thursday, october 23, 2025
Our columnist argues Remembrance Week should inspire more student initiative to honor memories year-round.
O • Remembrance awareness Page 10
C • Western hospitality Inspired by their Western roots, Xavier and Jackson Carrier host line dancing events in Xavier’s South Campus backyard.
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former
By Kate Jackson asst. copy editor
When Anna Newbould learned Syracuse University would reinstate the year-long Lockerbie scholarship program, she was “pleased,” but skeptical whether the change would actually take effect.
Newbould was a Lockerbie Scholar during the 2024-25 academic year, along with Cameron
Colville. The two had thought they were the last to experience the year-long program.
“I’m really happy that it has been reinstated, but it’s kind of still a bit of an unknown,” Newbould said.
In May, SU announced it would reinstate the year-long Lockerbie Scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year. The program, which brought two students from Lockerbie Academy in Scotland to SU each year in memory of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims, had been cut months earlier in favor of a shorter model.
In September 2024, the Lockerbie and Syracuse Trust revealed plans to replace the scholarship with a week-long immersion trip for 10 to 12 Lockerbie Academy students, bringing more students to campus. The 10 to 12 students are in their last year of secondary school, unlike previous scholars who were college freshmen.
The trip coincides with Remembrance Week, Oct. 19–25, allowing Lockerbie students to help organize events honoring the 270 victims of the
S • Garrett’s growth
Page 16 Garrett Holman has developed into Syracuse’s starting center back despite limited minutes last year.
By Griffin Uribe Brown social media editor
Syracuse University Chancellor Kent
Syverud said SU won’t sign President Donald Trump’s higher education “compact” during the University Senate’s Wednesday meeting.
Syverud presented a short address to the senate before answering questions on the university’s response to federal policies, during which he said SU won’t sign the compact.
“In its current form, no, Syracuse University is not going to sign the compact. There are parts of the compact that are sensible, including, for example, related to veterans and military-connected students,” he said. “I know some universities — not Syracuse — are meeting with the White House on the compact.”
On Oct. 1, the Trump administration sent its “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” to nine universities.
Senators who voted for a resolution to involve the University Senate in the portfolio review process
The compact, a set of demands from the Trump administration, would require universities to implement administration-set policy on topics like transgender students, international enrollment, tuition and standardized testing in exchange for priority access to federal funding. Most colleges have rejected it.
Syverud said the Board of Trustees and the SU community would decide on signing an amended version of the compact, given he will step down at the end of the academic year.
After Syverud’s remarks, the senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution cementing the role of see usen page 4
By Brenne Sheehan asst. news editor
Even though this year’s cohort of 10 Lockerbie Scholars wasn’t alive for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, they all agree their connections to the attack, and in turn, Syracuse University, remain strong. Young people in Lockerbie, a town with a population of 4,000, don’t just
“learn” about the tragedy that killed 259 passengers and 11 bystanders, James Johnson, one of this year’s Lockerbie Scholars, said.
“It’s like talking, you’ll never remember when you learned how,” Johnson said. “You just grew up with the fact that the worst terrorist attack in Europe happened over the skies in your town.”
This is what makes the group’s trip to Syracuse during Remembrance
Week “fascinating,” but emotionally challenging, Brian Asher, the scholars’ head teacher, said.
“Being here makes all of that quite raw, because then that makes the connection real,” Asher said. “It’s hard to put into words, but it’s been their life, and to be here is very precious.”
This is the first year SU has hosted 10 students. Since 1990, two Lockerbie college freshmen have
received a full scholarship to attend SU for their first year, which SU will return to in 2026. The group of scholars from secondary school Lockerbie Academy was selected through a “competitive” application process, according to SU’s website.
The group arrived in Syracuse Monday and spent their time touring campus, walking around Destiny USA and attending SU’s
Remembrance Week events. On Wednesday, they joined SU’s 35 Remembrance Scholars for “Sitting in Solidarity,” where they sat for 35 minutes reflecting on those who died in the attack.
For the visiting scholars, the trip has brought fascination with aSyracuse’s size and diversity. But many scholars have found Remembrance
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By Chloe Fox Rinka asst. news editor
Celebrating her 21st birthday abroad, Cynthia “Cindy” Smith had “everything going for her,” her father Edward Smith said in a book remembering her.
Smith was a fashion design and marketing major at Syracuse University and studied abroad in London. She was killed on a flight back to New York City in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing.
Smith, who was a member of SU’s Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, is remembered as a “kind” person with an “incredible heart,” the current sorority president Grace Lebersfeld said. Now, SU’s Gamma chapter is working to endow a scholarship in her name, solidifying her memory at the university.
From Milton, Massachusetts, Smith was involved in youth programs and the peer leadership counseling program, helping students struggling with addiction issues, according to SU archives. She used her “outgoing” personality as a way to befriend new people and was dedicated to helping those around her.
Smith was a very active member of the Gamma chapter, current chapter Vice President of Programming Lucy Rosenblut said. Rosenblut said Smith worked hard to honor the three pillars of DPhiE: justice, sisterhood and love.
“She tried to bridge the gap between the community of Syracuse and the sorority,” Lebersfeld said. “She was very devoted to giving back to the community, helping those in need. She was a constant volunteer at a lot of different local organizations.”
The chapter has been working toward its goal of $25,000 for the scholarship’s endowment over the past five years and is now over halfway to achieving it. With a year left to finish funding the scholarship, the sorority has been holding events every semester to raise money, Lebersfeld said.
Each year’s vice president of programming creates different events, rather than repeating
past ones, to help fundraise for the scholarship. Lebersfeld said this allows the chapter to keep it “unique,” and all the proceeds go directly into the DPhiE foundation, funding its scholarship opportunities.
While the national DPhiE foundation offers scholarships for members at chapters around the United States, the scholarship in Smith’s name will only be for members of SU’s Gamma chapter.
Rosenblut said the scholarship, only being offered to sisters at SU, allows everyone in the chapter to have the same experience, no matter their financial or social status.
“Unfortunately, we were never able to meet Cynthia, of course,” Rosenblut said. “But from what we know about her and what her loved ones have shared with us, it was incredibly important to her to exemplify that everyone deserves the same sort of Greek life experience, whatever that may be.”
Current Remembrance Scholar Nick Dekaney, who is honoring Smith’s legacy this year, said he was introduced to the program after visiting Lockerbie, Scotland, with the Hendricks Chapel choir.
“We performed there. We spent a day there, and it was an extremely powerful experience for me, obviously very emotional,” Dekaney said. “I slowly started to understand the purpose of why we were going and what had happened in 1988 and the relationship that exists between our university and Lockerbie.”
Even though Remembrance Scholars don’t choose the victim they honor, Dekaney said being picked to honor and learn about Smith is “even more symbolic” of the process, along with the opportunity to learn about her “incredibly positive” character.
Dekaney said he spent around two and a half hours going through Smith’s archives in Bird Library, reading letters her sorority sisters wrote to her family in her memorial service book.
Smith’s former classmate, Amy Mae Neil, wrote a letter to her family, reflecting on her smile and laughter, saying the interactions will
“remain one in our happy memories,” according to the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives at SU Libraries.
“You just get an understanding of how caring she was,” Dekaney said. “(It’s) the best way to view her character, the way that other people speak about her, and her impact on the people around her.”
Alongside the scholarship, SU’s Gamma chapter will also plant a garden in front of its sorority house. Lebersfeld said the garden will include flowers, lights and a plaque commemorating Smith as a sister.
“(It’s) going to be something that is always going to be at our house. That way, anytime somebody wants to honor Cynthia, it’s a really good way to kind of spread the word, because
it’s on our front lawn,” Lebersfeld said. “Anyone who walks past will be able to see, and it’s a really great way just to spread her legacy by word of mouth.”
Smith’s presence is not forgotten in DPhiE. The Gamma chapter talks about her often, Rosenblut said, and sisters often reminisce about her impact on the chapter.
“It’s a really great way to continue someone’s legacy, to talk about them and keep their memory alive,” Rosenblut said.
DISCLAIMER: Gracie Lebersfeld is a columnist for The Daily Orange. She did not impact the editorial content of this story.
cfrinka@syr.edu
By Isabel Meléndez-Rivera staff writer
Syracuse University students and faculty from the Africa Initiative and the Young Democratic Socialists of America at SU denounced Project 2025 in a Wednesday evening meeting, calling it a threat to minorities, freedom of speech and African foreign policy.
Student members of the Africa Initiative led the discussion and reviewed a document detailing Project 2025. The 900-page document, published in 2023, was created by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy research institute, according to the United States Department of State.
Around 25 people attended, discussing the proposed changes to U.S. federal government operations and policies.
“I still feel like the average person doesn’t know what’s going on in this document,” said Ananda Collins, a political science Ph.D. student and speaker at the event.
Project 2025 threatens freedom of speech and democracy, Collins said. She cited President Donald Trump’s efforts to defund public media and the threats by Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr to revoke ABC affiliate licenses after TV host Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks regarding Charlie Kirk’s death.
Mateo Lopez-Castro, a senior sociology and television, radio and film major, said these public services are in danger of being
replaced with conservative programming such as PragerU.
“They’re pushing this propaganda so that people born within the digital age, who are now born within and socialized through that information, are pushed and are embedded with that ideology,” Lopez-Castro said
Jeninya Holley, a first-year master’s student studying Pan African studies, played several videos showing arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in schools, churches and hospitals. She pointed to Project 2025’s immigration policies, which state that ICE should be able to arrest anywhere in the U.S. “without a warrant.”
“It’s not just people who are undocumented, but if you look like you fit the description, then this heavily militarized agency is authorized to attack you, which is insane,” Holley said.
Attendees agreed that immigration is an issue that affects everyone, especially marginalized communities.
Tobi Brown, a master’s student studying Pan African studies, said the conservative movement targets academia and, specifically, what is being taught in classrooms. Brown cited the possible creation of trade programs at Harvard University as an example of intervention in higher education.
“It’s important for them to target knowledge production, because you have these generative sections of the education system,” Brown said. “Calling into question the very ideas that they want to implement.”
In October, the Trump administration presented universities with the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, a list of commitments to be signed in exchange for priority access to federal grants. At a University Senate meeting Wednesday night, SU Chancellor Kent Syverud said the university will not sign the compact in its current form.
Attendees also discussed the project’s proposal to cut back on foreign aid to impoverished countries, saying, even before the possibility of reductions, assistance was already “meager.”
Political Science Professor Horace Campbell said Africa is particularly impacted by U.S. aid, and this type of intervention creates food insecurity and dependency issues.
“The U.S. is not in the business of giving aid to anyone,” Campbell, who is also a professor of African American studies, said.
Some attendees discussed their experiences growing up in Africa and receiving U.S. foreign aid.
Marcellin Adjoumane, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at SUNY ESF, said he disliked traditional African food growing up, and enjoyed the food provided in U.S.-sponsored canteens.
“A lot of us have been kind of brainwashed to some extent,” Adjoumane said. ”Now that these programs have been cut, I feel like it’s a good thing because if these kinds of things stop and there is no more funding for these propaganda media, or there is no funding for bringing us food, that will kind of modify our behavior.”
Campbell called Project 2025 an “ideologi
cal document,” describing many of its policies as an “attack” on the lower class. However, students expressed confusion about how to counter these proposals.
