Feb. 4, 2016

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THURSDAY

feb. 4, 2016 high 39°, low 27°

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 • Super smart

Dennis Deninger teaches “SPM 199: The Super Bowl: Sport, Culture and Entertainment.” Read about the class before Sunday’s big game.

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P • Visual storytelling

Known for his comic book style as well as his drawings of Otto the Orange, local illustrator Mike Borkowski has worked for many different clients as a freelance artist.

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NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

see page 10

Facing criticism for its services, advocates for Planned Parenthood have a simple message:

2016

Officials discuss NVRC Three finalists selected to design revolutionary veterans complex

By Satoshi Sugiyama asst. copy editor

By Rachel Sandler

T

asst. news editor

welve people sit in the waiting room of the Syracuse Planned Parenthood. A young woman wearing a North Face jacket stares down at a form on a clipboard. A young couple sits together and talks quietly. There’s a young man sitting alone next to a stack of brochures that say “Know Your Options” and feature a drawing of a condom.

The people are quiet, but the sound of an episode of “The Dr. Oz Show” blares from the television near the receptionist.

Outside, Syracuse residents Hank and Louise Donahue are praying for them.

They hope that Jesus will convince the people inside, who they call “abortionists” and “sinners,” to open their hearts and change their minds, to join the fight for the millions of babies that, the Donahues say, are being killed by Planned Parenthood.

“We pray for the children in the womb. Protect them from the violence of abortion. We pray for those who are scheduled to die at the Syracuse Planned Parenthood. Save them from death,” they say in a prayer titled “A prayer for the closing of an abortion mill.”

By the Donahues’ account, praying works. About once a year, Hank said, a woman passing by takes a brochure, talks to them and converts to Christianity.

For more than 25 years, the Donahues have been praying outside the Planned Parenthood on East Genesee Street, less than a mile from the Syracuse University campus. Recently, however, the Dona-

75

The percentage of patients at the Syracuse Planned Parenthood who are between the ages of 15-29

hues aren’t the only ones trying to end Planned Parenthood — politicians are consistently working to cut its funding.

Patients from all over the city and Onondaga County go to the East Genesee Street Planned Parenthood — the only one in the city — to get contraceptive care, sexually transmitted infection testing, health screenings, abortion services and a spectrum of women’s health care.

On a Saturday morning at the end of January, the Donahues are joined by seven other devoted pro-lifers outside the Syracuse Planned Parenthood. They stand in a line on the edge of the sidewalk, as according to New York state law, it is illegal to protest on private property.

They belong to different churches, Hank said, but they come together every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. to pray together and to fight the same fight.

“This is why we’re out here,” Hank said in an interview after the prayer.

“To stop this slaughter.”

To the Donahues, abortion is responsible for most of the evil in the country — and Planned Parenthood, they said, is at the center of it, and is the devil itself.

“Colleges are complaining there’s not enough young people to come to college so they (have to) raise their rates,” he continued. “It’s just a numbers game; there’s not people.”

In total, about 3 percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortionrelated, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2014-15 annual report. The vast majority of their services — 76 percent — are related to STI testing and contraception.

On the fact that 97 percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides

Syracuse Rochester Batavia Niagara Falls North Tonawanda Buffalo West Seneca

Canandaigua

what they did The following numbers are statistics of reproductive health services provided

by Planned Parenthood from 2014-15, according to the organization's 2014-15 annual report.

500,000 women

635,432

Pap tests and breast exams performed

2,945,059

Birth control information and services provided

931,589

Emergency contraception kits provided

4,218,149

Tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections provided

651,695

HIV tests conducted

171,882

STIs diagnosed

are not abortion-related, Hank said, it’s “horsesh*t.”

Decent access New York state has relatively permissive laws regulating abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

Women seeking abortions in New see parenthood page 6

map it out There is one Planned Parenthood clinic in Syracuse and 59 throughout the state.

Here are the locations in the Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York system.

graphic illustration by lucy naland design editor

When the National Veterans Resource Complex Selection Committee was tasked to choose firms to design the complex, it decided to take an approach that has not been done before: hold an invited competition.

Now, three firms that are in the running to design the Obama Presidential Library are in competition once more to design the National Veterans Resource Complex, which will house Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families — one of the leading institutes for veterans in the country. The NVRC will also serve as the home to a number of other tenants, including the Office of Veterans and Military Affairs. “(The competition) enables us to not only involve and engage in the campus and our constituencies here in this discussion, but enables us to tell the story of how important this building and veterans are to this university and to this region,” said Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture at Syracuse University and a member of the selection committee.

Speaks said the committee had sent a letter of invitation to between 25 and 28 firms to submit their qualifications. Known as a request for qualifications, he said, it is essentially a résumé providing descriptions about the firms, what kind of projects they have done in the past and the names of those who are proposing to be on the team for the project.

“We needed a firm that had commitment that showed design excellence and expertise, but a firm we also knew could do the project and could do it not only with confidence, but great skill and great execution,” Speaks said.

Then the selection committee members — composed of faculty, staff, student and design professionals — did research and deliberation on the merits of each firm. The university announced that Adjaye Associates, SHoP and Snohetta were chosen as the finalists in late January. see nvrc page 8

2 february 4, 2016

dailyorange.com

t o day ’ s w e at h e r

THIRSTY thursday | smirnoff ice

Smirnoff Ice inspires college drinking game

By Max Darrow contributing writer

This one will definitely catch you by surprise. I’m not talking flavor, I’m not talking looks, I’m saying it will literally catch you by surprise.

If you haven’t had a Smirnoff Ice, you’re missing out. Not because of the taste, but because of the college tradition known as Icing.

From pop culture and Urban Dictionary, Icing is defined as a drinking game: “The rules are simple: if a person sees a Smirnoff Ice, he or she must get down on one knee and chug it. In order to dupe people into stumbling across the beverage, participants have devised creative ways of Icing, like strapping the bottles to the backs of dogs or burying them in vats of protein powder.”

Throughout college, I’ve chugged my fair share of Smirnoff Ices. But for this column, I decided to take my time drinking it, really taking in the sugary beverage.

There are a variety of flavors — from mango to wild grape to pomegranate fusion — but I wanted to evaluate the original flavor.

Smirnoff Ice looks like a bottle

of lemonade and has a cloudy, misty, whitish color. It smells like candy and is as fizzy as a bottle of pop. As for the oral experience, it tastes like a flat 7-Up, or any lemon-lime soda really. It’s not as sweet, and the sour aftertaste reminds you that there’s still a bit of alcohol (4.5 percent ABV).

So if you want to find some ways to make your friends bend their knee and chug that sour, sugary, Smirnoff Ice, here are some of my recommendations.

Anywhere in the kitchen is a go. There are so many places in the kitchen that can hide a Smirnoff Ice — the microwave, the fridge, freezer, dishwasher, cabinets — the list goes on.

Laundry machines and dryers are always a solid spot as well.

If you’re feeling gutsy, try to bring one into the situation while talking to someone. Maybe hide one in your sleeve and shake a friend’s hand. I’ll let you figure out some fun ways to play the game.

But remember: always play responsibly. The excitement comes from the surprise, not from your friend deciding to actually chug. midarrow@syr.edu

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noon hi 39° lo 27°

p.m.

INSIDE N • Field of bones

A construction crew found the bones of a long-extinct mammoth underneath the football field at Oregon State University.

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S • First class

Syracuse signed its Class of 2016 on Wednesday. Check out what head coach Dino Babers said at his press conference.

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Smirnoff Ice is a sweet beverage with 4.5 percent alcohol and comes in many different flavors. lukas halloran staff photographer

The Daily Orange is published weekdays during the Syracuse University academic year by The Daily Orange Corp., 744 Ostrom Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210. All contents Copyright 2016 by The Daily Orange Corp. and may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Orange is distributed on and around campus with the first two copies complimentary. Each additional copy costs $1. The Daily Orange is in no way a subsidy or associated with Syracuse University.

All contents © 2016 The Daily Orange Corporation

N

Up to date The D.O. News Department compiled a list of events happening in or near the Syracuse University community this weekend.

See dailyorange.com

NEWS

@DDeninger What do we think Lady Gaga will wear for SB50 national anthem?

