sports art and shelves of Marvel and Star Wars collectibles in his office, Borkowski also displays his superhero art.
Underneath a replica Captain America shield are three Marvel Kids storybooks Atiyah and Borkowski worked on from 2013 to 2017. Hanging behind his desk are also three fully-packaged Iron Man figurines, for which Borkowski created box art.
Atiyah said he appreciates his friend’s versatility. It shows Borkowski isn’t the eager high schooler working in Sears’ studio, fantasizing about becoming a professional anymore.
“(I’ve worked) in so many different areas — I’ve done children’s books, I’ve done sports art and animation, I’ve done all kinds of different things,” Borkowski said. “I can offer a lot of different things to people.” njnussba@syr.edu
By Daily Orange Culture Staff
The Recording Academy released the 2026 GRAMMYs nominations last Friday, and let’s just say The Daily Orange staff has some thoughts. From Lorde getting snubbed to potential best new artists of the year and Bad Bunny’s dominance, read our takes below.
Henry Daley
Asst. Sports Digital Editor
There are other deserving candidates up for Best New Artist, but this is Olivia Dean’s moment. With her sophomore album “The Art of Loving” and smash hit “Man I Need,” the London-born singer became the first British solo female artist to claim the United Kingdom’s No. 1 album and single simultaneously since Adele in 2021. Dean rocketed to the top of the UK music scene after her debut album, “Messy,” in 2023.
Elsewhere, Leon Thomas should take home an award in an R&B category for his standout sophomore album, “MUTT.” For Record of the Year, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “luther” is a strong contender, while Billie Eilish’s “WILDFLOWER” is a dark horse to win. It’s also nice to see KATSEYE and HUNTR/X’s “Golden” receive multiple nominations.
Griffin Uribe Brown
Social Media Editor
Bad Bunny should dominate at the Grammys this year. His genre-shattering music is making history and became the soundtrack of the current political moment after he secured a deserved Super Bowl LX appearance. Album of the Year and Record of the Year wins for the artist’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” and its single, “DtMF,” are beyond deserved — and would give the Puerto Rican artist the critical acclaim he warrants for his improbable rise to the top of mainstream pop. There’s a strong case to be made for The Marías for Best New Artist. I wouldn’t be sur -
prised to see Grammy-favorite Tyler, The Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA” win Best Rap Album (although it’s arguably not a rap album). It is Tyler’s most mature album to date and made for a memorable fall soundtrack last year. Meanwhile, the innovative music for the movie “Sinners” deserves to pick up the Best Song Written for Visual Media award for its deeply moving soundtrack.
Rosina Boehm
Managing Editor
The Marías aren’t going to be in the conversation for Best New Artist, but they should be. Yes, the bilingual indie band has been making music for 10 years, but this is their breakout year. Since I watched their NPR Tiny Desk Concert last October, I’ve been obsessed. María Zardoya’s vocals are addictive. Between “No One Noticed” on their 2024 album and 2025 singles “Back To Me” and “Nobody New,” this standout year for The Marías provided emotional ballads with soothing sounds.
While I see Olivia Dean winning this category, I can’t ignore the music that’s hypnotized me this past year. Beyond Best New Artist, I see Kendrick Lamar or Bad Bunny having the best night. The 2025 and 2026 Super Bowl halftime show performers, respectively, are getting the praise they deserve.
Kendall Luther Editor-in-Chief
Despite a dedicated TikTok campaign last fall, Role Model failed to rack up the votes for PEOPLE’s Sexiest Musician — something he proudly “cared more” about than a Grammy. This fall, it appears Tucker Pillsbury was also snubbed for the latter.
After the release of “Kansas Anymore,” Role Model has been everywhere, from Saturday Night Live to University Union’s Block Party. As a fan since 2019, I can attest to his evolution
from rap-heavy mixtapes to folk Americanainspired tracks, with powerful storytelling that his earlier songs lacked. When I saw him live at Outside Lands in 2022, the crowd seemed distracted or bored.
Don’t worry, the packed pit knew all the words this year. Pillsbury has kept fans guessing which special guest will dance onstage in “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” — which earned him his first No. 1 on a Billboard chart — and engaged through his social media alias, @saintlaurentcowboy. These viral pop culture moments, along with the album’s beloved tracks, should’ve made him a shoo-in for a Best New Artist nomination.
He may not get a Grammy, but at least he finally got his flowers from PEOPLE as the firstever Sexiest Man Alive Centerfold.
Delia Sara Rangel News Editor
The biggest snub of this year’s nominations was undoubtedly Lorde. Her long-awaited comeback album, “Virgin,” marked a triumphant return, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album was a nostalgic ode to her Grammy award-winning “Pure Heroine” and “Melodrama” roots, but that didn’t seem to matter to the Recording Academy.
The New Zealand artist’s absence from major (and all) categories feels especially jarring given her influence on the pop landscape and other nominated artists. She even holds the headlining spot at next year’s Lollapalooza Chile, next to nominees Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.
college apartment, one is a childhood gift from her dad. Recently, she bought matching Jellycats with her 7-year-old sister; it’s a connection to her when she’s away from home.
Sophomore Sienna Gummel’s stuffed unicorn was a graduation gift from a friend, and it always reminds her of senior year. She’s also recently bought plushie collec tions at school.
Similarly, Engels has accumulated around 15 stuffed animals throughout college. But Sonny, her Jel lycat shaped like the sun, always made her think of her mom when she first moved to school. Rather than a reminder of child hood, they represent the transition to college.
Jellycat, the trending company that makes plushies of anything from animals to kitchen appliances, has revived the sensation of collectibles for many, not just children, Engels said. After receiving Sonny, she became obsessed with Jellycats and likes to look for them to collect or gift to loved ones.
memory; she has a birthday cake from her 18th birthday, a heart from Valentine’s Day and an orange for Syracuse.
Even if there’s no specific sentimental value, stuffed animals can bring adults joy, and they’re a way to keep your inner child alive, Lehrfeld said. Beyond that, they’re just like collecting any other trinket or souvenir, Engels said.
“It’s like getting a fun poster or a cute picture,” Engels said. “It’s just something to look at and be like, ‘Oh yeah. Totally. I love that.’”
Stuffed animals like Max and Monkey have watched their owners grow from newborns to college students, and will likely see them into next life stages, Lentz said. Kramer remembers seeing her aunt’s bed filled with stuffed animals while growing up. She’s known since then that she’d never have to part ways with Max.