“This presentation is actually very, very important for the Africa Initiative and for our place in being a producer of information,” Campbell said. Mahder Serekberhan, a graduate student studying political science, said the Africa Initiative is a critical intellectual space where students can discuss the reality of what’s going on in the world and how it directly applies in their lives.
As part of the resources provided to students, members of the initiative displayed a QR code linking to a Project 2025 Tracker. The website, started by two Reddit users, shows that 48% of Project 2025 policy proposals have been implemented.
Attendees ended the session by discussing how to mobilize locally to resist some of the changes proposed by Project 2025. Lopez-Castro said that supporting communities in Syracuse is key.
It’s important to break the university’s “ideological monopoly,” Lopez-Castro said. Explaining that it often exists within a bubble where community members don’t believe their actions affect anything else.
“If we don’t make this internal change, then the effects and the decisions that the university makes, that affect the people of Syracuse, there won’t be much movement with that,” LopezCastro said.
iamelend@syr.edu
By Ally Goelz asst.
editor
as well as those who browse it.
The app serves as a “dating safety tool” to protect women by performing background checks and sex offender searches on men in their area, according to its website. The app, launched in 2023, became popular on college campuses this fall, with many students scrolling through or posting their opinions about it on other platforms like TikTok. Some college students use the app’s anonymous feature to post photos of people, usually peers, and invite others to join in on anonymous
conversations about them. Tea uses a verification method to ensure all users are women to make it “the safest space to spill tea,” its website says.
Ryne Weiss, a research director at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said Tea is very similar to YikYak, an anonymous chat app for college students, and the social media website Reddit.
“About 10 years ago, a number of universities were trying to ban YikYak, or ban it from their local networks, so this is very similar to that,” Weiss said.
The Tea app created unexpected consequences, especially for college students, with innocent people targeted with false accusations and damaging rumors shared by strangers, according to plaintiffs in defamation suits against the app’s users.
Minc Law, a firm dedicated to online defamation and harassment, noted that defamation on Tea is common, but creates “unique vulnerabilities” due to the app’s animosity. see tea app page 5
Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, which included 35 SU students and 11 Lockerbie residents, and raise awareness about terrorism.
At the time, Lockerbie Scholars weren’t receiving academic credit for coursework during the year-long program, which the change aimed to address while strengthening ties with Lockerbie Academy and the broader community, SU said in October 2024.
The switch reflected students’ changing interests, an SU spokesperson told The Daily Orange in September 2024. When The D.O. asked questions regarding the current changes and future of the program, an SU spokesperson referred to the original May press release.
Newbould and Colville said the scholarship changes significantly impacted their time at SU. They frequently spoke out about the issue, sharing updates with friends and family in Lockerbie.
Colville said when he first heard about the scholarship being reinstated, he felt a sense of achievement.
“It was just a really special moment of like, ‘Wow,’ I’ve really, sort of had an impact, being over here and doing everything that I’ve done has sort of helped play a small part in the role of it being reinstated,” Colville said.
Newbould said many of her friends in the year below were “disappointed” that they were unable to participate in the annual program last year. The immersion trip announcement in September was made after Lockerbie Academy students had already started preparing their applications.
She added that while there’s still an “underlying uncertainty” among the Lockerbie community on what will happen going forward, there’s excitement among the 10 students participating in this year’s week-long immersion trip.
Kerry Currie, deputy head teacher at Lockerbie Academy, is accompanying the 10 Lockerbie Scholars on their trip to Syracuse. A 1996-97 Lockerbie Scholar, she said there’s been an overwhelming interest from Lockerbie Academy students.
Currie said the new immersion trip allows students to share their experiences with classmates when they return, making Lockerbie Academy more involved in Remembrance Week. She said they plan to hold assemblies to raise awareness about the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing — something the year-long program didn’t allow.
Before the trip, applicants submitted a creative piece — such as a painting, essay or poem — that the selection committee used to evaluate their applications, along with presentations and speeches they shared with the school.
Following the fall 2024 announcement, many former Lockerbie and Remembrance Scholars expressed frustration with the scholarship being reduced to a week-long program.
faculty in the portfolio review process. First proposed on Sept. 17, 81% of senators voted in the affirmative to pass a revised version of the resolution.
The resolution “affirms the primary control of the faculty over the curriculum” and asserts the portfolio review should have a “formal Senate component” after dean-led reviews are complete.
In August, Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew announced she had asked SU deans to re-evaluate programs within their schools throughout the fall semester. The USen resolution proposal came after professors were informed SU had paused admission to majors in the College of Arts and Sciences without faculty input.
Agnew said the ongoing portfolio review will improve the quality of SU’s academic offerings. As she said at the senate’s previous meeting, SU’s 462 program offerings exceed other institutions.
She said Wednesday that 34% of programs account for 80% of total university enrollment, while the remaining 66% account for just 20%.
“This is not to say that we should just cut things off,” Agnew said. “We just can’t have quite as many programs with such low enrollment and serve the needs of our students as well as we need to.”
Agnew said she gave deans nine years of enrollment data, five years of course enrollment data and the faculty composition across programs. She also said she met with deans over the summer to review the data and discuss preliminary findings.
The review could bear different results from program-to-program: immediate closure, enrollment pause, merger or consolidation, “reenvisioning” or no change. Agnew emphasized a pause is a “temporary halt” to admitting new students. She also said immediate closure has thus far only happened to courses that were previously slated to close.
Maria Erdman, a nutrition professor and senator, claimed SU “closed, not paused” the
In fall 2025, before the year-long program was reinstated, Christopher Jennison, a 201112 Remembrance Scholar, drafted an open letter signed by more than 427 scholars, students and supporters voicing their disappointment in the decision.
The letter argued the changes “significantly diminish” the impact of a 35-year tradition. Former scholars said the year-long program fostered lifelong friendships and international connections — some even leading participants to move across the Atlantic.
In its response, SU said it had reviewed the program’s academic component and found Lockerbie students were more focused on social life than studies.
Colville said that while he didn’t earn academic credit, SU allowed him to take classes outside his sports science degree — opportunities rarely offered in Scotland. An entrepreneurship course, he added, taught him valuable skills beyond his field.
As a federal lawyer, Jennison said there would have been other ways to fix a problem with academic credit before significantly changing the length of the program.
“Those individuals who choose to do the program can go in eyes wide open about the value and the drawbacks of the program,” Jennison said. “There’s usually always some way to make something work, rather than cutting out of fear.”
Colville said he suspected the university would continue using the one-week immersion trip format if this year’s trip is successful. He said he’s not opposed to the change, but notes a lack of transparency from the university.
master’s in nutrition science, the bachelor’s in nutrition science and the minor in nutrition science without any discussion. All of those programs shared coursework with other programs, she said.
Agnew emphasized more than once that the purpose of the review is not to cut costs.
At its September meeting, Agnew said the above-average number of program offerings means that SU “has tried to support more programs than (it) can afford, and has not adequately invested in programs that have high demand.”
“It’s important to look at the big picture for all of us and figure out how we can make sure all of our programs have the opportunity to help students succeed,” Agnew said.
Syverud also said the university is navigating federal policy in response to a senator’s question about “anticipatory obedience.”
“Much of the stuff that comes out is far from clear. Part of the challenge is deciding, to put it bluntly, what is actually guidance or law, and what isn’t,” Syverud said. “What is a Truth Social post as opposed to an actual rulemaking?”
Other business
• Syverud said the Chancellor Search Committee, partnered with search and consulting firm Spencer Stuart, has begun reviewing candidates for his successor. The committee finalized its position profile last week.
• Rick DiRubbo, a professor in the College of Engineering & Computer Science, discussed some of the projects the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction is working on this school year. One of the items included “look at the current process of reviewing IDEA courses.”
• Brian Lonsway, a professor at SU’s School of Architecture, explained some of the Committee on Research and Creative Scholarship’s considerations for the school year, including the “impact of federal actions” on academic freedom in research and creative scholarship at SU. gbrown19@syr.edu
“I think for change to be implemented right, there is more explanation that’s needed for things. And I think that’s probably the biggest thing that’s lacking is just clarity in what’s actually going on,” Colville said.
Colville said he wished the university had consulted Lockerbie students and past scholars on their opinions on the future of the program. He called the lack of information from the university “unfortunate” and said he’s interested to see how next year’s program will be structured and funded.
Jennison said alumni might have supported the change if they were informed of the reasoning, but he was “frustrated” when the university didn’t consult them.
“Any kind of lack of clarity is really troubling,” Jennison said. “If there was any kind of dilution of the program going forward, I would expect the same level or more of alumni pushing for its continuation.”
The year-long program was previously funded by both the Lockerbie and Syracuse Trust, a UK-based charity, and SU. This year, the weeklong immersion program is fully funded by SU.
The trust announced it wouldn’t fund any scholarships moving forward and would focus its resources on initiatives directly related to the Lockerbie community, Colville said.
Currie said that Lockerbie Academy was heavily involved in the logistics of a week-long immersion trip, with weekly Zoom meetings with the university. She said that before this year, the academy was also not involved in the selection process of the two scholars, which was done by the Lockerbie and Syracuse Trust.
She said the week-long program’s success so far stems from Lockerbie Academy’s understanding of what students want from the experience, which is a result of the relationship the academy has built with SU.
The typical number of applications for the year-long scholarship was at most 12 students, but 27 students applied for the immersion trip, Currie said. Lockerbie Academy has about 60 students in each class.
Currie said students don’t want to take a year off from pursuing their degree in Scotland and come back with no qualifying SU credits.
“The whole process has been so worthwhile,” Currie said. “Just to see, you know, the kids grow and develop this week, and for them to reflect as well. Some of their family members were impacted by the disaster, and they’re here on behalf of them.”
When The D.O. asked Remembrance Scholars their opinions on the Lockerbie scholarship changes, those who responded said they were advised not to speak on the changes.
Colville said he was surprised Remembrance Scholars couldn’t speak on the changes, though the university may want to keep the focus on Remembrance Week. He said he was “disappointed” last year when discussion of the switch to an immersion trip overshadowed parts of the week.
“It was something that I didn’t want to bring up because I feel like you shouldn’t mix the politics in with something as special and meaningful as Remembrance week,” Colville said.
Newbould said she suspects previous scholars weren’t asked for input because of a “breakdown in communication.” She suggested the week-long program may have served as a temporary bridge in communication until the Lockerbie Academy and the university agreed on a permanent model for the scholarship.
The relationships built through the scholarship “speak volumes,” Currie said, and can still be formed through the week-long program. She said she encouraged her niece to apply for the program; though her niece wasn’t selected, she later visited SU to see Currie’s sister-in-law.
Since planning for the week-long immersion trip started, Currie added that engagement within the Lockerbie Academy and interaction on social media have increased. She said she hopes more students can come to SU in the future.
Jennison said the Remembrance and Lockerbie programs connect international communities across generations and a cultural divide. He emphasized that these programs are important, now more than ever, in a more digital, but also more “disconnected world.”
“These programs facilitate those bridges, and that is not as readily there this year, and may or may not be readily there going forward, (which) is certainly concerning,” Jennison said. kjacks19@syr.edu
Week difficult, as they have direct connections to the attack.
Johnson said visiting SU is a way to honor his grandmother, a doctor and medical examiner who worked to treat and identify victims following the attack.
“She’s quite proud that I’m here,” Johnson said. “It’s quite a privilege to be able to represent those who were lost, as well as keep their memory alive even 37 years later.”