My guess: Statue of Liberty crown & robes. #SB50

In valor Attorneys will give free legal advice to U.S. veterans on Saturday at Syracuse University’s sixth Valor Day in Dineen Hall.

See Monday’s paper

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 4, 2016 • PAG E 3

newhouse

Journalist discusses career Steve Featherstone talks freelancing, story about synthetic marijuana

By Katelyn Faubel staff writer

DENNIS DENINGER, a professor of sport management, teaches “SPM 199: The Super Bowl: Sport, Culture and Entertainment.” In its sixth year, the class usually has a waiting list and has about 90 students enrolled in it this semester. zach barlow asst. photo editor

falk

Class analyzes topic, effects of Super Bowl

By Matthew Gutierrez staff writer

The Super Bowl is this weekend, and yes, there’s a class for that.

At first glance, “SPM 199: The Super Bowl: Sport, Culture and Entertainment” may seem like an easy A, at least for football fans.

But the professor of the Syracuse University class wants people to think otherwise.

The course is taught by Dennis Deninger, who, before becoming a professor of sport management, notched several Emmy Awards as a producer at ESPN. He said only about half of his students score an 80 percent or higher on the first exam.

“You cannot coast in this class if you’re just an NFL fan,” he said.

It’s gone from being a sports competition to an event that defines America in so many ways.

Dennis Deninger sport management professor

Students explore the various effects the game has on the economy, culture and society overall, Deninger said. Like stu-

dents in most other classes, SPM 199 students analyze sections of a textbook, take exams and quizzes, complete weekly writing assignments and write a long paper.

“There’s some work,” said Chris Venzon, a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major taking the course. “I had to explain this to my parents and they’re like, ‘You’re taking a class on the Super Bowl? What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘You don’t understand, this is a serious class.”

Michael Veley, chair of SU’s sport management department, came up with the idea for the course more than six years ago.

Veley met with Deninger and

said he was considering a class on the Super Bowl, especially as the event’s popularity and impact continued to rise, Deninger said.

Deninger refers to the game as “America’s secular holiday,” and a rival of Thanksgiving. He said the football game is only part of an event that unifies groups of people, and that’s what students study in the class.

“It’s gone from being a sports competition to an event that defines America in so many ways,” he said. “It’s one thing that we can all say we do together.”

In March, students will hear from Frank Supovitz, former see super

bowl page 8

Turnitin to add revision tool to help students

By Andrew Godnick staff writer

Turnitin is reportedly adding an online tutor that will aim to improve students’ writing as they write.

The tool will help students “move away from the ‘administrative challenges with writing’ … and be more of a ‘teacher’s aide,’” said Elijah Mayfield, Turnitin’s vice president of new technologies, in an Inside Higher Ed article.

Revision assistant will focus on four areas for feedback: language, focus, organization and evidence, according to the article.

But Benjamin Erwin, an English professor at Syracuse Univer-

sity who works at SU’s Writing Center, is skeptical about whether the tool will be productive.

“While the program’s feedback on students’ writing may be helpful, the comments are most likely limited to the system’s ability to identify key words or syntactical structures within a student’s work,” he said.

Limitations to the software include the restriction of writing to 40 specific prompts that will be available at the new tool’s launch.

As Turnitin works with schools and colleges that are interested in the tool, more prompts will be made available, according to the article.

Jenny Crisp, an associate professor of English at Dalton State Col-

lege, said in the article that the tool will be most beneficial to students who tend to write late at night.

“They see things change. They see progress made,” Crisp said.

Erwin said the tool could be successful in the same way that Microsoft Word’s grammar and spellcheck tools are useful. He credited software for being able to identify specific errors in students’ writing, but he said he doesn’t believe software has the ability to “examine the overall quality of a text in relationship to a student’s assignment, audience and purpose.”

“Student’s writing processes can be incredibly complex, and preprogrammed algorithms or identifica-

tion cues are largely ineffective at helping students beyond mere error identification,” Erwin added.

Turnitin has been popularly used for discovering plagiarism in student’s writing, and Erwin sees the website as a tool with its uses and setbacks.

Revision Assistant is taking on the role of a human instructor, but Crisp said she doesn’t see this transformation going perfectly.

Said Crisp: “I’m not sure it can ever replace a human instructor.

If (students) spend some time with Revision Assistant, they’ll remember that they have to have a hook, that they have to have transitions.” angodnic@syr.edu

Steve Featherstone found out about “Spike,” the local Syracuse term for synthetic marijuana, at the dinner table.

Featherstone’s wife, a physician at Upstate University Hospital, told the journalist that a lot of people in the Level 1 Trauma Center were overdosing on Spike. “’The weird thing about it is that they’re all poor and they’re all black,’” she told Featherstone.

Featherstone, author of The New York Times Magazine July 8, 2015 article “Spike Nation,” discussed Spike and his freelance journalism career with an audience of about 45 people at Syracuse University’s Society of Professional Journalists’ event on Wednesday night.

Featherstone discussed his work as a freelance journalist for magazines that include Popular Science, Harper’s Magazine, Slate and Bloomberg Business. Jim Shahin, associate professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, moderated the discussion.

After Featherstone had finished his bachelor’s degree in 1990 and his master’s of fine arts degree in 1996 — both at Syracuse University — he began working for a public relations company, he said. Featherstone then began looking for stories and writing proposals to pitch to the editors he met through his connections.

One of those stories came from the see featherstone page 8

national news Here is a round-up of the biggest news stories happening in the nation and the world right now: POLITICS DROPPING OUT Rand Paul and Rick Santorum both dropped out of the GOP primary race Wednesday after disappointing finishes in the Iowa caucuses. source: cnn

U.S. COMING TOGETHER President Barack Obama visited a mosque in Baltimore Wednesday and called for tolerance of the Muslim community. source: the washington post

4 february 4, 2016

dailyorange.com opinion@dailyorange.com

gender and sexuality

Super Bowl should use visibility for positive representation

G

rab your cheese dip and your bucket of wings. It’s time for another sexist Super Bowl Sunday.

While it is supposed to be watched for the sports, the Super Bowl has become popularly known for its wide variety of commercials.

However, such as with day-to-day life, this event is hardly innocent from ever prominent objectification of women within the media.

Model Charlotte McKinney shocked the world last year in yet another sex-based burger commercial for Carl’s Jr. The advertisement was a promotion for their “All-Natural Burger” and had McKinney do, or rather go, just that — strolling through a public farmer’s market as the actions of men, and some well-placed produce, covered her seemingly bare body.

BRONTË SCHMIT

FAVORING FLUIDITY In the past, other obscene examples include the 2010 Man’s Last Stand for Chrysler, Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels for GoDaddy in 2011 and Adriana Lima’s 2012 commercial for Teleflora. Needless to say, we’re quite excited to see what kind of product-based misogyny the ad community releases this year.

Banking on the “sex sells” philosophy, companies continue to produce these 30-second commercials, which can cost up to $5 million per spot this year, according to Fortune. And while these companies may

never shy away from capitalizing on female sexuality to sell their products, the Super Bowl perpetuates these outdated misogynistic tropes between touchdowns like no other platform, considering that it’s one of United States’ most-visible national events.

“One of the ways that you uphold a belief in male supremacy is to denigrate women and to make women seem (like) unimportant, decorative objects,” said Robin Riley, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies and director of LGBT studies at Syracuse University. “You rob them of their personhood. You reduce them to their body parts.”

Fortunately, just in time for the uproar, #WomenNotObjects – a new campaign to combat the frequent sexism and objectification – published a call-to-action video displaying numerous accounts of female objectification in the media.

Those that oppose the campaign have argued that #WomenNotObjects is a promotion of slut shaming; however, there is a difference between ridiculing a woman for her sexuality and coupling her doing the splits with the text “Now Open.”

“The critique is not of the women who appear in the ad as the critique is of the people who create the ads” said Riley. “The idea is that women’s body parts are necessary to make things seem desirable. And to make that about the women who appear in the ads is a way of distracting from the bigger issue, which is that women are routinely used in this way.”

ABC also refused to air a “Carol” trailer due to its lesbian love scene. Page Six reports that executives have claimed that they will air the ad on the condition that Time Warner Cable provides “more coverage on” both lead

actresses, an egregious claim to make on account of all the other commercials allowed.

