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Our columnist argues Trump’s media ban sets a dangerous precedent for journalism
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Buster Honeywood always dreamed of playing D-I soccer. After five years in NAIA, he’s finally realized that dream at SU.
‘Progress comes from people’ Advocates hope Syracuse remains landmark in fight for reproductive right By Arabella Klonowski news editor
M
adelaide guan presentation director | zoe xixis asst. photo editor
adeline Thibault grew up an activist, regularly attending protests with her parents. But it was the first one she attended with Planned Parenthood that she said changed her life. On a cold February afternoon in 2017, 19-year-old Thibault visited Albany, New York alongside hundreds of others advocating for women’s reproductive rights. It was that protest which Thibault described as one of the most “eye-opening” moments for her as an activist, cementing her dedication to the cause. “It was the amount of energy and the feeling that all these people are here to support the greater good for society,” Thibault said. “To see so many people that supported this organization and what that organization stands for, specifically Planned Parenthood, was really beautiful.” After the legalization of abortion in New York state over 55 years ago, Planned Parenthood’s Syracuse clinic became the first freestanding abortion clinic in the United States. Though much has changed regarding reproductive rights since 1970, one thing has remained the same – activism. Since the 1970s, New York state has continued to introduce legislation, including the SHIELD Act and Proposition One, to protect abortion access. On Sept. 24, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with five other politicians, reintroduced the bicameral Affordability is Access Act, requiring all insurers to fully cover see planned parenthood page 5
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Rep. Ocasio-Cortez urges ‘inactive voter’ turnout at Syracuse visit By Arabella Klonowski & Delia Sara Rangel the daily orange
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stopped in Syracuse Monday in an effort to mobilize “inactive Democratic voters” as part of her Project Reactivation. The project identified over 100,000 voters across New York state at risk of being purged from state voter registries.
Ocasio-Cortez and her Field Director Destiny Cruz detailed her team’s plan to call, write letters and knock on doors of those they’ve identified as “at-risk voters.” “People oftentimes who don’t vote, it’s a lot of the time not their fault,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It’s that our government and our representation doesn’t reach out to them, and so why would someone
show up for a system that doesn’t show up for them?” The pair shared their plans to the “hand-picked” audience of local politicians, members of the Syracuse Democratic Socialists of America chapter and the New York Working Families Party gathered in All Saints Church. The state classifies a voter as inactive after not voting in two
consecutive elections or being unresponsive to the Board of Elections’ change of address letters, which Cruz said often deregisters college students. Ocasio-Cortez and her team identified over 6,000 inactive registered Democrats in Syracuse, with a majority of voters concentrated in the Westside, including part of Syracuse University’s campus. In
a time when Ocasio-Cortez said voting rights are under attack, the Congresswoman’s initiative looks to build a habit of voting. “To think that we are insulated or immune to that here in New York state is wrong. We cannot take our rights for granted, we cannot take our right to choose for granted,” OcasioCortez said. “We cannot take our see aoc page 5
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on campus
SU Indigenous students reconcile trauma on ‘Orange Shirt Day’ By Sean Harrington staff writer
Content note: This article includes mentions of suicide. The first time Dawn Cheryl Hill held her own beadwork, she couldn’t contain the pride she felt for creating a piece of art that’s true to her ancestry. Indigenous survivors of residential boarding schools for generations were instructed to reject their heritage and accept a new culture, language and way of life. Hill said that healing is still needed. “I made this,” Hill, an author, said. “This didn’t exist before I picked up my needle and thread and I thank my mother for that. This I made as an homage to the survivors.” Syracuse University’s Indigenous Students at Syracuse and Center For Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice commemorated “Orange Shirt Day” with Hill, sharing a lecture on residential boarding schools and community healing. Orange Shirt Day is an annual day of “hope” and “reconciliation,” that acknowledges the longstanding legacy of residential schools in the United States and Canada and seeks to commit to building a “better future,” according to the Orange Shirt Society Website. Hill, an enrolled member of the Six Nations of the Grand River Dawn, focused much of her lecture explaining the history of these schools and the “trauma” students endured while at these sites.
Each and every one person here is either a residential school survivor, the child of a residential school survivor or a grandchild. Mac Powless su senior
Following Hill’s lecture, dozens of students, all wearing orange, filed out of the classroom and onto the Shaw Quadrangle, where sophomore Jerry Mosqueda and senior executive board member Mac Powless held a banner marking the front of a procession in which each student carried posters that read “every child matters,” the slogan of Orange Shirt Day. Students marched together across the quad before circling around the “Great Law of Peace” memorial outside Shaffer Art Building for a moment of silence and brief remarks.
Many of the students in attendance said they were linked by a shared lineage that traces back to residential schools. As the daughter of two parents who had no choice but to attend two different residential schools, Hill said she felt the weight of retelling the history her lineage endured. Hill said suicides spiked during the fall, with the fear of returning to residential schools being a key reason. Cases of suicide also spiked during the holidays, Hill said, as a result of parents waiting for children who died while at residential school to come home. “Fall was the season of dread, rupture and loss,” Hill said while recounting a story to the crowd. Over 6,000 children died while at a residential school in Canada alone, Hill said. She said the reasons for this figure were not a coincidence. Orange Shirt Day, which is formally named National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, uses the “every child matters” slogan to highlight the experiences of those affected by residential schools. For students like sophomore Issac White Jr., the message is meaningful. “(It) speaks to us preserving the history of all the children lost in these boarding schools,” White said. “Whether they went missing or were murdered, whatever happened, it’s important to keep in mind that every child does matter.” Hill said that children were experimented upon while at residential schools, including intentional malnutrition, psychological testing and “widespread” physical, sexual and emotional abuse. That experimentation contributed to intergenerational trauma that requires healing, Hill said. Schools broke apart families, Hill said, while also forbidding native languages, practices, traditions and spirituality. The institutions replaced their culture with “forced conversion” to the English language, Christianity and white-oriented American values, she said. “Each and every one person here is either a residential school survivor, the child of a residential school survivor or a grandchild,” Powless said. “All of us are at least one of those things.” Powless acknowledged that while it may surprise the average SU student, the history of residential schools is not so ancient. “It’s really not history,” Powless said. “The last (school) closed in Canada in 1998.” Hill recounted hearing her mother’s stories from her time enrolled at the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Ontario, or the “Mush Hole” as former students and Indigenous communities called it, referencing the “mush” students had to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When Hill asked her mother the “simple” question of her age when she enrolled at the “Mush Hole,” Hill said that her mother disappeared.
SU’s Indigenous community honored “Orange Shirt Day” by welcoming speaker Dawn Cheryl Hill, ending with a procession across the Shaw Quadrangle. sean harrington staff writer
“Her eyes went blank,” Hill said. “It looked like this other memory had unexpectedly swept across her eyes and she no longer saw me.” The trauma her mother carried, as well as the thousands of other cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression that others like her faced, inspired Hill to write her book, “Memory Keeper” and the primary focus of her lecture: healing. While explaining the various holistic methods that seek to heal intergenerational trauma of survivors of residential school and their descendants, Hill described methods like land-based healing, therapy, healing circles and collaborations with elders that “taps into collective wisdom,” anti-racist therapy, art therapy and language revitalization. “Language revitalization is a process of healing,” Hill said. “The intergenerational transmission of knowledge, which the boarding school system was intended to serve.” Hill said some of the most important therapeutic techniques, like language
revitalization, incorporate relearning the cultural practices of one’s ancestry and passing them on to future generations. She displayed slides showcasing her children and grandchildren’s beadwork and traditional attire, including the Indigenous garments that her daughter wore as she graduated from SU. Even for those who did not directly attend residential schools, students including White spoke about the reality of intergenerational trauma within their own experience and the persisting effects of these experiences on their children and their children’s children. “My grandmother actually was in a boarding school… just seeing some of the things she does in her life, I can see that she was definitely affected, and some of that I can see was transferred to my mother as well, and some of it to me,” White said. “It’s still affecting us today. That I can definitely speak to. It still affects a lot of us today.” sharri43@syr.edu
on campus
SU organizations respond to Cornell sexual assault lawsuit By Mirren Grimason asst. news editor
Syracuse University’s Student Government Association and multiple Greek life chapters released statements condemning sexual assault as an active lawsuit against Cornell University for its handling of a 2024 sexual assault case gains national attention. A former Cornell student said she was gang raped in October 2024 by seven members of the university’s Chi Phi Xi chapter. The victim, known as Jane Doe, said she was coerced into taking drugs and assaulted in the Chi Phi fraternity house. On Sept. 14, Doe filed a lawsuit against the Chi Phi chapter and the seven members involved, as well as the Cornell Chapter of the Delta Delta Delta and Moonies Bar and Nightclub for their involvement in the incident. The case was reopened by the Tompkins County District Attorney’s office. The first statement by an SU organization addressing the case was posted via Instagram Tuesday by the Eta chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu, condemning the actions of the Chi Phi chapter and stating that they stand with the survivor. “The fraternity’s job is to hold brothers accountable to those standards that we as men aspire to represent and uphold,” the statement reads. “Brotherhood cannot be used as a reason for silence or a shield from accountability.”
SU Greek Life, alongside SGA, made online statements regarding the ongoing 2024 Cornell University sexual assault case at Chi Phi Fraternity. zabdyl koffa staff photographer
SU’s SGA released a statement on its Instagram Wednesday condemning all forms of sexual assault and stating that preventing sexual violence requires attention from all parties, including university faculty, staff and leadership. “Syracuse University has and always will remain dedicated to respecting the dignity,
safety, and well-being of every member of our Orange community, regardless of gender, identity, or background,” the statement reads. Additional SU chapters within the Interfraternity Council also released statements shortly after. SU’s Alpha Nu chapter of the Sigma Beta Rho fraternity also posted on Instagram, stating it’s
disturbed by the allegations at Cornell, “just an hour away” from SU’s campus. “We believe it is the ethos of every Greeklettered organization to be a force for good and service, both on campus and in the wider community,” the statement reads. “When members of our community are victims of harm and violence like this, silence is not an option.” Over half of SU’s Panhellenic sororities later posted statements, the Omega chapter of Sigma Delta Tau being the first, posting on its Instagram story. The statement highlighted that survivors of sexual assault deserve to be heard and that organizations and institutions need to take allegations seriously. The Chi chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta also added a statement on its Instagram story standing in solidarity, highlighting the “power in community” in instances of violence against women. “May this be a wake up call to university administration everywhere to listen to survivors and hold perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence accountable,” the statement reads. Cornell University updated its FAQ page about the case Wednesday, claiming that it investigated the case when it happened, but that the university’s policies and process regarding sexual assault are distinct from criminal law proceedings. mirrengrimason@dailyorange.com
4 october 1, 2026
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on campus
DPS finds 3 people who made antisemitic comments to student By Quinn Postman
digital managing editor
Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety identified and issued a no-trespass order to three people unaffiliated with SU after a Tuesday bias incident at the Shaffer Art Building, according to a Wednesday DPS release.