Lockerbie Scholar Ailay Carruthers said her familial connections to the accident have made her visit difficult. She said her great-grandmother, who witnessed the attack and died a year ago, lived on Park Place, where nearby houses were destroyed by a large part of the aircraft.
“My granny was really affected by it her whole life. It stayed with her,” Carruthers said. “It’s just really important to share her story and make it known to other people what she went through.”
Yvie Stewart, another Lockerbie Scholar, said her dad was around her age during the attack and uncovered the bodies of three victims on their family farm two miles outside of Lockerbie.
We want to be known for resilience, being able to stand up for ourselves as a small town every day.
“I’m just glad I got to come here, because it’s not something many people get to experience,” Stewart said. “I’m glad I get to represent my dad in a way as well.”
Thursday night, Carruthers and Stewart are scheduled to give a presentation about the bombing and what it meant for the people of Lockerbie.
Despite the changes in the Lockerbie Scholar program, the scholars have found a way to derive meaning from the trip. Asher said the group of 12, including the head teachers, represent the 11 Lockerbie residents who died in the attack and survivor Steven Flannigan, who died in 2000.
“To be the first group of 10 people means a lot,” scholar Amelia Cameron said. “It’s like you’re representing your whole family, your nanas, everybody, and you’re feeling the responsibility.”
For many of the scholars, connecting with SU students allows them to share their experiences with the SU community. For Iona Yule, the opportunity to be a scholar allows her to educate others about Lockerbie’s path to resilience after the attack.
“A lot of people think it’s all we want to be known for, heartbreak and tragedy,” Yule said. “But really, we want to be known for resilience, being able to stand up for ourselves as a small town every day.”
Johnson said most Lockerbie residents know SU by name, cherishing their relationship with the university. Jonathan Brandt, another scholar, said Remembrance Week allows Lockerbie residents and SU students to reflect on the attack and celebrate the historic connection.
“It should be remembered for not being a moment of disaster, but a moment of time where our relationship between two communities grew in the midst of tragedy,” Brandt said. “It’s this sense of
On its website, the firm noted the app’s anonymity “encourages extreme behavior” due to a lack of accountability, and that Tea’s layout is “creating an environment where false accusations spread rapidly among strangers.”
Another law firm, Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC, said posting on the app can lead to both civil and criminal liability.
“Posting unverified or false claims—like infidelity, abuse, or criminal accusations—can lead to defamation claims if those statements damage someone’s reputation,” the firm wrote on its website.
The firm also noted that posting on the app can lead to harassment or cyberbullying suits, invasion of privacy, non-consensual intimate images and copyright infringement.
For someone posted on Tea, the best thing to do is take steps such as preserving evidence, submit a request for removal through the app store or seek legal counsel for defamation or privacy violations, its website says.
However, men posted on the app are not the only ones at risk for legal consequences.
On July 25, the app confirmed a data breach, which leaked users’ IDs, photos and other infor-
something good that can happen from something so treacherous that restores humanity again.”
Asher said the trip continues the university’s tradition of creating something positive out of tragedy and providing human and experiential connections along the way.
“For something so deliberately awful to happen to Lockerbie, this gives us a chance to do
mation, CNN reported. Hackers accessed Tea’s data and stole around 72,000 user images, containing 13,000 selfies used for user verification and 59,000 images from users’ posts, comments and private messages.
The images ended up on 4chan, a website known for hosting controversial material. Tea confirmed that hackers didn’t access email addresses or phone numbers.
A separate leak exposed over 1.1 million private messages, which revealed personal discussions regarding infidelity, medical decisions and contact information, according to Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC.
As of Tuesday, class-action lawsuits have been filed against the app, claiming the company “failed to secure user data and notify affected individuals,” putting women at an increased risk. According to one complaint, some leaked images contained metadata that allowed thirdparty apps to track users’ locations.
Weiss said anonymous apps are “nothing new under the sun,” but are “complicated” when talking about legal protections under the First Amendment.
“Defamation is a category of unprotected speech. It doesn’t enjoy First Amendment protection,” Weiss said.
akgoelz@syr.edu
something deliberately positive,” Asher said. “To make sure that none of that was in vain, and that the legacy of acting forward is something that we can intentionally do day in and day out, and year in and year out.”
The Lockerbie Scholars will return home on Friday. Reflecting on their time in New York so far, they said they’ve embraced the
theme — “Look back, act forward” — taking meaning in their visit as they share Lockerbie’s story.
“It means looking back, remembering what happened, but acting forward, just like the way that everyone in Lockerbie tied together after tragedy,” Yule said.
bsheeh03@syr.edu
wealth and prosperity is hard to overstate. At the same time, the devastation that the construction of the canal wrought on Haudenosaunee homelands is also a big part of the story.”
The Haudenosaunee never got to benefit from the economic boost the canal created, Shenandoah said, instead losing their economic power as they lost their monopoly on the fur trade. When the canal was completed in 1825, the Haudenosaunee still hadn’t been offered citizenship.
Today, money made off of the land stolen during that time still doesn’t benefit the Haudenosaunee, Shenandoah said.
“All of the property taxes that are accumulated every year on stolen land is money they’re making off our backs,” Shenandoah said. “The natural resources and property taxes they extract from these lands could have been ours.”
Some people tend to “romanticize” the Erie Canal, picturing memories of Clinton Square busy with commerce and activities, Searing said. Those images don’t include some of the less picturesque parts of the canal, as it was at times a public nuisance and safety hazard.
Though the Erie Canal drove industry in Syracuse, the harm its consturction did to Haudenosaunee and Black communities lingers today
By Charlotte Price asst. culture editor
Despite the Erie Canal’s long history of connecting the United States and its strong ties to Syracuse, Robert Searing said the harm its construction caused is still tangible throughout the city.
“Everything. The industry, Syracuse University, it’s all in one way or another connected to the canal and to the salt business,” Searing, Onondaga Historical Association’s curator of history, said. “As a city historian, I see legacies of the canal everywhere, throughout the city.”
The Erie Canal Bicentennial period, an eightyear-long commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the canal’s completion, began in 2017 and will end this year. It remembers the period between 1817 and 1825 when the canal was originally constructed. The Onondaga Historical Association and Erie Canal Museum hosted a bicentennial gala last Friday.
In Syracuse, the Erie Canal was filled in and turned into Erie Boulevard less than 100 years after it was completed. Searing said the canal’s legacy lingers in Syracuse today.
When the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, the population of Syracuse grew from 250 to 30,000 in just a few decades, Searing said. Because of the canal, the city saw growth in major trade and industry, such as salt production and brewing.
Industries were still growing in 1870, when Syracuse University was founded. George Comstock, an original SU trustee, was involved in the salt business in Syracuse.
Despite the Erie Canal’s key role in the city and SU’s history, Steph Adams, an interpretation coordinator at the Erie Canal Museum, said the bicentennial is a commemoration, not a celebration.
“Celebrating leaves the connotation that this is entirely a good thing, and we’re very well aware that the canal has and continues to cause lots of various forms of harm,” they said.
Some of that harm is still apparent on maps today. Major infrastructure has always separated the city, Searing said. Whether it’s the canal, the railroads or the I-81 interstate, a new public works project seems to occur every generation, he said.
“If you overlay a map of the redlined districts over a map of Syracuse with the canal, and then you overlay the map of Syracuse with the highways, it’s all connected,” Adams said.
They said the correlation between the interstate and the canal was set before Syracuse even became a city.
As the development of Syracuse surrounded the canal, the buildings closest to it are some of the oldest and least cared for, and often where immigrant and minority communities ended up, Adams said.
“The historical legacy of that, is that is where the 15th Ward is situated, even though the canal is gone, everything’s been set in motion for where those neighborhoods are going to be,” Adams said.
I-81 and the canal are only separated by about 30 years of history; the canal was filled in the 1920s and planning for the highway began in the 1950s.
Construction of the I-81 exaggerated segregation in Syracuse as the highway only ran through yellow and red-coded districts of the city. The highway split apart the historic 15th Ward, where
nearly 90% of Syracuse’s Black population lived. Haudenosaunee communities were also significantly damaged by the construction of the canal— a history of dispossession that extends back to the Revolutionary War, said Emerson Shenandoah, member of the Onondaga snipe clan and director of the Skä•noñh - Great Law of Peace Center. Shenandoah said the Haudenosaunee people hold a “bad ill feeling” toward the canal, which he refers to as “Clinton’s ditch.”
During and after the Revolutionary War, the Haudenosaunee held a lot of influence due to their geographical position in a vital trade route, Shenandoah said. European leaders grew tired of compromising with the Haudenosaunee and planned the Clinton-Sullivan Campaign in 1779.
The campaign tore through Haudenosaunee homelands, burning villages and crops to make way for the settlement of Revolutionary War soldiers who were promised land parcels as a reward for fighting, Shenandoah said. He said the campaign tried to weaken the Haudenosaunee, clearing the territory through mass displacement and allowing for the canal’s construction.
“Two things can be true at the same time,” Searing said. “The Erie Canal is a revolutionary engineering marvel and what it does for the United States in terms of advancing the country’s
Sanitation workers often threw garbage into the canal, along with sewage and dead animals. The water was “smelly,” Adams said.
Syracuse’s reputation as a Rust Belt city also ties into the sentimentalization of the canal, they said. The canal brought a lot of industry to Syracuse, but a century later, the city began experiencing deindustrialization.
“It’s tricky because there’s a lot of industrial nostalgia tied up in Erie Canal tourism, without really reckoning with the fact that a lot of our communities have been decimated by when these industries left,” Adams said.
Now, Syracuse has the opportunity to undo some of the harm the canal has caused, Searing said.
The I-81 viaduct removal project plans to demolish the highway and reconnect the split 15th Ward. The viaduct represents another generation of public works projects changing the city’s landscape, Searing said, with potential to be a “wonderfully positive” development for Syracuse’s downtown. Some are even calling Micron’s arrival Syracuse’s “next Erie Canal moment,” Adams said. They said moving forward into a new era of industry is all about balance. Talking about the canal can be an entry point to topics like colonialism, capitalism, the Land Back Movement and environmental degradation, but it’s hard to spread awareness without causing people to “run away screaming,” Adams said.
Shenandoah said more comprehensive education in New York state is the only path forward he sees. When he learned about the Erie Canal in school, he remembers being told that the Haudenosaunee people peacefully moved out of the way, without any mention of the ClintonSullivan Campaign.
“We have to find a way to collectively process the good, the bad and the ugly of history, and not in a way that is too partisan,” Adams said. “Somehow there has to be a way to have these conversations more broadly.”
cprice04@syr.edu
Two brothers have recruited over 100 students to learn to line dance in their backyard, building community and spreading country culture
Story by Eliana Rosen asst. culture editor
When Xavier and Jackson Carrier are home in Las Vegas, their Friday night plans are set. The broth ers put on their cowboy hats, boots and buck les and head to their hometown bar Stoney’s Rockin’ Country to line dance.
“We line dance every Friday and we’re missing a bit of that when we’re away,” Xavier, a Syracuse University sopho more, said. “It’s something that we really love to do. So we were like, ‘How can we make this thing happen?’”
Over 2,000 miles from home, inspired by their roots, the brothers turned Xavier’s South Campus backyard into their very own “Stoney’s Country Bar Cuse,” com plete with a handbuilt wooden stage and warm string lights. Their dancing sessions have attracted over a hundred dancers — both experienced and beginner level — on Saturday nights.
