The Good Life Fall 2021
Letter from the Editor Surprise! It’s me again. Don’t worry, though. This is the third and final time you’ll be reading my silly little letter. At this point, The Good Life is under dictatorial rule, and that’s not a great look for a magazine that promotes positivity and activism. Despite the imminent coup, it’s very bittersweet to be writing this for the last time, especially as I look back on how far we’ve come. I had the idea for TGL at the end of 2019, and in August 2020, I started working on the first issue. Since then, the staff has tripled in size, we had our first event, and we were able to add 16 more pages of articles, photography, and art for you to enjoy. We’ve covered everything from student businesses to community agriculture to immigration policy. I’m beyond proud of what the editors, writers, designers, and photographers have accomplished. It’s insane to see a half-formed concept become a real, physical thing that you can share with other people. I hope it’s as fulfilling for you to read TGL as it has been for me to make it. logging off for a while don’t hit me up. only the real ones know.
Morgaine McIlhargey Editor-in-Chief
Profile Lil Moej
By Kendra Broddus
Romita Ray By Julia Fesser
Fashion
Cold Winter, Warm Wear
By Chloe Langerman
Body Positive in a Negative World By Isabella Corral
Diane Schenandoah 6 By Sofia Abdulina
The Lookbook
Earth Styrofoam Out, Conservation In
Art
Nostalgia
By Emily Bruck
Reduce, Reuse, Redevelop By Grace McConnell
By various contributors
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Feature
Lifestyle
Making Reading Cool Again
A New Kind of “Back to School”
Standing Up and Speaking Out
By Morgan Collier
In-Person and Underfunded By Declan Russell
The Bursting Social Bubble By Ariana Centeno
By Kathryn Hendry
By Ava Lombardi
The Good Life Morgaine McIlhargey Editor-In-Chief Katie Hageman Managing Editor
Ashley Clemens Editor-at-Large
Section Editors Profile/Feature Bryan Brush Environment/Fashion Ariel Samuel Lifestyle Wallace Grayce Nichols Lookbook Julia Fesser Art Abby Rosenstein Designers Mia Adelman Amelia Flinchbaugh Bella Klug Emma Lenz Elizabeth Wolf
Gracie Carrigan Assistant Editor
Writers Sofia Abdulina Kendra Broddus Emily Bruck Ariana Centeno Morgan Collier Isabella Corral Kathryn Hendry Chloe Langerman Ava Lombardi Grace McConnell Declan Russell Bibiana Snyder Photographers Josh Lee Sophie Walter Mo Wood
Social Media Gabriella Enriquez Anna Ginelli Heather McClure Clara Olson Spencer Selligson Harriet Brown Adviser The writing contained within The Good Life expresses the opinions of the individual writers. The opinions expressed herein are not those of the editorial board, Syracuse University, the Office of Student Activities, the Student Association, and the Student Body. The Good Life reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions at the discretion of its editors. The Good Life magazine is published twice during the Syracuse University academic year. All contents are copyright by their respective creators. No content may be reproduced without the written consent of The Good Life editorial board.
Design by Emma Lenz
Profile
Album cover provided by James Lanier
Since we last spoke...
Rapper finally gets his chance to open for Lil Tjay By Kendra Broddus
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Lil Moej Reaches The Stage
yracuse local James Lanier (“Lil Moej”) had the opportunity to open for Lil Tjay at The Westcott Theater in April 2020, but the pandemic cancelled the show — along with Lanier’s chance to perform. At the time of our previous coverage, there was no word on when the country would reopen, let alone if Lil Tjay’s tour would be rescheduled at The Westcott Theater. But Lanier didn’t give up. He worked to produce more music and eventually dropped his first album, Sum 2 Prove. Fortunately, the opportunity for Lanier to open for Lil Tjay returned. Along with other musicians, the two of them performed on October 9. “It was electrifying,” Lanier says. “You can really hear the people, feel the people moving down there.”
Lanier spent the day wearing a VIP bracelet and talking with members of Lil Tjay’s team and others in the music industry. Bobby Cecile, a big supporter of Lanier, has been with him for his entire music career. “It was a very proud moment as a friend and a fan,” Cecile says. “But more proud as a friend because all of his hard work paid off.” After Lil Moej’s performance, he gained over 100 new followers on Instagram. He was swamped by fans asking for his picture. But even more important than the recognition, Lanier’s friends and family were able to experience his success with him. “I know how it feels to be doing something with no support,” Lanier says. “So to all my friends and family I would just say the biggest thank you in the world.”