At approximately 3:55 p.m. on Tuesday, a group of SU students reported that three people entered the Shemin Auditorium, sat nex t to them a nd made a ntisemitic comments towa rd one of the students before leaving. DPS of f icers responded immediately and searched the building and surrounding area. Through a follow-up investiga-
tion, one of the students “positively ” identified all three people involved, according to the release. “The quick action of our officers resulted in the immediate identification of those responsible,” DPS Chief Michael Bunker wrote. “Antisemitic and bias-motivated behavior has no place at Syracuse University. We take this incident seriously and we remain committed
to ensuring every member of our community feels safe on campus.” DPS offered support services to the students involved. Those with additional information can report it through the Orange Safe app or Silent Witness tool. To report a bias incident, visit the Stop Bias website, call 315-443-3514 or email stopbias@syr.edu. quinnpostman@dailyorange.com
on campus
‘Salt City Responds’ to political climate through art exhibit By Petya Lozanova contributing writer
with artists making work in response and being politically active,” Saluti said. The exhibition includes a Black Lives Matter poster created in 2020 by Syracuse printmaker Carrie Valenzuela and her brother Cayetano Valenzuela. In 2020, when protests followed the killing of George Floyd, Valenzuela, a single mother, wanted to contribute the only way she knew how – through art. A conversation she had with Syracuse arts advocate Cjala Surratt about printing protest posters gave her an idea. Valenzuela called her brother and with his help, she was handing out the finished posters to people attending rallies by the end of the week. “It was really powerful to see these prints that we made out in the world,” Valenzuela said. “It was really powerful to see how the visuals affect change.” The experience strengthened Valenzuela’s belief that people don’t need to make large gestures for their actions to matter, she said. Her Black Lives Matter poster now hangs inside the gallery. “Even if you think you’re only doing a small part, every small part matters,” she said. “Anybody can do it. Anybody can do something.” Art can pave the way for conversations that might otherwise begin with disagreement, Saluti said. Rather than arguing across a table or asking a combative question at a lecture,
Bright yellow and black letterpress posters line a wall of Syracuse University’s Warehouse Gallery. Across the room, banners, musical instruments and artwork document decades of artistic activism. Between them is something less expected – empty space. The space is intentional, Andrew J. Saluti, associate professor and program coordinator for museum studies at SU, said. Rather than filling the gallery with artwork, the organizers of “Salt City Responds” designed it to function as both an exhibition and a gathering place. “It’s both creatively and visually about this idea of response, but it’s also going to be a functional center for response,” Saluti said. “There are going to be many events, many programs, performances, activities that are meant to bring people together in the space.” “Salt City Responds,” on display at the Warehouse Gallery from Sept. 25 to Nov. 7, highlights Syracuse artists’ responses to social and political issues through public murals and printed protest works. Performances and workshops will also be hosted in the space. The exhibition came together last spring after a previously planned show fell through, Saluti said. He and Lauren Baker, art exhibition operations coordinator for the Warehouse Gallery, then began considering how to use the newly available space. Saluti looked to SU’s history of inviting artists to make statements about what they
believe in, specifically “The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti Mural” by Ben Shahn, which is located on the facade of Huntington Beard Crouse Hall. A reproduction of the mural is displayed in the exhibition. For him, the show reflects a larger history that extends beyond the university itself.
The city of Syracuse has always been an incubator for artists who want to create art about current events, he said. Saluti hopes the exhibition will make that history visible to students. “I think it’s going to illustrate to current students this long history that Syracuse has had
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enthood gave her support, making her feel safe,
Jerome said she felt “incredible compassion”
example” of how student activism, specifi-
over-the-counter birth control without any additional fees. Meredith Ouderkirk, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, said legislation like this is in response to federal attacks on rights nationwide, not just on abortion. “We’re also seeing basic pieces of family planning under attack too,” Ouderkirk said. “In a way that is kind of reminiscent of the early 1920s when Margaret Sanger was being arrested for starting a birth control clinic.” For Ouderkirk, advocacy has also been a constant in her life. Growing up passionate about securing rights for those in marginalized communities, Ouderkirk said her “guiding star” is creating a safer place for teenage girls, which she fulfills through Planned Parenthood. “What we really want is for everyone to have all the resources to be able to make the best decision for them,” Ouderkirk said. “Not just making the decision because they can’t get time off of work or they can’t secure child care to be able to attend an appointment for a procedural abortion.” One in four women in the U.S. who are able to have children will have an abortion by the time they turn 45-years-old, Outerkirk said, citing a 2024 study from the Guttmacher Institute. Ouderkirk cited the aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson, which reversed Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion decisions to the states, rather than the federal government. Though New York state remains a place where women continue to have access to legal and safe abortion clinics, the same is not the case for other states. Thibault, who graduated from Syracuse University’s College of Law in 2022, said she was “horrified” when Roe v. Wade was overturned. “Seeing those decisions, Roe v. Wade, specifically, come down, there’s writing on the wall. It’s been there and it’s scary,” Thibault said. “It’s frustrating and angering to know. I don’t even have words. My mom had more rights than I do standing here today.” During her undergrad years after the 2017 protest, Thibault used Planned Parenthood’s services for the first time herself. Scared and ashamed, Thibault said she felt she had nowhere else to turn, but Planned Par-
them and feel safe with them, I knew that they were going to respect me and my choices throughout the whole ‘what to do next,’” Thibault said. “They got me the care I needed at that moment.” Growing up in a family that could provide for her and having the privilege of going to undergrad and graduate school, Thibault said she worries for those who may not have the same access she did. “I think it is so incredibly important that folks have access to reproductive health care and reproductive choice,” Thibault said. “It is life-changing.” Though abortion remains legal in New York state, Ouderkirk explained the country is moving backwards policy-wise. Passed in 1873, the Comstock Act allows the government to regulate items sent through the mail, including birth control, abortion pills and other contraceptives. Though its current impact has been weakened, Ouderkirk said, public officials, such as Attorney General Todd Blanche, still hint at using it to police abortion pills sent through the mail. Junior Nicole Donahue, president of SU’s Planned Parenthood Generative Action, said it can be easy to get caught up in the “doom and gloom” she sees in recent headlines. But through the club’s volunteer work at the clinic and supportive community, Donahue feels that she’s helping make a difference. “It’s been so nice to know that there are people that care about myself and my future and our neighbors’ future,” she said. “It’s nice to get off campus and have a real-world impact and like to be able to go outside of ourselves.” Though Donahue is from Massachusetts and attends school in New York, where she still has access to care, she said she worries about others across the country who don’t have that same privilege. Judy Jerome, who attended SU from 1967 to 1973, said she remembers “very clearly” discussions surrounding reproductive rights on campus and the struggle for those around her to access safe abortions. When she was living at her sorority house, Jerome said she remembers one of her sisters suddenly disappearing from the house. After asking around, Jerome realized she had left the country to get an abortion elsewhere, since it wasn’t yet legal in New York state.
should have control over her own body,” Jerome said. “What is wrong with this world that women cannot control their bodies and their own sexuality?” At the same time, at 19-years-old, Jerome said she was also nervous about her own future. “It was a wake-up call for women about our bodies and how we control our own bodies and our own sexuality,” Jerome said. Carol Faulkner, an SU history professor who specializes in 19th-century women’s movements, said seeking abortions in other countries or at unregulated abortion clinics was fairly normal. Many companies often planned trips for women to travel to get abortions, she said, functioning like “travel agencies for abortions.” “Obviously, you had to have money to be able to afford those kinds of services, and so less wealthy women, poorer women would definitely struggle, and that was where you would get more desperate situations as well,” Faulkner said. “So, (that led to) a lot of selfinduced abortions and a lot of practitioners that may not necessarily have the women’s best interest at heart.” After its legalization in New York state and beyond, Faulkner said it wasn’t uncommon to see ads in college newspapers nationwide advertising where women could access abortion services. “College campuses were viewed, for obvious reasons, as a target for these people who were selling these services,” Faulkner said. “‘If you need an abortion, call this number and we’ll help you get one.’” Karen DeCrow, former president of the National Organization for Women, attended SU’s College of Law from 1969 to 1972, and continued to serve as a prominent activist in the community after her graduation. In a 1969 piece called “The right to abortion,” which DeCrow published in The Daily Orange, she wrote: “There is perhaps no more fundamental human right, save the right to life itself, than the right to one’s own physical person, a basic part of which is the right to determine whether or not one will give birth to another human being.” DeCrow continued her work in Syracuse and beyond until her death in 2014. Annaleigh Porter, who worked as a clerk for DeCrow, said she served as the “perfect
something more. If DeCrow were here today, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Porter said she would “be loud.” “I know she would not be quieted. She would not rely on a single way to get the word out,” Porter said. “She would be rallying others. She would be meeting with people. She would be writing to people. She would be speaking at any forum available to her.” Caleb Slater, who works with Life Matters Training Center, said he often visits SU’s campus with his team to speak to students about other options outside of abortions. Though Slater said he doesn’t agree with the practices at Planned Parenthood, he said Life Matters, as a whole, welcomes conversation and the “free exchange of ideas,” whenever students see them on campus. The focus on student activism is something Donahue and SU’s Chapter of College Democrats President Tomasz Saarloos both emphasized. “When young people realize that there is change, that there needs to be change, we speak up, we go out, we organize, we protest, and we create real, concrete change,” Saarloos said. Thibault has started organizing locally to form a NOW Young Feminists group within central New York’s chapter. The group is open to anyone under 35-years-old, including college students, who want to get involved with NOW. Being able to help rally young people gives Thibault “hope” for the future. “It makes me feel like we have a fighting chance again,” Thibault said. “We don’t want to live like this. We don’t. We see what’s on the horizon, and I don’t think anyone wants this. We want to have freedom.” Though Ouderkirk said she knows not everyone agrees with the message of Planned Parenthood, she emphasized that those are not the widespread opinions, they’re just the “loudest.” Through student activism, Ouderkirk said, real change will occur like it always has. “Progress doesn’t come from people aligning with the status quo,” Ouderkirk said. “Progress comes from people pushing the status quo to a different place.”
The Warehouse Gallery features Syracuse artists’ responses to social and political issues, including posters from Black Lives Matter protests. petya lozanova contributing writer
see gallery page 5
and sadness for her sorority sister. cally in the realm of reproductive rights, planned parenthood seen“Itandwasheard. not my fault, and being able to talk to “Why should she have to suffer this? She can have a widespread impact and grow into
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october 1, 2026 5
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right to vote for granted. Our civil rights must be defended by using them.” Monday’s event acted as training for audience members, who are being asked to take part in the initiative. Throughout the next five weeks leading up to Election Day, Ocasio-Cortez encouraged attendees to begin pushing for those at risk of inactive voter status to take action. “The historical establishment of the Democratic Party has neglected and ignored a lot of working-class New Yorkers across the state, when we talk about our outreach and our organizing,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And we are here to change that starting today.” New York State Senator Rachel May, who sat in the audience, told The Daily Orange that students often fail to change their addresses when they arrive on campuses, leading to decreased voter turnout. “I think students have more to lose by not voting because whatever policies we’re putting in place now, that’s going to affect students for decades,” May said. After asking college students in the crowd to raise their hands, Ocasio-Cortez said many may “unknowingly” fall into the inactive voter status after moving away from their homes for four years, meaning they’re at risk of being purged from voter files. “You constantly say that youth need to turn out to vote, but you’re making it harder for youth to vote,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And so it’s our job to be able to turn out these folks and target these inactive voters.” Tomasz Saarloos, who recently became the president of SU’s chapter of College Democrats, attended the event alongside other college students. Saarloos said it was impactful hearing Ocasio-Cortez speak about current issues, including voter roll purges and provide tangible solutions.
You constantly say that youth need to turn out to vote, but you’re making it harder for youth to vote. And so it’s our job to be able to turn out these folks and target these inactive voters. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez new york representative
The Congresswoman’s stop was the third in a campaign across upstate New York, with previous stops in Buffalo and Ithaca. OcasioCortez was joined by New York State Assembly candidate Maurice “Mo” Brown, Jasmine Gripper, NYWFP’s state director, and J. Moczara, a member of Syracuse’s DSA chapter. Brown said Ocasio-Cortez’s visit had been a “long time coming” after first hearing talks of her appearance during the primary elections in May and was happy to be a part of the workshop. The visit, Brown said, represents Syracuse’s “new progressive wave,” a trend he believes will continue. He said local voters have also called for these “new kinds” of politicians, citing Mayor Sharon Owens and himself as examples. Before Ocasio-Cortez’s visit, she spoke with Mayor Owens, who she said will work with Project Revocation to send letters to all inactive registered Democrats in Onondaga County. After her call to action to attendees, Gripper emphasized NYWFP’s distinct ability to speak to voters and mobilize. “Unity is our strength,” Gripper said. “We understand the power. We were created to be labor and community groups and individual activists coming together to build a collective force for working families against the establishment.” Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion said he was excited to hear about OcasioCortez’s visit and welcomes any political leader who decides to visit Syracuse, espefrom page 4
gallery artwork can become a stepping stone for debate and discourse, he added. For Saluti, that role goes beyond the individual artist or viewer. “It creates a communal engagement,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to engage with a community rather than a singular voice.” The exhibition’s open floor reinforces that idea, leaving room for people to gather among the works instead of viewing them from a distance.