About 30 line dancing instructors, many who have some experience with the dance style or are close friends with the Carriers, get together to learn choreography every Thursday. Those members then lead and teach the dances to the crowds of 100 to 115 peo ple at their bigger events on South Campus.
The group does traditional line dances to popular songs like “Fake ID” by Big & Rich, Pit bull’s “Fuego” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” by Luke Bryan. Some dances are simpler with repeti
tive hand motions, while others involve intricate footwork, jumping, clapping and spinning. Group favorites include Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and a circle dance to “Banjo!” by HardNox.
With colder weather coming, Jackson said this coming Saturday’s line dancing event is the last large event for a while. They’ll continue their Thursday meetings, though, he said. They’re looking for indoor options, but finding a location inside that can accommodate large crowds creates new challenges, like potential venue fees. It’s important to the founders that their events are free, Jackson said.
Jackson, a senior, has wanted to bring line dancing to SU’s campus since he first arrived as a freshman. It wasn’t until his brother transferred this year that they made it a reality. Jackson called working with his brother a “dream come true.”
“There’s nobody else I would want to do this with,” Jackson said.
“He’s an amazing dancer. He’s probably better than me. It’s been amazing getting to plan this with him, getting to scheme and envision and build a shared dream.”
The Carrier brothers both ride for SU’s Club Western Equestrian Team. At this year’s club sports fair, Jackson went to every table asking if they’d want to learn to line dance or two step. By the end of his lap, he had 40 people in a group chat and promises from the entire club running team, club frisbee team and men’s and women’s club gymnastics teams to attend.
By Bailey Dunn contributing writer
As October rolls around at Syracuse University, many students look forward to the season’s staple production: Black Box Players’ annual performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Students prepare to take part in the show from the audience by throwing props at the actors, dressing in elaborate costumes and yelling at the stage.
“Rocky has been happening in some way, shape or form as a part of Black Box Players since the 90s,” said Weller Dorff, SU senior and artistic
director of Black Box Players. “It’s a really important thing.”
On Friday, the cast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will perform at Skybarn on South Campus. The cult classic of “unconventional conventionalists” is coming to SU’s campus for the 25th time.
The production follows newly engaged couple Janet Weiss and Brad Majors. The pair is immersed in the sultry castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania.” Through music and uncanny events, such as Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s creation of a man whom he names Rocky, the
show explores experimentation with sexuality and self-expression.
“Rocky is such a fundamental part of so many young people’s lives and their exploration of themselves and their identity,” Dorff said. “Rocky has been such a staple of queer culture and broader arts culture for so long.”
For Dorff and the rest of the team, the annual showing of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” becomes a living conversation between generations of students, as they continue to pass down the themes of identity and belonging.
This year’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” director, senior James
Ragen, said he hopes to shine his own light on the interpretation while also diving into the iconic elements of the movie. His direction seeks to preserve the heart of the original vision while allowing it to evolve through the voices and creativity of this year’s cast, he said.
“We continue to do our part in keeping it alive,” Ragen said.
The 1975 film plays silently on a projector behind the actors as they act and sing on stage. Even with this “shadowcast,” the cast still plays an active role in breathing life into the production and its resonance within the specific campus community, Ragen said.
Ragen’s role involves transcribing the movie to help it make sense for the stage and displaying his own creativity. He said he caters artistic choices to each person within the cast, adds Syracuse-specific references and crafts audience interaction — amplifying the mission of Black Box Players.
“(We choose) pieces that are going to speak to Syracuse and our community really directly and intimately and in a way that makes this community feel uniquely seen and represented,” Dorff said.
Students usually attend the production in large groups and plan
rocky horror
By April Stelle
contributing writer
Smoke and laughter drifted from Hendricks Chapel’s steps as puja attendees lit sparklers, illuminating the dark and rainy evening. Chaplain Sanjay Mathur took pictures of students smiling as their sparklers lit up the night.
Syracuse University’s Hindu Students Association held a puja celebrating Diwali on Wednesday. The event began with a prayer session led by a priest calling in from India. Following the prayer, attendees ate warm food and gathered on the steps of Hendricks to light sparklers.
Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama and his wife, said Sahana Anand, president of HSA. Candles and diyas are lit to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. She said her favorite part of the celebration is seeing the beautiful outfits everyone wears to the puja.
“This is special, because we’ll be doing sparklers outside to symbolize, it’s dark outside, but we still have our sparklers with us,” Anand said.
Diwali took place on Monday, but HSA planned their celebration for Wednesday. Pews in Hendricks were almost filled — even Chancellor Kent Syverud attended the prayer ceremony. Chaplain Mathur gifted Syverud, along with Vice President and Dean of Hendricks Rev. Brian Konkol and Dr. Ruth Chen shawls made in India and goodie bags.
“When students come here, this is the biggest thing they miss from home, and it’s just a culture that’s welcoming to everybody,” Anand said. “Getting to share that with the students here is really special to us.”
Sia Bagga, HSA’s event coordinator from Delhi, India, also said she misses home while in Syracuse. Bagga wasn’t part of HSA for her first four years at SU, but joined this year. She said she’s met a lot of new people who also want to celebrate the holiday.
screentime column
After a puja, attendees lit
Bagga said in Delhi, festivities last for over a month and she usually travels back home for the holiday.
“We go to each other’s places and give Diwali, which means sweet boxes and crackers and everything,” Bagga said. “We give each other new things and that’s what it means to me. It’s just home.”
Bagga said her favorite part of Diwali in Syracuse is the crackers. In Delhi, they were banned a few years before she came to SU. She hasn’t had crackers in a long time, so she was even more excited to celebrate because the Hendricks event included them.
Sai Nama, originally from Hyderabad, India, is an SU alum who lives nearby. She heard Hendricks was hosting a Diwali event and came with her friends.
“I missed my home event, but I came here to Hendricks Chapel and this place felt like, ‘Yes, I got that home vibes again,’” Nama said. “I’m not missing the original place. It’s the same.” Jayita Das, a first-year graduate student from West Bengal, India, said the puja gave her a way to celebrate away from home.
Das said Diwali is usually a holiday she spends with family and friends. She said the celebration on Wednesday reminded her of home because it also included people coming together and enjoying food.
“In my home country, we used to celebrate with a lot of fireworks,” Das said. “I am really enjoying this vibe. Everywhere the people are enjoying with the lights, which are a lot like fireworks.”
ajstelle@syr.edu
By Joel Pelachik staff writer
“Good Fortune” opens with a magnificent shot: the Los Angeles skyline, a picturesque view and angelic Keanu Reeves standing atop the Griffith Observatory sporting white-feathered wings. This is just the start of the film’s absurdity and my laughter.
In his feature directorial debut, Aziz Ansari — who also wrote and starred in the film — delivers a fresh take on the age-old trope of an angel showing a dejected human the beauty of life. While not masterful like its predecessors, “A Christmas Carol” or “It’s a Wonderful Life,” an all-star cast featuring Reeves and Seth Rogen makes “Good Fortune” a memorable comedy with deeper meanings at its core.
While waiting in line to pick up a customer’s order, Arj (Ansari), a struggling gig worker, sees Jeff (Rogen), a wealthy venture capitalist, cut the line. Later, Arj coincidentally accepts a job organizing Jeff’s garage. The two hit it off, resulting in Jeff hiring Arj as his assistant, but they have a falling out, and Arj quickly gets fired. Soon after, Arj falls asleep in a Denny’s and wakes up to find his car has been towed.
Gabriel (Reeves), a guardian angel who specializes in saving people from texting and driving, sees Arj at his worst. He wishes to do something more important, like saving a lost soul, and uses this as his chance.
Against the will of his angel boss, Martha (Sandra Oh), Gabriel shows Arj his possible
future. Unimpressed, Arj expresses his desire for a life like Jeff’s. Gabriel switches their lives: Arj is a wealthy venture capitalist and Jeff works gigs for extra cash.
Unique to “Good Fortune,” the angel and protagonist share the same issue; they’re each unhappy with their careers. The film is reminiscent of “Groundhog Day;” both are absurd movies that appear shallow on the surface, but really, they’re encouraging reminders that being human is beautiful and spreading kindness is free.
Gabriel wants to prove to him that money can’t buy happiness, but Arj expectedly relishes Jeff’s life, eating at expensive restaurants, hosting fancy parties and barely working.
Eventually, Martha takes Gabriel’s wings and turns him human. As a human, Gabriel experiences frustrations, such as paying taxes and earning little money grueling away as a dishwasher, but he also enjoys simple pleasures. One of the best scenes shows Gabriel’s first meal, consisting of a burger, chicken “nuggies” and a chocolate milkshake — which Gabriel hilariously mistakes for strawberry.
Toward the end of the film, Gabriel shares some of his favorite aspects of being human: tacos, dancing and laughing. His joyous experiences are powerful reminders of what we often take for granted.
Because Arj and Jeff switch lives, the recycled activities of each lifestyle make “Good Fortune” feel repetitive at times. However, solid performances from the cast limit the staleness of the plot.
At first, Reeves delivers a reserved performance, but as the story progresses, his character leans more into comedy. As a human, Gabriel becomes a chain-smoker, and because of his newfound love of food, unknowingly eats psychedelic mushroominfused chocolate.
Reeves playing an angel is what sold me on seeing “Good Fortune” in the first place. His performance was filled with strong sincerity, but there were points where I wished he was more animated. I expected a wild, quirky angel, and while his portrayal worked well, I hoped for more playful antics.
Rogen’s off-the-wall performance complements Reeves well as their two characters experience Arj’s life together. Rogen plays smaller, hilarious parts in some of my favorite comedies (“Superbad,” “Step Brothers”), so it’s always delightful to see him portray a lead character.
Even just Rogen’s presence is funny. When Arj is donating plasma at the beginning of the film, it cuts to Jeff during an ayahuasca journey, where we hear Rogen’s wacky, signature laugh.
Ansari and Keke Palmer, who plays Arj’s romantic interest, round out the main cast. Palmer’s performance is incredibly charming, but her character, Elena, is also tough enough to humble Arj while he’s living Jeff’s wealthy life. I felt Ansari had the weakest performance of the bunch, but the “Parks and Recreation” star still pulls his weight while writing and directing, too.
In the end, Gabriel’s positive outlook on the human condition convinces Arj that his life is worth living. After switching back, Jeff, who understands Arj’s struggles, stands for gig workers. At one of his meetings, he demands benefits and higher wages for delivery drivers.
While the ending made the deeper themes evident, it’s also my biggest issue with “Good Fortune.” The film successfully critiques capitalist wealth inequality and advocates for kindness, but the conclusion was jam-packed and rushed, trying to neatly summarize all the social commentary.
Throughout the story, Jeff becomes sympathetic to gig workers, but Arj doesn’t have any major revelations until the very end of the movie. If Arj’s realizations were more evenly distributed, it would’ve cleaned up the ending.
Still, “Good Fortune” left me with a sense of reassurance and positivity. When Arj returns to his usual life, the Denny’s employee who told him his car had been towed offers him a ride. It’s a brief yet touching interaction that reflects the importance of being kind.