Fall 2021 The Good Life | 4
Romita Ray Syracuse professor explores the art of tea By Julia Fesser
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n the dead of Syracuse winter, Romita Ray, Ph.D., looks out her window and, inspired by the quiet and peaceful snow, sees a Caspar David Friedrich painting. This is where she writes. Ray grew up in Calcutta, India. She moved to the U.S. for her studies. Syracuse University offered her a job which combined her interest in Indian and European art. She specializes in art and architecture while India was under British Colonial rule. In 2020, Ray took a sabbatical, through an SU grant, and traveled to India, Sri Lanka, and the UK to research and write a book about tea, tentatively titled Leafy Wonders: Art, Aesthetics, and the Science of Tea in Colonial and Modern India. Ray’s travels throughout her life have enriched
her work and introduced her to a myriad of interesting characters. “Moving from place to place has always been an adventure, you know, because when you move to any new place, you start a new life from scratch, but you meet very interesting people on campuses,” Ray says. “I want to honor all the voices who have helped shape this book and helped shape my thinking on this fabulous journey.” Although the people she met on her trips influenced her book, her initial inspiration came from her family history. “In founding the India tea planters association, [my great-grandfather] was
carving out a space for Indian tea planters that died when the industry was very dominated by the British,” Ray says. “His story inspired me to then think about tea not only as a plant, but as a botanical, and to think about plantations, which I have spent a lot of time on growing up.” She heard stories about tea throughout her childhood, so she combined her interest in plant and art history, landscapes, and family into her research. Tea was a British imperial industry, so one of Ray’s goals was to incorporate Indian planters’ experiences into her story. In her book, she focuses on tea plants as an art form and delves into the plantation as a cultivation of wealth production and exploitation, exploring how humans shape these environments. “Sometimes we forget that the practice of science is not just about empirical observation,” Ray says. “It’s not just about hard facts, but it’s also a very human experience. The clutter of human life goes with the discovery. It’s not about the point A to point B process but everything in between. There are all of these adventures, where life itself as an experience takes place.” Each person’s story has led her to a new set of questions. Speaking to plant laborers and seeing the rigorous effort that is involved in tea plucking, Ray gained a new sense of appreciation for the art. She wants to celebrate all the people that have helped her along the way, whether they are tea pluckers, tea planters, scientists, or any of the people she has met. Ray says, “There’s something quite magical about drinking a cup of tea.”
Photo by Josh Lee
Diane Schenandoah
Design by Emma Lenz
Photo provided by Diane Schenandoah
Native healer takes new position at SU By Sofia Abdulina in Oneida, through word of mouth clientele. Now, she has her own office in the Barnes Center, where students can make appointments to experience her energy work, such as tuning forks, acupressure, and dream interpretation.
D
uring times of cultural blindness, Syracuse alumni Diane Schenandoah returns to SU to spread awareness and heal students. Schenandoah grew up surrounded by her culture, her father a chief from Onondaga Nation and her mother a Wolf Clan Mother from the Oneida Nation. Because her family is matrieneil, she is Oneida. “[My mother] was responsible for the social, political and spiritual welfare of the people,” Schenandoah says. “She was a well respected leader who was a wonderful, honest, loving, caring and compassionate woman.” When Schenandoah was growing up, her family performed energy work on individuals in their community. “Everyone has a purpose, everyone has a gift, everyone has a duty,” Schenandoah says. “And when we use our energies, we run into people for certain reasons and lessons.” Before coming to SU in July 2021, Schenandoah had her own private practice
“I’m Honwadiyenawa’sek, the one who helps them,” Schenandoah says. “I work with students to work with their own energies and bring about peace.” Schenandoah incorporates her culture of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy into her spiritual healing practices. “This is where my teachings come from, and they are based upon peace, love, and forgiveness,” Schenandoah says. “A lot of people go through life without recognizing their own purpose or their own gifts. I try to help people bring that together in their own center.” Schenandoah’s supervisor, Tanya E. Williamson works as the associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Barnes Center. She and Schenandoah will work together on projects in the future. “Diane has added value to our options of health and wellness by offering services not typically found on a college campus,” Williamson says via email. “We are fortunate in that we can now offer services consistent with Haudenosaunee teachings, and this aligns well with our integrated, holistic care at the Barnes Center.” According to Williamson, students have
responded positively to Schenandoah’s energy work. “As a Faithkeeper, she feels it is important to share Haudenosaunee teachings to all people in the promotion of love and forgiveness,” Williamson says. Schenandoah’s main goal is to help students understand their own abilities. “[I am] lifting them up for their highest good and trying to help them find their own strengths and their own energy because we’re all energy,” Schenandoah says. “We’re all stardust, we came from the stars. We’re all very light energies.” Aside from practicing her energy work, Schenandoah leads various events at SU, such as the Full Moon Ceremony, in which students sang a woman’s song and played hand drums. “It was very wonderful,” Schenandoah says. “We gave thanks to Grandmother Moon because she controls the tides and the cycles.” In addition, Schenandoah hopes to create awareness that would lead to acknowledgement and healing. “The Indigenous people have suffered greatly and have gone through so much turmoil,” Schenandoah says. “Their lands taken, their children taken away from, and horrific crimes that have happened to our people. I’m very proud of the university’s step towards the realization of Indigineous practices, Indigenous work, and sharing my culture.”
Fall 2021 The Good Life | 6
Earth
Styrofoam Out,
Conservation In New York State targets environmental conservation one step at a time By Emily Bruck
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ood news! You received a notification from Amazon that your package has arrived. Upon examination though, it’s missing a familiar part of the delivery experience: the infamous packing peanuts. Later, at your favorite local restaurant, you ask for a takeout box only to find they’ve changed their styrofoam box to a non-toxic plastic alternative. This is the reality that comes with the New York styrofoam ban, which will be implemented by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on Jan. 1. The ban targets two forms of styrofoam: to-go containers and packing peanuts. Styrofoam is a nonbiodegradable material made of polystyrene, a suspected carcinogen. Ivan Gitsov, Ph.D., a professor of polymer chemistry at ESF says the polystyrene material has monomers made of toxic materials. When filled with hot liquids, styrofoam cups secrete harmful substances. Kathryn Walker, director of the Center for Sustainable Materials Management at SUNY ESF, says that, in addition to its toxicity, styrofoam doesn’t break down in the environment, making it dangerous to aquatic life. “The styrofoam ban creates an opportunity
7 | The Good Life Fall 2021
to choose safer products that are better for the environment and for humans,” Walker says. So then why is it so common? Gitsov points out that styrofoam is light and doesn’t add extra weight to shipping boxes. The NYSDEC also says styrofoam is an effective insulator for raw meat and is a far cheaper packing alternative to its more environmentally friendly counterparts, making it a convenient option for restaurants and businesses.