Many students like Vaisey and Engels can see themselves eventually passing their plushies down to their future children. It’s a way to let go of them, but keep them in the family, Kramer said. Lehrfeld said she may pass down her Jellycats, but never Kitty.
“If I run into not even just a Jellycat, like any sort of little plushie thing that I think my friends would enjoy, it’s bought within the first five minutes,” Engels said. “It’s a fun way for me to show them that I’m thinking about them.”
Because of the variety of plushies that Jellycat makes, there’s a toy for every occasion, Vaisey said. All of hers are tied to a specific
“I think I’ll be the type of person that has a husband and children and still loves her Kitty,” Lehrfeld said. “Kitty will always be mine.”
Whether it be an old, matted stuffed animal or a brand new gift, Engels said plushies can make anyone feel less lonely.
“Everyone wants something to have and to hold,” Engels said. “Memories are a good thing to physically hold in this way.”
cmzhang@syr.edu
Everyone wants something to have and to hold. Memories are a good thing to physically hold in this way.
Sophie Engels su junior
The right chemicals and measurements are essential for long-lasting fragrances, Coleman said. Precision is key — Rhodes and Coleman put their computer engineering and aerospace engineering majors to use. While Dultsin coordinates materials and event marketing, Rhodes and Coleman work behind the scenes to research and test the chemicals to see if they work well together.
In their accords, Rhodes and Coleman look for enduring scents and balanced perfume notes without overpowering smells. Since fragrances are subjective, the club tests an accord through mock trials before holding official workshops.
“The test subjects can tell us what notes they smell,” Coleman said “They can give us good feedback on what to do for the next trial or the next workshop.”
After the club’s mock trials, which host around four or five people who test the scents, Rhodes and Coleman spend several days tweaking the formula before the workshop. With limited resources, workshops can only feature 20 participants. The workshops fill up quickly; members often have to rotate with others so everyone can participate.
While many choose perfumes or colognes based on personal preference, it’s about more than just smelling good, Rhodes said. For Dultsin, shopping for a fragrance is like shopping for clothes; you have to pick one for the occasion.
“(Fragrances) are like choosing how to style this necklace, or, if these boots match with the pants. It’s the same thing with colognes,” Dultsin said. “(Fragrances) are a way to express myself. Whenever I look at my colognes and decide what I want to wear today, it’s like, ‘What do I want to give off for today?’”
Fragrance Club hopes to expand perfumery into other mediums like soaps, and hold events like aroma therapy, aiming to cater to a larger SU population. Rhodes, Dultsin and Coleman also want to bring perfumers from the industry to speak to members of the club. The club already partnered with cosmetics company Avon last semester, sending over samples for club members to try.
“Being a perfumer is a really niche thing to do, and it’s an unexplored job that people don’t really think about,” Rhodes said.
Perfumery is constant trial and error, Rhodes said. An overpour of a chemical can lead to either a crisp smell or a potent one.
Like looking at painting, perfumery is all about trying to understand where the scent is coming from, why it’s being made and how it makes a person feel. For Coleman, fragrances are all about evoking certain feelings and nostalgia.
“There’s an Italian perfume that I got for my grandma, and she teared up a little bit because she said it reminded her of her mom,” Coleman said. “Evoking emotions, this club can definitely do that for some people.” tabintes@syr.edu
While “Virgin” is about Lorde’s journey of selfdiscovery and acceptance regardless of “medals (she’s) won,” it still deserved a nomination.
But don’t worry, Lorde, “Virgin” won album of the year in my household.
Mia
Jones Culture Editor
Addison Rae’s debut album, “Addison,” was the soundtrack to my corporate America, New York City summer. On the way to countless meetings and many coffee breaks, I strutted down Fifth Avenue like a superstar. Her album made me feel like a Madonna-esque pop idol instead of a soon-to-be college graduate trying to find her way around a new city.
Rae successfully migrated from TikTok dances to music and is uniquely herself, pink hair and all. She’s created her own sound that’s very 2000s pop with songs like “New York,” “Aquamarine” and “Headphones On.” Rae has made it clear that pop girlies are officially back. Now, the icon is nominated for Best New Artist. I’d say she’s earned it, alongside other
stars who have been dominating in music this year while building their careers, like Olivia Dean and KATSEYE.
Rae has always been the vibe (even in her “Obsessed” days), and that’s part of what will hopefully earn her that Grammy in February.
Cam McGraw Asst. Culture Copy Editor
The Album of the Year category is packed with fresh talent, but Clipse ultimately deserves the spotlight with “Let God Sort Em Out.” It’s been 16 years since brothers Pusha T and Malice last collaborated on a record, but their chemistry and production remain flawless. Tracks like “P.O.V.” and “Ace Trumpets” showcase a return to their signature coke-rap style, while other tracks explore deeper themes of grief and spirituality. It pains me to admit that Ludwig Göransson — one of the decade’s most impactful composers — may have been outdone by Theodore Shapiro in “Severance” Season 2. It’s rare for a score/ soundtrack to become a true storytelling force, but pieces like “Love Spreads” and “I’ll Be Seeing You” lingered with me long after viewing. The decision was ultimately sealed by the finale’s use of Mel Tormé’s “The Windmills of Your Mind,”
a moment that may very well be among the best song placements in TV history.
Cole Ross Senior Staff Designer
You already know it’s time my girl GloRilla took home her first Grammy award. As the only woman nominated for Best Rap Album, a win in this category would be a statement for the rising star.
Glo previously claimed the summer of 2024 with smash hits “Wanna Be (with Megan Thee Stallion)” and “TGIF,” the lead single for what was then her unannounced debut project. That fall, Glo dropped the single “HOLLON,” and eventually her critically recognized first album, “GLORIOUS.”
Big Glo — as her loyal fans call her — is a superstar of this generation. Her recognition and nominations are deserved, as she continues to bless the industry with music that’s easy to lose yourself in.
Along with her nomination for Best Rap Album, Glo is nominated in the Best Rap Song category for both “TGIF” and for her feature on Tyler, The Creator’s “Sticky.”
Let’s just say, when GloRilla wins a Grammy
this year, you can expect the world to scream “Yeah Glo!” and an afterparty that lasts until the following Friday at 7 p.m. Put simply, the Grammys just need to sit back and let her cook. I hope this article pops up on Glo’s news feed after her dub.
culture@dailyorange.com
By Addy Kimball columnist
A clip of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating, “At this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the President’s main priority,” at an Oct. 23 White House briefing went viral overnight.