With a star-studded cast and consistent jokes, Ansari’s “Good Fortune” is a unique comedy that’s not only memorable, but meaningful. jdpelach@syr.edu
Kim Richey is returning to the 443 Social Club & Lounge. The singersongwriter was nominated for a Grammy for co-writing the song “Believe Me Baby (I Lied)” by Trisha Yearwood, but has also written, sung and released her own music, like “Those Words We Said.”
WHEN : Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: The 443 Social Club & Lounge
PRICE: $28.45
Future Joy Album Release Tour W/S/G DJ Brownie
Future Joy is showcasing their new album at Funk ‘n Waffles this Friday. Music lovers Emily Cooper and Zach Simms blend multiple genres including funk, electronic, house and more to create their art. They’ve brought their tunes to festivals like Bonnaroo and are on their way to Syracuse.
WHEN : Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: The 443 Social Club & Lounge PRICE: $28.45
John Cleese
Actor and comedian John Cleese is celebrating 50 years of the cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” at the Landmark Theatre. The event features a special screening of the movie, followed by an exclusive conversation with Cleese, where he’ll share behind-the-scenes anecdotes, jokes and an audience Q&A.
WHEN : Friday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Landmark Theatre PRICE: $66-99
Big Shrimp
Stop by Funk ‘n Waffles to see progressive groove quartet Big Shrimp. Formed in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the group blends their high-energy instrumentals with songwriting and is contributing to the modern indie rock scene. Join them for their second annual Halloween Extravaganza and prepare for a costume contest.
WHEN : Saturday, doors at 7 p.m, show at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Funk ‘n Waffles PRICE: $23.63
Phoneboy
Tune into another alternative indie rock band, Phoneboy. The group was formed in New Jersey by three college friends and just released their third album earlier this year. See them at The Song & Dance next Tuesday with special guests Sammy Curcuru and FeverDream.
WHEN : Tuesday, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
WHERE: The Song & Dance PRICE: $26.70
The idea was then bigger than a passing thought between the two brothers, it was something real, Jackson said.
As Las Vegas natives, the Carrier brothers aim to use line dancing to share their culture with the Syracuse community. Xavier said he often gets confused looks when he wears a cowboy hat around campus, with people calling out “yeehaw.”
Xavier said he wants students to understand his rich Western country culture; country people aren’t all Texas cowboys from old Western movies. The word “country” often gets a bad connotation, Jackson said.
The Carrier family runs hotels and casinos in Sin City, and their dad used to run rodeos there as well. The brothers grew up working in hospitality, riding horses and watching bull riding. They were raised in a “50/50” blend of Vegas’ glitz and glam and Western country culture.
“Wherever you find a hotel, you also find a cowboy,” Jackson said.
Bringing it to Syracuse has given Jackson a greater respect for what country actually means. He appreciates the hard work and long hours that come with being a cowboy, the “muck” that comes with culture, as well as the glitz of the Strip and poker and casinos, he said.
The brothers bring other elements of country culture to their line dancing events beyond the music and dance moves.
Some attendees wear bandanas on their hips, a country tradition to display your relationship status: right hip for single, left for taken. You only wear your own hat and giving it to someone signifies you’re in a relationship with them. Keeping these small things in mind helps respect the culture and the traditions it comes from, Jackson said.
elaborate outfits. Every year, the “antici-pation” for the musical builds up and tickets sell out almost immediately, Dorff said. This year was no different. The ticket website even crashed from so much online traction, he said.
Freshman and acting major Miller Asch was quick to grab tickets when the show was first announced. He’s said he’s seen the film before, but has never seen a live production of it, so he’s excited for Friday’s show. He and his friend, freshman Ali DeFilippo, are planning to dress as Janet and Brad. Asch will be sporting Brad’s brown jacket, while DeFilippo plans to wear Janet’s iconic white bra and skirt.
“I’m most specifically excited to see it interpreted by this director,” Asch said.“I think he’ll have a lot of interesting takes on the story. I can’t wait to see.”
Dorff and Ragen are both hoping this year’s performance brings a sense of community and fun — as it has in the past — with a new spin this year.
“Come with an open heart and an open mind,” Dorff said. “Because the really, really special thing about Rocky, especially the way that we do it here, is that it’s only ever going to exist in this way once.”
bdunnhollis@gmail.com
“It’s not just an outfit. It’s not just performative. It means something to us when we wear our hats, our belts, our buckles, our boots,” Jackson said.
Hospitality experience has made the brothers passionate about building community and hosting events. Still, they never expected such a large turnout. Their first event on Oct 4. amassed over 100 RSVPs, and people danced from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Jackson called it one of his favorite nights on campus. Gathering people to dance together is one of the founder’s biggest goals, Xavier said.
“When people started getting off the buses in hoards, we were really excited,” Xavier said. “It was awesome. All at once 60 people showed up. It was really fun to see it was actually picking up enough people who were interested in coming and having a fun night.”
Sophomore Abrum Wilson has been learning line dancing from TikTok since attending a country music festival in Colorado a few years ago. It’s been easier and more fun to break down and learn the dances during the Thursday ses-
sions and Saturday night groups, she said. Now, her repertoire includes at least 10 more dances.
Many attendees have never line danced before and arrive on South Campus as complete novices. This is part of the charm, Jackson said. He lives by the phrase, “Embarrassment is an underexplored emotion. Go out there and make a fool of yourself.”
Senior Polina Ilyin had never line danced before participating in these sessions. It’s nice to dance with friends and expand her social circle in a new atmosphere that isn’t just going out to the bars, she said. She enjoys “getting to spin her friends around.”
Even many of the instructors are learning to line dance for the first time. Junior Sophia Lee is from Kentucky; she’d been around the country culture but had never participated herself. Dancing is a lot harder than most people expect, she said, but that’s part of the fun of it. The instructors learn from each other and online, using TikToks and Instagram Reels, Lee said.
“It’s a very rewarding process,” Lee said. “Seeing people get so excited once they get a dance. They’re like, ‘I understand it now,’ that joy of, ‘I can do this.’”
Dance is an underrated hobby, Jackson said. He said almost everyone who tries line dancing ends up liking it — a rule that’s proven true at SU. Students are often looking for a way to stretch their comfort zone and do something they’ve never tried before, he said. He wants students to get comfortable being new and not good at something.
“If you give people the opportunity to go make a fool of themselves and embarrass themselves in a safe way in a good environment, people will take that chance,” Jackson said. “People will be happy to do it. It’s a way to explore, it’s a way to have fun.”
ehrosen@syr.edu
In October 2024, the Indiana Daily Student weekly print edition was eliminated by Indiana University’s Media School for budgetary purposes, with the exception of seven special editions per semester. On Oct. 14, Indiana University terminated its former Director of Student Media Jim Rodenbush. Hours later, the IDS faced a full cut to its print edition after plans to print general news in the homecoming publication. IDS defined these decisions as censorship.
“We want to make it abundantly clear that our resistance to the Media School’s directive isn’t about print itself. It’s about maintaining our editorial independence,” IDS Co-Editors-inChief Mia Hilkowitz and Andrew Miller wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange.
As an independent, nonprofit newspaper, we acknowledge how fortunate we are to not rely on editorial oversight or funding from Syracuse University. We recognize the difficulties our peer publications face, especially the IDS, which has taken a direct hit to its print and, in turn, its revenue.
We openly stand in solidarity and empathize with them as they encounter attacks on free speech.
The D.O. actively distributes a weekly print edition and occasional guides parallel to the IDS’s special editions. As such, IU’s citation of a “digital-first media environment” as reason to discontinue the IDS print edition is distressing. Though print editions have lost value to some, limits on print news demonstrate indifference to the First Amendment.
Our staff feels empowered by our ability to produce a tangible copy of our week’s work. We arrive on Wednesday nights eager to design pages, select visuals and collaborate with others. This experience humanizes our work, and the physical copy is a testament to the many hours of production.
The print edition is a perk of our production, though – we don’t depend on it. This isn’t the case for many other student-run publications like the
The D.O. stands with Indiana Daily Student and upholds commitment to free speech
By The Daily Orange Editorial Board
IDS, which is already losing revenue, the paper’s co-editors-in-chief said. We’re also aware fellow publications on our own campus, including Jerk Magazine and The Good Life, have lost print funding as a result of the Registered Student Organization budget cuts.
Amid continued digital erasure of both government documents and web archives, preserving tangible campus news records is imperative to maintaining credibility.
Advertising revenue and donor support made The D.O.’s independence possible in 1971. But even as a paper that hasn’t felt repercussions of funding cuts or external censorship, our staff is working to give students a voice in an unprecedented time.
This semester, our news section is struggling to maintain on-the-record attribution, with sources citing fears of retaliation and potential privacy violations, and our opinion section is shrinking, with student writers expressing fears of being targeted for beliefs or citizenship status.
We’ve seen many national attempts to silence the press. Earlier this year, Jeff Bezos reorga-
nized the Washington Post’s Opinion section, “encroaching” on editorial policies and standardizing output. The White House banned The Associated Press from the press pool only a month later, with President Donald Trump dismissing the publication as “radical left lunatics.”
These attacks aren’t happening in a vacuum, even though they’re buried in a constant stream of headlines and breaking news. A reporter’s presence in the White House, a college paper’s ability to print its work and fair coverage of every voice are all essential elements of free press.
The First Amendment is increasingly improperly manipulated and, in some cases, disregarded without effective consequence. Student journalism is no exception to this reality, and we must protect it.
Student journalists have a front seat to the current changes being made in higher education. This position must not be taken in the name of fear or ease of compliance.
“IU decided to fire Jim Rodenbush after he did the right thing by refusing to censor our print edition. That was a deliberate scare tactic toward student journalists and faculty,” Hilkowitz and
Miller wrote. “If IU can irrationally justify censoring stories as ‘business decisions,’ what stops them from applying this thinking to the news and investigative stories that run on our website and social media?”
Direct resistance is the only response to this developing slippery slope. The D.O. admires the quick retaliation and doubling down of the IDS, as well as in-state rival Purdue University’s delivery of a “solidarity” edition to the Bloomington campus after the cut.
Faculty at the Media School also resisted Chancellor David Reingold’s decision, “appalled” by his breaching of core journalistic values. As individuals and organizations continue to stand up, we prove the coalition for free press remains strong.
IU’s internal decision to cut the IDS print proves there’s no amount of protection against the growing restrictions on our rights. For SU students, the prestigious rankings of the Newhouse School of Public Communications won’t necessarily protect us from continued overreach, though we’re proud SU signed a Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry in May 2024.
The D.O. remains committed to sharing truthful, accurate and fair stories on Syracuse and SU, with the mission of amplifying the voices of our community members. We believe the engagement and support of educators and readers is crucial to maintaining student journalism as a whole.
The national network of hardworking student journalists will not weaken under opposing forces that attempt to disband them.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@dailyorange.com.
By James Reed columnist
In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded after a bomb in the cargo hold went off, causing wreckage to rain down onto the residents of Lockerbie, Scotland. Of the 270 victims, 35 of which were Syracuse University students returning from a semester abroad in London and Florence.
Eight years after the attack, in 1996, Lockerbie Scholars organized the first Remembrance Week to help friends and families of the victims mourn and celebrate them.
As a current freshman at SU, I was completely unaware of Pan Am Flight 103, and, by extension, Remembrance Week itself. It was only brought to my attention days before it began, prompting me to question the role non-scholars play in Remembrance Week.