“The styrofoam ban creates an opportunity to choose safer products that are better for the environment and for humans.” The ban is not going to eradicate all styrofoam use in the state, though. Styrofoam used to store raw meat will not be eliminated from restaurants and grocery stores, and the ban does not apply to cities with a population of one million or more, such as New York City. Also, styrofoam containers will still be used by government agencies that provide materials to food insecure individuals. Despite the slow adoption of a styrofoam ban, New York State and the DEC have
already made strides in environmental conservation. In 2019, New York became the third state to ban plastic bags outright. According to the NYSDEC, before the plastic bag ban, about 23 billion plastic bags were used by New York residents each year. That said, New York is far from the first place to organize a plastic or styrofoam ban. In Massachusetts, a small group of high schoolers led by Sravya Tanikella started their own initiative in 2017, despite the fact there wasn’t an established group or prior knowledge about drafting a bylaw. By 2018, with the help of the NorthboroughSouthborough Interact Club, she built up enough outreach and passed two bylaws that reduced plastic bag and styrofoam use in Northborough. “It’s ridiculous to me that we really only use that polystyrene product for an hour, and then it doesn’t biodegrade for a very long time,” Tanikella says. When government agencies fall short or are slow to act, organizations as small as those run by high school students take the initiative to create a cleaner, healthier environment. “My question is: Why not?” Tanikella says. “I don’t understand why people would want to keep harming the planet and harming their bodies.”
Apple core
1 month
Design by Emma Lenz
Exactly How Long Does It Take for Styrofoam to Break Down? Newspaper
2-6 weeks
Cardboard milk carton
5 years
Plastic bag
20 years
Plastic straw
200 years
Plastic water bottle 450 years
Styrofoam
500+ years
Sources: Green Dining Alliance, WWF Australia, Planet Paper, Globe Conscious
Fall 2021 The Good Life | 8
Reduce, Reuse, Redevelop Sustainable construction transforms a favorite DeWitt Location By Grace McConnell
W
hether it was time spent playing laser tag and arcade games at the Fun Junction or catching a movie at the Regal Cinemas, the ShoppingTown Mall in DeWitt, New York has long been providing entertainment for its customers after opening as an open-air shopping center in 1954. In 2010, many stores began closing, and once the pandemic hit, the already declining mall closed its doors for good. The large mall and parking lot sat empty for a little over a year before an announcement on July 21 confirmed the opening of District East in its place. The large building is set to become an area with residential buildings, restaurants, offices, entertainment, and retail spaces, following a construction project spanning over several years. The project is being headed by Redev CNY, HueberBreuer Construction, DalPos Architects, and Housing Visions. Redeveloping the older building was a popular choice because it preserves a part of the community’s history while also creating a useful space for the future. However, District East represents a promise for a positive future for more than one reason. In addition to revitalizing a longtime area of entertainment in Dewitt, the project is also environmentally friendly. About 50% of the original building will be maintained
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instead of being demolished. This is a process called redevelopment, also referred to as sustainable development, or sustainable construction.
“We can disassemble buildings, potentially reuse the components, and do it in an efficient and effective manner so that we don’t have to constantly require more and more resources to create a built environment.” Paul Crovella, Ph.D., an assistant professor at SUNY ESF and researcher of sustainable construction, describes the recent focus on changing construction to be more environmentally friendly and conserve more energy as part of an attempt to alter the changing climate.
Design by Bella Klug
“Deconstruction asks how can we design differently so that in the future, at the end of their lives, we can disassemble buildings, potentially reuse the components, and do it in an efficient and effective manner so that we don’t have to constantly require more and more resources to create a built environment,” Crovella says. “We can actually reutilize the existing resources to provide for future generations.” By avoiding complete demolition, the developers of a property will be avoiding construction’s negative effects on the environment, such as leftover waste as well as disturbances made to the soil. The leftover waste adds to the overall pollution in an area and disturbances in soil causes soil erosion and can harm vegetation in the area.
The focus on sustainable construction and development is growing in popularity nationwide as a better way to construct within communities. California has its own Redevelopment Association that awards construction projects in the state that take active steps in designing sustainable elements for their projects. They focus on “water conservation, reducing dependence on automobiles, energy-efficient design and operation, and beneficial materials and waste management.” But California is not alone in its encouragement of the redevelopment of properties. Many major American cities are striving to be more environmentally-friendly in terms of construction. In Washington, D.C., the Wharf Project serves as a trial for a neighborhood development program that uses the values associated with green building and intelligent growth. The Hantz Woodlands project in Detroit plans on taking vacant properties and creating farmlands with the goal of having the world’s largest urban farm. A retail center in Austin is designing their street more for pedestrian use rather than automobiles.
Redevelopment is becoming more common in urban areas in order for these cities to reap the benefits associated with it. The citizens of DeWitt are certainly excited to see a part of their history become something useful and entertaining instead of having it disappear with heavy machinery and dust clouds. Deputy Town Supervisor Kerry Mannion was excited about the addition of green space as well as the connection to nearby houses in the community. “It’s really just going to be a great asset because there are thousands of houses right in this area and it’ll be connected,” Mannion says. “You’ll be able to walk to it, bike to it, maybe even drive your electric car over, but it’s going to be fantastic.”