My feed flooded with TikTok edits and Instagram posts using the quote to comment on what many viewed to be the President Donald Trump administration’s misplaced priorities, alongside angry comments piling up faster than I could read.
When I saw the video, I paused mid-scroll. Shocked at the absurdity, I immediately searched for the original press recording.
In the full clip, a reporter asked whether Trump had plans for other renovations beyond the ballroom and the Rose Garden patio. Leavitt explained that, while she isn’t aware of
additional projects, Trump is a “builder at heart” and is constantly thinking of improvements to the White House grounds.
“But at this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the President’s main priority,” she replied, and suddenly it made far more sense.
The full context was there all along, but that snippet was the only part that caught fire. Despite the clarity of the full recording, outrage erupted almost instantly. People reacted to a single line without pausing to consider the larger picture.
She wasn’t commenting on national policy or overall government priorities – she was simply responding to a question about renovations. But honestly, I can’t blame the internet for such a reaction.
Between the longest government shutdown in United States history and social programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at risk, essential services are being left in limbo.
Millions of Americans, especially elderly and disabled individuals, rely on SNAP for basic nutrition. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it could only guarantee partial benefit payments amid the shutdown, it wasn’t just a procedural delay – it was a reminder of how fragile government reliability can feel.
In a time when leadership appears disconnected from daily struggles, believing an outrageous comment about a ballroom somehow makes sense.
Outrage travels faster than truth because, in today’s political climate, the absurd feels expected. Politics have grown so polarized and unpredictable that our sense of what’s plausible keeps shifting. A press secretary identifying a ballroom as the president’s main priority might feel crazily out of touch – but so does a government shutdown that leaves millions uncertain about how they will put food on the table.
Even the headlines and images circulating the news seem to blur the line between reality and exaggeration. Late last month, Trump hosted a “Great Gatsby”-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago, complete with champagne towers and 1920s costumes, just hours before SNAP funding deadlines loomed. The event went viral for its extravagance and how it felt almost dystopian watching the president throw a lavish party while millions faced economic uncertainty.
The juxtaposition of luxury and dysfunction made the viral Leavitt clip feel eerily fitting, highlighting just how disconnected political leaders’ decisions can feel from the struggles of everyday Americans.
But the breakdown in trust runs deeper than any single viral clip. Over the past few years, edited videos, out-of-context clips and artificial intelligence have made skepticism instinctive.
A 2024 survey from Elon University found that 52% of Americans are not confident they can detect altered or faked audio, 47% can’t detect altered videos and 45% can’t detect faked photos.
Additionally, 73% believe it’s very or somewhat likely that AI will be used to manipulate social media to influence the
outcome of the presidential election – through fake accounts, bots or distorted impressions of candidates. When misinformation can look and sound completely real, we learn to question everything, but not always in the right ways.
Many people didn’t pause to check the full recording of the Leavitt clip because the idea of a politician saying something so absurd seemed believable. We’ve been conditioned to expect the ridiculous, assuming that every day brings a new scandal or spectacle. But such collective fatigue has real consequences.
A 2024 Pew Research Center report revealed that only 22% of Americans said they trust the federal government “just about always” or “most of the time.” Trust in the media is similarly low, and as a result, many people check out politically altogether, scrolling past important updates or disengaging from their civic duties. When everything feels like a crisis, we stop asking questions because simply caring can feel exhausting.
The Leavitt clip illustrates this perfectly. It wasn’t just that a single line was taken out of context; it was that we’ve been conditioned to believe that anything from politicians is likely absurd, unrelatable or downright dystopian.
Between AI-generated content, viral clips and constant political turbulence, distinguishing reality from misinformation requires effort most of us aren’t willing to give.
But this doesn’t mean we have to completely give up and disengage. We can still approach news critically without retreating entirely. Watching full clips before sharing and factchecking with several reputable sources are small but meaningful ways to resist the noise. The Leavitt clip should remind us not only how quickly outrage can spread but also how important it is to slow down and seek context.
The truth may take longer to uncover, but it’s well worth the effort. If we stop seeking accuracy, misinformation and half-truths begin to define how we understand governance, policy and the world around us.
Addy Kimball is a freshman majoring in political science. She can be reached at akimba02@syr.edu.
There’s no right way to immigrate to U.S. The system proves that.
By Mateo Lopez-Castro columnist
Adely Ferro, Venezuelan American activist, called Nov. 7 “the largest mass illegalization of a group in this country’s history.” As it was announced in early September by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, this day marked the end of the Temporary Protected Status designation for Venezuela, stripping around 250,000 Venezuelan immigrants of their legal status.
Its occurrence informs our continued realization that there has never been a “right” way to immigrate to America.
This government protection, granted to foreign-born individuals who can’t return to their countries of origin safely, has primarily been used by Venezuelan immigrants, refugees of Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian regime, back home. Maduro’s government has proven it will maintain power through brutal force, especially at the cost of its people’s well-being. The people of Venezuela have been subject to forced disappearances, imprisonment, torture and murder for political dissent.
As a Colombian, my heart stays with my Venezuelan compatriots, not just because I feel for them as a product of immigrants myself, but because I understand the only crime the overwhelming majority are truly being charged with is existing.
Since 2021, more than 600,000 approved Venezuelans have been granted legal status by the federal government to reside, work and create a life for themselves and their families. They’ve marched from a looming shadow of violence and persecution, and have flourished into business owners, nurturing families and integral members of society. These are the persistent voices of a survival that has dug its roots into American soil.
Now, many are left with no choice but to close down their shops, walk away from leases and mortgages and return to the horrors of Maduro’s regime. Houses have been emptied and neighborhoods dismantled. Licenses, health insurance and access to routine care have been stripped away. Venezuelan parents of children
who only have American citizenship are forced to leave their families.
The legitimate channels of American immigration have failed them because the system has been created to do exactly that.
This mass illegalization comes at a time when the Donald Trump administration has accelerated its racialized immigration project to purify the population. ICE’s militarized campaign of detainment and deportation has seen more than 278,000 arrests since the start of Trump’s second term, with a growing detainee population of more than 60,000.
New York state alone has been subject to 4,600 arrests in 2025, and with the third-largest TPS population in the country, the perfect conditions have been created for this to continue in our own communities. In Syracuse – specifically Onondaga, Oneida and Oswego counties – 97 arrests have taken place as of September 2025. Most recently, on Oct. 29, SUNY Upstate workers Alcibiades Lazaro Ramirez and Yannier Vazquez Hidalgo were detained during an asylum status hearing and sent to a detention center in Batavia.