Remembrance Scholars are tasked with “Act Forward” projects meant to “deepen the Scholars’ and the campus communities’ understanding of the Pan Am 103 tragedy through research, outreach, discourse, education, and creative engagement.”
Remembrance Scholars are inherently more engaged with Remembrance Week than other students, which is rightfully due to their accomplishments. However, I felt a bit of a divide as a non-scholar.
But as a freshman and someone who isn’t a scholar, I’ve been seeking ways to involve myself in the celebration more intimately.
Remembrance Week is a great way to mourn the victims of Pan AM 103 while simultaneously raising awareness for the attack itself. But we shouldn’t just restrict
to the editor
remembrance to one week out of the year. SU should make a push to celebrate the victims year-round while continuing to support their families and friends with Remembrance Week events.
Many of the emails related to Remembrance Week and its significance were sent out only a few days in advance to the week’s beginning,
with SU’s going out on Thursday and Student Government Association’s on Sunday. Students that may have wanted to participate in the events may be unable to do so.
Bringing awareness to this tragedy should be the point of Remembrance Week, and more yearround reminders could be the window to this. It’s obvious SU cares about keeping the tradition of
Remembrance Week, so it should provide more long-term, easily accessible but tangible resources.
Since the beginning of my time at SU, the school has effectively communicated almost all of the important happenings around campus. Whether via email, social media or just signs around the Shaw Quadrangle, I’ve always had a good idea of what was going on. Using these resources earlier on in the fall semester for Remembrance Week will make them more effective than the current promotion material.
New students and non-scholars would be given more time to properly acknowledge the memory. Less direction as students begin their time at SU leaves them in the dark, inhibiting their ability to participate in events and learn about the attack most effectively.
SU should give the student body, especially those who have only recently arrived at SU, a larger role in Remembrance Week. Something as simple as encouraging students to attend just one Remembrance Week event can make them feel involved in celebrating the lives of the victims. This could prompt students to take more agency in what I believe is vital research of the tragedy and find out for themselves how important this week is.
Every student should take the opportunity to mourn and recognize the lives lost on Pan Am Flight 103. Spreading awareness keeps the tradition alive and fosters an educated community that can tell the stories of these victims to the next generation of students, whether they have the honor of being a scholar or not.
James Reed is a freshman studying political science. He can be reached at jcreed@syr.edu.
By Zachary J. Braiterman
To the Syracuse University community,
At a moment when the country and its culture are fundamentally confused about race, religion, Jews and the Middle East, Syracuse University paused the enrollment of new majors in the Department of African American Studies, and the Department of Religion along with European languages and other programs.
Based on harsh budgetary pressures, the decision by SU to pause new enrollments with a possibility of ultimately closing some programs will cause real damage to the undergraduate experience at SU. It will make SU less attractive to students and their families, and is only generating confusion among students at SU.
The bachelor of arts in modern Jewish studies at SU takes the Jewish experience in modern times as its signature focus. A student minoring in Jewish studies or majoring in modern Jewish studies can build their coursework around a flexible, individually crafted course of study.
Courses explore American, European, Israeli and Yiddish literatures, Jewish thought and culture, Jewish history, Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Holocaust and antisemitism, as well as an introduction to Judaism, the Hebrew Bible, the classical Jewish textual tradition and Hebrew language.
At its core, Jewish studies provides critical discourse that contributes to the understanding of social change and communal resilience, human value and personal meaning; it does so today at a moment of profound social and psychic disruption.
Programs such as Jewish studies, African American studies, Middle Eastern studies, religion and foreign languages complement and enhance other areas of study. We draw from an array of cultural perspectives – including perspectives from minority communities – that are typically overlooked in larger programs of study such as English, history, philosophy and political science.
I believe our classes in the Jewish studies program attract robust enrollment from students with diverse backgrounds from across all colleges within SU, and I notice this in my own sections. Majors and minors enjoy a personalized and intensive student experience with faculty and graduate student teaching assistants.
Our classes, which typically generate repeat enrollments, contribute to the study of “culture, community and change,” a rubric SU itself is now actively promoting as a “pillar of distinctive excellence.”
A decision to eliminate enrollment in the modern Jewish studies B.A., along with other impacted programs, would be nothing less than
a body blow to the Jewish studies program at SU.
The decision would:
1. Form part of a larger assault on the humanities writ large in the larger life of the modern universities are now dominated by STEM and professional schools and programs.
2. Cut off potential avenues of growth for advanced undergraduate study, which will not easily grow back once eliminated.
3. Send an unambiguous and negative signal to students, faculty, parents and members of the larger Jewish community that Jewish studies as well as other impacted areas of study simply don’t matter at SU.
4. Undermine SU’s national reputation for serious humanistic research if not its status as an R-1 research institution.
The impacted programs now under pause are instead being forced to bear the burden of large, systemic failures and mismanaged institutional priorities that plague modern universities.
Indeed, these cuts at a time of war, racial and religious polarization, festering antisemitism and a climate of authoritarianism across the globe are a symptom of severe
disorder and malfunction in university life and the culture at large.
When I was an undergraduate many decades ago, I was one of two majors in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst. I was privileged to engage intensively with wonderful professors who looked after me. I went on to pursue graduate work at Stanford and a rewarding academic career here at SU, which has been my home for 28 years.
Before the age of intellectual austerity, one could imagine the existence of small programs thriving in a greater university ecosystem. Course enrollments in the Jewish studies program, all of them cross-listed across the humanities, are evidence of student interest in the classes we offer. SU should be promoting diverse areas of study, not abandoning them in the face of negative headwinds affecting humanistic study across the entire modern university.
A great institution of higher education is only as strong as its smaller programs.
The very real challenge addressed by the program review is how to grow the number of majors and minors in our impacted programs and across the humanities. I have every
confidence that faculty in the Jewish studies program and other impacted programs want nothing more than to engage the larger university community in reimagining the future of these programs together.
To this end, I would especially invite students and their families to consider the value of the student experience in majors and minors across the humanities and in small, intensely vital programs of study – both as complements to other areas of study and as inherently interesting in their own right.
Human values, skills and inquiry are precisely crucial now at the very moment when artificial intelligence and other technological transformations take on a life of their own, powered by massive conglomerations and polarizing the country and culture. Institutions of higher education such as SU should double down on the humanities and support our small, impacted programs as essential to the mission of the modern university in service to the common good.
This letter was submitted by Zachary J. Braiterman, the acting director of the Jewish Studies Program at SU and professor in the Department of Religion. He can be reached at zbraiter@syr.edu
3 MONTHS FREE
focus on football, Stonehouse knew what direction he wanted to go in.
“No one grows up just like, ‘I cannot wait to be a punter,’” Stonehouse joked. “But it was like eighth grade, freshman year, where I kind of sat down and was like, ‘Okay, if I’m going to go to college football — which I want to do — I’m going to be a punter.’”
You’re only out there for three seconds, and good or bad, you’ve got to let it go. You have to be that carefree kind of guy.
John Stonehouse stonehouse’s father
As a freshman at Chaminade (California), Stonehouse played quarterback, wide receiver and other defensive positions on its junior varsity team. He earned his opportunity to punt for varsity as a sophomore, occasionally handling kicking duties as well. Stonehouse began his senior year as the kicker, but when the Eagles couldn’t find a holder, he offered to hold kicks for then-freshman and current USC kicker Ryon Sayeri. The switch worked like a charm.
Croson, who coached at Chaminade throughout Stonehouse’s entire career, viewed him as another coach in his upper -
However, if the team’s on- and off-ball movement isn’t successful in opening a gap in opponents’ defense, Farquhar has van Kempen take a more direct approach. Hattie Madden said that comes via long passes, which van Kempen can heave across the entire pitch.
That’s happened multiple times this year, eliminating the opposing midfield from
classman seasons, helping all the specialists find their way. When it was time for college, Stonehouse had one thing in mind — he didn’t want to stay in California.
He took a shot at Mizzou, walking on and redshirting his freshman year before becoming the starter in 2022. But Stonehouse didn’t want to be a walk-on anymore. So in 2023, he took another chance, this time on a scholarship at Syracuse. He quickly found his place.
“He is who he is 24/7,” former SU longsnapper Mike Midkiff said. “From the first day he showed up, he caught us off guard.”
Brumfield views the punter as the quarterback of the unit, making Stonehouse a focal point. It’s helpful that he once played under center. At 6-foot-1, Stonehouse is the tallest of his punter lineage. John sees it as a clear advantage for reaching the next level, as he can use his “long levers” for more distance.
Croson recalls a game in Stonehouse’s senior year where he came up on a punt and delivered a hit along Chaminade’s sideline, sending his teammates into a frenzy. Physicality has never been an issue.
With all the tools necessary to make the professional jump, Stonehouse continues to improve his game. Midkiff didn’t get to watch SU’s first five games this season, as he was away at Ranger School for the US Army. When he returned, he looked through his former team’s stats and saw Stonehouse was averaging around 50 yards per punt.
Midkiff called Stonehouse, telling him he was “balling.” But Stonehouse wasn’t satisfied, saying he was doing “just alright.”
Stonehouse has improved his knowledge of the position and the sport, which he credits to Brumfield, long snapper Ethan Stangle and simply being in college for five years. When
creating attacking chances. Those chances typically lead to penalty corners, which are almost second-nature for van Kempen to score.
Despite her offensive highlights this season, her most defining moment of 2025 was in front of her own net, rather than her opponent’s.
A defensive save is one of the most vital contributions a center back can make. It’s when a goalie’s been beaten and a defender makes a last-second stop to deny a goal. The Orange have only had five defensive saves all year.
Brumfield joined the Orange, he encouraged Stonehouse to try roll-out punts to pair with his pocket-punting ability.
Stonehouse is also adding to his bag with Aussie and Rugby punts, mixing with traditional boomerang and end-over-end boots. He feels his biggest strides have come in his directional punting, trying to reach outside the numbers while keeping hang time and distance.
Still, being a punter can be mentally challenging. When the offense is succeeding, they’re rarely called upon. Redemption for a split-second mistake takes longer than any
In the fourth period of SU’s battle with Stanford on Oct. 10, van Kempen had a chance to add one to its running tally. She found herself defending a penalty corner with just nine minutes left while the Orange narrowly held a 2-1 lead. Cardinal defender Mia Clark, who’d scored Stanford’s lone goal, ripped a slapshot toward the top right corner of the net.
SU goalkeeper Tane King could only watch as the ball flew past her. It looked to be a late equalizer
other position. The necessary mindset matches perfectly with who he is.
“You’re only out there for three seconds, and good or bad, you’ve got to let it go,” John said. “You have to be that carefree kind of guy.”
On the surface, Stonehouse has a lot to live up to. His family’s resumé. Syracuse’s recent history of professional punters, like Riley Dixon. However, he’s already creating his own legacy at SU, whether through record-breaking yardage or a stylish pair of pajama pants.
amstepan@syr.edu
@AidenStepansky
for Stanford. But van Kempen stayed by her teammate’s side, guarding the far post. Without hesitation, she blocked the attempt with the head of her stick before knocking the ball out of play. The save was one of several occasions where van Kempen breathed life into a nail-biting SU team. She’s Syracuse’s foundation on both sides of the ball, setting it up for a potential NCAA Tournament run.
peterhradosh@gmail.com
@PeterRadosh
By Jason Glick asst. copy editor
Syracuse and Boston College have had eerily similar starts to Atlantic Coast Conference play. They’ve had the same four weekend slates with the same eight matchups, flipping Friday and Sunday opponents.