Fall 2021 The Good Life | 10
Lifestyle
In-Person and Underfunded By Declan Russell
F
or years, K–12 public schools nationwide have been forced to make cuts at the student’s expense due to a lack of funding. It would require $150 billion of annual funding for schools to bring every student up to the national average for education, according to a 2020 Century Foundation study. These problems have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. While the American Rescue Plan Act provided nearly $130 billion to help public schools meet a wide range of needs, this was only a small bandage to fix decades-old wounds.
Sheila McAdams, a preschool and kindergarten teacher in Wilmington, Massachusetts with nearly 40 years of teaching and administrative experience, has faced the impacts of budget cuts and underfunding directly. “It really starts to force value selection on how money is spent and what opportunities we feel are imperative for kids,” McAdams says. She feels schools are increasingly tasked with correcting behavioral issues before learning begins, which places even more stress on teachers. “We’re building the plane as we fly it, because we don’t have the capacity right now to serve as that community hub of all need,” McAdams said. “That burden alone will tap out a lot of teachers.” The Economic Policy Institute reported a 15% drop in the amount of education degrees awarded from 2008 to 2016 nationally, as well as an almost 30% drop in the number of completed teacher preparation programs in 2019. As schools struggle to fill vacancies, they become increasingly desperate and are eventually forced to hire less qualified teachers that lower the district’s quality. Throughout her years of teaching in Ipswich, Massachusetts, kindergarten teacher Kerry Zagrella has witnessed a number of colleagues leave the profession, mostly in hopes of making better money. “It’s a really hard job, with really long hours, with little respect, and certainly little pay,” Zagrella
says. “That’s why you have to love it.”
income students and students of color face.
She has worked in early education her entire life and long ago accepted that it’s faster and less complicated to self-purchase supplies.
Already, UpSkill has grown to a team of nearly 100 providing services at Syracuse University, Dartmouth College, and Boston University. Beyond tutoring, UpSkill has committees that focus on specific areas in each community, from philanthropy to college preparation for first generation students to community education on where barriers to education stem from.
“Parents donate, I donate, because I make so much money already,” Zagrella jokes. “A larger working classroom budget would definitely be helpful.” Nearly half of the funding for public schools comes from local property taxes, meaning schools in low-income areas receive less and are automatically disadvantaged. “When the kids are not getting equal access, that’s not public school anymore,” Zagrella says. UpSkill Education, a nonprofit started by SU student Hunter Miren, is one organization attempting to level the education playing field. UpSkill trains student volunteers to tutor kindergarten through college students in various subjects at no cost, aiming to eliminate economic inconsistencies in education by providing free resources for students who lack educational support.
While he is satisfied with UpSkill’s growth, he recognizes that there will always be more services to offer and areas to expand to. “There’s so much built into why UpSkill has to be a thing right now that I don’t think it will ever be able to fix anything completely,” Miren says. But that doesn’t discourage him. Rather, it seems to motivate him to find which community needs UpSkill next. “It’s about trying to constantly be aware, adapt, and understand that each person has their own individual issues and barriers that they’re trying to work through,” Miren says. “We’re just here to help with that.”
Miren started UpSkill in 2020 because, growing up with severe ADHD and unable to afford any supplemental support, he understood how difficult school could be when students weren’t given equal opportunities.
In her classroom, Zagrella attempts to be a similar force in the fight to equalize education. Public schools don’t receive adequate resources to allow students and teachers to work in suitable conditions, but Zagrella finds a way to make the best out of what they are given.
“Education is says. He cites with ADHD compared to
“I am only going to teach kids in a joyful, playful way,” Zagrella says. “I’m confident that I’m doing the right thing for the kids, and that’s all that matters.”
inherently unfair,” Miren how, while his experience was difficult, it’s nothing the obstacles many low-
Design by Amelia Flinchbaugh
The impact of decades of underfunding and budget cuts on K-12 public schools across the country
Fall 2021 The Good Life | 12
The
Bursting
Social Bubble Anxiety and agoraphobia in the age of the mass revitalization of large in-person social events
By Ariana Centeno
T
he ability to go to a large in-person event that included people who were not in your immediate social circle was seen as a luxury being ripped away from social culture over the past two years. However, not all people saw this type of an event as a luxury in the first place, and for many activities with large numbers of people in attendance can be incredibly difficult to enjoy. Even before COVID-19 created widespread anxiety among communities internationally, anxiety and agoraphobia – the fear of leaving the house – were prevalent. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 5.7% of U.S. adults have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and 1.3% have been diagnosed with agoraphobia. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, anxiety within adults has increased from 11% to 41% in comparison to before and after COVID-19 hit the U.S. As the world reopens, concerts and festivals can be particularly stress-inducing for those who
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struggle with anxiety and agoraphobia postpandemic. Agoraphobia and GAD are different mental disorders, meaning they are not always intertwined, Dr. Afton Kapuscinski, director of the Psychological Services Center at SU, explains. Someone who has agoraphobia may also have anxiety, but someone who has anxiety is not guaranteed to have agoraphobia. Ashley Rohacek, a graduate student working towards her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology explained the mental strain that crowded, public events have on a person with agoraphobia. “This will prevent someone from wanting to go because they are anticipating a lot of negative outcomes,” Rohacek says. Now that large in-person events, such as concerts and festivals, are being rescheduled and some venues are open at full-capacity, it’s
becoming harder to avoid these situations. Kapuscinski recommends that those who experience intense anxiety or agoraphobia stay toward the back of the crowd to lessen their chance of a panic attack.
“If you stay home you aren’t living your life, if you aren’t going to bars and concerts you aren’t having a good time, so you start to feel pressured from friends because you fear you won’t have friends.” “Although it might not be possible for most people with agoraphobia to fully engage in a crowded event on the first try, any small
However, this solution doesn’t consider the loneliness that comes with being on the outskirts. Yonsue Tomassini is a student who struggles with anxiety himself. Tomassini spoke of his own experiences of trying to keep up with the energy and excitement of his friends that he feels he cannot muster up.