For me, what’s particularly terrifying about this situation is that the Trump administration is well within its legal rights to strip Venezuela of its TPS designation. The slight improvements in the Venezuelan economy have been used to justify a return to the dangerous conditions that continue to persist. The administration has essentially equated the movement of economic capital with Venezuelan survival – which, by extension, implicates immigrant survival as a whole.
While Trump’s overreach has been clear in many areas, it’s imperative that we remind ourselves the American immigration system was built on the belief that all of the people categorized as non-white by American society are inferior and expendable.
Alongside economic justifications, Venezuela was deprived of its TPS designation because “it is contrary to the national interest to permit the Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States.” This criteria is purposefully arbitrary, allowing the federal government to defend these decisions through
language like “Guaranteeing the States Protecting Against Invasion.”
The intention behind this legal manipulation of immigration policy is one fueled by white supremacy and platformed by institutionalized racism.
It’s this reality that’s given this administration’s campaign of ethnic cleansing a clear, foundational basis. The very fact that immigration policy can be changed and enforced in parallel to the president’s personal ideology signifies that the system was designed not to integrate immigrants, but rather to restrict, contain, neutralize and expel those not of use to the government.
This deliberate agenda of domestic terrorism against Black, brown and Middle Eastern communities is working exactly as promised: it’s being sponsored by the very channels of immigration we’re urged to use to legitimize our place in American society. It’s a situation of divide and conquer; manipulation within legal boundaries to leave large immigrant populations exposed and vulnerable.
Mateo Lopez-Castro is a senior studying television, radio and film and sociology. He can be reached at malopezc@syr.edu.
enth-round pick, Dixon made the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team.
As most punters do, Dixon came out of nowhere to become a budding star.
A former quarterback at CBA, Dixon walked onto Syracuse’s roster in 2011. He didn’t travel with the team. He stayed home while the Orange traveled to Southern California, Tulane, Louisville and other places he wished he could’ve seen. He said that lit a fire under him.
“It’s an interesting way to look at it, but I think it really sparked and fueled me to want to make the team, to want to be the guy,” Dixon said of not traveling as a freshman walk-on.
William Hicks — SU football’s head of strength and conditioning from 2000-15 and now a special assistant under Brown — said the Orange’s staff knew Dixon was the team’s punter of the future when he got a surprise appearance against USC on Sept. 8, 2012.
Syracuse was battling the Trojans at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And because USC boasted an excellent punt returner in Robert Woods, a future NFL star receiver, SU needed Dixon’s big leg. Then-head coach Doug Marrone’s staff loved Dixon’s athleticism and were struck by the punter’s menacing 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame — and the high-arcing, booming punts he’d regularly deliver.
Dixon boomed a 49-yard punt, the Orange’s longest of the day. However, then-sophomore punter Jonathan Fisher started the rest of the 2012 campaign. Marrone then left for a headcoaching job with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, and Scott Shafer took over SU’s program.
Dixon didn’t know what to do. He didn’t expect to play for Shafer, especially after failing to carve out a role under Marrone. Dixon said he’d already signed his release to transfer from Syracuse. But after meeting Shafer, Dixon promised himself he’d stay persistent.
“I was ready to leave,” Dixon said. “But I stuck it out, kept my head down and it all worked out.”
He won the Orange’s starting punter job in 2013, igniting a three-year run where he became a Syracuse fan-favorite.
“He never, ever looked back,” Hicks said of Dixon.
Dixon grew a knack for executing fake punts and fake field goals — like his famous hurdle
against LSU on Sept. 26, 2015, where he skied over a defender after running with the ball as the holder on a fake field-goal try. He also earned All-ACC Second-Team honors in 2015, ranking sixth in SU history with an average of 43.7 yards per punt.
He gained a quirky reputation inside Syracuse’s football facility. Because he lived 45 minutes from his home while at SU, Dixon used to hunt ducks and turkeys on Sunday mornings before showing up to the practice facility for weekend workouts. Donning jeans and a flannel T-shirt, Dixon would walk in for work dressed in his hunting gear.
“There were some times where, maybe I had to squeak home for a duck hunt and then make it back for practice, or a turkey hunt in the spring,” Dixon said with a chuckle.
Hicks said it tells you everything you need to know about Dixon’s authenticity.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody say anything but positive things about him. That’s just who he is,” Hicks said of Dixon. “He just goes about his business. He was always very popular here.”
Dixon’s story inspires Stonehouse. SU’s new punter may not spend his mornings big-game hunting, but Stonehouse said Dixon’s journey from walk-on to starter gives him and Syracuse’s future punters a clear path to follow.
“There’s only 32 NFL punters in the world,” Hicks said. “So it’s special in the fact that this is (Dixon’s) 10th year and he owes a whole lot to this place.”
But he’s been especially blessed by Dixon, who texted Stonehouse and asked to train with him in the 2023 offseason after Stonehouse transferred to Syracuse from Missouri. It’s something Dixon has done before with SU punters of the past, like future NFLer Sterling Hofrichter. With Stonehouse, though, they’ve formed a particularly close connection. Dixon saw shades of himself in Stonehouse and wanted to help guide him.
Their punting sessions typically occur in SU’s football facility and don’t include much drill work. Dixon says he prefers to “just start banging balls and see what happens.” Stonehouse appreciates his style.
“When we go out there, it’s like you’re just buds,” Stonehouse said of training with Dixon. “Two guys going out and punting; there’s really not much to it. It’s just like going out to lunch with a friend.”
Dixon said the sessions aren’t about him teaching Stonehouse — they learn from each
other equally. He’s tried to emulate Stonehouse’s violent attacking ability when he strikes the ball, something he gives SU’s punter a lot of credit for. Dixon tries to give Stonehouse methods to minimize return yardage, whether that’s learning unorthodox ball-flight tricks or getting the timing right with punts to ensure gunners can get to the return man quickly.
He tells Stonehouse the art of punting is “all about gaining as much yardage as you can.” It’s not about hitting the tightest spiral or booming the furthest ball, Dixon said, but about figuring out the most creative way to keep the ball away from the returner.
Stonehouse said Dixon has shown him how to be more consistent with his drop — when a punter lets go of the ball before kicking it. He’s seen the “robotic” way Dixon can emulate each rep exactly like the previous one, and Stonehouse says he’s becoming more clinical, rather than solely focusing on power.