“We cannot take our right to vote for granted.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visited Syracuse hoping to mobilize 6,000 inactive Democratic voters in the city, a demographic often including college students. avery magee development editor
cially those working to elect more “progressive champions.” “I think that (Syracuse) is clearly representative of a wider vision that aggressive champions aren’t being elected just in select areas,” Marion said. “They are coming up through a lot of different places across the country in a lot of communities. Syracuse is no stranger to that.” Moczara, a steering committee member in DSA who also spoke during the workshop, said the opportunity to talk at the Project Reactivation event meant “everything.” During their speech, Moczara highlighted the importance of mobilizing voters in Syracuse’s East Adams neighborhood, divided by the Interstate 81 highway. The historically Black neighborhood is part of Onondaga County, which Moczara said needs more attention from politicians and voters. “I love my community. I’m from Onondaga County, born and raised,” Moczara said. “It’s my community, and I think that it’s really important to fight.” Moczara encouraged attendees to speak to people in the East Adams neighborhood to hear their concerns, so incoming politicians can better serve them in the future, especially amid ongoing construction projects. For Rev. Fred Daley, the pastor of Syracuse’s All Saints Church, Ocasio-Cortez’s visit and the workshop’s message meant something bigger — standing up against injustice by voting. When Daley initially announced the event to church members during his weekend service, many of whom attended the workshop, he emphasized the “moral obligation” to vote. Daley said he’s read many headlines about war and broken communities, so seeing such a diverse group come together proved to him that there’s still a “power of love.” “Jesus was crucified not because he was a nice guy, but because he challenged the structures and systems of injustice and oppression,” Daley said. “He challenged the power house on top to become of service and not to be served. And so, if we’re going to be faithful to that gospel of Jesus, that’s what we’re about.” In Jan. 2o26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested two members of the All Saints Church congregation — José Criollo and Adrian Ramirez, both of whom were in attendance. Ocasio-Cortez directly addressed the pair during her introduction. “(Through) community organizing and coming together to ensure that when this community stood up to ICE and rallied for the release of José and Adrian, we’ve been able to protect our community and keep us together,” Ocasio-Cortez said. Daley emphasized the pain he felt and continues to feel for Criollo and Ramirez, as well as those who still remain in ICE custody. Zeke Leonard, an associate professor and program coordinator at SU’s School of Design, said the connection between art and collective action often happens through music. He contributed a 1920s Slingerland ‘May Bell’ tenor banjo to the exhibition. Leonard began carrying the instrument to protests because it is loud enough to be heard without amplification, he said. Leonard believes that artists have a particular ability, as well as responsibility, to engage with the world around them. “Our role as creative people is not just to exist in the world, but to engage the world,” Leonard
rep. ocasio-cortez spoke about those susceptible to vote purging and encouraged the audience to join Project Reactivation at Syracuse visit. avery magee development editor
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested two members of the All Saints Church congregation in Jan. 2026, both of whom were in attendance. avery magee development editor
“It’s happening all over the country in every little town and village. And that’s evil. That’s cruelty,” Daley said. “It has nothing to do with securing our borders. Nothing to do with protecting us from crime. These folks are hardworking folks who are doing a lot of work that nobody else wants to do.” Gripper said topics that may have been “radical in the past,” like abolishing ICE or introducing universal childcare, are now more frequently accepted nationwide, proving working together creates real political and societal change.
“We’re shifting what’s possible right now,” Gripper said. “I think shifting the narrative that comes first before we actually win the policy, and I think we’re on the cusp of winning some big policy for our people.” Organizing can be lonely, Brown said, but doing it alongside others can foster change, as Ocasio-Cortez encouraged at the workshop. “A lot of what we are trying to do here is send the message that it’s not just about winning elections, it’s about how we win elections,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
said. “And a lot of time artists can say things that no one else can.” The work displayed in “Salt City Responds” is not meant to act as a museum but instead a display of current artwork combating relevant issues, he said. That’s why the organizers emphasize the importance of the space being used to bring community together. For Leonard, those gatherings matter because the exhibition can offer a reason to believe that individual and collective actions still have meaning.
“So many people that I know right now are feeling so hopeless about how the world is put together, about our role in it,” he said. “People are feeling hopeless about their ability to have a voice and be heard.” Leonard said he wants the exhibition to be a beacon of hope for attendees and community members. Saluti also hopes the show encourages younger artists to think about what their own work can communicate. “Artwork really does create this voice and this visibility to support what you believe in,” Saluti said.
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on
Bring it
Four stunt groups in the Syracuse University cheer team practice their routine for their competition that will take place in Daytona Beach, Florida. The team is preparing its competition routine alongside its regular game day responsibilities. tara deluca photo editor
How team bonds, ‘nonstop’ practice drive SU cheerleaders’ year-round pep By Ava Demcher
asst. digital editor
I
n the Women’s Building Gym B, a lone speaker blasts music loud enough to shake the foam mats rolled out on the linoleum floor. Following the beats of the cheer leading music, cheerleaders count “two, four, six, eight” while a tumbling group passes by in near-perfect synchronization. Every move is sharp and precise. Snaps, claps and cleans echo across the gym as injured teammates and alternates cheer on the 20-person competition team from the edge of the mat.
We’re much more than just pretty faces, there’s a lot to it. Hailey Gifford su senior cheerleader
Almost none of the fans who watch the Syracuse University cheerleading squad in the JMA Wireless Dome will ever see this routine. Most of them don’t even know it exists.
What spectators don’t see are the three-hour practices, lift sessions, tumbling sessions and weekends the 31-person all girls team spends learning their competition choreography. “I don’t think a lot of people see that we are putting all of that extra time in besides doing gameday things,” SU senior and cheerleader Hailey Gifford said. Each April, the National Cheerleaders Association hosts a college dance and cheer nationals competition at the Daytona Beach Bandshell in Florida. While SU Cheer trains for nationals, its sideline work doesn’t let up. The team cheers for the SU football and bas ketball see cheer page 11
beyond the hill
Bedazzling renaissance takes over SU students’ belongings By Tara Binte Sharil asst. culture editor
During the first few weeks of the semester, Syracuse University senior Priyanka Das couldn’t get around much. Das broke her leg in the summer and was forced to stay off her feet for several weeks. With all her friends participating in classic back-to-school festivities, like taking a dip at Green Lakes State Park and participating in bar crawls, Das felt left out. So, she found an outlet to relieve her “FOMO.”
Bedazzling. “I love crafts, and something I’m always thinking about is that I don’t really have a lot of time for my hobbies, my DIYs and stuff like that, just because I’m so busy,” Das said. “So I was like, ‘Let me take this as an opportunity to slow down, kind of get back into that.’” Bedazzling, the act of decorating everyday items like phone cases and headbands with rhinestones, sequins and crystals, has taken over 2026. Rooted in the Y2K revival, bedazzling is also experiencing a renaissance.
Though bedazzling started to find its footing in the 1990s, it wasn’t until the 2000s when the sparkly trend took over pop culture. Think Kate Hudson’s sheer sequin dress at the “Almost Famous” red carpet or Mariah Carey’s rhinestone butterfly tattoo. But by the 2010s, the minimalist wave hit the fashion world, and everything sparkly turned grey. But maximalism made a comeback with artists like Zara Larsson and Sabrina Carpenter bringing sparkly clothes back. Like how 2016 made its comeback at the beginning of the year, bedaz-
zling is back, and it’s made its way to SU’s campus, dorm rooms and houses. SU junior Rebekah Oh started bedazzling a year ago, before the trend took off. Oh was inspired by her friend back home, who’d decorate her makeup and Sonny Angels with gems. Now, Oh bedazzles her own makeup, Sonny Angels and even gifts for her loved ones. “For my boyfriend’s 21st birthday, I bedazzled a whole pint of Modelo beer that literally took me a whole month on and off,” Oh said. The best thing about the activity is that almost anything can be
bedazzled. Oh bedazzled picture frames while influencer Phia Dennis bedazzled the hood of her pink Porsche. For Das, weeks with a broken leg in bed meant a lot of free time to bedazzle anything and everything in reach, including her three-drawer storage shelf. While watching her favorite and newly-released TV shows, Das spent a week bedazzling her shelf from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. “I would put a show on, and I would literally sit there all day,” Das said. see bedazzle page 11
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beyond the hill
Meet the duo who washes, dries and folds SU students’ laundry By Claire Zhang
social media editor
Ray Uon still remembers the first time a Syracuse University student walked through the doors of Caraway Cleaners in 2018. Ray’s wife, Xai Uon, was sitting at the laundromat’s front counter when the thenSU sophomore Charlie Fleisher showed up at Caraway Cleaners to ask about a potential laundry service. Xai was happy to do business, offered him a 10% discount and got started on his clothes. Word of the couple’s business spread, and soon, Ray and Xai worked with Fleisher’s entire friend group. “The next time he said, ‘I brought some of my buddies,’ and they just walked in,” Xai said. “Then he goes, ‘I’m gonna try to get you some of the ladies, too.’” Eight years later, Ray and Xai now work with around 50 SU students every semester. The couple charges $1.50 per pound of laundry and takes cash and check only. Their business model is simple: Ray takes student orders by call or text, then he drives his Toyota minivan around SU’s campus every weekday for pick-up and drop-off. Back at Caraway Cleaners, Xai manages other walk-in orders, then helps clean and fold student orders once Ray is back from campus. Ray is known across campus as a reliable businessman and friendly face. He’s someone people like SU junior Victor Weiss feel comfortable leaving pounds of laundry with every week. Driving down streets, Ray waves at familiar students, and they excitedly greet him. Sundays through Fridays, he makes his rounds, stopping
ray and xai uon pose at their business, Caraway Cleaners. The couple manages laundry orders for various Syracuse University students. claire zhang social media editor
at The 505 on Walnut, Campus Prime’s white apartments, The Standard at Syracuse, Castle Court and more. After picking up from apartments, he’ll drive down Walnut Place to Alpha Epsilon Pi then down Marshall Street to Milton Hall. His network stretches across SU, with customers across all grades and in Greek life.
Many are longstanding connections, and he’s worked with them from freshman through senior year. “We’re almost like a second parent for them,” Ray said. And the couple hasn’t spent a dime on advertising. Their clientele is built completely through word-of-mouth. Students pass along
Ray’s phone number, some parents post about him in Facebook groups and he even has an “insider” — Terry Kent — who recommends Ray to clients like SU senior Charley Cole, whose residence Kent cleans. Cole has worked with Ray since her freshman year, when she complained to Terry about Flint Hall’s “confusing and malfunctioning” washer/ dryer combo units. Cole continued using Ray her sophomore year, recommending him to friends and roommates in her sorority. Even when Cole studied abroad her junior year, she and Ray stayed in touch; Cole texted him updates of her travels. Now back at SU, Cole and her roommates, including Camryn Levy, meet Ray outside their apartment twice a week, always happy to greet him. Ray and Xai’s reliability makes all the difference, Cole said. Every load is delivered clean and folded with care. When picking up dirty clothes, students often ask Ray for help removing a stain from jeans or for a T-shirt to be washed delicately. He tells them it’s no problem and reminds them to text him what they need. Ray said he knows how it feels to be on your own away from home, and he does his part in making sure his clients are taken care of. “The only way to have a close connection with our kids is just to communicate with them,” Ray said. “You see them every day. You talk to them. You make them feel comfortable.” As for working as a couple, Xai said she’s thankful Ray’s built a tight-knit circle on campus. She said their division of labor and combined work ethic pays off. see caraway page 11
food and drink
Food trucks, DoorDash orders satisfy late-night cravings By Caroline Erskine asst. copy editor
After a night out, Syracuse University students walk, Veo or Uber back to their homes all across campus. On the way back to their beds, many of those students have the same question on their minds: what are they going to eat when they return home? Whether it’s fast foods or authentic cuisine, the options around Syracuse are somehow endless at 3 a.m. on a Saturday. “Usually we all come back together, and then someone’s like, ‘Oh, we should DoorDash,’” SU junior Sophia Dagostino said. “I’d stay longer because of that. I wouldn’t stay as long if I didn’t have a DoorDash coming.” From Marshall Street to food trucks to the plethora of restaurants available on food delivery apps, SU students are always ready to grab a latenight bite. Whether they’re dining solo or with friends, the post-midnight meal has become its own kind of campus ritual. For many students, the night doesn’t end until the delivery driver arrives. Nick Zuppe, a junior, has been ordering from D.P. Dough since his freshman year. The national calzone chain markets late-night delivery to students in college towns. The Syracuse location, situated next to bars like Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge and Funk ‘n Waffles, is popular with students, and Zuppe said he orders about once every two weeks. His go-to order? Cinnamon bites and an Italian calzone with bacon. One of his freshman year dormmates introduced him to the spot during Welcome Week when he showed up with a calzone and a box of cinnamon bites. “From then on, the two of us have been DoorDashing it for almost two and a half years,” Zuppe said.