“The implication is that women’s bodies are for male enjoyment only,” said Riley.

“When women are naked it’s for men’s enjoyment, but when women are showing desire or affection or lust for each other it’s not okay.”

This is a perfect example of how objectivity and nudity stand until it makes men uncomfortable. A lesbian sex scene, although also sexualized by men, doesn’t benefit them when it’s in the context of a love story. Use it to sell a product, however, and it’s perfectly appropriate for children.

This double standard extends even further, considering the fact that gay men have been featured before. During the 2014 Super Bowl, Coca Cola’s ad, which featured numerous countries singing “America the Beautiful,” featured a gay couple as part of the company’s initiative to be more inclusive.

Although it sparked controversy, this proves that lesbian women are often not even afforded the chance to be on television.

Moving forward, companies should adjust their marketing to refrain from commodifying women any further.

At least for now, we can thank the Super Bowl for Hyundai providing us with multiple Ryan Reynolds. But, women, unlike Reynolds, still have a long way to go in reclaiming their bodies in the media — progress the Super Bowl and its advertisers can contribute to by empowering women rather than degrading them.

Brontë Schmit is a sophomore magazine journalism major and marketing, English and textual studies, and LGBT Studies minor. Her column appears weekly.

WELCOME HOME PC16!

O

Extreme measures Technology columnist Paul Sarconi discusses the Flowstate app and how it can force young people to focus.

See dailyorange.com

OPINION

Righting wrongs

Common concern

Read the full version of Liberal columnist Joanna Orland’s “Juvenile isolation amplifies social gaps.”

See dailyorange.com

Should questions on criminal backgrounds be included in The Common Application? Share your thoughts on the online poll.

See dailyorange.com

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 4, 2016 • PAG E 5

liberal

scribble

Juvenile isolation amplifies social gaps

W

hen a child breaks a rule, they are often put in “time out.” Some facilities in New York state have a habit of putting its kids in time out, too, only for 23 hours a day for months.

Taijaleke Smith, a 16-year-old from Syracuse, is currently suing the Onondaga County Justice Center after being held in an isolated cell for 23 hours a day at the facility over the course of two months. State prisons are required to let minors out of their cells for five hours a day, but at this local jail in Onondaga County, activists say the practice continues, according to Syracuse.com.

The case comes after New York state officials Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney vowed in 2015 to put an end to placing 16- and 17-year-old juveniles in solitary confinement in New York state.

The practice of solitary confinement, especially among juveniles, has been proven to be more detrimental than beneficial for more than a century. In a city like Syracuse, where 34 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census, there is a systematic preservation of merely shepherding marginalized peoples through the criminal justice system.

“African-American poor men are criminalized from the day they’re born,” said Gretchen Purser, an assistant professor of sociology at SU. “Part of the reason solitary confinement gets perpetuated is because of the dehumanization of prisoners.”

And it appears there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

In New York state, specifically, victims of solitary confinement were found to be more prone to commit suicide than the general population. After having developed anxiety, depression and paranoia, among other mental health issues, many prisoners who

JOANNA ORLAND

NOTHING LEFT UNSAID have endured solitary are then released into mainstream society.

This was realized with the highprofile 2015 case of Kalief Browder, who was incarcerated for three years on Riker’s Island. Browder spent two of those three years in solitary confinement, starting the age of 16. He was released at 19 and found it hard to assimilate back into a life of human interaction, still suffering from the mental side effects of long-term isolation. At the age of 22, he committed suicide.

The Browder case shed light on the falsities that are claims of rehabilitative properties of solitary confinement. The sociability that is paramount in the teenage years has the potential to create more amplified problems in young people. Solitary confinement is perennially damaging to anyone who is subjected to it. In the years where the foundation for adulthood is laid, constant isolation has the tendency to ruin a teenager, especially since those in prison that young are disproportionately from marginalized groups.

It is extraordinarily telling about the culture surrounding this larger problem: youth in the criminal justice system are seen as subhuman burdens, undeserving of any healing opportunities.

“Without intervention efforts taking into account background and social skills, isolation won’t do anything other than reinforce negative feelings, such as anger and frustration,” said SU psychology professor Randall Jorgensen.

People in power should understand that it is vital to create a healthier and existent future for the vulnerable who find their way into trouble. Prisons should not be

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 ac u s e , n e w yor k

Mara Corbett

Justin Mattingly

EDITOR IN CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

News Editor Alexa Torrens Editorial Editor Alexa Diaz Sports Editor Matt Schneidman Feature Editor Rachel Gilbert Feature Editor Kathryn Krawczyk Presentation Director Chloe Meister Photo Editor Riley Bunch Head Illustrator Devyn Passaretti Copy Chief Ali Linan Development Editor Annie Palmer Digital Editor Jon Mettus Social Media Director Jacob Gedetsis Video Editor Nick Coggolia Web Developer Brendan Winter Asst. News Editor Michael Burke Asst. News Editor Rachel Sandler Asst. News Editor Sara Swann Asst. Editorial Editor Caroline Colvin

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chicken coops; they should be places where people who have wronged go to rehabilitate, to break the cycle of bad decision-making and to start anew upon their release.

The people that are in the spotlight, the youth, are just two or three years younger than I am. Two years ago, it was all about college tours and SATs. This gap in opportunity seems wrong. These young men who, as a result of where they stood on a social spectrum and the subsequent decisions they made, found their way into a system that does not serve to make them better.

The loneliness of solitary confinement is bad enough on its own, further leaving them to confront themselves, to be traumatized, without mentorship, proper care or a good book to read, there will be no moving on from it. At 16, they are forced to accept a fate that is not believed to be malleable.

Young, poor black males in local jails are left with this self-fulfilling prophecy of having no place to go.

They are born into a demographic where they are already a statistic in the criminal justice system, and they are constantly deemed unworthy by society when they do achieve success. The system as a whole does not treat them as innocent before proven guilty, and they are considered encumbrances by the ones who are supposed to heal them for a better future.

None of it has to be this way.

The prohibiting of placing juveniles in solitary confinement in federal, state and county prisons is a step forward, but it needs to be enforced. Still, by allocating more money to disseminating access to rehabilitative, mental health and career services in all facilities, the light at the end of the tunnel will begin to brighten.

Joanna Orland is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major.

Her column appears weekly.

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editorial board

SU should join NYU in Common App study A checkbox marked “yes” to a criminal background question on The Common Application can be an immediate rejection from a university. But the absence of the checkbox itself could be blindly admitting a student with a relevant criminal past.

New York University is calling on The Common Application to reevaluate the usefulness of criminal history inquiries in the college application process. The push comes after concerns that the question discourage social mobility, counteract diversity and are inherently discriminatory. Specifically, toward people of color in the context of high incarceration rates, it has been argued that the requirement has the potential to prompt unjustified denials of admission and deter applicants entirely.

There are undeniably two sides to the debate. Colleges should be able to expect full disclosure from applicants.

However, it is also essential to acknowledge that underprivileged youth have fewer opportunities to climb the socioeconomic ladder. To effectively engage in this conversation and play a role in the ultimate decision, Syracuse University, which uses the Common App, should follow suit in joining NYU to determine the true predictive value of criminal-based background questions.

MJ Knoll-Finn, NYU’s vice president for enrollment management, published an editorial Wednesday in The Washington Post expressing that the university is seeking collaboration with other institutions to “promptly address issues of access and fairness” through an objective study.

Finn emphasized the necessity for evidence-based decisionmaking, a value SU can embrace to properly gauge the worth of criminal history questions in the admissions office.

But until this data has been collected to uphold or refute the questions on The Common App, inquiring about a criminal past should be at the discretion of the respective university.

This could be a component of supplemental applications, rather than the general body of the Common App. This plan of action would be a balanced approach and allow universities more flexibility to decide if applicants should have more than a checkbox to explain their pasts.

Once the study has been completed and findings reviewed, The Common App will have the information necessary to restore the questions, make proper revisions or leave them off entirely as they see fit.

In an ideal world, the implications of criminal background checks would not be influenced by one’s social standing or carry weight on an application. But the argument stems from the belief that all individuals should be held responsible to face the consequences of their actions regardless of the circumstances.