Design by Mia Adelman
step toward sustaining more engagement in feared activities can help,” Kapuscinski says. “If someone starts by staying on the outskirts of a crowded area when they normally would have stayed home altogether, that is progress.”
“Leading up to a concert I would feel the need to zone out and listen to my own music,” Tomassini says. “Interacting with people would be very limited with minimal energy, I would lose my humor, and I would be counting down the time throughout the day. I wouldn’t feel present at all.” The idea of normalcy in college is to be consistently participating in the opportunities college life presents. In reality, this leads to people with anxiety forcing themselves into high-stress situations to keep up with the “ideal” social life. “Society in general has cultural expectations, especially [for] college students, who are told these are the ‘golden years,’” Rohacek says. “If you stay home you aren’t living your life, if you aren’t going to bars and concerts you aren’t having a good time, so you start to feel pressured from friends because you fear you won’t have friends.” This fear of missing out is amplified when, as the country reopens, the mainstream narrative is that everyone is excited to travel, go to concerts, and simply be around people in public. But, despite the gradual return to normal, the pandemic has offered people with agoraphobia and GAD a new option: virtual events. Writer Gretchen Gales, who has agoraphobia, explains the benefits of virtual events. She says in her blog that continuing to hold virtual events can include those who are often forgotten by society and can allow their comfortability and engagement in social events flourish. “While virtual events also need significant improvements to give a fully accessible experience, even having the option to attend an event virtually is an opportunity for someone to engage with something or someone they never could before.”
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Fashion
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Design by Mia Adelman
Cold Winter, Warm Wear How low-income Syracuse residents will get their clothing this winter By Chloe Langerman
C
old weather is no surprise for those in Syracuse. Winter drags on for nearly half of the year and freezing temperatures are a staple in the weather forecast. This year, however, is expected to be even more frigid than in years past. Syracuse is known for its harsh winters, but the La Niña this year is expected to worsen the season. La Niña is a weather pattern that occurs every few years. Pacific Ocean temperatures drop a few degrees and alter weather patterns around the world. In the northern United States, temperatures are colder than usual in the winter. 3fifteen, a store constantly bustling with students and adults of all ages, is the go-to spot for cheap game day tops and Syracuse merchandise. However, the thrift store does much more for the community than just provide fashionable finds for less. The store partners with Rescue Mission Alliance, a homeless shelter that has existed for over 100 years and helps Syracuse residents with their basic necessities. 3fifteen donates a percentage of their store revenue to fund the shelter and its programs. Karen Fratianni, the manager at 3fifteen, shared why it is important for people in the community to support the store. “The funds from our store go to provide meals, heat, and housing,” Fratianni says. “We have a use for anything, even damaged items. It all goes back into the community.”
The revenue generated from the two 3fifteen locations, as well as 18 Thrifty Shopper stores will provide low-income residents with winter gear, as well as keep people sheltered throughout the winter season. “We’re all in it for the same reason,” Fratianni says. “It’s retail, but it’s retail with a purpose.” The lower temperatures projected this season pose a significant threat to lowincome residents of Syracuse who do not have the means to buy winter gear. Frostbite, in particular, severely impacts those who are on the streets. At lower than average temperatures, extra pieces of clothing may be needed in addition to the normal basics that accompany the winter season. For example, items such as scarves, heavier jackets, and socks may be in higher demand than usual. Racial and ethnic minorities in Syracuse also feel disproportionate impacts of the colder temperatures. According to CNY Vitals, Syracuse has the 18th worst poverty rate among cities in the United States. Information collected from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that at least 30% of Syracuse’s population lives under the poverty line. This urgency is underscored as racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty have sharply increased in Syracuse. Amber Vander Ploeg, the chief programs officer at Rescue Mission Alliance describes the efforts that the organization will take to
support homeless and low-income Syracuse residents this year. “If an individual needs gloves or hats they can go to our emergency shelter and we will hand them out to anybody in need,” Vander Ploeg says. “We do not ask questions, we do not collect information. We hand out over 2,000 gloves and hats each year.” Although Syracuse students cannot often contribute monetary donations, Rescue Mission Alliance encourages students to set up drives, shop at one of their thrift shop locations, or donate old winter gear to support their programs. Sydney Taraschi, a freshman at SU, has taken action to help provide winter clothing. “A couple of my friends and I went through our closets and donated clothes we knew we weren’t gonna wear this year,” Taraschi says. “If we don’t need them, there’s no point for them to just sit without being used.” Through donation, thrift stores, care packages, and emergency shelters, individuals and organizations like Rescue Mission Alliance provide clothes for the community as well as a place to stay when the weather becomes unbearable. “We are a safety net for this community to meet whatever needs they have,” Vander Ploeg says.
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Body Positive in a Negative World How social media influencers are using their platforms to spread body acceptance By Isabella Corral
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e spend hours scrolling through social media and seeing other people’s perfect lives and their flawless beauty. Then, feeling the need to achieve those standards, we unconsciously spend hours photoshopping a picture or editing the way we look before uploading a picture on Instagram or any other social media platform. However, some influencers are acknowledging the negative influence they are contributing to and are making a conscientious effort to use their platforms to spread more body awareness.
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Famous social media influencers fall victim to this problem by continuously focusing on their outer appearances to garner the most likes and have the highest number of followers. Fiona Connolly, a 20-year-old Instagram influencer, says she feels pressure to share only the best photos of herself.