We’re college students. If we eat dinner and then order D.P. Dough, who cares? Nick Zuppe su junior
Last year, the habit grew into a group ritual. Around midnight, Zuppe said, his friends in Ernie Davis Hall would just look at him to ask whether it was time to DoorDash D.P. Dough. About eight of them took turns placing the order each week. “You take a food place that you could DoorDash at 2 a.m. and turn it into an almost weekly
maria masek contributing illustrator
tradition with friends who have come from all over the country,” Zuppe said. “It’s just awesome to see how it all comes together in the end.” During his dorm-living days, orders usually came after dinner when the dining halls had already closed. Zuppe said the group never worried about the calories. “We’re college students,” he said. “If we eat dinner and then order D.P. Dough, who cares?” Zuppe describes himself as a “D.P. Dough loyalist,” but when he does branch out, McDonald’s is his second choice, and he sticks with chicken nuggets and fries. Staying in has practical appeal, too. Zuppe said not having to leave the dorm matters during Syracuse winters. Dagostino said she orders because she’s “lazy,” and she uses the wait as motivation to finish her work. Her go-to dinner order is a fried rice bowl from Poke Fish. But after a night out, she usually switches to Papa John’s or Taco Bell. When her friends place a group order, usually for fast food, she typically joins in. The habit of late-night food orders isn’t exclusive to SU. A 2022 survey of 500 college-aged students in the United States commissioned by DoorDash found that 70% order from a delivery app in a typical week, and 19% order after 11 p.m. The company also launched DashPass for Students in 2022, a discounted subscription for college kids.
However, both Zuppe and Dagostino have cut back this year. Dagostino said she rarely orders now that she has a kitchen. Despite Marshall Street’s vast food options during the day, Dagostino said its late-night choices are slim. While Poke Fish is one of her favorites, the restaurant closes at 10 p.m. Popeyes is the one place Dagostino said she can count on being open, but it’s usually packed. Cuse Gourmet Deli & Café is a 24/7 Marshall Street option, but not something she gravitates toward. For Dagostino, she wishes all the options on Marshall Street stayed open later — Bleu Monkey Cafe would be a good late-night option, she said. Students who don’t want to order in or wait in line have another option: food trucks. There are usually around two to three options set up on Walnut Avenue as the night winds down. Syracuse Halal Gyro, a family-run business that also has a storefront on Westcott Street, parks its truck on the corner every week. Manager Randy Jones said the truck arrives by 1 p.m. and stays open as late as 4 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The busiest stretch runs from 1 to 3 a.m., he said. “Once everyone’s done doing what they need to do out here, they all migrate to us,” Jones said. Timing matters, Jones said. Students typically head out at around 11 p.m., so the truck gets its rush when they walk back toward their dorms
from 1 to 3 a.m. The corner also works because students usually pass through Walnut Avenue as they come down from campus or up from Marshall Street, he said. The company’s second truck, which parks downtown near Washington Street, draws an older crowd that trickles in steadily until the bars close. The truck near SU’s most popular order is a combo plate of chicken and lamb over rice with white and hot sauce. Jones, a chef by trade, said the late hours are tough at first. Then the students trickle in. “The students are so welcoming, and the energy they bring to us, and they love our food,” Jones said. “They want to see us cooking back there.” Jones described the relationship among the other food trucks like Ali Baba and Cuse Bites as one of “friendly competition,” though Ali Baba now sits near Thornden Park after SU’s Department of Public Safety asked it to relocate last year. The food trucks are all there for the same reason, and they all love to serve the students, he said. Jones also recognizes regulars by face if not by name. Last week, some students told him they plan to keep coming back all four years. Winter won’t change that, he said. Syracuse Halal Gyro will be there in rain, sun or snow unless a blizzard blocks the road. “As long as they keep coming back, we’ll be here,” Jones said. cberskin@syr.edu
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EVENTS
THIS WEEKEND RetroGameCon 2026 Starting this Friday, Syracuse’s annual retro video game convention will feature retro and modern gaming through tournaments, cosplay, panels, tabletop games, voice actors and more. The convention is for gamers or people that want to learn more about the genre’s history. It will run through Sunday. WHEN: Friday, 2 to 8 p.m. PRICE: Day passes starting at $29.70 WHERE: The Oncenter Convention Center Fright Nights
josef komissar juggles several red balls outside Syracuse University’s Hall of Languages. Komissar, a mathematics Ph.D. student at SU, enjoys learning and teaching and about the math behind juggling. avery magee development editor
campus life
SU’s juggler shows off hobby one ball at a time By Aaron Scibelli staff writer
If it’s a sunny day in Syracuse and there’s no snow on the ground, chances are there’s a twentysomething throwing multiple clubs in the air simultaneously on the Shaw Quadrangle. Students may wonder who he is, or why he’s juggling midday on Syracuse University’s campus. Most likely, it’s mathematics Ph.D. student Josef Komissar putting off his schoolwork. “Usually I’m procrastinating,” Komissar, 26, said. “It’s just a hobby.” But Komissar is dedicated to that hobby. He started juggling at 7, when his mom taught him how to juggle with three balls. He continued throughout high school and eventually started a juggling club during his undergraduate studies at Hamilton College. Now, he’s taken his talents to SU. Gordon Jones, the faculty adviser of Hamilton’s club, said Komissar’s encouraging nature made him a fitting leader for a difficult activity like juggling. “He made it very easy to be learning, and that made it a lot more fun,” Jones said. “Instead of trying to reach a goal, you were just enjoying the process.”
After graduating from college in 2022, Komissar traveled the world for a year, learning about the art of juggling along the way. Out of Komissar’s travels that year, the most memorable experience was the month he spent at a circus school in Melbourne, Australia. Gaining knowledge about non-Western circus skills was “really cool,” Komissar said. Throughout the year abroad, Komissar said he experienced the value of being a part of the juggling community. Some invited him into their homes unprompted. “Part of what I learned in that year was that jugglers tend to be very open and accepting and nice people,” Komissar said. Komissar has also visited multiple juggling conventions, which he said are weekend-long events in various cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Toronto. He visited his first one in Melbourne while abroad. Komissar said the conventions are a space for him and fellow jugglers to gather and enjoy themselves. “It’s absolutely a unifying experience that everyone comes together and just relaxes and has a good time together,” Komissar said.
Syracuse University Ph.D. student Josef Komissar juggles multiple clubs on an SU lawn. Komissar founded a juggling club at Hamilton College during his undergraduate studies. avery magee development editor
Nina Neumann, who succeeded Komissar as president of Hamilton College’s juggling club, said she joined the club because of Komissar. One day when Neumann was juggling solo on Hamilton College’s quad, Komissar approached her randomly about getting involved. She said Komissar’s quiet leadership and juggling expertise were helpful, and his absence was felt once he graduated. “We missed having somebody who had that knowledge base and was routinely able to teach us new things,” Neumann said. Komissar, who started his SU studies in 2023, said there’s more math behind juggling than most people may think. He said math is how he and other jugglers discover new tricks. Komissar said “juggling theory” reveals consistent patterns, and certain tricks can be represented as a series of numbers. Komissar recently gave a talk to his graduate student peers about the math behind juggling, and then repeated the presentation at his alma mater. He said learning about the math involved in juggling and teaching it to others is something he enjoys. “If you’re a mathematician, it’s fun to see,” Komissar said. “Even if this isn’t real research math that people are going to look too deep into, it makes these beautiful patterns.” Outside of juggling, Jones said he also knew Komissar for his academic accomplishments. At Hamilton, Komissar joined Phi Beta Kappa, an academic honor society. Jones said Komissar’s scholastic success, alongside his juggling, make him especially well-rounded. “It’s kind of cool to have someone where you get to know them and respect them in one realm, and then find that you can respect them in a number of different realms,” Jones said. Besides being a talented juggler, Komissar has the uncommon ability to make everyone around him feel special, Jones said. “There’s something about someone that can make you feel good about yourself that is impressive,”Jones said. “And he does that.” For now, Komissar’s juggling days are limited to warm ones on the Quad, or when he can get to conventions in nearby cities like Rochester and Ithaca. Komissar hopes he can start his own convention in Syracuse soon. He believes the juggling network he’s created would show up. “I know people in all of these cities who would happily come here for a convention,” Komissar said. “They just need to find a space.” aascibel@syr.edu
Kick off spooky season at Fright Nights, which opens Friday for the Halloween season. The attraction features multiple indoor haunted houses with actors, special effects and scares. It’s a fitting weekend stop for anyone looking to get into the spooky spirit. WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m. PRICE: $39.84 online, $45 at the door WHERE: 1 Lepage Place “Come From Away” Spend Saturday watching a Tonywinning musical following the true story of thousands of airline passengers stranded in Newfoundland after 9/11. The show follows the unexpected connections formed between travelers and local residents. WHEN: Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. PRICE: $35 to $150 WHERE: Syracuse Stage American Songbook For an evening of classical music, head to The Syracuse Orchestra’s performance with “America’s Got Talent” finalist Jimmie Herrod. The program features songs by iconic American composers, including George Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim and Irving Berlin. WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. PRICE: $10 for college students, $24 to $61 WHERE: Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater OktoberFest Celebration Celebrate Oktoberfest on Sunday with a free performance from Fritz’s Polka Band. The Syracuse-based group mixes traditional polka with rock-inspired music for an afternoon of live entertainment. WHEN: Sunday, 4 to 7 p.m. PRICE: Free WHERE: Middle Ages Brewing Co. Syracuse International Film Festival This Sunday is the last day of the Syracuse International Film Festival. On Friday and Saturday, the festival will be held in Cazenovia, before moving to Syracuse Sunday. Visitors can watch feature films and learn about the filmmaking process behind them. As the title suggests, viewers can anticipate a range of works from animations to movies shot on 35mm film. WHEN: Sunday, 10:15 a.m. to 8:21 p.m. PRICE: $20 per segment, $50 all-day pass WHERE: The Palace Theatre
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cheer teams alongside preparing for the NCA competition. Their varying responsibilities to different commitments make their season yearround, Gifford said. SU’s cheerleading team originated around the turn of the 20th century and have since been beloved by students and fans alike. The cheerleaders spend their weekends on the sideline of football and basketball home games, making appearances at community events and of course, practicing. SU senior and cheerleader Paisley Olenik loves the experience of cheering at major sporting events, as the game day energy is one of her favorite parts of cheering, she said. “When the team runs out, we shake our poms and cheer,” Olenik said. “We can take it all in right there in the middle of the field.” Olenik’s teammate and fellow SU senior Chelsea Morton agrees. Morton initially didn’t intend to cheer at the collegiate level. After attending an event in the Dome on a campus tour, Morton’s college goals changed. “I took one step inside, and I looked at my mom and said ‘I have to be on these sidelines,’” Morton said. “It was amazing. I knew I would love to see this place full.” Fans know this version of the team, leading the school spirit from the sidelines, shouting from page 7
bedazzle “My friends would come over at different points of the day, and I was in the same position doing all this.” Hobbyist bedazzlers look to craft stores like Michaels or Amazon to purchase the necessary equipment, usually a bedazzling kit. While some kits go for as cheap as $7, Das spent $30 on her kit, which includes glue, tweezers, wax pens and of course, lots and lots of gems. Das said spending $30 on a kit with 5,000 gems was worth it for a sparkly shelf. While being bedridden forced Das to stay at home, she said there was a silver lining. As a busy student juggling her extracurriculars and her double majors in Information Management & Technology and Policy Studies, Das didn’t have much time for arts and crafts before she broke her leg. As a self-described “creative” person, Das often looks for more time to practice her hobbies, particularly scrapbooking. Staying home has brought Das back to her interests, she said. SU sophomore Macey Hyatt began bedazzling while quarantining with COVID-19 at the beginning of her freshman year. Like Das, Hyatt was stuck in her room and needed something to do. Inspired by a hometown friend, Hyatt spent her time bedazzling. In an interview with Time magazine, art therapist Allie Joy said activities like bedazzling can be beneficial for stress relief, the nervous system and emotional regulation. The repetitive nature of placing and sticking gems on an object can bring people to a state of meditation, while also taking time away from phones and screens, Joy