Dixon’s already noticed Stonehouse’s progress.
“I work with Stonehouse quite a bit — I think he’s a super-talented, really powerful kid,” Dixon said. “I look forward to seeing him take the next step in his career.”
Sure, these sessions may be casual. But Dixon ensures the two walk out having discussed every nook and cranny of their punting repertoires.
Whenever something goes unaddressed, Stonehouse just opens his phone and types.
“If I have questions, I just text him,” Stonehouse said. “He’s a good guy to have around because he’s been in the league for so long.”
For Dixon, giving back is part of what it means to represent SU. He sees the way Stonehouse works and thinks back to when he was that same kid, simply trying to punt his way to the top.
“I remember late nights in Manley Fieldhouse, I was kicking balls into the ceiling when I knew there were other people not working as hard as I was,” Dixon said. “I always wanted to go to the next level, and I always kept that sight in focus.”
ccandrew@gmail.com @cooper_andrews
the crowd, everything just came so full circle,” Miller said.
“To be there in that moment, all the times I’ve been told no, where I’ve been cut, where things didn’t go my way…it just felt like, in that moment, everything made sense,” he added.
Meanwhile, Buchanan reflected on fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“As a kid, you dream of playing in the Champions League, and you dream about playing in the World Cup for your country,” Buchanan said. “I think that’s definitely up there with one of the best moments of my career so far.”
Four years prior, Buchanan and Miller shared the field for Syracuse. They overlapped from 2017-18, when both earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. Buchanan went ninth overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Miller was chosen 18 picks later.
Miller was first called up to Canada’s senior team in June 2019. He knew he wasn’t one of the key players. He expected to sit on the bench, learn the ropes and show enough in training to be invited back.
Instead, he was subbed in 60 minutes into Canada’s second match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Cuba.
“I did one jog up and down the sideline, and then all of a sudden I was in the game,” Miller said. “It was all so fast to process, but just going on and finally solidifying my name as one of the guys who got to play for the national team out of a big pool, I was so honored.”
Miller’s been a staple of the national team since, making 49 appearances for Canada.
In June 2021, Miller’s collegiate teammate joined him. Buchanan got his first senior team call-up for Canada’s World Cup Qualifiers against Aruba, where he tallied two assists. He’s since made 55 appearances for his country, helping him jump to some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“Putting on that Canada jersey for the first time was a dream come true,” Buchanan said.
Miller and Buchanan agreed the peak of their Canada careers was qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, its first time making the competition. They became the first Syracuse alums to play in a World Cup when both started on Nov. 23, 2022, against Belgium.
“We were just like, ‘We did it,’” Miller said. “Where we come from, nobody dreams of that. We dream of playing professionally, but playing in a World Cup against these kinds of players, that’s a special feeling.”
Miller and Buchanan will have another chance to compete in seven months. Canada automatically qualified as a joint host of the 2026 World Cup. This time, it’s hoping to establish itself as a true contender.
“Growing up, playing against the U.S. and Mexico, all we wanted was respect,” Miller said. “I believe we have that respect now, and it’s about taking it to another level and becoming a threat on the world stage.”
• • •
In summer 1996, Paul Young had a decision to make.
The Jamaican midfielder was fresh off a stellar two-year stretch with USL side Charleston Battery, where he scored 48 goals in 46 appearances. So, Columbus Crew selected him with the 121st pick in the inaugural MLS SuperDraft.
Young spent three seasons at Syracuse from 1990-92. He said he enjoyed the traditional American college experience while playing alongside athletes from the U.S., Canada and the Cayman Islands.
He’d rarely seen snow like upstate New York’s, and hewas grateful the Orange played indoors at the then-Carrier Dome.
On the pitch, Young dominated. He earned second-team All-American honors as a senior and scored 32 career goals — the fifth-most in program history.
He’d made a name for himself back home, too. Young earned his first Jamaica senior team call-up as an 18-year-old in 1987 but became a fixture of the national team after his time at SU. Young was one of the Reggae Boyz’ top scorers as it tried to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, flying home every international window to play.
It became such a common occurrence for Young that the Columbus Crew grew frustrated with his availability. So, he was offered an ultimatum: Either play for Jamaica, or play for the Crew.
He had one night to sleep on it. He had to follow his heart.
“I want to try to qualify this team for the World Cup, so I choose Jamaica,” Young recalls telling Columbus manager Timo Liekoski.
The Reggae Boyz were glad he did. Young bagged 11 goals in 31 matches between 1996 and 1997, helping Jamaica make its first-ever World Cup.
However, Young was left out of the squad that traveled to France due to controversies inside the federation. Manager René Simões wanted to recruit non-native Jamaican players — several born in England with Jamaican parentage — rather than sticking with the local players who helped it qualify, Young said.
Young and some of his teammates stood against the decision, and consequently not named to the roster.
“We were like… ‘You can’t be serious. This is our team that’s been here for two years. I just cancelled my contract in MLS to go and play for Jamaica, and now you’re going to tell us you’re going to go all over the world to find the best players?’” Young said. “But if I had to do it all over again, I’d do the same.”
With results against Trinidad and Tobago and Curaçao this week, Jamaica will qualify for the 2026 World Cup for the first time since Young’s 1998 team. He remains Jamaica’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 22 goals in 49 appearances. And he’ll never forget the pride that came with each one.
“The thought of shaking the prime minister’s hand, the anthem is playing and you’re singing the song with your name on the back of your jersey. You look in the stands and people are here to watch you, and you’re representing them. There’s no greater feeling in the world,” Young said.
• • •
Matt Orr had always been an attacker. He’d never known anything else. From Kitchee SC in Hong Kong to IMG Academy in Florida, Orr developed as a striker and winger.
But when Orr arrived on the West Coast to begin his collegiate career at the University of San Francisco, things were different. His coaches needed a ball-playing left-sided defender. Orr was their first choice.
The position followed him as he transferred to Syracuse. After he graduated, Orr returned home to Hong Kong. He’d been told by San Francisco’s coaches that he could have a future as a defender, but Kitchee didn’t buy it.
“They put me straight up top, and I never looked back,” Orr said.
Since returning to his natural position, Orr, who spent one year at Syracuse in 2019, has emerged as one of Asia’s most prolific strikers. He’s become a staple for Hong Kong’s national team over the past four years, scoring 12 goals in 44 appearances.