As a result, viewers are led to believe that their bodies should meet those high standards, when in reality, they are unattainable due to their artificiality or because the perfect pose was achieved after hundreds of attempts. In the last 10 years or so, Western beauty standards have remained the same.
“When you take a picture, you’re going to take, like, 300 pictures, and you’re going to [choose] the best three,” Connolly says. “[You’ll choose the photo in which] you’re in your best pose and your best angle.”
“Being light-skinned, blonde and blue-eyed is the benchmark of beauty, of what is most desirable,” says sociologist Kristen Marrinan. Believing that these are the most important
“You can have the most social media followers and perfect pictures, but there is always someone that you’re going to compare yourself to,” Connolly says. However, the social environment is changing, and audiences now desire to see influencers who look just like them, rather than filtered photos that show unrealistic standards. TikTok influencer and art video student at Syracuse University, Soley Liboy says, “People should be conscious that everyone is different and that 7 billion people cannot look the same.” In response, social media influencers, such as Mik Zazon, and celebrities, like Lizzo, are working to promote body acceptance and focus more on how they can relate positive messages through the content they share. In that stride, other influences are focusing more on their unique characteristics rather than simply paying attention to how they present themselves visually in the most appealing way. For example, in 2016, Geraldine West started the “Instagram vs. reality” trend,
when users post a picture that shows what they look like without filters and compare it to the photoshopped picture. Instagram influencers have also started posting more self-love content, encouraging people to stop focusing on how others look and instead devote more time to loving themselves.
“Beauty can be expressed in many different ways, and I try not to be so hard on my body.” Some social media influencers, like Connolly, have also started to actively promote body inclusivity by partnering with brands that promote the body inclusivity movement. When brands reach out to her, she goes on their pages to decide whether or not she should partner up with them. “If I go on their pages and I don’t see any diversity, meaning ethnicity-wise or bodywise, [I decide that] this might not be the right thing,” Connolly says. This type of process can be instrumental in
brands becoming more body conscious. If influencers and celebrities begin to factor in whether a company promotes body positivity or not, they can play a major role in influencing brands to become more accepting of all types of bodies and incorporating more ranges in sizes.
Design by Amelia Flinchbaugh
beauty features, many celebrities and influencers try to attain these qualities any way they can, as opposed to embracing their unique physical qualities and attributes.
Some other well-known influencers, such as Winnie Harlow, have also collaborated with brands like Covergirl and Puma to demonstrate that conforming to societal molds does not represent the true and authentic definition of beauty. The partnership has been an inspiration for many other brands to create partnerships with body positive influencers and celebrities. Some brands, such as Darling, don’t photoshop their images and completely avoid the “retouching” stage altogether. While social media is often thought of as a place that fosters self-consciousness and generates low self-esteem, influencers have recently been trying to make social media a more enjoyable and inclusive community of content creators and viewers. “We have all just gotten so sick of how social media is affecting our health. These are the best years of our lives,” Connolly says. “You don’t want to be older and look back and wish that you had loved yourself and not cared about how you looked.”
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Have a disco party at the quarry, unleash your inner fairy in Thornden, or be one with the paintings at the Everson. Syracuse is filled with tons of cool art and culture, sometimes easily missed. So come with us, and we’ll let you in on some of our fav spots.
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Model: Zuzanna Mlynarczyk Makeup: Benedicta Owusu Photographer: Mo Wood Illustrations by Elizabeth Wolf
Model: Libby Dy Makeup: Mia Adelman Photographer: Josh Lee Illustration by Elizabeth Wolf
Models: Morgan Calcara, Alvin Chan, Bailey Davis & Aidan Headrick Makeup: Mia Adelman & Benedicta Owusu Photographers: Josh Lee & Sophie Walter
Exhibit: For the Love of Morris Louis (2015) by Polly Apfelbaum
Art Fine tooth comb, BARBICIDE Beagle groans fireside Stockings hung - Spring is come and gone red & yellow on the lawn Got the “Back to school Walkin’ Blues” Sketchers, light-up shoes xylophone in music class cool computers, Apple Macs I can’t wait, still to get back home to hug my mother. “K-12” by Spencer Hillman
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Photos by Anton Alexander Lopez @reframing_the_family_portrait
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Photo by Alexandra Wells
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big brother burned for me only one I need or consider Pop it in the Plastic Player track 03 repeat over, over Feeling fuzz from flimsy phones, which hug my skull and work by way of wire “This CD” by Spencer Hillman
Illustrations by Mark Jankowski
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Photos by Celia Goodman
Prints by Zuzanna Mlynarczyk
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Illustrations by Abby Rosenstein
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Feature n ga r o r M llie By Co
ED T EC OKS P EX BO N U NG I E TH EAD TO F R N I O K AL O LO VIV A E R
A
s the coronavirus sank the world into uncertainty, people started turning to “hands-on” activities for a sense of purpose and as a way to keep busy. The toll of quarantine and the ambiguity meant many needed an escape. It just so happened the perfect combination of hands on and escapism came in the form of a good book, and a new generation of readers were born. These new readers are causing exponential growth in book sales. According to Statista, 750.89 million units for printed books were sold in 2020, up 8.2%, the highest year-onyear increase since 2010. TikTok may be the reason for this dramatic increase. Entertainment without the internet is difficult to find. But, when looking for an escape from reality without mindlessly scrolling through social media, many turned to reading books. The term “BookTok” was coined to represent the community within
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TikTok that shares book recommendations and all other book-related content. This was initially a very small, niche group that has quickly grown. Popular influencers have begun posting inspirational lines from poetry books and snapping pictures of their book cover while on the beach.
nothing else to do,” Chen says. “I was tired of watching TV. So I was just like, let me go read a book.”