loudly when the Orange get a first down and always keeping a smile on their faces. The cheer season starts before classes do. As a freshman, Morton arrived in early August for preseason. Not only did this help the team get a head start on practices, but also created a deeper bond between teammates, Morton said. The team has three weeks of six-hour practices every day to prepare for the season, she added. No matter the work the team puts in, SU sophomore and cheerleader Hannah Peterson said many people still hold misconceptions about the cheer team and the sport as a whole. The work ethic and time that goes into cheerleading is equal to that of any other Division I sport, especially as they travel to away games, Peterson said. “Yes, we are doing it for fun because we like it, we get to look all cute and curl our hair and go to events and go to games,” Peterson said. “But then we’re also practicing nonstop for multiple hours a day. I think there’s a disconnect between how much work we put into it versus what others see.” After the team’s weekend of choreography, Gifford went to the SU athletics treatment room for recovery. While she was there, Gifford saw her friend, who was surprised to learn the amount of hours the team put in that day. “We’re much more than just pretty faces, there’s a lot to it,” Gifford said. As a team, the cheerleaders’ main focus is to build connections between each other. Dursaid. When Hyatt started her bedazzling career, she reaped the benefits Joy mentioned. “(Bedazzling) was something that I did as kind of a meditation to focus on something else. It’s really fun,” Hyatt said. “I bedazzled phone chargers, cases, my water bottle and I also collect a lot of Sonny Angels, and I have bedazzled them.” Hyatt’s bedazzling hobby goes beyond everyday items. Like Oh, Hyatt often bedazzles gifts for loved ones — from sparkly birthday cards to adding her cousin’s initials to a purse. Growing up singing and doing musical theater, Hyatt has always been surrounded by the arts. However, every time Hyatt picks up a new pastime, she said her interest only lasts a week. Bedazzling is an exception. “This is the only hobby that I think has stuck for as long as it has,” Hyatt said. “I usually will get into the groove of something for a week or so, but obviously this has stuck for over a year.” Oh’s creative outlet is also through arts and crafts. After a year of adding bling, Oh has bedazzled “everything in sight” and has run out of objects to cover. When it comes to making gifts for family and friends, instead of simply purchasing something meaningful, Oh opts to bedazzle her gifts even if it takes her days to make. Whether it’s Mother’s Day or Christmas, Oh’s homemade gifts can be easy to spot — usually a personalized handwritten card, or, like her boyfriend’s birthday gift, something covered in gems. “I just really like showing that I put a lot of effort in a present,” Oh said. Currently, Hyatt is working on bedazzling claw hair clips for her sorority family — five clips each in a different color and design to
ing preseason, many make bonds that last a lifetime. For Olenik, finding friends from the team weeks before her first day of class was reassuring, she said. This year’s team is the “closest and most fun” team Gifford has seen in her three seasons with SU cheer, she said. Spending time together outside of practice, getting ready for games and appearing at community service events creates deeper bonds within their team, Olenik said. At the end of practice, the team has a tradition where they share shoutouts for their fellow cheerleaders. Whether it be a full layout in the end zone after a touchdown or a stunt that they executed successfully, sharing shoutouts motivates the team to work harder, Gifford said. “It’s nice to feel like ‘Oh, wow. Someone saw that I did something really cool today,’” Gifford said. “It makes you smile that your teammates are looking out for each other and recognizing the hard work that all of us are putting in.” Game days have their own rituals in the cheer team. Before home football games, the cheerleaders welcome players during the Quad Walk and cheer with the band, a tradition that started when SU football head coach Fran Brown was hired in 2023, Olenik said. Cheerleading is an athlete-led sport, Peterson said. Coaches listen to team members on how to improve their routines, and it informs the coaches on what to work on
reflect the five members in her family. For Hyatt, bedazzling isn’t just for decorating everyday items and gifts; the hobby also shows a slice of her personality. In a classroom full of chargers and water bottles, Hyatt can always spot which belonging is hers because it’s the “ridiculously sparkly one.” Even before picking up bedazzling in college, Hyatt would express her bubbly personality with her sparkly shoe rotation. Before coming to SU, Hyatt would work in her local elementary school and wear her sparkly shoes,
caraway
ray uon shakes Victor Weiss’ hand after delivering his laundry. Ray drives around Syracuse University each weekday for laundry pick-ups and dropoffs. claire zhang social media editor
From the jump, Rubenstein remembers bantering with Xai and talking about movies with Ray. He and his friends met the couple’s children and often talked about school and life. Egart and Fleisher bonded with Ray over their shared love of fishing, and they even went on a fly fishing trip to Pulaski with him their senior year. For them, visiting Caraway Cleaners became more than just doing laundry. “They were almost like our little mini family for that semester,” Rubenstein said. Before finding Ray, Egart and Rubenstein used the national service company
ahdemche@syr.edu
SU junior Rebekah Oh bedazzles a makeup product. Inspired by a friend from home, Oh also decorates Sonny Angels with gems and bedazzles gifts for loved ones. madison cox staff photographer
from page 8
“I just love it. I figure if he puts 100% in it, I’m gonna put 100% in it. So that way we can get 200%,” Xai said. “He knows exactly what to do and I know exactly what to do. We love doing laundry anyway.” Though Ray primarily interacts with students while driving through campus, some walk into Caraway Cleaners unannounced. Xai said she always welcomes conversation with students and misses being one herself when she hears their stories. “They just make school fun,” Xai said. “They’re like, ‘I have a party I gotta go to. I need this tomorrow.’” “They make us feel at home. That’s how we like it,” Ray said. When students visit Caraway Cleaners, it reminds Ray and Xai of the first group they formed a special bond with. A framed photo of Fleisher, Keith Rubenstein and Max Egart, among others who graduated SU in 2021, hangs above a washing machine in Caraway Cleaners. Xai calls them her “pioneers.” She and Ray wouldn’t have their current student network without them. It’s a mutually fond relationship; Rubenstein and Egart both said they still miss the couple five years after graduating. Like Fleisher, Egart started working with Ray during his sophomore year in 2018. He went abroad his junior year, but he “never looked back” after meeting Ray and reached back out his senior year. That’s when Rubenstein tagged along. At the time, Ray hadn’t begun driving to campus yet, so Egart, Rubenstein and their friends would make the weekly trip to Caraway Cleaners together.
next. Everyone is expected to pull their own weight, Peterson said. “We all know that we are working for ourselves, for our team and for the school, which is really nice because it feels so collective, supportive, and is such a tight knit community,” Peterson said. Although it doesn’t feel like the cheer team receives much recognition by the public, Olenik said, it makes the support inside the squad stronger. Being a cheerleader means putting others above yourself, so the SU Cheer team likes to hype each other up with “mat talk,” Olenik said. The team’s connection boosts the Orange spirit too. Peterson said longtime fans and older alumni often stop the cheerleaders at sporting and SU events. “They get so excited to see us, and it’s usually like, ‘Oh, I went to Syracuse back in the day,’ or ‘I know someone that went to Syracuse,’” Peterson said. “Older fans are my favorite.” For Morton, who graduates in December, this fall is her last on the sideline. At camps and clinics, young girls want to hold her pompoms or learn a cheer and often ask the cheerleaders if they’re famous, Morton said. “We’re always told that we are the face of the university, we play such a pivotal role,” Morton said. “To be able to actually experience that through our community has been so rewarding.”
Lazybones Laundry and Storage, but they found the interactions were far less personal and reliable. Egart said Ray and Xai’s trustworthiness and diligence speaks to the couple’s character and business. He remembers forgetting cash in the pockets of his dirty clothes after dropping them off. When he’d pick them up, the money would be waiting in a labeled envelope on top of his clothes. To Ray and Xai, small things like that are no-brainers. They sympathize with students’ oftentimes hectic schedules, and Ray said he hopes to relieve any stress by taking good care of their laundry.
where her pre-K to fifth grade students would go “absolutely crazy for.” When Hyatt came to SU, she continued to wear the kicks and even became known as “the girl with the sparkly shoes.” It’s easy to spot Hyatt around SU’s campus. Just look out for someone with a bedazzled water bottle, charger and once in a while, her sparkly shoes. “I think being here in Syracuse sometimes the days can feel gloomy,” Hyatt said. “So why wouldn’t I want to have a little sparkle in my everyday life?” tabintes@syr.edu
“My biggest motivation is that they get clean clothes to go to class,” Xai said. “Everybody cares about their image and what they look like and what they want to wear. So it’s like, just get it done for them.” Ray and Xai also own Lodi Laundromat on Syracuse’s Northside. There, they work with Syracuse locals. Ray said it’s important to him that all people feel welcomed; he was once new to Syracuse, too. Running both laundromats is a family ordeal for Ray and Xai. It’s simpler to keep it close-knit, Ray said. Supporting a small business is a draw for students as well. Levy said her friends from other schools don’t have the same connection with off campus-community members as she does with Ray. Forming relationships outside of the university is a special part of Syracuse, Rubenstein said. Ray and Xai exemplify the number of amazing Syracuse businesses, and Egart said students should seek relationships that aren’t solely transactional. And Xai, on the management side, would agree. “Everything is not about the money,” Xai said. “It’s about the connection between you and them.” Having lived in Syracuse since emigrating from Cambodia at age 13, Ray values what his community has given him. He and Xai make it a priority to give the same goodwill back. “We know how it goes. Maybe a new kid that just arrived in our Syracuse area doesn’t know about Syracuse yet,” Ray said. “We just show them that we have nice people in Syracuse still. You have somebody who cares about you guys.” cmzhang@syr.edu
12 october 1, 2026
OPINION
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column
Trump’s unparalleled war on press ignores media’s crucial role By Jude Magnotti columnist
“Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” These words are enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. They establish a principle that’s shaped American media for two centuries: the government shouldn’t decide which voices and stories are worth hearing. Yet today, that principle is being challenged. On Sept. 18, President Donald Trump issued a press ban on CNN, Politico and MS Now, barring them from accessing or covering the White House. Trump justified this measure by accusing these news sites of only reporting “fake news” and “lies.” This action marked a drastic shift from common disapproval to outright prohibition. Presidents have fought with the press for as long as their relationship has existed. John Adams used the Alien and Sedition Acts to silence critics of the federal government. Richard Nixon barred specific reporters from the White House for reporting on the Watergate scandal. Trump has spent years publicly criticizing news organizations and targeting individual reporters. But this case is different. Trump isn’t simply criticizing outlets or people that cover him disfavorably. He’s using presidential access as leverage to win his battle against the media that rightfully checks his administration. Trump is targeting entire major news organizations for reporting stories he doesn’t like. The problem is this ban sets a dangerous precedent: government access depends on whether the president approves of your journalism. If the presidency can pick which organizations get key information, what stops it from bullying journalists into writing positively to regain insider access?
flynn ledoux contributing illustrator
Media networks weren’t content to let this precedent stand. On Sept. 21, the remaining major TV networks suspended their shared pool coverage of the White House. Consequently, these same networks filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging a violation of the First Amendment. Trump’s actions didn’t just suspend coverage; they incited the largest collaborative boycott by media outlets in White House history. The significance of this response goes beyond the boycott itself. Competing news organizations, from as conservative as Fox News to as liberal as ABC, put their foot down to take a stand against the president. This isn’t
just an act of defiance, but a message that news organizations won’t stay quiet when freedom of the press is threatened. Trump’s response to the ban was nearly as unprecedented as the act itself. The White House launched “Trump TV” in an attempt to bypass traditional coverage lines and keep eyes on the administration. Despite the network’s lack of success, it represents the first time the government has established a platform to control the exchange of information between itself and the public. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly later ruled the administration must restore the banned networks’ credentials. Despite the
ruling, White House officials continued to deny previously banned reporters. Before finally giving in, the White House was in direct contempt of a federal ruling. The Trump administration and supporters of this ban call press access a privilege and argue the White House has authority to ban those it deems violate journalistic ethics. This viewpoint fails to address that press access isn’t a retractable privilege; it’s an indelible right woven into the First Amendment, and the very fabric of what America stands for. The president may have the right to his White House, but he doesn’t have the right to censor the instruments designed to keep him in check. For as long as the Constitution has existed, the U.S. Congress and U.S. Supreme Court have been viewed as mechanisms of control on the presidency. Yet the greatest restraint on the president isn’t these two branches; it’s transparency between the people and government. By attempting to tailor the press pool to his liking, Trump isn’t only curbing the intrinsic rights granted to these agencies — he’s attempting to usurp the public’s ability to hold its leaders accountable in a way no other president has. Trump isn’t the first president to battle the press, nor will he be the last. But he’s the first to wage war on the media until the principle of a free press itself is at stake. The hold on the ban is temporary, and only the courts will ultimately determine how far the administration can go. But one distinction should remain clear: The press doesn’t exist to serve the president; it exists to serve the public. And when one man decides which voices deserve to be heard, that line is forever blurred. Jude Magnotti is a freshman majoring in public relations and political science. He can be reached at jpmagnot@syr.edu.