Orr was born in Hamilton, Hong Kong, and moved to the U.S. at 14 to attend IMG. He earned a scholarship at San Francisco, where he earned All-West Coast Conference honors. Orr wanted a bigger challenge, though, so he joined Syracuse for his final year.
His goal was to stay in the U.S. as long as possible, but he didn’t have many opportunities after college.
“It had always been a big ambition of mine to come back and represent Hong Kong,” Orr said. “I think it was difficult to do because, when you’re in college, (Hong Kong’s coaches) don’t know too much about college football and they don’t watch the games too much. I never really got that opportunity.”
When he returned home, though, the national team came calling. Orr earned his first senior team call-up for Hong Kong’s World Cup Qualifier against Asian powerhouse Iran on June 3, 2021. In his debut, he scored a header for his first senior team goal.
“I wanted to make my mark on the team, and I wanted to be the No. 9 for Hong Kong,” Orr said. “That was always my ambition, and I was very hungry to prove myself.”
Orr’s since established himself as Hong Kong’s bagsman. He led his country to unprecedented heights, notably a 2023 Asian Cup appearance and a semifinal run in the 2023 Asian Games. For Orr, it’s been “incredibly spe-
cial” to represent his country and watch it grow as a footballing nation.
“I never let a game or a training session go by where I don’t try and do that jersey justice,” Orr said.
While Hong Kong won’t appear in the 2026 World Cup, even mentioning a World Cup qualification would’ve felt outrageous a few years ago. Now, the new format has given it hope.
And Orr, who was named his country’s captain in October, will be at the forefront of it all.
• • •
Four decades before Nicholas Kaloukian stepped on a soccer field, his grandfather fled Lebanon with only a suitcase.
At 30 years old, Yessasi Kaloukian, an Armenian, was living in Lebanon when war broke out. He left to move to the United States, settling in New Jersey. It became home for the next two generations of his family and the starting point of Kaloukian’s soccer career.
Growing up in New Jersey, Kaloukian drew inspiration from his family’s heritage, particularly his grandfather, who also played professional soccer. It prompted him to represent Armenia as a youth player.
When he got to college, Kaloukian earned Big 10 All-Freshman Team honors with Michigan in 2022 before transferring to the reigning national champion Orange. In two years with SU, Kaloukian bagged six goals and an assist.
While he had a year of eligibility remaining, Kaloukian knew he was ready for the next step. His time with Armenia’s Under-21s opened doors in the Armenian Premier League. So, FC Urartu, a club in the nation’s capital of Yerevan, offered him a preseason trial.
“I wanted to play for the national team,” Kaloukian said. “Being (in Armenia) would give me the best chance.”
Kaloukian flew to Dubai for preseason training without a contract. He left three weeks later as a professional footballer. And it didn’t take him long to impress, scoring in his Urartu debut.
When the March international window rolled around, Kaloukian was selected to Armenia’s senior team for its UEFA Nations League matchups with Georgia. He debuted on March 20.
“Players go years and they don’t get a chance (to play for the national team),” Kaloukian said. “For me, being a pro for less than a month, getting called up, it was a pretty crazy experience.”
Kaloukian’s father, John, was in attendance for his son’s debut. Kaloukian scanned the stands for his dad, as he’d done at every Syracuse game John attended. But among 60,000 fans, it was the first time in his life he couldn’t find him.
Kaloukian settled onto the Armenian bench for kick-off. Ten feet away, he saw Champi-
ons League winner and Paris Saint-Germain forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia warming up alongside several Georgian stars.
“For me to be playing in college a few months ago, and then all of a sudden I look up and it’s 60,000 fans, it was just crazy,” Kaloukian said. “It makes you realize there’s levels to the game. You think you’re doing great and you see guys out there that are doing it effortlessly.”
Around the 60th minute, team manager Levon Tomvmasyan handed a substitution card to the referee.
He turned to Kaloukian and said, “Go show the world.”
Growing up, Kaloukian often watched soccer on television with his grandfather. When the two tuned into ESPN, his grandfather often told him, “I want to see you on that TV someday.”
When Kaloukian ran onto the pitch that spring evening, he pointed two fingers to the sky. It’s exactly what his grandfather had wished for.
• • • Since McIntyre took over in 2010, Syracuse has had 23 players drafted to MLS, over 10 play for their countries’ senior national teams and two appear in a World Cup.
“You can walk in our stadium for free and watch future pros play,” SU assistant coach Jukka Masalin said. “At the end of the day, it’s a huge joy for us as a staff and as a program to see these guys grow and move on and do well.” Alums credit that to SU’s ability to develop college students in a professional environment. McIntyre doesn’t believe in sitting freshmen, Miller said.
“We’re all one team, there’s responsibility on everyone, no matter how old you are, where you come from, you have a responsibility when you wear that badge,” Miller said. “It helped build me up by putting that responsibility on me right away.”
Young said SU prepared him for the independence that comes with being a professional footballer. As transfers, Orr and Kaloukian agreed Syracuse felt like a professional club, which helped them take a step up before playing abroad.
“The intensity every day in training and the real ambition to be successful from the coaches and players, there were definitely very high standards,” Orr said. “I think my time at Syracuse really set me up for going into the professional footballing world.”
As long as Syracuse maintains its professional standard, it’ll keep bringing its players — and its legacy — to the biggest stages in the sport.
Sports Editor Noah Nussbaum contributed reporting to this article.
By Aiden Stepansky senior staff writer
Adrian Autry knew what the issue was last year. The Orange could score with most of the Atlantic Coast Conference, dropping the eighth-most points per game (74.7). But they couldn’t make a stop to save their lives.
Syracuse’s defense allowed 77.8 points per game, ranking 314th of 364 Division I teams. Even with drastic offseason changes, SU was “punked” by Pace — a Division II squad — in its second exhibition before the 2025-26 season. Autry’s job might be on the line this year. He can’t go down this rabbit hole again.
“We can’t get energy from our offense. That doesn’t work,” Autry said after the win over Pace. “We talked about that, being able to, no matter what, play defense. We can’t let our offense dictate our defense and our defensive energy.”
Following the preseason mishap, Syracuse’s defense transformed into a force. The Orange limited Binghamton to 47 points before allowing their fewest points since 2020 against Delaware State.
Here are four key statistics that define Syracuse’s stellar defensive start:
KenPom Effective FG%: 27.3
Anytime Syracuse ranks first in the country, it’s a good sign. Per KenPom, the Orange held their first two opponents to a combined 27.3% effective field goal percentage, the top mark in the nation. SU allowed a 52.9% mark last season. Only Cal and Miami ranked lower in the ACC.