The different perspectives on background-oriented questions are what make forming a concrete decision difficult on the makeup of the application.

However, SU’s decision to play an active role in determining the usefulness of these checkboxes will help institutions across the country, and The Common App itself, properly navigate the decision.

6 february 4, 2016

from page 1

parenthood York do not have waiting periods. They are not forced to look at an ultrasound before getting an abortion — nor are they required to go through counseling, which is often conducted without medically accurate information about the risks of abortion — according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that works to advance reproductive health.

Physicians in New York, according to the Guttmacher Institute, are not required to give patients misleading information before terminating a pregnancy in order to gain the patient’s “informed consent.”

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo has supported funding Planned Parenthood as governors in other states have pushed to end state Medicaid contracts with the organization.

These actions were taken in response to a set of undercover videos filmed by pro-life organization Center For Medical Progress. The videos purported to show Planned Parenthood

Just because you have decent access doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Betty DeFazio community affairs director at central and western ny planned parenthood

employees illegally selling fetal tissue for profit.

A Planned Parenthood analysis found that the videos were heavily edited, and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards maintained in a hearing before the U.S. Senate that the fetal tissue was not being sold at a profit, but for reimbursement to use in lifesaving research.

On Jan. 25, a grand jury in Houston investigating the alleged crimes in the videos indicted members of the CMP instead of

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

Planned Parenthood, the organization the jury was originally investigating.

There are 59 Planned Parenthood clinics in New York state, according to the Planned Parenthood website. Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina have two. Mississippi, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming have one.

There has been a strong push nationally to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood in the wake of the CMP videos. Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), who represents Syracuse, voted in favor of a bill that defunded Planned Parenthood in September 2015.

President Barack Obama vetoed the bill, which would have also repealed the Affordable Care Act, in early January.

“Just because you have decent access doesn’t mean it’s easy,” said Betty DeFazio, director of community affairs and public policy of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.

A matter of health Right before Katie Pataki came to SU to start her freshman year, her gynecologist in her Pennsylvania hometown moved to Canada and didn’t tell any of her patients.

So when Pataki, now a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, started school, she was in a new city where she didn’t know anyone — let alone any doctors — and she didn’t have a gynecologist to help her see if the birth control pill she was on worked best with her body.

“That’s the thing with birth control,” Pataki said. “You kind of have to try it out until you have to find the right one.”

Pataki decided to go to SU Health Services. There, she got a checkup and a refill on her birth control.

“They did everything I needed them to do,” she said. “They were great.”

There’s overlap between the services that SU Health Services and Planned Parenthood provide. Patients at both can refill and obtain birth control prescriptions, get emergency contraception such as Plan B and ella and receive Pap smear tests, breast and pelvic

13% Other women’s health services

45% STI/STD testing and treatment

of service The following percentages are a breakdown of the reproductive health services Planned Parenthood provided from 2014 -15, according to the organization's 2014-15 annual report.

7% Cancer screening and prevention 3% Abortion services

2014-2015

exams, STI testing and pregnancy tests, according to the SU Health Services website.

There are some gaps in what Health Services can provide. Health Services does not, for example, have access to birth control implants such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), said Ben Domingo, director of SU Health Services, in an email.

Health Services, unlike Planned Parenthood, does not provide abortion services. If a student were to go to Health Services seeking an abortion, Domingo said, they would be given a list of family planning resources to contact.

Pataki started taking birth control pills after graduating high school. She had irregular periods and was in a long-term relationship. For her, the decision was both medical and personal.

“It was just the right move for me at that right time,” she said.

When it came time to pay for her birth control, she said, her insurance company didn’t cover it. After fighting with her insurance company and finding a loophole, Pataki was able to get her birth control covered, she said.

Pataki still uses that loophole to cover her birth control.

“It felt very isolating knowing that a medication, which is good for my health and (that I) should be taking, would not be considered by my insurance company,” she said. “I was very upset there had to be a fight, like, why won’t this be covered?”

“It’s health, it’s about health,” she continued. “Saying birth control is something we use because we want to have sex with a lot of people is wrong. It regulates our bodies and that’s important for women’s health.”

SU’s new student health insurance plan, which is provided by Aetna Student Health, covers birth control and well-woman visits, such as cancer screenings and pap tests, Domingo said.

Under the ACA, some methods of birth control are covered without co-pays and others are not, according to the Planned Parenthood website. It mostly depends on the insurance company and what prescriptions are available without a co-pay under particular plans, DeFazio added.

In most cases, college students are on their parents’ health insurance plan, she said, which is an option under the ACA. If a student cannot afford a service relating to women’s health at SU Health Services, that student could be referred to Planned Parenthood, Domingo said.

Planned Parenthood has more comprehensive options for patients whose insurance does not cover certain women’s health care options or for patients without insurance, which is why Health Services might refer students to Planned Parenthood, DeFazio said.

“Planned Parenthood literally provides women health care who could not get it anywhere else,” Pataki said. “Our vaginas are important — they’re an important part of our body — so I think what Planned Parenthood does is amazing.”

The number of SU students who use the Syracuse Planned Parenthood is unknown.

When a patient comes into Planned Parenthood, they are not asked about schooling, so data about SU students and Planned Parent-

1% Other services

31% Contraception

hood essentially does not exist, DeFazio said.

“It is important that college-aged students have access to reproductive health services because without them, it disrupts education,” DeFazio added. “And that has cascading economic effects down the line.”

A friendly face Seth Quam stands outside the doors of the Syracuse Planned Parenthood almost every Friday or Saturday morning. He always greets patients walking in or out of the building with a smile.

“Hi, how are you doing?” he usually asks them. “Welcome.”

A few patients ask Quam why he’s there — why a tall, strong man like him is talking to them and guarding the front door.

“Oh,” he responds. “It’s just so you don’t have to deal with the protesters.”

As a patient escort, Quam, a junior citizenship and civic engagement and geography dual major at SU, is there to make sure each person walking to and from the Syracuse Planned Parenthood feels safe and comfortable when protesters line the sidewalk.

“I’m just a friendly face for them,” Quam said.

Every time Quam has been at Planned Parenthood, he said, there have been protesters. Some days, there’s a big demonstration, planned events that bring hordes of people to East Genesee Street to pray, to yell or to rally.

Quam recalled a time when he saw a man lead a group of teenage girls up and down the sidewalk yelling prayers and Bible verses, holding signs that said “Abortion is Genocide.”

“It is sad seeing that group of middle school-aged girls being indoctrinated into this ideology at such a young age,” he said.

Most of the time, Quam said, there are just a few people, a small group that prays while holding rosaries and pictures of the Virgin Mary.

“It’s almost impressive the stamina they have. One guy will just pray for a hour straight without stopping,” he said.

Occasionally, protesters will heckle patients walking in or out of the building.

That’s when Quam just talks about nothing in particular to drown out the voices. During training to become a patient escort, he was told never to engage with protesters or tell them any personal information about himself.

Most of the people Quam, who first started volunteering at the Syracuse Planned Parenthood in October 2015, meets walking into or out of Planned Parenthood are not there to get an abortion, he said.

It can be courageous to step into a Planned Parenthood to begin with, Quam said, and protesters make the process unnecessarily difficult. Behind the building is a parking lot, and most patients — annoyed — just cut through the back to avoid dealing with the protesters out front.

“I’m not going to say I’ve rescued anyone from this tearful encounter they’ve had with the protesters, they’re not violent people, but they are discouraging,” said Quam. “I’m trying to use my privileges as a white heterosexual upper-middle class male to make it easier for some people who don’t have the same privileges.” rsandler@syr.edu

beyond the hill

every thursday in news

A MAMMOTH

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 4, 2016

•

PAG E 7

Oregon State University discovers mammoth bones during construction on football center

DISCOVERY O

By BreeAnna Poshek staff writer

regon State University may have to consider a mascot change — from the Beavers to the Mammoths — after construction workers unveiled the femur bone of an extinct mammoth during an expansion project of the Valley Football Center.

Steve Clark, vice president for university relations at OSU, said he was contacted immediately by Fortis Construction when the bones were uncovered. He said his next step was to contact Loren Davis, a professor in the anthropology department, and get him down to the site.