column
Stigmas surrounding women in higher education are condemning By Aurora Moore columnist
Centuries after women gained the right to attend university, there’s still negativity surrounding women in higher education. This stigma is found in the subtle growth of conversations that outwardly sexualize college women. It’s unacceptable and causes demeaning, sexist rhetoric to become the norm in an era when women are thriving in academia. The negativity is directed both at women involved in specific communities on campus as well as those who attend institutions labeled as “party schools.” Recent trends insinuate that women involved in Greek life are disloyal and unmotivated, with no concrete evidence to back up these claims. Women in sororities bear the brunt of the constant negative criticism about Greek life, especially in online spaces. Assumptions that women join sororities only to party or become sexually involved are entirely untrue and serve to reinforce a damaging stereotype that causes harm for women across campuses everywhere. Men in fraternities aren’t scrutinized in the same way and aren’t victims of the same bigoted jokes. Sorority women’s reputations directly suffer from the parties that fraternity men orchestrate and throw, causing an alarming double standard. Studies show that most women join Panhellenic sororities to become involved on campus, participate in philanthropic events or simply to make friends. Evidence also shows that women involved in sororities are more likely to form relationships with their professors, be involved on campus and land internships that jump-start their careers. Stereotyping an entire group of unique women to fit the stereotype of “sorority girls” ignores the full picture. While there are issues within the Panhellenic community, the many positives of sorority life must be acknowledged. Certain trends on social media perpetuate harmful stereotypes about women in college with a lighthearted facade. Videos discussing longdistance relationships in college with comments full of jokes about women cheating on their boyfriends may seem harmless, but they send a clear, blatantly incorrect message: all women attending that specific university aren’t loyal. These jokes are targeted at certain schools. The Arizona State University TikTok trend insinuates that all women who attend ASU are
emma soto illustration editor “bops”— a demeaning term that labels a woman as promiscuous — and has sparked major conversation surrounding women attending university. Schools with some of the most competitive programs in the country are now considered “bop” schools, simply because they’re known to have a party scene. The grades and success of the women at these schools are completely overlooked because of this stereotype. Attending a party shouldn’t cause a woman to be labeled a “bop” — another issue itself. Women attending university are multifaceted. Every woman has a different culture, background, major, favorite hobby, plan, set of beliefs and life
experience. Choosing what college to attend is an extremely personal endeavor that involves lots of effort and hard work. Factors like major programs, financial aid, family and scholarship offerings plague the minds of anxious high school seniors every year. Entering college is stressful enough without having to think about whether the university you chose will generate negative comments and labels. Stereotyping a woman who chooses a specific university based on preconceived notions is unfair to her and causes unnecessary stress due to judgment she might receive from peers.
Women fought endlessly for the right to be taken seriously in education. Years later, they still aren’t getting the respect they deserve. Being called demeaning and sexist terms simply because of the college you attend and how you choose to get involved isn’t fair — and to be quite frank, the jokes aren’t funny. Women deserve to feel empowered in their educational decisions, not embarrassed or stigmatized. Aurora Moore is a sophomore majoring in sociology and law, society and policy. She can be reached at amoore56@syr.edu.
october 1, 2026 13
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from page 16
wisbeck I could. He just needs to give me a little extra push. He knows what I’m capable of, and I’m really grateful for that.” When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, her soccer opportunities were limited. Team activities were canceled, and like the rest of the nation, she was advised to keep her distance from others. But that didn’t stop her from remaining active. Gabby went for long runs every day, sometimes with friends during hour-long class breaks. Other times, she practiced dribbling in her backyard. Although she’d return to online class sweaty, she was satisfied with how she used her time. Once high school began and COVID-19 died down, Gabby’s schedule intensified again. Her days started with a 6 a.m. wake up and a Zoom call with Phillips to practice breathing techniques. After eight hours of school, where she participated in advanced classes and an International Baccalaureate program, she went to the gym to work with Phillips on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In the afternoons, they focused on weight training, stretching and flexibility along with soccer activities. “She would always want to work hard,” Phillips said of Gabby. “I never had an issue with trying to motivate her to work hard.” On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the spring, Gabby traveled an hour from Severna Park to Bethesda for club practice. She worked through high-speed, intense drills and often learned new formations days before weekend tournaments. During that time, Jacob said Gabby developed a high soccer IQ and typically “quarterbacked the team,” telling her teammates where to go on the field. “She tends to make things look very easy when they aren’t very easy,” Jacob said. “That’s easily transferred to her game at Syracuse.” With Gabby’s demanding schedule, doing homework in the car became normal. She always finished it, though, using a planner and checking off boxes as she completed tasks. “I’m a very routine person,” Gabby said. “When I get into a set schedule every day, it’s very easy for me to follow through with it.” Gabby’s freshman year at SU didn’t begin ideally. After starting the Orange’s first two games, she fell into a “rut” and sat for the next six. But she didn’t let the slow start hold her back. She often went into head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams’ office to review film and ask for feedback. It helped her regain her starting spot against Florida State on Sept. 19, 2024. She hasn’t looked back since, appearing in SU’s starting lineup for the last three years.
gabby wisbeck controls the ball during Syracuse’s loss to Niagara on Aug. 27. Wisbeck has started 38 games for SU while also juggling many extracurriculars. cole christopher staff photographer
“Nicky is very communicative about what she’s seeing,” Gabby said. “I really appreciate her word of advice all the time.” As Gabby’s progressed through college, she’s gotten involved in other ways on campus. She joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee last fall, where she organizes biweekly meetings as the club’s vice president.
Every Syracuse team has two to four student representatives, and Gabby works to cultivate
a positive environment for student-athletes. For those who can’t attend the meetings, Gabby relays information through email. “I really enjoy being in the loop, being involved and collaborating with other people,” Gabby said. “I love talking to people, getting to know the people who are in athletics with me for this short time and building those bonds. Just be proudly representing my team’s values and communicating with them and being their voice.” Last spring, Gabby, who wants to attend medical school after graduation, also joined SUA. She spent at least 10 hours a week at the club last year and will work eight shifts, attend meetings and fill out paperwork with the club this fall. Gabby is currently trained to drive ambulances. After finishing her EMT class this semester, she’ll be cleared to work as a crew chief member who administers care. “It’s not enough to just be an athlete,” Gabby said. “You have to show your character in other aspects of your education.” SAAC vice president. SUA. Division I soccer player. Surely there’s not more, right? Wrong. Gabby’s academic load — primarily science-
based classes — keeps her busy, too. She’s enrolled in multiple graduate-level courses, ranging from biotechnology labs to biochemistry, which sometimes cause scheduling conflicts with practice. Gabby said last fall was her most academically intensive semester, as she took organic chemistry and a molecular biology class. But as always, she’s stayed organized. When the semester starts, Gabby writes down the dates of all her exams on her iPad, then begins preparing two or more weeks in advance. Gabby said it helps her relieve stress when gameday and tests overlap. And when they do, Gabby’s parents are often in the stands to watch her. Afterward, they’ll ask her to go for dinner. With her commitments, it’s difficult to say yes. But with all she’s doing, Diane and Jacob can’t stay mad for long. “I applaud (Gabby) for her commitment to her life,” Diane said. “The world is her oyster, and Syracuse has given her so many fantastic opportunities.” sabrod@syr.edu
Nunzio described his five years at Rutgers as “transformational” because he had to learn to coach numerous positions at an elite level. He gained the most from those eight games in 2019. Nunzio reimagined the entire offense once quarterback McLane Carter got hurt and another, Artur Sitkowski, entered the portal midseason. Redshirt freshman Johnny Langan, who had no college experience, remained. Nunzio — who’d coached Langan at Bergen Catholic — used Langan’s legs in power reads, molding plays around his ability. Rutgers went just 1-7 under Nunzio but stayed competitive against powerhouses Penn State and Ohio State. Vito said the buy-in from the players was always there, a credit to Nunzio’s coaching style. “On top of trying to run the team, I was working as the head coach and the offensive coordinator, and it was just a monumental task,” Nunzio said. “We were pretty bunkered down.
“I pretty much slept in my office for two and a half months.” After moving to Syracuse, Nunzio was thrust back into a head coaching role just 11 games into his tenure. Things went haywire once Garrett Shrader injured his shoulder, snowballing into Babers’ dismissal with one regular-season game left. SU was 5-6. Vito said Nunzio’s mind turned to keeping the team together just enough to push for a bowl berth. And he did, beating Wake Forest to advance to the Boca Raton Bowl against South Florida. Nunzio said he wasn’t thinking about being SU’s long-term head coach. None of the staff knew if they’d even return. Of course, the Orange got shellacked 45-0 by USF after trying wildcat formations and redshirt freshman quarterback Braden Davis under center. Nunzio described it as the only football
game he’d ever entered that he thought would be a “tough task.” In 2024, he became SU’s quarterbacks coach, helping Kyle McCord to an ACC-record 4,779 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns. Then, before Angeli tore his Achilles last season, he was on pace to challenge McCord’s marks. Now, Nunzio’s on the other side. Saturday’s game doesn’t carry much extra weight for him because of his SU connection. There isn’t any “bulletin board material,” as Vito put it. Nunzio said any thoughts that he’s playing his former team will be swept aside at kickoff. He appreciates his three years in orange, but he’s finally the guy leading UConn’s offense. No interim. No changing titles midway through the year. Nunzio isn’t going anywhere.
Orange will have what it takes to return to the win column in likely their easiest remaining game of 2026. If SU doesn’t win, then it could work on its discipline, get Angeli right and begin the spiral of a second straight uncompeticoncoct a plan for how to score in the red zone. tive and outmatched end to the campaign. If Syracuse is to win — as I expect it to — it Now, if the Orange lose this game, I’ll declare their season officially over. If they can’t has to show it’s at least started to correct the beat UConn, who else will they beat? But I mistakes that consigned it to two straight don’t see that happening. ACC losses. The top one has to be Syracuse’s As bad as Syracuse has been, UConn quarterback position. Angeli will get the is still a non-Power Four team that’s lost start, Brown said, but he’ll be matched up to one of the worst Power Four teams in against the coach who knows him better the country. Then, it’s off to Virginia for than anyone: former SU quarterbacks coach a matchup that may truly determine the and now-UConn offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile. I’m still holding out hope Orange’s trajectory. for Angeli. His display Saturday will call NICHOLAS to mind his 416-yard masterclass against the Huskies in 2025 more than the last two ALUMKAL (2-1) interception-laden games. HANDLING THE HUSKIES The second form of SU’s self-flagellation in SYRACUSE 27, UCONN 20 2026 has been penalties. It commits the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 12 per game. Brown has assured the media his team Coming out of its bye week, with ample time has improved in that respect. The Orange to address the numerous problems afflicting the can’t get any worse in terms of their ranking, team, Syracuse will defer the alarms for at least so I trust the extended time off on the pracanother week. This one will be close, but the tice field will clean up SU’s play.
The greatest silver lining for Syracuse this week is that UConn hasn’t been a very strong team this season. Under first-year head coach Candle, the Huskies were comfortably beaten by a Maryland team that’s under even more heat than the Orange have been this season. Miami (Ohio) also beat the Huskies. Come Saturday, so will Syracuse. It won’t be a drubbing, but it’ll be a victory — one that temporarily changes the negative narrative percolating around SU.