TikTok’s popularity was rising before the beginning of the pandemic, but the platform took off during the early months of quarantine. A 2020 Forbes article declared that the app’s use was up 75% since the start of the year. A new form of entertainment was needed after television and movie production was halted.
“It definitely keeps me off my phone. Because if I’m really engrossed in a book, then I’ll just not be on any kind of social media for hours,” Chen says. “It makes me feel like I’m actually doing something academic, versus sitting and watching TV for three hours.” The market for the young adult genre is up almost 50% through the first half of 2021. With the recent rise of the BookTok community, this is no coincidence. The novel, They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera has completely blown up because of TikTok. Videos posted about the book have received over 41 million views, boosting sales to over
Syracuse University senior Veronica Chen picked up reading once more during the pandemic. “[I] didn’t really read throughout most of college until COVID hit because then I had
Chen gets her book recommendations from TikTok, and finds reading to be a more productive waste of time.
Design by Bella Klug
300,000 units, according to Simon and Shuster, the book’s publisher. Matt Butler, store manager of an Upstate New York Barnes and Noble mentioned this book specifically when asked about the effect of the “BookTok” table in many store locations. “You’d see books like They Both Die at the End, which is a five-plus-year-old book that hadn’t sold in years and all of a sudden sells dozens of copies a day across the cluster,” Butler says. The sales are almost overwhelming. Katie Hayduke, acquisitions manager at the Onondaga County Public Library, spoke about difficulties behind the scenes. “The only issue right now that we’re seeing is just getting enough content onto the shelf,” Hayduke says. “The vendors are struggling,
and the publishers are struggling and trying to actually create physical books. But I’m beyond happy that this is happening. I really want reading to be cool.” BookToker Pauline Juan (@thebooksiveloved), who has over 430,000 followers on TikTok, discusses how reading is an entirely individual experience, which may be why it is resonating with so many people.
“If I needed a break from my own anxiety, I could go read about some far-off world and find empowerment in my own life by being in someone else’s head for a few hours,” Black says. “There is an entirely different mental break you get when you hold a physical book and find a comfortable spot to read it and just relax.”
“That’s what’s so great about it, is that people are so subjective when they read, and they interpret stories differently. It fits a specific way into their life,” Juan says. “The same book could teach 10 different readers 10 different things.”
Social media isn’t known for being a positive influence. But, for the first time in a long time, it is. Anyone can be a reader, especially once they find that one story that changes everything. Dani A. Allen, who posts on TikTok and Instagram under the username @booksdanireads, explains how just a single book, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, dramatically impacted her mind.
Lizzy Black (@bumblebeezus), who has over 10 million likes on her book-related TikTok content, says that for her, reading is different from other forms of entertainment.
“I was complete after I read it,” she says. “I was like, I’m exactly who I’m supposed to be. And it was just a beautiful, beautiful moment in my life.”
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Design by Amelia Flinchbaugh
The effects of transitioning back to in-person learning By Kathryn Hendry
W
alking around the quad this semester presented the chatter of students relating to each other over forgetting how to do “real school,” or in-person learning. But, as the weeks passed, students began to converse on a deeper level, past just, “Ugh, I literally don’t remember how to do actual work,” and, “Oh my gosh, I haven’t had a real test in over a year.” Around midterms, the tests and papers piled up, and these phrases began to ring just a bit too true. Though last year’s workload was a lot lighter for students due to a surplus of athome resources and general sympathy from professors, several students suffered from intense anxiety surrounding the pandemic and having to learn online. A study by The National Library Of Medicine reported that out of a sample of 195 college students, 71% reported an increase in stress and anxiety during the pandemic. Many students also became increasingly complacent with their “new normal” and their motivation dwindled. Not yet acclimated to the level of effort and stamina needed to succeed in college, many Syracuse students are struggling in the early months of their first semester back, or their first semester ever. Though a smooth transition from fully online school to inperson learning seemed simple enough, this was not the reality for many students. Though some students were lucky enough to have had multiple in person classes last year, students who only were able to take one, or none, are struggling a bit more. Junior Writing and Rhetoric Composition major Val Paynton was among this group of students. Though she was on campus, Paynton was completely virtual her first semester sophomore year and had only one in-person class her second semester. “I would say that physically and mentally I
wasn’t prepared for the return of everything,” Paynton says. “On top of that, trying to keep up with all of the extracurriculars has been tough. It was like there was no reintegration.” Likewise, senior Newspaper and Online Journalism major Vidhi Patel has not been fully in-person since March 2020.
“I would say that physically and mentally I wasn’t prepared for the return of everything. It was like there
increase in cortisol, a naturally-occurring chemical known as the “stress hormone.” It isn’t all downhill from here, though. Boardcertified behavior analyst and assistant psychology professor at SU, Dr. Bridget O’Neil Hier, says she has heard mixed feedback from her students. “Many students have reported to me that they are experiencing increased levels of stress and anxiety this semester,” Dr. Hier says. “But, at the same time, probably just as many students have expressed relief and excitement about the transition back to inperson learning.”
was no reintegration.”
Sophomore Advertising and Entrepreneurship major Alex Lund is one of those students having a more positive experience this year.
“I’m glad that classes are back in person, but I feel like the workload is a lot worse than it was online,” Patel says. “We were just pushed into the next semester without the option to be virtual. I don’t really feel like a senior because of it. I don’t think any seniors here right now feel like a senior.”