Davis, who said he gets these calls a few times per year, was hesitant to get his hopes up because often bones that are found aren’t as significant as people think they are, he said.

Despite his skepticism, as soon as he got the voicemail, he rode his bicycle down to the construction site where the workers were awaiting his arrival. Within a second of seeing it, Davis said he knew it was something very big and from an animal that was long extinct.

“That was absolutely surprising,” Davis said. “You don’t find extinct animals under football fields every day.”

Clark said the bones have resulted in international attention and news coverage, and added that OSU has been contacted by archeologists who are amazed at the discovery and would like to offer their assistance.

“Dr. Davis and his grad students are on site now, examining any additional areas needed. They are investigating everything,” Clark said. “It is of great importance to us to be very precise and thoughtful with this paleontological find.”

Sarah Skinner, a first-year graduate student in OSU’s applied anthropology program, has been involved with the identification of the bones that have been removed from the site. While analyzing the pieces, students try to identify what animal the bone came from and how they can piece them together, Skinner said in an email.

“Other archaeology graduate students and I were actually waiting for Dr. Loren Davis to show up for our weekly lab meeting. When he didn’t show up, we learned that he was helping to uncover mammoth bones at Reser Stadium,” Skinner said. “It’s not every day that, as students, we have the opportunity to help with a discovery and then have the ability to continue research afterwards.”

JD Lancaster, a second-year graduate student also in the applied anthropology program, has been actively involved with the entire project. Davis said Lancaster was the only graduate student who was with Davis on the first day at the construction site.

The opportunities to further their learning using remains of extinct animals, hands-on, has been quite advantageous, Lancaster said in an email.

“It’s hard not to learn a lot any time you work with Dr. Davis,” Lancaster said. “We’ve been discussing the context of the find quite a bit and I’ve learned a good deal about other megafauna finds in the Pacific Northwest, and how we can evaluate these finds for the presence of human artifacts or behavior.”

He added that through discussions about the context of the find, he has learned a lot about the stratigraphy and soils of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Lancaster also said he would have two focuses in terms of research and study moving forward. The first focus will be on how long ago the mammoth died, and the second on analyzing the environment of the location where the mammoth died.

“What this comes down to, is correlating the time that the mammoth died, with the variables contributing to the environment that was present at the time of the mammoths death, and using this information to find other locations in the area where similar finds might occur,” Lancaster said.

As for the future implications of the bones at OSU, Clark said they are beginning to have some serious conversations about what’s required to continue the research, how they are going to preserve the bones long-term and what ways they can display the bones for study and examination by others.

illustration by lindsey leigh contributing illustrator

blposhek@syr.edu

8 february 4, 2016

from page 1

nvrc

These three firms will move on to a second phase and will be submitting “schematic proposals,” so the committee can get a basic understanding of what they are doing in terms of the complex’s mass, what kind of materials will be used in the construction of the complex and how the complex will be situated.

The three firms visited SU last week and this week to visit the site, which is tentatively planned for Waverly Avenue. The visits’ objectives, Speak said, are for the architects

from page 3

super bowl senior vice president of events for the NFL, and Kathryn Petkevich, a senior sport management major and international business minor at SU. Petkevich is currently working at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California — this year’s Super Bowl venue — on the event’s Host Committee.

In prior years, Veley has spoken as a guest lecturer in the class on the event’s history. One

from page 3

featherstone discussion with his wife at the dinner table.

Featherstone said the conversation piqued his interest, and the story idea for “Spike Nation” began to form from there.

It was local connections like his wife working at Upstate University Hospital, he said, and him knowing the CEO of the hospital that allowed him to get the research and many of the interviews he was able to collect.

Featherstone said that he would eventually find through his research and interviews that chronic users who were poor and African-

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

to understand SU better and for the committee representatives to understand the architects better.

There will be three separate public lectures in late March and early April showcasing the general work of the three firms. The lectures, which are being organized by the School of Architecture as part of the Architecture Lecture Series, aim to provide the community with a general understanding of what these firms generally do, Speaks said.

The firms’ designs of the NVRC will be presented to the selection committee sometime in late April. The committee will later make the

final decision and forward the decision to the Board of Trustees via the Chancellor’s Office.

The NVRC will be one of the first major results of the Campus Master Plan — the part of the Fast Forward initiative led by Chancellor Kent Syverud that aims to better SU’s infrastructure.

Vice Chancellor for Veteran and Military Affairs Mike Haynie said the NVRC serves as a “physical infrastructure” for campus-focused work, but also positions the university as the “national hub” for hosting conferences, academic conventions and research events on campus.

“I think this building is clearly one of those opportunities to go out and deliver innovation in

higher education in a way that also has a compelling social and cultural impact,” Haynie said.

Aaron Dorf, senior architect and project director at Snohetta, said his firm is excited to be able to participate.

“We always like doing the university work, but this is more special in a way because it’s primarily for veterans,” Dorf said. “So that is important to us because actually a lot of us come from either families of the veterans or grew up in a way that is connected to veterans.”

Representatives from Adjaye Associates and SHoP did not return requests for comment.

fact students learn is Roman numerals were used for no reason other than to “add purpose and gravity” to the event, Deninger said.

He added that the class began just before Super Bowl XLV and that using Roman numerals for the title of his class — which is now in its “sixth edition” — is not out of the question.

“We haven’t started denoting it in Roman numerals,” he said, “yet.”

The NFL did break its tradition of using Roman numerals for the Super Bowl this year, though, when it decided to brand its 2016 cham-

pionship game as “Super Bowl 50” instead.

Matthew Soule, a junior film major, said he’s enrolled in the class because he, like many of his classmates, has a passion for sports. But when he tells his friends who are not taking the class about it, he often hears the same words echoed.

“They’re like, ‘Oh, the Super Bowl? That must be a class for jocks or something,” Soule said.

Deninger said the class may be perceived as unconventional, but regardless of a student’s interests — all years and majors can enroll — it’s practical and applicable to all, jock or not.

Enrollment maxes out at just above 90 students because, as Deninger says, “that’s all the seats I got” in the room, which is named the “Dennis and Gail Deninger Lecture Hall,” in his family’s honor.

On Sunday night, millions will watch when the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos clash. Deninger favors Carolina, but said there are so many unknowns that could keep viewers on the edge of their seats and affect the result — just the things he said he strives to do in class.

American were using the synthetic marijuana partly because the mixture does not show up on drug tests, which he said this demographic of users in Syracuse are more likely to take.

Tory Russo, a senior magazine journalism and international relations dual major, said she was drawn to Featherstone in part because Featherstone is from Syracuse.

“You don’t really see a lot of writers that are based here,” Russo said. “And he’s a freelancer, which is something that I want to get into.”

Russo said she wants to start a freelance career in Syracuse after she graduates in May. She added that she liked the part of Featherstone’s talk when he mentioned

reaching out to people who are newer on publication mastheads because those people are also looking to build their networks.

ratively, something she said the magazine department at Newhouse “really emphasizes.”

Ellen Meyers, a junior newspaper and online journalism major and president of SPJ, read “Spike Nation” over the summer. Meyers, who is also a staff writer for The Daily Orange, brought up what she said was a compelling story to Roy Gutterman, director of Newhouse’s Tully Center for Free Speech. Gutterman happened to know Featherstone and put Meyers and Featherstone in contact.

“Especially as a student journalist here, (the article) opened my eyes more to what is going on around the city of Syracuse,” Meyers said.

You don’t really see a lot of writers that are based here.

Tory Russo su senior

The other part of Featherstone’s talk that Russo said she liked was when he discussed using his creative writing style to write nar-

ssugiyam@syr.edu | @SatoshiJournal

mguti100@syr.edu

kmfaubel@syr.edu

P comic creations Wasting away

The D.0.’s Sex and Health columnist discusses the dangers of using a waist trainer to achieve the perfect figure.

See dailyorange.com

PULP

C*nsored

Drawing board

Abroad columnist Claire Moran discusses how censorship in China isn’t just inconvenient for tourists — it’s abusive to citizens.

See page 10

Get inside Michael Borkowski’s comic-decked office and check out his process for drawing a cartoon of Otto the Orange.