So, if Syracuse has any hope of reaching a bowl, it can’t lose this one to the Huskies on the road. On paper, it shouldn’t be much of a sweat. UConn lost its only Power Four contest to a spiraling Maryland squad by 24 points. The Huskies aren’t as good as they were a season ago, when they took SU to overtime at the Dome, and Syracuse — at least right now — doesn’t look quite as bad as it did last season. UConn defends the run well, allowing just 95 rushing yards per game thus far. But if Angeli is as healthy as Brown says he is, the Orange shouldn’t have an issue airing the ball out. Especially with Russell slated to make his SU debut at wideout. Even if Angeli is as rusty as he looked over the past few weeks, we’ll likely see Odom under center, who can give the Orange a jolt offensively. Quarterback Kalieb Osborne and the Husky offense aren’t anything to bat an eye at, but it’s also not anything that should realistically challenge the Orange. It should be a relatively comfortable win on the road, something SU desperately needs before it faces some challenges in the ACC slate.
from page 15
campanile school football. As a result, the Ironmen lost as many games as they won state championships (six) across Nunzio’s decade-long tenure. “His prints are all over that,” Vito said. “It really was a pretty incredible time to watch the development of that program at Don Bosco.” After finding success at Bergen Catholic, winning just under 70% of his games in eight years, Nunzio arrived at Rutgers in 2018. He said he “wore many hats” there, starting as running backs coach before moving to tight ends a year later. That lasted four games before his aforementioned eight-game interim reign. He even became the Scarlet Knights’ quarterbacks coach in 2022 before jumping to interim offensive coordinator. from page 14
predictions
She’s always demanded a high level of performance from herself. It’s just part of who she is. Diane Wisbeck gabby wisbeck’s mother
HARRIS PEMBERTON (2-1) U-CONN’T LOSE SYRACUSE 31, UCONN 17 You’ve read it enough by now. Syracuse football is about one loss away from hitting full-on panic mode. The Orange looked pretty lifeless through two ACC games, and October isn’t going to be easy. SU faces four conference foes, including three that were ranked at one point this season.
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14 october 1, 2026
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football
Beat writers predict SU will regain momentum vs. UConn By Daily Orange Sports Staff
Syracuse football’s early bye week may have been just what the doctor ordered. The Orange entered the week-long break after two tough Atlantic Coast Conference losses to Cal and Pitt. Quarterback Steve Angeli was benched for Amari Odom against the Panthers, and the Orange flamed out late in their first two conference tests of the season. After a week to recharge, SU gets its second nonconference matchup of the campaign, traveling to Connecticut to face UConn Saturday. Head coach Fran Brown said Angeli’s healthy and will be SU’s quarterback against the Huskies. Five-star freshman receiver Calvin Russell III is also slated to make his collegiate debut after an Achilles injury kept him out since March. But there’s not much time to wait for either one to readjust. The Orange are already at risk of slipping out of bowl contention, and they can’t afford a nonconference loss if they want to prevent the season from spiraling downhill. Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (1-2, 0-2 ACC) will fare against UConn (2-2), Independent
NOAH NUSSBAUM (2-1) CALM BEFORE THE STORM SYRACUSE 27, UCONN 18
Syracuse Football walks onto the Acrisure Stadium field during its loss to Pitt on Sept. 17. After a bye week, SU returns to action Saturday against UConn. zoey xixis asst. photo editor
Syracuse is backed into a corner. It’s never a great feeling to enter a bye week on a twogame losing streak, but fortunately for SU, it’s in store for its easiest remaining matchup on paper: UConn. The Huskies aren’t playing at the same level they did last year, when they went 9-4 and pushed the Orange to the brink in an over-
time loss at the JMA Wireless Dome. Head coach Jim Mora left for Colorado State and was replaced by Jason Candle, but the former Toledo gaffer hasn’t created consistent success this season. UConn has dropped games to Miami (Ohio) and Maryland despite two big wins. Yes, that’s right, Maryland, the one that just lost 54-3 last
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honeywood Between the sand, Honeywood’s yard and the Kessingland Community Center, Honeywood and Cox dialed in. Cox said it was “ridiculous” how many balls landed in the neighbor’s garden. It was that or the back of the “classic English cages” they practiced on at their favorite spots around town. “We would kick a ball every day, work on our technique, pretend we were scoring screamers,” Cox said. “That’s just how it went for us.” In England, the best players hail from London and Manchester, Cox said. Few settle on the coast. Honeywood and Cox were outliers. When they stood out among their classmates, they played with kids a few years older. But they weren’t intimidated. Honeywood, soft-spoken like his mother Emma Honeywood, was “not afraid of anything” on the pitch. Andy would tell him, “When you go into a tackle, make sure you smash him.” Cox didn’t need to be told twice, either. The two dominated, so much that they were often split up on the play yard. But on the same side in meaningful games, their chemistry was unmatched. Cox paced the left flank. Honeywood set up deep. He’d give a look, and Cox knew to go. It took them from numerous youth clubs to Sir John Leman High School to Lowestoft Town FC, a nearby semi-professional club. Eventually, it took them to Bellevue, too. From ages 11-16, the two took daily 20-minute bus rides to John Leman. From 16-18, they appeared for Lowestoft’s first team. No matter where they were, conversations were the same. “It was talking about our future and playing pro. That was the biggest thing,” Cox said. “Just two small boys from a small town. It made everything so special.” ••• Honeywood had been to the U.S. once for a wedding, and his uncle lives in Seattle. But Nebraska isn’t Seattle. In fact, Nebraska isn’t like anything Honeywood had ever experienced. When Honeywood first landed, he was greeted by cornfields. Only cornfields. “We were like, ‘What have we done here?’” Honeywood said. “It’s a bit bare.” Bellevue head coach Mark Heath-Preston picked up Honeywood and Cox from the airport. They’d been stuck in Dallas for two days, and their apartment wasn’t ready for move-in. Morale was low. The pair lived in Heath-Preston’s basement for the next two weeks. Like the rest of the state, the space was mostly empty. A couch. A bed. A table. Upon landing in Nebraska, Honeywood felt his knee was “loose.” Not in the flexible way, but rather flimsy. On the second day of Bellevue’s training, he participated in a drill that required him to backpedal, turn and sprint. He fell to the ground. Cox, a few steps ahead, turned to crack a joke. “Bro, it’s dry out here. How are you slipping?” “Nah, it’s my knee. I can’t get up. I can’t move.”
buster honeywood traps the ball while playing at Bellevue University. Honeywood spent three healthy seasons with the Bruins. courtesy of bellevue athletics
Honeywood later underwent an MRI. Doctors told him he tore his meniscus, patellar tendon and ACL. He said he wanted to go home, but the 18-year-old persisted. After surgery, he earned full custody of the bed, while Cox moved to the couch. They got “so good” at table tennis after playing nonstop for two weeks. The next few months were a mental battle as Honeywood watched Cox live their dream. His teammates tried to take his mind off soccer by attending Nebraska football and Creighton basketball games and exploring ice cream shops in Omaha, a 20-minute drive from campus. They took Honeywood to American staples Chipotle, Five Guys and Chick-fil-A. When Honeywood wanted a taste of home, former Bellevue defender Kyi Nicholson said he walked 20 minutes to Panera. “It’s like getting tea and coffee in the morning,” Nicholson joked. Honeywood got injured in August. By early April, he was cleared to return. In Bellevue’s first spring scrimmage, Honeywood played 60 minutes off the bench. He was convinced he was back. Then, two minutes into the Bruins’ second scrimmage, Honeywood went down again. “I knew it straight away,” Honeywood said. “I was in denial.” He tore his left ACL for the second time. He said it was the worst thing that could’ve happened. Coaches and doctors doubted him. He began doubting himself, too. “It was Groundhog Day every single day,” Heath-Preston said. “I wasn’t sure if he’d make it.” But Honeywood did.
“You gotta trust your heart and go with it,” Cox said. “As soon as you say the words, ‘Give up,’ that dream is gone.” ••• Honeywood refused to say those words, despite how incongruous he felt. His second rehab was similar to the first. Lots of walking, eating and thinking. At that point in Honeywood’s career, there was no turning back. Cox transferred to USC Upstate, a D-I program in South Carolina, leaving Honeywood with few distractions. Emma questioned what her son was doing without Cox and no soccer to play. Classes ran from 9 a.m. to lunchtime before training and lifting. For months, Honeywood could only spectate. “I had very low expectations,” he said. “I’d been mentally prepared that if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. “You’re sat there getting left behind.” Heath-Preston offered to pay Honeywood’s tuition if he couldn’t return to the pitch, but Honeywood was determined. “It doesn’t matter if he’s getting paid $10 a year or $2 million a year. He will play soccer no matter what,” Cox said. As one of Bellevue’s older players, Honeywood assumed a “prominent” role, Bellevue goalie Jaxson Staples said. Honeywood suffered an ankle injury before the 2024 season but learned to push through it. When teammates got hurt, they sought his advice. Heath-Preston said Honeywood didn’t kick a ball for nearly three years. But when he returned, he “had more of a hunger to help what was already a really good side.” In his first two healthy seasons, Honeywood earned Honorable Mention All-Continental Ath-
weekend. It’s hard to believe SU isn’t at least on par with the Terrapins. That’s why, despite Syracuse’s struggles versus Cal and Pitt, I have SU winning this game. This matchup likely won’t be error-free, hence the final score prediction, but the bye week has given SU more than enough time to
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letic Conference honors. He started 39 matches and tallied five goals and two assists. The Bruins reached back-to-back NAIA Quarterfinals. Honeywood considered leaving for D-I then. He spoke to several programs but said most forced him to change majors, setting him back on his degree. Still, he set his sights on the next level, so Honeywood played like he was already there. Staples said Honeywood’s skills made him realize “there’s levels to this.” Nicholson said he prioritized his health more. Honeywood even began training with the United Soccer League’s Union Omaha. “There was a big step up, and he really showed that he wanted it,” Staples said. “Everyone knew he was striving for big things.” The Bruins finished 10-8-2 in 2025, reaching the CAC Championship before falling to Georgia Gwinnett. It wasn’t how Honeywood envisioned his NAIA career ending, but he immediately looked ahead. “It’s obviously not nice to lose Buster, but what he did in giving his time to our program, you have no problem with that,” Heath-Preston said. ••• Honeywood emailed the top-40 D-I schools in the Rating Percentage Index with career highlights. When he received few replies, he hesitated to send a second batch. Then, a message from SU assistant Matty Evans appeared in his inbox. The two hopped on a few phone calls. Eventually, they moved to Zoom calls with Ian McIntyre and Jukka Masalin. “We’re not just looking for the best profile,” McIntyre said. “We’re looking for the best profile that fits who we are.” McIntyre had coached NAIA players before. Nathan Opoku — who McIntyre said is SU’s best player in recent memory — and Michael Acquah both played at Lindsey Wilson College. Tim Noeding starred at Bethel University. McIntyre pitched Honeywood to be next. “As soon as I spoke to those guys, they became my top option,” Honeywood said. “I liked what they said about the program and ambition for the team this year. I was pretty much sold there.” Eight months after those calls, Honeywood sits a few hundred feet from SU Soccer Stadium, reminiscing. The large scar on his leg comes into question. It’s a reminder of his past. Of everything it took to get here. Cox said he’s stoic, but Honeywood’s clearly emotional here. In three days, he’ll face then-No. 10 Notre Dame, the most formidable opponent on Syracuse’s schedule — and in Honeywood’s D-I career — thus far. But before that, Honeywood is given a final chance to reflect on his journey. Was it worth it? To some, it seems like things didn’t go to plan. But to Honeywood, maybe they did. “There are gonna be bumps in the road,” he said. “But good things come to those who wait.” jordankimball28@gmail.com @JordanKimball_
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football
SU sticks with Angeli at QB. Psychology might explain why. By Nicholas Alumkal senior staff writer
Why do we inflate the value of the rickety IKEA chair we spent an afternoon assembling? Why does a LEGO set become more precious after we painstakingly snap every piece into place? and why do sports fans continue believing in teams that have given them every reason not to? Psychologists have a name for it: effort justification. The more we invest in something — time, energy, suffering — the more we try to convince ourselves it’s worth it. Maybe that explains why Syracuse is sticking with Steve Angeli. After the bye week and entering a clash with UConn Saturday, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said Angeli will remain the Orange’s starting quarterback, despite the redshirt senior throwing five interceptions over SU’s past two games, losses to Cal and Pitt. Although Brown said more than one quarterback will play against the Huskies, he’s invested enough in Angeli “to stick with what we’ve been doing.” “He’s the quarterback, and after two games of not playing the way that you want to play, or he didn’t play his best football, it’s hard to be able to just turn away from someone like that,” Brown said. “Someone who’s done such a good job, someone who’s fought through injury to come back to be able to play.”