Effective field goal percentage differs from traditional field goal percentage. It gives extra value to a 3-point shot and is measured by the following equation: (FGM + 0.5*3PM) / FGA.
The Orange have held opponents to a 2-for-27 mark (7.4%) from beyond the arc thus far. Binghamton and Delaware State combined for just 29 scores on 110 overall attempts, or 26.4%. Cincinnati transfer Tyler Betsey said Syracuse plays with a sense of urgency on defense to throw off scorers. The statistics match exactly what Autry described following SU’s win over the Hornets. “Mentality. Disruptive … hunting. Those are the words that we described, that’s how we play,” Autry said Saturday. “We don’t want anyone to be comfortable. We want to get after people. And then we’re gonna give up some stuff. That’s fine, but everything is contested, whether it’s a jump
shot, at the rim, anything. That’s what we worked on this summer.”
EvanMiya Defensive BPR: Donnie Freeman: 2.69
Sophomore Donnie Freeman doesn’t do anything too out of the ordinary to prepare for games. He arrives for games two-and-a-half hours before tip-off, earlier than most other Syracuse players, as the vans from the Carmelo K. Anthony Center don’t depart until 15 minutes after that.
It’s one part of the routine that’s fueled Freeman’s sophomore leap, which has been evident defensively. He’s posting a team-high 2.67 Defensive BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating), per EvanMiya CBB Analytics. The mark is in the 98th percentile nationally and represents a player’s defensive per-possession value. For defense, it’s interpreted as the number of defensive points per 100 possessions the
player produces if they were on the court with nine average D-I players.
Freeman has three blocks and two steals this season, nearly matching his five and five from a year ago. His freshman year was cut short due to a foot injury, and he held just a 0.64 DBPR. In Freeman’s return this season, Autry added an incentive for defensive stops with three in a row equaling a “kill.”
The Orange display their stop count on the Jumbotron at the JMA Wireless Dome. Playing in front of a crowd is exactly what Freeman missed when he was sidelined. He said being back on the court helps him mentally, and playing at Syracuse ups the intensity. So far, the numbers back his growth.
KenPom Block%: 20.5
The national average through games played on Nov. 11 for block percentage is 9.8. Through its first two contests, Syracuse has more than dou-
bled that mark with 20.5%. The number ranks 15th in the country and represents the number of opponents’ 2-point attempts the Orange block with a simple equation: (blocked shots) / (opponents’ 2-point attempts).
So far, SU has blocked 17 of its opponents’ 83 2-point attempts. Of Syracuse’s seven players with at least one block, only one has four or more. That’s UCLA transfer William Kyle III, who’s totaled seven following a stellar six-block outing against Delaware State.
After the win over the Hornets, Kyle said he feels his blocking ability comes from his instincts. He has a niche for it, he added. Mixed with a freak 7-foot-3 wingspan and 44-inch vertical, he anticipates hedges to recover on time and deter opponents.
With Freeman sidelined, Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Jyare Davis became SU’s top inside defenders a year ago. Yet Lampkin Jr. only recorded 16 blocks all season, while Davis tied with 6-foot-7 forward Chris Bell at 13. Kyle is listed at just 6-foot-9. But he’s playing far bigger thus far.
When Syracuse picked up Naithan George in the transfer portal, Freeman expected a stat line involving eight assists in a game. But he didn’t expect George to tally five steals, too. Both happened in SU’s season-opener as George led the Orange to 11 total steals. He added two against Delaware State, bringing his season average to 3.5 per game. Five steals are eye-popping for many reasons. However, it’s even more impressive due to Syracuse’s abysmal numbers last season. The Orange averaged only 4.9 steals per game last year, with Jaquan Carlos as the only player averaging over one steal per game. It was 1.1, to be exact.
Per EvanMiya CBB Analytics, George’s Defensive BPR is 2.02, in the 97th percentile. His projection for defensive impact is +0.21, which ranks in the 69th percentile and measures the difference between his previous statistics and actual DBRP.
Freeman said Syracuse’s defensive physicality and energy begin with George, as he guards the ball handler and picks up instantly on most defensive possessions. When George is guarding like he did against the Bearcats, Betsey thinks he might just be the best point guard in the country.
By Fiona McHugh contributing writer
During his freshman year at Cal State Fullerton, Victor Panov was feeling lost.
It wasn’t because of homesickness. Unlike most college freshmen, Panov was familiar with living away from home. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Panov relocated during high school to play basketball in the United States.
Panov has never struggled in basketball. Yet after committing to Cal State Fullerton out of high school, he was set to fulfill his dream of playing Division I basketball. But when he stepped on the court, the ball wouldn’t go in the net.
“My freshman year, I struggled on the court and off the court,” Panov said. “At the end of the year, I was just like, ‘Alright, I need a change, I need to take a step back to take a step forward.’”
of high school. So, he moved south to Daytona, Florida, to play at DME Academy.
He once again had to adapt. Panov had to adjust to an American style of basketball.
“As an international player, you either accept it and you succeed at the end of the day, or you just refuse to adapt to that mindset and just have to go back and play European basketball,” Panov said.
So, he adapted, resetting his career at DME Academy, where Daytona State head coach Joey Cantens first saw Panov play. Cantens tried to recruit Panov out of DME, but he’d improved too much. Panov had a stellar year, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game. It netted him several Division I offers, eventually landing him at Cal State Fullerton.
maximum two years there. He took a trip back to Pennsylvania to visit Drexel and committed on the spot.
It was the perfect fit. Drexel head coach Zach Spiker was involved with Panov’s recruitment, explaining to Panov Drexel’s playstyle and family atmosphere. As an international player who lacked the support systems of a typical college player, forging strong connections with his teammates and coaches was hugely important to Panov.
“At the Division I level, you really don’t meet people that deeply care about you,” Panov said. “I think here, they actually look at us as human beings. They try to get to know us better, I can talk to them as my friends, and it’s just really what sold it for me.”
However, Panov struggled once he got to California. He averaged just 7.2 minutes per game in his 11 contests and deeply struggled to score. It was a massive disappointment for Panov.
“As athletes in general, you put all of your identity in your sport,” Panov explained. “And my whole identity was in my sport at the time.”
Drexel became a nurturing environment for Panov. It taught him to weather the ups and downs. He did that by embracing his faith, which Panov felt made him a better person and basketball player.