See dailyorange.com

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 4, 2016

•

PAG E 9

cartoon king MICHAEL BORKOWSKI has worked on a variety of shows and films including “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” He worked in L.A. for three years before returning to Syracuse, where he works as a freelance artist. phillip elgie staff photographer

Local Syracuse freelancer works as storyboard artist for Marvel, DC Comics

By Clare Ramirez asst. copy editor

I

nside Michael Borkowski’s house is a small room he uses as his office. But “office” might not be quite the right word, since the interior looks more like a child’s bedroom than a typical office.

His shelves and dressers are lined with superhero action figures. In one corner stands a rotating bookcase stuffed with comic books, which doesn’t even include his entire collection. Almost every inch of the walls are covered with posters from the various shows and projects he’s worked on over the years. A miniature BB-8 figurine sits on his desk, a testament to his and his son’s love of “Star Wars.”

This is the space where Borkowski, a local Syracuse artist, has done most of his work as a freelance storyboard artist and illustrator. In the past 17 years, he’s worked on a number of comic-inspired shows such as “Wolverine and the X-Men” and “Avengers Assemble,” and non-comic book proj-

ects like “The Scooby-Doo Show.”

This weekend, DC Comics announced a new animated series called “Justice League Action,” which Borkowski will be working on as a storyboard artist.

portfolio worthy Projects that Borkowski has been able to work on over the years:

DRAGON TALES

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

“I always grew up as a comic book fan, and so that’s why I like to draw action sequences and superheroes,” Borkowski said. “I’ve been lucky that most of the shows

I’ve worked on, especially in the last 10 years or so, have all been based on comic books.”

But Borkowski has done more than the action-packed cartoons he’s been known for. A longtime fan of Syracuse University sports, Borkowski has illustrated a number of athletics posters for SU football, basketball and lacrosse. His Facebook and Twitter pages are filled with drawings of Otto the Orange, whose expression depends on whether SU is losing or winning a game.

Borkowski used to produce a weekly Otto cartoon for Syracuse.com, and also illustrated “Otto’s ABC’s,” a children’s alphabet book featuring the Orange mascot.

As his resume can attest, Borkowski has come a long way from winning a placemat design contest in kindergarten. His biggest interests growing up were baseball and drawing, but when the 1989 “Batman” film came out, he gravitated toward drawing and comic books.

In 1997, Borkowski moved to Los Angeles after accepting a job with Sony Pictures Animation. He was only 21 years old, had never moved out of his parents’ house — let alone all the way across the country — and never even considered a job in animation. see borkowski page 10

Michael Borkowski, an SU football, basketball and lacrosse fan, has created a number of posters for SU Athletics.

I CAN SIT DOWN AT MY DESK AND DRAW FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS, AND IT’LL FEEL LIKE 10 MINUTES WENT BY. Michael Borkowski

freelance illustrator

10 february 4, 2016

from page 9

borkowski But the late ‘90s was also the time animation studios were hiring almost anyone. If you could hold a pencil, Borkowski said, you were hired.

His wife Amy, who was his girlfriend at the time, moved out to Los Angeles to be with him about six months later.

“I just wanted to make sure that he liked it first and that it was for him. He had never done anything like that before,” she said.

“That’s why I waited a few months before I went there, just to make sure that it was something he really wanted to do.”

Borkowski’s first job with Sony as a cleanup artist involved taking drawn storyboards and making them better. Artists with more

dailyorange.com pulp@dailyorange.com

animation experience showed him the ropes, and eventually he worked his way to being a storyboard artist.

“It’s kind of like you’re a director,” Borkowski said. “You’re picking the camera angles, you have to do all the acting for the characters, you’re picking whether it’s a close-up or a wide shot.”

Borkowski and his wife stayed in Los Angeles for three years before moving back to Syracuse in 2000 and getting married. Borkowski illustrated their wedding invitation, which featured the two of them and characters from the show “Dragon Tales,” which he was working on at the time, in the background.

Since then, Borkowski has made a living doing freelance work. His main projects have been with TV programs, but has also

been credited as a storyboard artist in the movie “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”

In the past few years that Borkowski has branched out from animation, working on children’s books and even a recent sports contract with Adidas, which approached him to produce art for social media advertisements.

Although he’s done a lot of work with characters that have already existed, Borkowski said the thought of creating his own original cartoon has crossed his mind.

“I actually created a few characters many, many years ago. I just haven’t had the time to go ahead and make something out of it,” he said. “... I still have it in the back of my mind, and I ultimately will someday.”

For now, Borkowski is sticking to being a storyboard artist and putting his art out on social media. Storyboarding takes a lot of

time — a simple two-minute scene can take up to 200 illustrations — but as a freelancer, he’s able to pick his own hours, which allows him to spend time with his wife and kids.

There are some aspects where his art and family life will intersect. Amy said her husband would illustrate her birthday or Valentine’s Day cards, saying those were “always just the best present.” Borkowski visited his daughter Haley’s art class to speak about his career, and since Borkowski has had his own space, his son, Troy, can come in and just watch him draw.

“I can sit down at my desk and draw for hours and hours and hours, and it’ll feel like 10 minutes went by,” Borkowski said. “It’s fun to get lost in my work, just kind of forget everything else and just create something.” clramire@syr.edu | @clareramirez_

abroad

Chinese censorship is a burden to both its citizens and tourists

I

just returned from two weeks of traveling in mainland China and Taiwan. I saw the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City. Yet of everything I saw, our visit to Tiananmen Square was the most impactful.

Our tour guide gave us a lengthy description of the size of the Square and the buildings that surround it. She talked about how in 1949, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People’s Republic of China from the gate to the Forbidden City, which is now at the end of the Square.

But she made no mention of the massacre at all.

Experiencing this kind of censorship firsthand was an almost surreal experience.

We were at the Square with a number of tourists and presumably some were there to remember the awful bloodshed from 1989, but no one was allowed to speak about it.

CLAIRE MORAN

IN CHINA, GEORGETOWN STILL SUCKS Instead, we had to pretend we were there to see Mao’s tomb and the government buildings surrounding the Square.

The censorship does not stop at Tiananmen Square. Many social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and even Google are banned in mainland China. Our group was still able to get notifications from these sites, but not able to log in to respond to them.

A professor from a local university said most local students know how to get around the censors. Even some people in our group

downloaded virtual private networks, which worked, but slowed people’s phones down.

Many locals use Chinese social media sites like WeChat so the Facebook ban does not have much of an effect on their daily lives.

Some Chinese scholars argue that if China did not impose the social media ban, the U.S. would be the only Internet hegemon. They support their argument with the fact that the top ten Internet companies are all from China or the U.S. While the Facebook ban was only a minor nuisance and does not infringe much on the rights of the people, the ban on information about Tiananmen Square is unacceptable.

Our guide told us that if we were to search Tiananmen Square on the Chinese Internet, we wouldn’t find anything about the massacre.

He had never seen the famous photo of the man

standing in front of the tank until recently.

I admit, I did not try to search it myself, but that is partially because I was scared. I did not want anyone tracking my computer. One student on our trip told me that during a previous trip to China, she had searched the massacre and had her Internet blocked for three days.

There are students that grow up in mainland China never being able to talk about one of the biggest tragedies in their country’s history. The First Amendment protects us Americans from this problem, and I have never appreciated it more than I did the day we visited the Square.

Claire Moran is a junior broadcast and digital journalism and international relations dual major. She can be reached at clmoran@syr.edu. Her column appears weekly in Pulp.

From the

calendar

Caribbean Cinema Festival Where: Community Folk Art Center, 805 E. Genesee St. When: Feb. 4-7 How Much: Free

every thursday in p u l p

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 4, 2016

•

PAG E 11

REAL TO REEL Community Folk Art Center to host film festival

By Hanna Horvath staff writer

T

hough called the Caribbean Cinematic Festival, the event taking place at the Community Folk Art Center in Syracuse this weekend will feature films from around the world.

Films will come from as far as Venezuela, Guadeloupe and the United Kingdom, and dialogue will be spoken in languages such as Spanish and a Creole language, Papiamento. Despite their diverse homelands, these films all retain their focus on Caribbean culture and identity.

The Community Folk Art Center’s fifth annual Caribbean Cinematic Festival will start Thursday and last through Sunday.