“I had many in-person classes last semester, along with online classes, so I struggled, but the in-person aspect kept me motivated,” Lund says. “I felt prepared [for this year] honestly, and being in-person gave me more structure, so I am actually less stressed in some ways.”
This lack of transition has contributed to the current academic culture shock that students are facing at SU. This may be attributed to “learning loss,” a term coined by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, which implies that students lose knowledge when they are not actively being stimulated in a school environment. Due to this learning loss, many students came into this year unprepared for what ensued.
Still, those who struggled this semester are not alone and shouldn’t feel that way. Students have access to a wide variety of resources on campus, such as counseling at the Barnes Center, group tutoring sessions, and help from the writing center. There are also support groups unaffiliated with Syracuse University, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness Syracuse, which now offers Zoom services.
When students perform worse than they may have anticipated in their classes, it can cause a large increase in school-related anxiety. In a study done by the Society for Research in Child Development, researchers explain that a drop in students’ grades can cause an
Though on their own these resources can only aid students to a certain extent, they do assist in making this year’s transition just a little bit easier. With time, students will slowly reintegrate and get back to their old study habits. But this is not a linear process. Take a deep breath. Relax. You’ve got this.
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The history and evolution of student movements at SU By Ava Lombardi
I
n a time of such division, if there is one value that all Americans share, it is protest. Our nation was founded on protest and continues to change based on movements throughout the country. Both historically and currently, students have made up a large part of this demographic, and Syracuse University students take advantage of this reality. Groups of student activists have risen up to protest against the instances of sexual assault and rape culture on the SU campus. What started as a small march around campus in September, has now grown into a union of students spearheading vigils and promoting awareness for sexual assault survivors. The “StandWithSurvivorsSU” Instagram account was created in September of 2021 with a specific purpose: to be there for survivors. “We have put together an executive board of students and hold vigils, participate in
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events with the Vera House, and organize peaceful protests and vigils,” says the founder and president, who is a junior at Syracuse University and prefers to stay anonymous. Through this platform, students created their own movement to demand a change in protocol for how SU deals with sexual assault and rape on campus. The coalition focuses on providing resources for survivors and reaching administration in their calls for a fairer process of handling sexual assault and rape. StandWithSurvivorsSU is one of many student groups formed over the university’s long history of protests. Spanning over decades, students have started multiple movements in the face of racism, sexism, and physical and mental harm. On May 4, 1970, Syracuse students returned from Yale University to mobilize the SU campus around three central issues: the expansion of the Southeast Asian War,
the suppression of political opposition and challenging of policy, and the university’s complacency with war through defense research and ROTC contracts. The next day, picketers disrupted several classrooms on campus in a successful attempt to cancel classes. An estimated 5,000 students and faculty marched from the academic quad to downtown Syracuse and lined both sides of Salina Street for three blocks. As a result, students and faculty organizers were permitted to launch a series of workshops and seminars for students and families about these issues and ways to take action. More recent physical demonstrations of activism have also left a lasting impact on SU’s campus. #NotAgainSU was formed in November of 2019 to demand changes in the campus climate for students of color. After the school failed to address instances of anti-Semetic, anti-Asian, and anti-Black
Design by Elizabeth Wolf
vandalism across campus, organizers staged a sit-in at the Barnes Center in protest of this late response and drafted 19 demands to the university while there. The movement gained national attention, and various demonstrations took place over the course of 31 days. Chancellor Syverud signed in agreement to most—not all— of the demands before the onset of the pandemic suspended in-person instruction. #NotAgainSU is the longest running protest in the university’s history and is responsible for implementing mandatory inclusion and diversity training for faculty and adding punishments for bystanders of hate crimes. But not all movements occurred through physical demonstrations. Many came in written form. In the early 1970’s, a women’s liberation group of both undergraduate and graduate students created a vision of liberation magazine, titled We Have Seen You There Collective of Sisters Rising. As described by former members, “This journal emerged from a common vision: the liberation of all sisters … We must look beyond what is in front of us and in so doing create an environment in which we will understand our womanhood and ultimately actualize our humanity.”
Multiple editions of the magazine were published, each one consisting of articles, narratives, poems, and artwork that addressed issues like economic and professional equality, reproductive rights and choice, and objectification in media. Another publication that made an impact during the early 1970’s was Sex in a Plain Brown Wrapper, a booklet designed by Syracuse students in cooperation with the College for Human Health Development and the Student Health Service. Their mission stemmed from the hope that “members of the campus community [would] follow their own attitudes about what constitutes healthy and sexual relationships.” The magazines raised awareness and understanding about important topics such as the double standard, contraception, and advice about how to talk to one’s parents or guardians. In circulating Sex in a Plain Brown Wrapper, Syracuse students made information about sexual health accessible to the entire campus, a valiant movement to educate and advance the entire student body. Since the emergence of social media, platforms for activism have shifted. Circulating information on social media is now commonplace. The founder and
president of StandWithSurvivorsSU believes that Instagram was vital to the movement. “[It was the best way to] take control of the narrative,” she said. “A lot of people were twisting the facts on other social media platforms, and Instagram seemed to be a safe space where we could manage what gets posted and who posts.” She emphasized the importance of having an online presence when promoting a cause. “We circulate our petitions online, promote our events online, reach out to survivors and allies online,” she said. “Specifically for our movement, social media provides an anonymous space for people to tell their stories. This leads to a lot of great conversations that we would not have otherwise.” While proud of all that the coalition has and will continue to accomplish, she is most proud of the community it has created. She says, “We want survivors to feel like they have this sense of community that is missing from campus right now, and that is needed so badly.”
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