292
Steve Angeli’s average yards in seven games with SU
Whether he knew it or not, Brown echoed the crux of effort justification. And, as laid out in L. Jon Wertheim and Sam Sommers’ 2016 book, “This is Your Brain on Sports,” the psychological theory clearly applies to sports. Wertheim and Sommers’ chapter on the subject summarizes it simply: “We often come to love that which we suffer to achieve.” There’s no denying Angeli and Syracuse have suffered. The quarterback tore his Achilles on national television in the Orange’s win at Clemson on Sept. 20, 2025. SU released a 28-minute documentary before the season following Angeli’s recovery. He regained feeling in his left foot, comparing it to stepping onto sand for the first time. He assiduously lifted marbles, one by one, from the floor with his foot and dropped them into a container. He learned to walk and run again. He watched SU practice from a seated mobility scooter.
steve angeli stands in the pocket during Syracuse’s loss to Cal on Sept. 12. Despite throwing five interceptions in his last two games, Angeli will start Saturday against UConn. eli schwartz asst. photo editor
“There’s a lot of stuff you can learn when you hit rock bottom,” Angeli told The Daily Orange in December 2025. “Understanding who you are when you hit an extreme low point in your life, there’s a lot of value in that. My mindset is to attack. That’s how I look at it, facing these problems head-on.” The Orange languished for an extended period, coinciding with Angeli’s injury. They lost their final eight games of 2025 by an average of 27.5 points. Despite Brown picking up three signalcallers — Amari Odom, Malachi Nelson and Danny Lauter — with starting experience after saying his greatest lesson last season was to have backup quarterbacks, it wasn’t surprising a fully-recovered Angeli started Week 1. He was second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing yards through four games in 2025 and picked up where he left off with three touchdowns and 263 yards versus New Hampshire in SU’s opener. However, Angeli’s form quickly dipped. He’s committed eight turnover-worthy plays, per Pro Football Focus, tied for the most by a player who’s played three games. ESPN released a list Wednesday ranking all 68 Power Four starting quarterbacks thus far. Angeli was dead last. “For me, really, just everything,” Angeli said after the Pitt loss regarding what he needed to work on during the bye week. “I want to make sure I get the ball in my hands, complete more passes, score more touchdowns. Just figure out how to improve overall, and I’m confident in my ability to go out there and do that.”
Brown is confident in Angeli’s ability, too. It matches real-life examples of effort justification. The extreme lengths we go to obtain a product invariably influences our assessment. Whether that’s stocks in our portfolio we worked especially hard to find, the sweat-soaked, do-it-yourself home improvement project or the backup quarterback you plucked — like Angeli at Notre Dame — who delivered flashes of brilliance as a starter. “It’s disrespectful to state that there’s going to be a quarterback competition to Steve,” Brown said after falling to Pitt. “I think he’s done a great job there in helping build the culture of being a quarterback.” Coaches and teams often assign greater subjective value to players who have been especially challenging or labor-intensive, Wertheim and Sommers argue. This concept has a precedent involving NFL quarterbacks. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was named the starter before the 2018 season, even though his backup Nick Foles had guided the Eagles to a Super Bowl title that February after Wentz tore his ACL late in the 2017 regular season. Foles was even the game’s Most Valuable Player. Wentz was the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He had a sparkling start. But despite never reaching the same level post-injury, Philadelphia still named him starter in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. In that final campaign, he threw 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions and was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts. The Eagles finished 4-11-1, and Wentz was traded a month later.
Wentz and Angeli’s tales share clear similarities. Angeli had a promising start and suffered a gruesome injury. SU has an experienced backup in Odom, who went 8-for8 in Syracuse’s final drive against Pitt when Angeli was benched. An economist might call it the sunkcost fallacy. Once we’ve invested heavily in something, walking away gets harder. The Orange made an investment in Angeli and are resolute on sticking with it, even to their own detriment. We might do the same, whether devouring an entire pizza to get our money’s worth or sitting through a terrible movie or lopsided sporting event because we paid a pretty penny for the ticket. In Syracuse’s case, it’s already suffered abundantly with Angeli. He got injured, and the Orange’s 2025 season was an embarrassment. Then, in the offseason, they hired a new quarterbacks coach, Sean Ryan, with NFL pedigree, to optimize a replenished, deep unit. Wertheim and Sommers conclude the more we suffer, the more we come to love what we’ve suffered for. Be it an IKEA desk, your favorite team or the player who touches the ball every offensive snap. Angeli may have said it best in one of his many laconic answers after being asked about trends in his interceptions. “You just got to make a decision in football,” he said Tuesday. Brown has made his. He’s decided to stick with Angeli. njalumka@syr.edu @nalumkal
football
Nunzio Campanile holds 1st college coordinator job at UConn By Noah Nussbaum managing editor
Vito Campanile couldn’t reach his brother. He wasn’t answering his phone calls, and they barely had time to talk since it was football season. It was like his brother was president of the United States. No, not even that. It was like his brother’s identity had been wiped. “I thought he was in the witness protection program,” Vito joked. “I couldn’t get him on the phone. I’d have an easier time getting the president.” No, Nunzio Campanile was not in the witness protection program. He’d only been promoted to Rutgers’ interim head coach position. Four games into the 2019 season, the Scarlet Knights fired head coach Chris Ash and offensive coordinator John McNulty, forcing Nunzio to call plays and run the team. Nunzio said he quickly built relationships, especially with defensive players, and often locked himself in his office to solidify weekly game plans. Vito’s calls went unanswered as a result. Nunzio returned to his previous assistant role after the season. But that was just one small taste of being a college coordinator. He was Don Bosco Prep’s (New Jersey) offensive coordinator from 2000-09 and Bergen Catholic High School’s (New Jersey) head coach for the next eight years before becoming an interim at Rutgers in 2019 and 2022. Then he joined Syracuse from 2023-25, where he coached both tight ends and quarterbacks and filled in as head coach after Dino Babers was fired in 2023. As much as Nunzio enjoyed his time at SU, he had bigger aspirations. So, when asked to be UConn’s offensive coordinator this offseason, his
first full-time college coordinator job, he took it. Now, Nunzio and the Huskies (2-2, Independent) face Syracuse (1-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) Saturday for the first time since his departure. “Everybody understood it was an opportunity to be a coordinator in a real up-andcoming program,” Nunzio said. “You’ve got to make the right move for yourself and your family at that time.” UConn’s first-year head coach Jason Candle first contacted Nunzio in December 2025. Nunzio said they shared similar principles, like molding schemes around players, not the other way around. He then ran his move by Fran Brown, SU’s head coach, who he’d also worked with at Rutgers. Nunzio told Brown after the 2025 season he’d only leave Syracuse for a head coach or coordinator position. Brown quickly supported his eventual decision. “I said, ‘Go do it. That’s what’s up. I’m happy for you,’” Brown said Monday. “He’s my guy.” With Nunzio’s self-described “aggressive” playcalling, UConn’s been a mixed bag this season. The Huskies dominated Lafayette and Southern Miss 56-7 and 48-20 but also fell to Maryland and Miami (Ohio). Saturday’s matchup is crucial for both sides, particularly Syracuse, which has lost two straight and is on track to miss a bowl game. For that reason, Brown and SU quarterback Steve Angeli are more focused on beating UConn. Once that’s handled, they’ll chop it up with Nunzio postgame. “It’s just the nature of the game,” Angeli said of Nunzio’s move. “This day and age in college
nunzio campanile monitors a UConn practice. He faces Syracuse this weekend for the first time since leaving the Orange. courtesy of uconn athletics
football, coaching staffs turn over all the time. (I’m) just excited for the matchup.” Nunzio’s first playcalling gig came at Don Bosco in 2000. Head coach Greg Toal — who Vito heralded as “the most legendary coach in New Jersey history” — trusted 23-yearold Nunzio to lead an already successful
offense.Toal allowed Nunzio to change the unit from its typical run-heavy, “smash mouth” identity to a spread offense, Vito said, highlighting the passing game. A spread offense is commonplace these days, but 26 years ago, it revolutionized high
see campanile page 13
SPORTS
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THE WAITING GAME
buster honeywood paces the SU Soccer Stadium pitch during Syracuse’s 5-0 win over St. John’s on Sept. 9. After five years at Bellevue University in Nebraska, Honeywood finally reached Division I with the Orange. avery magee development editor
Buster Honeywood’s arduous road to Division I landed him at Syracuse
By Jordan Kimball sports editor
I
t’s January in Syracuse, and snow blankets the ground. Buster Honeywood is two months removed from his fifth season at Bellevue University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program in Nebraska. It’s finally time to fulfill a dream he’s chased since learning soccer on England’s east coast at age 5. So as he tours SU’s athletic facilities, a little snow won’t dampen his mood. “I had a great time,” Honeywood says, recalling his first visit to Syracuse. “We were supposed to be here for two days, and we were stuck for four. We got snowed in. But they made a great impression.” Back then, Honeywood was nearing his first Division I season. Eight months
later, the 6-foot-3 center back is one of three SU players to start all 10 games, anchoring a defense that’s allowed seven goals, the second fewest in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Honeywood’s former Bellevue teammates always knew he’d reach D-I. His best friend Anthony Cox said they’d talked about it since meeting in nursery at 4 years old. Cox credits himself with introducing Honeywood to the sport, and they played together in the United States 15 years later. Now with Syracuse, Honeywood’s taken another step forward. “The goal was to always go D-I, to play professional and make it to the top,” Cox said. “He’s still on that journey. I truly believe he’s on course to get there.” ••• Kessingland, England, is a village fit for a fisherman. Nestled on the coast, the
seven-square-kilometer town is shaped by the North Sea. Honeywood lived there until leaving for Bellevue at 18. He used to fish with his father, Andy Honeywood. Then he discovered soccer. “That was life,” Honeywood said. “As soon as school finished, we’d play until it got dark or until we got told to come home.” Honeywood’s home was a two-minute walk from the beach and a 30-second walk from Cox’s. It had a spacious backyard, where Honeywood and Cox regularly played from 9 a.m. onward. Inspired by F2 Freestylers, a British football duo with almost 14 million YouTube subscribers, the two started a channel: AB Freestylers. A for Anthony. B for Buster. “We did get quite a few thousand views on it, but we took it down,” Cox laughed. “We didn’t wanna get embarrssed.” see honeywood page 14
women’s soccer
Gabby Wisbeck has stayed occupied from high school to SU By Spencer Brod
asst. sports editor
Gabby Wisbeck didn’t get home until after 10 p.m. The high school junior was recovering from a torn ACL and had physical therapy and a lifting session with her trainer, Derek Phillips, after school. Then, she traveled an hour to support her club team, Bethesda SC, at practice. When she finally returned to her Severna Park, Maryland, home, she spent hours flipping through text-
books to prepare for her human anatomy and physiology exam the next day. She ordered dinner from Chipotle and studied until midnight. Despite the busy evening, Gabby scored a 94% on her exam. “That was the kind of kid she was, and it’s the kind of woman she’s growing into being,” said Diane Wisbeck, Gabby’s mother. “She’s always demanded a high level of performance from herself. It’s just part of who she is.” That night characterizes Gabby’s life — the need to stay occupied while
still having success. For most of her time at Archbishop Spalding High School (Maryland), Gabby balanced a rigorous course load and traveled an hour to practice multiple days a week. Her need to stay busy hasn’t changed at Syracuse, where she’s started 38 games for SU women’s soccer, is a member of Syracuse University Ambulance and is vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “I find gratification in getting things done, making an impact on people’s lives,” Gabby said. “Push-
ing that extra mile has always been normal for me. I don’t feel accomplished in my day if I’m not doing the extra thing.” Soccer eventually took priority, but Gabby tried multiple activities as a kid, including tennis and swimming. When she began swimming at age 5, her coach taught her team to dive. After practice, most of them stayed in the pool to play, but Diane remembers Gabby going to the other side of the pool to practice diving until she perfected it.
Gabby’s need to be occupied didn’t stem from her parents. She built her own busy schedule. But in middle school, Gabby wasn’t sure whether she wanted her life to stay that way. She sat down with her father, Jacob Wisbeck, and told him she “just wanted to be a kid.” Jacob encouraged her to keep going. “We talked a lot about whether or not I was willing to make that sacrifice, and at the end of the day, he saw it in me,” Gabby said. “He knew that see wisbeck page 13