Along with the nine feature films, there will be a variety of other cultural events including dance and spoken word performances, post-film discussions, and even an authentic Caribbean brunch.

I think this festival will bring positive light to this culture and unite everyone, not just perpetrate stereotypes.

Nicholas George

member of caribbean student association

Tamar Smithers, director of education at the Community Folk Art Center, said the wide array of films and discussions covers topics from the African diaspora to issues in the Caribbean itself.

“We are going to be celebrating via film,” Smithers said.

Each year, a committee made up of both Syracuse scholars and people in the area come together to decide on a theme for the festival and how to expand upon the year before.

This year, Cecilia Green, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University, is part of that committee.

Contrasting with past years, this committee really focused on including more female-led films, Green said.

This year’s female-focused festival is important to Green not only because she is from the Caribbean herself, but because she specializes in race, class and gender studies within

her sociology field.

“We didn’t exactly succeed, but aimed for a balance of female directors and producers,” Green said, but added that she still thought the committee chose a great mix of feature films.

The Caribbean Cinematic Festival’s final day will add another new focus to the lineup by featuring animated short films, Smithers said.

And while the weekends festivities will feature film-makers hailing from around the world, this year’s festival will include a feature from a Syracuse filmmaker, Thea St. Omer. St. Omer died unexpectedly last year, so there will be a tribute before one of her films is shown.

The festival will contain more than just films, though. The Community Folk Art Center is a division of Syracuse University and will incorporate performances from SU dance troupes Kalabash and Raises.

Smithers said she hopes these performances will help bridge the gap between the Syracuse community and the SU campus.

Nicholas George, a member of the Caribbean Students Association at SU,

illustration by devyn passaretti head illustrator

On the Marquee The Community Folk Art Center is located at 805 E. Genesee St. in Syracuse. This event is free and open to the public. Here are the first screening times for each day:

BABYMOTHER Thursday at 6 p.m.

Poor single mother forms an all girls reggae group while dealing with the death of her mother.

ELZA

Friday at 6 p.m.

Single mother deals with her college-graduate daughter running away in search of her father.

PELO MALO

Saturday at 11 a.m.

A young boy experimenting with his look leads to a homophobic panic from his mother.

ANIMATE SHORTS, NOKA Sunday at noon

A young boy lives with schizophrenia while trying to find his purpose in life.

said he hopes the festival will dispel stereotypes about Caribbean culture.

“People see things that are Caribbean-based but don’t understand them.

Everyday objects are from Caribbean culture,” George said. “I think this festival will bring positive light to this culture and unite everyone, not just perpetrate stereotypes.”

Sunday’s authentic Caribbean brunch will bring another layer of Caribbean flair to the festival. Catered by local restaurant Jerk Hut, the brunch will feature festival bread, boiled bananas and callaloo, all staples of Caribbean cuisine, Smithers said.

Beyond hosting this festival, the Community Folk Art Center serves as a multidisciplinary art center. It showcases between four and six art exhibits a year in its gallery and provides art classes for middle school-aged children, among other things.

“I’m very excited, not only for the increased attendance but just for everyone to experience it,” Smithers said. “So many people may not usually have the opportunity to experience other cultures and enjoy it.” hrhorvat@syr.edu

12 february 4, 2016

from page 16

nsd

“It’s never happened to me in 31 years of coaching,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said of the successful weekend. “…

I didn’t know if it was a curse or a blessing, because it’s never happened before. It was a very exciting weekend. It was a weekend of fantastic camaraderie.”

After Babers was hired by Syracuse on Dec. 5, he and his staff scrambled to put together a recruiting class in two months.

The group finished with 18 three-star commits, according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings.

Clark said before he pledged, none of the recruits knew how they would commit.

Once he got his out of the way, everyone else followed. Less than two hours after Clark committed, running back Jo-El Shaw pledged. Five hours after that, defensive lineman McKinley Williams committed to Syracuse.

The next day, Sun., Jan. 24, was the busiest day of SU’s entire recruiting cycle.

Within a span of two hours, safety Evan Foster, defensive lineman Jaquwan Nelson, Smith and wide receiver Devin Butler

from page 16

babers with a combined total of 11 linemen and linebackers. Babers hauled in four defensive linemen, four offensive linemen and a trio of linebackers, honing in on the “big guys” in his first recruiting class.

“The emphasis is those guys take the longest to develop,” Babers said, “so you want to get them into your program as fast as you can.”

Some of the more notable names in the class fall in this group, with Florida defensive end Jaquwan Nelson and linebackers Tim Walton and Kenneth Ruff – who is already on campus – included in those position groups.

Updates on suspended defensive ends and recruiting after NSD Rising sophomore defensive ends Qaadir Sheppard and Amir Ealey are still indefinitely suspended, SU Athletics confirmed Wednesday evening. Babers declined comment on their statuses and said their situations are “tied in with our policies.”

The Orange is thin at defensive end after Luke Arciniega stepped away with a year of eligibility left and Ron Thompson declared early for the NFL Draft. SU also lost Donnie Simmons Jr. to graduation.

Babers didn’t specify if he’ll further seek Class of 2016 defensive ends in particular, but did say the recruiting efforts for this class aren’t done yet.

“I can tell you this ... that we need every able, capable man that can play,” Babers said. “We’re even looking for more players. We may put an ad out in the school newspaper, see what we can get out of the fraternities.”

Right in his backyard At his introductory press conference, Babers harped on beginning his recruiting efforts in-state before spiraling out to the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas. But in his first class, only two players hail from those three states combined.

Offensive lineman Michael Clark and running back Jo-El Shaw come from Pennsylvania, representing a targeted area that simply didn’t produce enough standout evaluations in the period Babers had to assemble a class.

“We want to get as many people in New York, New Jersey, (Pennsylvania),” Babers

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all chose SU. “I think (the mood) changed a lot,” Foster said of the weekend progressing, “because once people saw other people committing, I kind of think others were like, ‘Man, why not commit here? There’s only like a week left.’”

As spots started to fill up, different players were told different things by the coaching staff. Clark said he was told there was only one offensive lineman spot left and jumped at the chance. Foster said he was told to take his time but felt the timing was right despite not originally planning to commit during the visit.

The coaching staff stressed the possibility of early playing time, Foster said, and as each player took the opportunity, the majority of Syracuse’s 2016 class was solidified.

But it all started with Clark’s unexpected announcement and eight commitments later, a core of Syracuse’s recruiting class was formed.

“You could tell that it was a special group,” Babers said. “You get a foundation like that, with that 2016 class, and we can build upon that group in 2017 and 2018.” pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds

said. “I felt that with the short time that we had we just didn’t know enough about the young men who didn’t make that cutoff to go on them this year.”

Reeling him in As signed letters of intent trickled in on Wednesday morning, Nelson pushed back his college announcement to 10 a.m. The time came and he still hadn’t made public his final choice, with the Syracuse commit also in play with Georgia and Kentucky, among others.

Nelson eventually signed with the Orange, capping off the courtship of one of the higher-rated players in the group.

Babers ignores star rankings, but still raved about the scouting report around the Lauderhill (Florida) High School defensive end.

“We think he’s a really, really good player obviously based off of all the attention he had in the SEC,” Babers said. “He’s ranked a little bit higher than anyone else, but stars can deceive you. I do really get into the evaluations and we think that’s a hell of an evaluation. We really think he can help us.” mcschnei@syr.edu

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men’s basketball

Syracuse keeps VT off the foul line in overtime victory

By Matt Schneidman sports editor

Virginia Tech was supposed to get to the foul line at will. The Hokies had 644 attempts from the charity stripe to their name before Tuesday, an average of more than 29 per game and over 80 more than any other team in the conference.

13

Number of free throws Virginia Tech took, 16 below its per game average

Against Syracuse, Virginia Tech only took 13 foul shots and fell victim to a disciplined SU defense that only had two players commit over two fouls on the night.

On the opposite end, the Orange hoisted 32 attempts from the line and resorted to attacking the rim when its shots weren’t fall-

ing in the early going.

Twenty makes from the charity stripe helped Syracuse (16-8, 6-5 Atlantic Coast) pull away in a 68-60 overtime win over Virginia Tech (12-11, 4-6) in the Carrier Dome, but more than double the attempts the Hokies took were hardly lauded with less than a 63-percent mark to show for them.