In the Orange’s first weekend of conference play this season, they were trounced in three sets at then-No. 6 Louisville on Sept. 28. Two days earlier, the Cardinals swept the Eagles.
Two weeks later, the squads took on the ACC’s two Golden State teams. Neither program stood a chance against the juggernaut of then-No. 6 Stanford. However, SU and BC both stayed competitive during the sweep.
Against Cal, the Orange and Eagles were ready, comfortably dispatching the Golden Bears in four frames. Last weekend, Syracuse and Boston
College found no issues against Duke, earning their first home sweeps in conference play.
22-19
Although both squads lost to No. 21 North Carolina, there was one difference. SU won a set while BC was left with a goose egg. Would Syracuse’s second-frame victory against the Tar Heels be the difference in Chestnut Hill on Wednesday?
The answer was ultimately yes, as Syracuse (13-6, 5-4 ACC) orchestrated a resilient
comeback in a five-set triumph over Boston College (14-7, 3-6 ACC) Wednesday. The Eagles had a 22-19 advantage in the fourth set, needing three points to clinch a four-set victory, but SU’s late-game heroics prevailed.
BC came out firing, especially with its serve. En route to a 7-1 start, Audrey Ross notched two kills and two aces.
The Orange came back and were deadlocked in a back-and-forth battle, but the Eagles had already built a significant lead. SU got within a point at 19-18, after an intended set by Brooklyn Yelland sailed onto the maroon paint on Syracuse’s side.
BC head coach Jason Kennedy then gave Sofija Marjanovic her first appearance in two games, and she remained at the service line for four straight points, scoring an ace. The Eagles closed out the set with a comfortable 25-19 lead.
The second frame couldn’t have been more different. This time, SU jumped out to a substantial early advantage. Gabriella McLaughlin’s emergence helped power its surge after an underwhelming first frame, when she converted just one of her nine attacks. This time around, the senior delivered five kills on stronger efficiency.
SU hit its stride when it forced BC into errors. It embarked on a five-point stretch to catapult its lead to 18-10. In the waning moments of that stretch, Marie Laurio, who subbed in for Sydnie Waller at right-side hitter ahead of the frame, gave Lucy Mott a difficult spike to return. Soana Lea’ea put the icing on the cake for a 25-15 victory.
Syracuse had a chance to ride its momentum into the third frame. The Orange burst out to a 6-3 lead after McLaughlin and Lea’ea generated a combination block to stymie Sam Hoppes’ lefthanded punch.
Soon, that advantage swelled to six. Laurio, who hasn’t played much right-side hitter this year, delivered a cross-court kill off a set from Tehya Maeva. McLaughlin then fired a pass home from her former Nevada teammate.
It appeared as if the Orange were destined to take the frame and close out the Eagles in four.
That wasn’t the case, though.
This time, it was Syracuse that committed the attack errors. Laurio and Skylar George both misplaced kill attempts out of bounds down the stretch, and all of a sudden, the third frame was a win-by-two juncture for either side.
After a couple back-and-forth points, the Eagles broke loose, and Sequoia Layne thwarted McLaughlin at the net twice for solo blocks. BC won the block battle 9-7 through three sets, but its path to victory wouldn’t be easy.
With the squads so evenly matched, it was clear the waning moments would decide the fourth frame. BC looked to have sealed things up after SU surrendered a five-point run and trailed 15-11. Soon after, an Anna Herrington spike made it 22-19.
Syracuse remained composed and let its star take over. In a neck-and-neck battle, as both teams approached 25, McLaughlin notched the next three Syracuse points.
But the Orange kept committing errors. A Laurio service violation. A George serve that hit the net on SU’s side. A Rana Yamada serve that caressed the net.
As a child, Holman mostly played striker. It wasn’t until he was 10 or 11 that a coach he’d been training with, Darrell Etienne, suggested he move to center back. Still, Etienne trained Holman to be dominant on the ball and develop his technique like a midfielder or attacker.
Playing for TSF Academy, he began to make a name for himself throughout middle school. By eighth grade, he was being recruited by several prep schools with strong soccer programs, including Escobar’s Andover squad.
Escobar said, when he was building his program, the first thing he needed was strong ninth graders. Holman was the first building block for an Andover squad that eventually became a top-5 private school team in the
country, per Escobar. Starting on Andover’s backline as a freshman, Holman made his impact felt instantly.
“He was a freshman, obviously, but he wasn’t scared at all to make strong tackles and go into those 50-50s,” said Alex Torrens, who played alongside Holman at Andover. “Going into a duel with Garrett was not fun. He was just a fearless, strong, aggressive player.”
Holman was also “fantastic” on the ball, former Andover teammate Zane Matraji said. Ellis Denby, another Andover teammate, recalled Holman’s ability to make recoveries and crunching tackles to cut down attackers.
Torrens remembers Holman easily dribbling past opponents’ presses before spraying passes in all directions. Those plays made him think: “This kid is going to go somewhere.”
Matraji said he had the same realization when he saw Holman’s evening routine after each school
day. At the end of his freshman year, Holman agreed to an academy contract with Major League Soccer club New England Revolution. He’d practice in Andover, leave campus, take an hourlong Uber ride to Boston, practice for an hourand-a-half with the Revolution and take another hour-long Uber back.
“He did that for about three years,” Gary said. “That’s when I realized that he was serious about his time commitment and how he was doing things.”
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Holman stacked up offers from several premier ACC programs. But McIntyre — who played sweeper himself before developing star defenders at SU — led him to Syracuse.
“Whatever Coach Mac could do to help him grow and develop as a player in that position, he wanted to absorb that,” Jeannie said.
“When someone who knows how to win games puts that kind of faith and trust in you and sees the (skills) you have, it feels very good,” Holman said of McIntyre’s support. “I think he’s a perfect coach for me.”
McIntyre isn’t one to shy away from plugging freshmen into the mix immediately, but Holman didn’t see much playing time in his first year with Syracuse.
In a crowded defensive room with three graduate students — Sam Layton, Andre Culter-DeJesus and Ben Rosenblatt — there wasn’t much playing time to go around. Holman tallied just 114 minutes across six games and played fewer than 15 in four of those appearances.
After his freshman campaign, Holman had his end-of-year meeting with SU’s coaching staff. It demanded he be more aggressive and opportunistic. The staff knew it’d give him a chance to play soon, but it was Holman’s responsibility to make the most of it.
“I would show up to practice sometimes, and I would be lackadaisical because l knew I wasn’t going to play, and I would get lazy,” Holman said. “Fixing those things really helped me in the spring.”
As a sophomore, Holman’s done just that. He spent the spring and summer bulking up in the weight room. The Orange added Brdaric from Germany, but gave Holman his shot as Brdaric’s
But finally, back-to-back kills from George, on an inefficient day with a 0% hitting percentage, forced a sudden-death fifth frame.
Thanks to Yamada, who notched a seasonhigh 25 digs, SU kept its rallies alive for extensive stretches in the do-or-die set. But it trailed 10-7. Letting Maeva push the ball to the corners was all the Orange needed.
SU embarked on a five-point run, featuring kills from McLaughlin and Laurio. Then, George fooled Aubrey Moore, finessing the volleyball around her fingertips.
Up 14-12, McLaughlin’s and Maeva’s connection, which dates back to their childhood practices at WAVE Volleyball Club, linked up for the game-sealing finisher. It was McLaughlin’s 22nd kill and Maeva’s seasonhigh 54th assist.
Their connection, along with steady performances from Yamada and Laurio, pushed the Orange above .500 in conference play Wednesday.
jaglick@syr.edu @jason_glick
partner. They haven’t needed to take either off the field.
Holman has used his physicality to torment attackers. He said one of his biggest points of emphasis over the offseason was improving his aerial duels, which he’s now winning at a 60% clip, according to Sofascore. Aside from an ill-advised pass in SU’s 1-0 loss to Duquesne on Sept. 5, which Holman called his biggest moment of adversity since coming to Syracuse, he’s been rock solid at the back.
He’s embracing this opportunity and continues to get better and better. His ceiling is so high and he’s just scratching the surface.
Ian McIntyre su head coach
“That spine of Tim, Garrett and Tomas (Hut) has been outstanding for us,” McIntyre said. “Garrett really grew in the spring, he’s really committed, came back early in the summer, and has really put in the work to physically develop.” He credits most of his growth to his offseason work. Now, Holman’s just trying to stay consistent. Superstition often helps, he added. He tries to wear the same cleats and shin guards every match. He takes a cold shower before every game. It’s all part of remaining steady while he’s playing almost every second of every match.
And if he can continue to find that consistency, McIntyre’s initial vision may just come to fruition.
“He’s been terrific, and I still think there’s still a lot more there,” McIntyre said. harrispemberton@gmail.com
By Zak Wolf senior staff writer
Wide receivers can be drama queens. You don’t have to lecture Myles White about that. SU’s wide receivers coach has spent three decades playing and coaching the position. No matter the level, White knows there’s an ego associated with receivers.
Complaints about lack of touches. Cryptic social media posts. Wanting to be paid more. It’s all part of their master plan to be the center of attention. It’s why receivers are considered divas by many.
Despite the baggage that comes with receivers, White feels cockiness is necessary to be successful as a pass catcher, especially at Syracuse.
“We want our guys to be confident and borderline arrogant,” White said. “Because that confidence is going to carry them through to make the next play.”
White has plenty of talent to work with at Syracuse. Johntay Cook has become a reliable slot receiver, leading the Orange with 456 yards. Darrell Gill Jr. is a stellar deep threat, while Justus Ross-Simmons is one of the best contested pass catchers in the Atlantic Coast Conference, previously leading it with five touchdowns up until last week.
However, since Rickie Collins became the starter, Syracuse’s offense has underperformed. The Orange’s receiver production hasn’t necessarily dropped, but Collins’ inconsistency as a passer has made the offense more volatile. Before Steve Angeli tore his Achilles, he led the country with 1,317 passing yards, and SU averaged 38.25 points per game. With Collins — who’s thrown eight interceptions and five touchdowns — that’s dropped to 11.3 points.
Switching quarterbacks midseason is always difficult. As a six-year NFL veteran, White knows each quarterback’s ball delivery and anticipation is unique. He said it “takes time to iron those things out.”
“That’s why we feel so confident in Rickie just being able to execute and get the job done,” White said. “Because we see the time that he works and the extra time that he puts in.” Collins used the bye week to do just that. It started with building chemistry. Redshirt freshman Jaylan Hornsby said Collins achieved that by taking the offense bowling and throwing to receivers in the Ensley Athletic Facility after lifts and practice.
“It wasn’t timing,” Collins said on Oct. 14. “It was just more so getting on the same page, really. I was asking those guys how they will run routes and how they like things to be done, and so just to be able to go through that and try those things and see what works and what doesn’t.”
But Collins’ mishaps persisted in Syracuse’s 30-13 loss against Pittsburgh. He tossed three interceptions and was even replaced by freshman Luke Carney for the opening three drives of the second half, before returning.
On Saturday, Cook had six catches on eight targets for 66 yards. Gill was targeted a careerhigh 11 times but recorded just four catches for 34 yards. Ross-Simmons only played two snaps while recovering from an ankle injury, which kept him out of the second half against SMU.