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Panov played 11 games at Cal State Fullerton, averaging just 1.4 points per game and shooting 22.7% from the field. After that turbulent freshman year, he transferred to Daytona State, a junior college. He regained his confidence with the Falcons, jumping to Drexel for his junior year and starting 32 of its games. Now a senior, Panov averages 8.3 points per game as the Dragons’ only returning starter, and he’ll bring that to Drexel’s next matchup with Syracuse Saturday.
After years of work, Panov has finally become comfortable playing basketball. But at first, basketball wasn’t even on his radar. When he was young, Panov played hockey, skied, figure skated and even did jiujitsu and judo for several years. He hated basketball at first.
Then, after attending a basketball tournament in Estonia as a 10-year-old, Panov realized he enjoyed it. He immediately discovered he had an advantage: he was taller than everyone else. Panov eventually committed to basketball, and at age 17, he moved to the U.S. to play AAU ball in Pennsylvania.
Just like at Cal State Fullerton, he initially struggled to adapt. His move to America coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic’s emergence, so he barely played in his junior year
With his shots not falling, he said he started to feel depressed, bleeding bled into his life away from basketball.
He decided to move on from Cal State Fullerton. Panov found his way back to Daytona, this time to play under Cantens at Daytona State. The school instantly felt like a better fit.
“We just boosted his confidence again, and we gave him freedom to play,” Cantens said.
Daytona State’s playstyle prepared Panov to play at Drexel. Cantens allowed Panov to play on both the inside and outside, shoot 3s, dribble and pass. He shot 56% from the floor, averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
He rediscovered his love for basketball at Daytona State, helping to develop his alreadyhigh IQ and his confidence as a playmaker.
“He had a lot of joy playing that way,” Cantens said. “We got the best version of him, giving him freedom to play as a big guy.”
Everything fell into place after that. Panov helped Daytona State to a 28-4 record in 202324, and after his successful season, he started the recruitment process again after spending the
The impact was immediate. Panov was a consistent presence in Drexel’s starting five, averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds, shooting
“He’s a really good passer, he has good vision,” Spiker said. “He’s just a very tough, very wellrounded basketball player.”
Panov’s current playstyle mirrors the one that first attracted Cantens to him back at DME Academy. He constantly controlled the perimeter and made high-IQ plays. He learned not to focus on the outcome of each game, instead staying grounded and honing in on his personal growth. His growth throughout that junior year prepared him to take a senior-year leap. Through three games, Panov has increased his scoring, rebound and steals averages from last season. After this year, Panov isn’t sure what’s next for him.
But at Drexel, Panov says the Dragons like to focus on one game at a time — that’s it. He’s gotten everyone to sacrifice everything to win games, and everything will fall into place from there.
“I just want to get as much out of these guys as I can,” Panov said.
fmchugh@syr.edu men’s
By Harris Pemberton asst. sports editor
Soccer-crazed kids around the world grow up with two dreams: play professionally and play for their country.
But for most soccer players, especially collegiate players in the United States, those dreams are far easier said than achieved.
The clearest path to go pro is through the MLS SuperDraft, where the top 1% of collegiate
players are selected each December. Yet, only 37% of draft picks signed a first-team contract last year, and only 32% of MLS’s active players have suited up for their national team.
Syracuse is an outlier. Under legendary coaches Dean Foti and Ian McIntyre, the Orange have consistently produced professional stars — several appearing at the international stage.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup expanding to 48 teams — the most it’s ever featured —
You can walk in our stadium for free and watch future pros play.
Jukka Masalin su assistant coach
Syracuse alums from across the world will have a greater shot at realizing that universal dream.
A select few have already had a taste of the global stage. While several SU alums compete with their nations in the November international window, six players spoke with The Daily Orange to recount the defining moments of their journeys.
• • •
When the Canadian men’s national team walked out for its first match of the 2022 World
Cup, its starting XI made Syracuse soccer history.
Tajon Buchanan linked arms with teammates to his side as “O Canada” played. To Buchanan’s right, Kamal Miller closed his eyes and sang.
Miller felt like he was standing there for 10 minutes. Tears ran down his face.
“Former teammates popping into my head, former coaches, friends and family, seeing my parents and my wife there in
see national team page 14
By Cooper Andrews senior staff writer
The delicate art of punting has a few exotic tricks. And Riley Dixon knows them all. Luckily for Syracuse senior punter Jack Stonehouse, that means he does, too.
Over the last three summers, the two have trained at SU’s football facility in what the 10-year NFL veteran punter Dixon calls “Spitball Sessions.” There, they boot balls around and crack jokes as if they’re lifelong friends at a backyard barbecue. They
also test out different punting styles to gain a competitive edge. Take the “banana ball” — the greatest trick Dixon’s pulled out of his bag for Stonehouse — for example. It’s an unorthodox ball-striking strategy where you hold the ball sideways and strike it in the opposite direction of your dominant foot to create side spin.
It results in a ball that displays a helicopter-esque rotation, then sputters onto the turf about 40-50 yards away and keeps bouncing forward. Dixon says it’s not a crowd-pleaser.
When perfected, though, it’s a return team’s nightmare.
“It’s not impossible by any means,” Dixon said. “But, it’s difficult.”
For his protege, challenge accepted.
“Man, I’ve been trying to perfect it and learn it,” Stonehouse said eagerly.
Dixon, an Oneida native who lives in Syracuse every offseason, loves showing young punters like Stonehouse the ways of a professional. Since getting drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 2016 NFL Draft — following his career at Syracuse from 2012-15, when the #DixonForHeisman fad took over
— he’s stayed heavily involved in providing wisdom to SU’s punters, mainly Stonehouse, partly due to Orange head coach Fran Brown’s outreach to keep alumni like Dixon around the program often.
Ten years into his NFL career, Dixon spoke to The Daily Orange to reminisce about his time as a walk-on at Syracuse and the connections he still has in the city he calls home.
“I’ve got a lot of pride for Syracuse, living there and being a part of that community,” Dixon said last Thursday. “Syracuse football was
always something I dreamed of doing. I remember the days as a kid watching Donovan McNabb and those guys rolling, so it was a dream come true. So now I keep in touch with a couple of the guys there.”
Dixon, who also attended Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, is SU’s lone punter alumnus on an active NFL roster. He’s spent time with the Broncos, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams and currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2016 with Denver, after being selected as a sev