free
monday
jan. 27, 2014 high 31°, low -1°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Bad energy
dailyorange.com
P • Tapa the line
Syracuse University and SUNYESF students band together to request that the administration stop supporting fossil fuels.
High-end restaurant Laci’s serves small dishes for a big price, but the taste, welcoming atmosphere and variety of food makes the trip worth it. Page 11
Page 3
S • Same story
Syracuse showed minimal improvement at the faceoff X in its scrimmage wins against Le Moyne and Hofstra on Saturday. Page 14
DRAGGED
OUT SU continues to consider implications of banning smoking on campus
fraternity and sorority affairs
Zeta Psi looks into burglary By Annie Palmer news editor
Private investigators are now looking into a series of criminal acts against the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, including a burglary committed less than a month after the property was vandalized in December. On Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m., several unidentified individuals approached the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, also known as FiJi, located at 727 Comstock Ave. The individuals broke in through the basement and vandalized the house through various acts, including throwing paint. The number of items stolen is currently unknown, but the act was a The Phi “definite break- Gamma in and definite Delta fraterv a n d a l i s m ,” nity house said Bill Sokol, was vandalvice president of the Syracuse ized on Dec. U n i v e r s i t y 24 when two A s s o c i a t i o n individuals of Zeta Psi, broke seven which owns windows. the property. The Department of Public Safety responded to the scene. The house has seen at least four incidents of vandalism since it changed hands on Aug. 1 from being leased by Sigma Alpha Mu to FiJi, Sokol said. Last March, FiJi signed a three-year lease agreement to live in the house. Zeta Psi rented the house to Sigma Alpha Mu starting in 2007. On Dec. 24, two unidentified individuals smashed seven of the house’s windows with hammers. No one has been arrested in connection to the incident. It has been included as part of an umbrella investigation into vandalism at the house and the recent break-in. Sokol said the house has had difficulty identifying suspects because the surveillance system doesn’t fully
BROKEN UP
Syracuse University officials are considering implementing a ban on all tobacco products on campus. Officials have looked into the possibility of a tobacco-free campus in 2008. SU currently prohibits smoking in all indoor campus locations. margaret lin asst. photo editor By Zach Schweikert staff writer
B
efore Syracuse University officials can consider the possibility of making the campus smoke free, students, professors and staff have identified several hurdles the school must overcome. “The question isn’t whether smoking is bad for your health,” said New York state Sen. John DeFrancisco. “This has to be determined by balancing the respective interests. Is the harm we’re trying to stop, does it outweigh taking away personal liberty?” Before justifying a smoking ban, it must be determined whether it causes a serious health threat to nonsmoking students, said DeFrancisco at last Thursday’s Campbell Debate, which was a discussion hosted by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. It brought up the issue of smoking outdoors. A large part of the debate focused on students’ personal freedoms.
Currently, there are 1,182 smokefree campuses in the United States, a 265-percent increase since October 2010, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. This list includes nearby Cazenovia College and State University of New York Upstate Medical University. It has yet to be determined what new policies SU will adopt, but in an interview last September, Thomas Dennison, director of the Health Services Management and Policy Program, said, “I think that there’s a pretty good probability that we will be working towards a smokingfree campus.” The popularity of smoking bans across the country might reflect changing opinions at American universities, said Cliff Douglas, executive director of the University of Michigan’s Tobacco Research Network, at the debate. While smoking is banned in all indoor locations at SU, the university’s Alcohol, Other Drugs and Tobacco Policy states that it recognizes
“the right to smoke where smoking is legally permitted and does not unlawfully affect others.” Students and faculty are currently allowed to smoke outside. A Colleges for Change survey concluded that almost 1 in 5 undergraduate students smoke, according to a 2011 SU Student Association bill on the on-campus smoking policy. That same year, SA found that students did not support a completely smokefree campus. “The fact that the tobacco-free norm has snowballed from a handful of schools — almost none in fact — in 2005 to nearly 1,200 as of this month in 2014 shows that these policies are not only popular, but our universities
do not want to remain stuck in the past,” Douglas said. This is not the first time SU has considered controlling smoking. In 2008, the Campus Sustainability Committee Task Force on Campus Smoking considered the issue of controlling smoking in parking lots and at the Carrier Dome. The task force determined that controlling smoking in parking areas would be difficult, according to the final report on the issue. “An addiction is not a choice,” said former SA Vice President Duane Ford at the debate. “Being addicted to tobacco is not a freedom.” Former SA President Allie Curtis see smoking
ban page 8
SMOKE SCREEN Approximately 1,182 U.S.colleges have created smoke-free policies that eliminate smoking in indoor and outdoor areas across school campuses. source: americans for nonsmokers’ rights
see fiji
burglary page 4