Brown said Monday he wants to get Cook and Gill the ball as much as possible. He’s also looking for them to turn eight-yard catches into 40.
“They’re pushing and doing a good job,” Brown said. “I want to see them make some plays and make some guys miss.”
Since Collins took over, Syracuse has had six passes of over 20 yards. Angeli had six alone in Syracuse’s season opener against then-No. 24 Tennessee, totaling 22 in under four games.
During that time, a different receiver stepped up each game. Ross-Simmons sparked SU’s comeback win over UConn with two touchdowns. Gill put up a career day against Colgate (six catches, 152 yards, two touchdowns), and Cook was nearly unguardable (six receptions, 113 yards) as the Orange took down Clemson.
The weapons are there to help Collins succeed. Gill has elite speed, and Ross-Simmons has soft hands. Both can come down with any 50-50 ball over defenders, as shown by highlight-reel catches against Colgate and Clemson. NFL Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss even highlighted both on ESPN’s “You Got Mossed” segment last month. Gill earned the top spot and received signed gloves from Moss soon after.
It’s plays like those which drive the room, redshirt freshman Emanuel Ross said. Ross added there’s a “quiet confidence” amongst the receivers, but a competitive drive to see who can make the next big play.
running. White makes sure it knows where to expect the ball, what windows to settle into and how to set its angle on a deeper throw to gain separation.
Every practice starts with perfecting its stances, Hornsby said. White makes sure the receivers’ pads are low while making them do cone drills to ensure they’re cleanly getting in and out of its breaks. Ross added White wants it to finish in a dominant position, whether it’d be as a receiver or run blocker.
“One-thousand-yard seasons happen over a period of time, by doing the small things every single day, in every single play,” White said. “It’s very minute details that separate a good receiver from a great one, so we focus on that.”
White’s biggest challenge as a coach is being the proverbial “bad guy” and being tough on players when they need it. White recalled being frustrated by those coaches during his career, but they also helped him develop.
only had three catches since. Hornsby has had just one reception in the last four games. With Ross-Simmons limited last week, Hornsby earned 43 snaps — compared to 25 from Ross — but was held without a catch.
Outside of Syracuse’s main trio of upperclassmen, the lack of experience is still evident, yet White remains high on Ross and Hornsby. He said he has to constantly remind himself that they’re freshmen, and, while their youth makes them naive, they’re tough, disciplined and craving success.
“Those guys are fighting and clawing to take (the starters’) job,” White said. “I love that, because young guys who do that end up becoming really good players.”
While Syracuse’s youthful receivers learn the ropes, Gill, Cook and Ross-Simmons remain dangerous. Their connection with Angeli was palpable as he put up Kyle McCordtype numbers. It’s a completely different story with Collins.
“We definitely bounce off of each other’s energy all the time,” Ross said. “When someone gets it started, we all want to make plays. It’s great energy.”
White compared receiving rooms to a reality television show. There’s always something going on, but it’s important to handle the ebbs and flows. Drama is limited among SU’s group, per White, who labels it as unselfish. However, Hornsby thinks it’d make good TV, whether it’s Gill’s love of fashion, Ross-Simmons’ passion for hunting or Terrell Wilfong’s jokes. Hornsby said it’s rare for the group not to be together off the field.
On the field, it’s all business. Ross said White hasn’t shied away from the fundamentals, improving players’ releases and route
At Syracuse, White’s perspective carries plenty of weight within the receiving room. In 2013 and 2015, he caught passes from four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and two-time Super Bowl Champion Eli Manning. His experience in the league garners a sense of respect, Hornsby said.
So far, White’s gotten plenty from Cook, Gill and Ross-Simmons, despite a recent dip. They’ve accounted for 1,126 of SU’s total 2,060 receiving yards and 11 of its 15 touchdowns. Syracuse does have talent behind it, including Ross and Hornsby — both three-star prospects in the 2024 recruiting class per 247Sports — as well as freshman Darien Williams.
But they haven’t produced in their limited time. Ross had an encouraging five catch, 57-yard performance against Duke on Sept. 27, but has
Syracuse’s offense has lost its explosiveness and struggles to sustain drives. Despite having the weapons, Collins can’t seem to put it together.
Even with its quarterback’s inconsistency, the wide receiver room remains confident. There haven’t been weird social media posts or complaints about a lack of touches that could stir the pot. Instead, the focus remains on getting the offense back on track and competitive again.
“That’s just been (White’s) standard,” Ross said. “We want to be the best room in the country, so that standard is never going to change.” zakwolf784254@gmail.com @ZakWolf22
By Peter Radosh staff writer
Bo van Kempen calmed herself while her teammates refused to stay quiet after winning a decisive corner against then-No. 2 UNC. Amid the commotion, she visualized precisely what she wanted to do.
Pati Strunk’s insert found Lana Hamilton at the top of the arc. With Hamilton’s trap right in
front of her, van Kempen dragged the ball across the turf before a flick of her stick drilled it in the bottom left corner of the net. Van Kempen’s 19th goal of the season leveled SU 1-1 with the current No. 1 team in the nation.
It’s a routine SU’s short corner unit has executed 22 times this season, with van Kempen — who’s scored 14 of her 19 goals on attacking penalty corners — serving as the converter.
Van Kempen’s impact on Syracuse (10-4,
2-4 Atlantic Coast) goes beyond that. She leads the team in all major attacking and defensive statistics, including points (41) and shots on goal (43), while her 19 goals not only pace the Orange but rank second nationally. She’s logged 40% of SU’s defensive saves and acts as the heartbeat of SU’s backline, totaling 753 of the 864 possible minutes this season.
“One of our words at the beginning (of the season) was work rate,” Syracuse head coach Lynn Farquhar said on Aug. 29, after van Kempen scored six goals versus Lock Haven. “Our second was clinical. (Van Kempen) demonstrates that.”
Penalty corner goals are van Kempen’s bread and butter. She’s the Orange’s only player in the nation’s top 50 in goals. Since van Kempen arrived from the Netherlands last year, she’s had a habit of scoring in decisive moments.
This season alone, she tallied three gamewinning goals against Rutgers, Princeton and Duke, along with an equalizer in the 59th minute against Penn State that sparked a twogoal comeback.
“I really like to perform under pressure,” van Kempen said last year about her mindset. “I think the team has a lot of confidence in me. I finish it, game after game.”
Van Kempen and the penalty corner unit have been so dominant that, before Syracuse played its last regular-season home game against the Tar Heels, nearly every one of its goals in ACC play stemmed from penalty corners, leaving Farquhar looking for other ways to diversify SU’s scoring.
Although her other offensive contributions are less visible than her short corners, van
Kempen’s presence in the backline may be even more critical.
“(Our defenders) don’t just defend,” Farquhar said after beating then-No. 7 Duke on Sept. 26. “The defenders are the first line of our attack.”
One of our words at the beginning (of the season) was work rate. Our second was clinical. (Van Kempen) demonstrates that.
Lynn Farquhar syracuse head coach
Slotting in as Syracuse’s anchor in either a three- or four-back formation, nearly every play begins with van Kempen. She frequently cycles possession around the backline before looking for an opening in the midfield.
“Our success comes from our backfield being able to read the pressure and move the ball.” Farquhar said. “Whether it’s a high pressing team or a team that settles in, I’m glad they’re able to read the difference and let the ball do the work.”
not starting in 2024,
By Aiden Stepansky senior Staff writer
Jack Stonehouse struts into the Syracuse Football Performance Center lobby in his usual attire — pajama pants and a tank top. This time, it’s a black pair dotted with ghosts. Festive, of course.
Weeks prior, Stonehouse sported a t-shirt honoring Gail Lewis, the internet-famous Walmart employee. Of course, his signature mustache is present to match. His special teams coordinator, Ricky Brumfield, describes his persona
as a “don’t give a you know what mentality.” He’s always going to be himself.
“I think I’m the same person on and off the field,” Stonehouse said.
With his “fun-loving” personality — as his former high school coach Ed Croson puts it — Stonehouse could be seen as your typical specialist. But he’s far from that. In his fifth college season and third with the Orange, Stonehouse has established himself as a top punter in the country and one of SU’s most respected players.
He’s piled up accolades throughout his SU career, earning All-ACC
honors each season, a Preseason AllACC mention this year and a spot on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, given to the nation’s top punter. All signs indicate he has an NFL future. Yet Stonehouse understands the key to reaching the next level is performing in the present.
“I’m worried about today. I’m worried about tomorrow,” Stonehouse said. “I’m not trying to look too far ahead.”
Stonehouse’s family connections also foreshadow what’s next. His father, John, punted at USC before
Garrett Holman had every Atlantic Coast Conference offer a high school soccer player could want. Virginia. Cal. Stanford. The list
But when the center back from Hamburg, New Jersey, spoke with Syracuse’s staff, they had a vision. Head coach Ian McIntyre said that if Holman played for the Orange, he’d be one of the best center backs in the
“When we recruited Garrett, we knew that there was a ton of potential there,” McIntyre said.
“We thought he’s a Syracuse center back, with that athleticism and technique, someone who glides around
Holman took his word. Now a sophomore, he’s a
After making just six appearances as a freshman, Holman has played nearly every minute of every match this season. He and fellow center back Tim Brdaric have helped anchor a Syracuse backline that’s held opponents to 0.79 non-penalty goals a game. Holman’s helped SU post seven clean sheets, including a stretch of four straight, and he’s won 10 duels per game, per Sofascore. He even scored his first collegiate goal in SU’s 2-0 win over Cal
“He’s embracing this opportunity and continues to get better and better,” McIntyre said of Holman. “His ceiling is so high and he’s just scratching
McIntyre’s definition of a “Syracuse center back” is based on a storied lineage. United States Men’s National Team star Miles Robinson and Canada National Team staple Kamal Miller headline the list of center backs
Holman is the last person to compare himself to SU’s greats, but his coaches know he can become one of the
“Ceilings are man made,” said Edwin Escobar, Holman’s head coach at Phillips Academy Andover (Massachusetts). “In my opinion, there’s no ceiling for this kid, only the one that he creates for himself. I think that we’re seeing the beginning of a remarkable career
That career began at the age of 3, when Holman’s mom, Jeannie, saw an advertisement for a local recreational soccer team. She asked Holman if he wanted to participate, and he agreed.
He always had a competitive drive, his father, Gary, said, whether it was in youth sports tournaments or NBA 2K matchups on the Xbox. So, Holman tried every sport he could. Baseball. Basketball. Lacrosse. Golf. Karate. Only soccer stuck.
see holman page 14
a stint with the New York Giants. His uncle, Paul, did it at Stanford. He’s also trained with his cousin Ryan, who attended Colorado State and punted for the Tennessee Titans from 2022-24. The family’s athletic prowess isn’t limited to punting, as Stonehouse’s mom, Sue, played soccer at UCLA. And all three of his siblings have either played or currently play Division I sports.
John said the NFL isn’t Stonehouse’s only goal, describing it as gravy on top of an already successful career. Brumfield defines Stone-
house’s success in his get-off and hang times. Each situation is different, but Stonehouse bases it on keeping his average and net yards as close as possible while improving those marks, something he’s achieved each season. Stonehouse was in fifth grade when John started working with him on the family trade. The experience was initially “frustrating,” John said, due to his son’s lack of leg strength. Still, the time allowed Stonehouse to hone in on his mechanics, viewing his father as a “free coach.” When it came time to