“It would be nicer if we could make a few more,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.

“We’re still not making enough free throws.”

Boeheim recalled the 2012-13 Marquette team and how it came into the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup with Syracuse as known for getting to the line often. In the Orange’s 55-39 win that advanced it to the Final Four, the Golden Eagles only took 16 foul shots.

The coach of that team was the same one on the opposite sideline in the Carrier Dome Tuesday night, Buzz Williams.

“There was some myth I remember at Marquette a couple years ago that they get to

the foul line a lot,” Boeheim said. “Yeah, that was a nice myth too.”

The head coach attributed the disparity in attempts from the charity stripe to the defenses each team faced. The Hokies foul-shot numbers, Boeheim said, should naturally go down when facing a zone.

There was some myth I remember at Marquette a couple years ago that they get to the foul line a lot. Yeah, that was a nice myth too.

Jim Boeheim syracuse head coach

And a Syracuse team struggling to find a rhythm from the field, especially when

being guarded man-to-man, instinctively tried to penetrate.

“It’s very important especially with shots not falling,” Michael Gbinije said. “… get your rhythm back, see the ball go in, so it’s definitely important to get to the line.”

On Tuesday, each Syracuse player who saw the court attempted at least two foul shots. Tyler Roberson and Trevor Cooney led the way with eight and seven, respectively, but they only made seven combined.

Tyler Lydon was the only one to make all his attempts, going 4-for-4.

Syracuse’s mark from the line against the Hokies was 5 percent lower than its season average. The bevvy of trips to the foul line helped the Orange inch closer before pulling ahead, but Cooney didn’t think it even had to get to that point.

“I think we all struggled besides Lydon,” he said. “We make those foul shots and it’s not a game really.” mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman

ice hockey

SU needs streaky play for momentum before postseason

By Chris Thomsen staff writer

The barometer for Syracuse’s success is its performance against Mercyhurst. Since the Orange’s program started in 2008, SU had never beaten the Lakers until last year. But its recent results against the conference’s top team are evidence of Syracuse’s progression.

The Orange has beaten Mercyhurst twice

this season — including the team’s first-ever victory visiting the Lakers, a 2-1 overtime thriller.

“Gosh, it was a struggle for a while there.

We were happy just to tie them a few years back,” Syracuse head coach Paul Flanagan said. “To go into their rink and beat them in overtime, that’s a real confidence booster. We have to believe that we’re better than them.”

Syracuse split the season series with its College Hockey America rival and the

Orange sits in second place in the conference. Still, SU’s inconsistency has prevented the team from maximizing its potential.

Syracuse has never had a three-game winning streak this season nor a clean sweep of a weekend doubleheader, which comprises the majority of SU’s schedule. With the threeround CHA tournament nearing in three weeks, the Orange (12-13-3, 8-4-2 CHA) is looking to quickly establish the stability necessary for postseason success.

“It all starts in practice,” senior Melissa Piacentini said. “We need to have a consistent week from Monday to Saturday. It’s really just an overall team problem we’ve been having, but hopefully this weekend we can start turning it all around.”

Last season, SU didn’t win back-to-back games in the same weekend until defeating conference opponent Robert Morris twice on Feb. 6-7. The Orange was never able to win three games in a row in the 2014-15 campaign.

This year, the situation is all too familiar.

Syracuse’s next two games are on Feb. 5-6 against Penn State (9-14-5, 5-4-5), and the Orange still hasn’t won two games against the same opponent in a single weekend.

I think we have to step back and really evaluate the things we need to do. Whether that works or not, we’re trying to identify things that can help us, whether it’s physical or psychological.

We know our system.

Paul Flanagan syracuse head coach

“I think our mental preparation has struggled,” Flanagan said. “We aren’t ready for that first game, or we don’t respond on Saturday well after winning on Friday.

That’s all upstairs, to me.”

Syracuse’s best chance to develop consistency was against Robert Morris on Halloween weekend, according to Flanagan. The

Orange won its first matchup in overtime, 4-3, before dropping the next day’s game, 2-0.

That next weekend, Syracuse tied conference opponent Lindenwood after a 3-1 victory one day earlier. And in December, the Orange won

831

Days since SU’s last three-game winning streak

on Dec. 4 and tied on Dec. 5 against Penn State.

Flanagan is addressing his team’s mental preparation by completely backing off and letting the players handle it themselves. He believes that taking too much action about the team’s problems will make things worse.

“I think we have to step back and really evaluate the things we need to do,” Flanagan said. “Whether that works or not, we’re trying to identify things that can help us, whether it’s physical or psychological. We know our system. It’s about fine-tuning things.”

While the coaches may be backing off, the players are hoping to step up.

Piacentini has noted the team’s mental growth since her freshman year, but she says it’s not enough if it plans on competing in the conference tournament.

“We need to work with a goal of playing 120 minutes a weekend,” senior Nicole Ferrara said. “We’re not the most skilled team out there. But if we work hard, we can compete with anybody.”

But no matter how SU solves its instability, players and coaches both detect a sense of urgency. If Penn State wins both games this weekend, the Nittany Lions would surpass the Orange in the CHA standings.

The top two teams in the conference receive first-round byes, but if Syracuse drops below second, it’ll need to do something it hasn’t accomplished since the 20132014 season to make the NCAA tournament: win three consecutive games.

“Anything can happen, so we have to take care of business,” Flanagan said. “Anything short of 120 minutes could have a lot to do with whether we’re fighting for first place down the stretch or more of just fighting to have home ice for the playoffs. There’s a lot at stake.” cfthomse@sy.edu

february 4, 2016 15

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football

Former SU safety Howard not accepted as walk-on

By Matt Schneidman sports editor

Naesean Howard won’t be accepted as a walk-on for the Syracuse football team this spring, a source told The Daily Orange Wednesday night. The former Syracuse safety was told by director of operations Brad Wittke that he’d have to wait until the summer, when he might be given a chance to join workouts or try out then.

Howard was the first commit to Syracuse’s Class of 2014 and was suspended during fall camp his freshman year for missing curfew. He missed the team’s annual trip to Fort Drum but was reinstated.

He never stepped on the field and parted ways with the program and school before

transferring to Wagner. Howard never played there either, and is back at Syracuse this semester. He was hoping to join the team for spring workouts but will now have to wait until after the school year.

The local product out of West Genesee High School had the support of his high school coach, Joe Corley, who said this in an email to The Daily Orange earlier this week: “I am not in a position to offer an opinion on what decision should be made; however, should he be reinstated, I certainly will be happy for him, will wish him the very the best and will be supportive of him in whatever way I can be.

“He goes down as one of the top performing athletes and football players ever to attend West Genesee High School.” mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman

recruiting

Rashad Smith switches to FAU

By Paul Schwedelson asst. sports editor

Class of 2016 linebacker Rashad Smith has flipped back to Florida Atlantic, according to multiple media reports.

He was committed to FAU until Jan. 24, when he changed his commitment to Syracuse. On National Signing Day on Wednesday, Smith switched back to the Owls.

He signed his letter of intent to play for Florida Atlantic, officially ending his recruitment.

Smith’s decommitment from Syracuse

bumps the Orange’s 2016 class down to 21 members. So far, 16 players have signed their paperwork to officially join SU. Syracuse’s class is now down to three linebackers — Andrew Armstrong, Kenneth Ruff and Tim Walton — all of whom have signed their National Letter of Intent.

Homestead (Florida) High School’s Smith was ranked with three stars and as the 139th best outside linebacker in the 2016 class.

Syracuse’s 2016 class has 20 members after Signing Day on Wednesday. pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds

S

Finding a groove

Off the line

Syracuse ice hockey hasn’t been able to win three games in a row this season and its inconsistency has been a crutch.

See page 14

SPORTS

Continue following The Daily Orange’s recruiting coverage as SU’s staff begins to work on the 2017 class following Signing Day. See dailyorange.com

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 4, 2016 • PAG E 16

LOST & FOUND

1

Keeping track

Virginia Tech takes the most foul shots per game in the ACC, but Syracuse held the Hokies to just 13 on Tuesday.

See page 14

2 7 8

3 4

9

5

10

12

11

6

Dino Babers scraps together his 1st recruiting class after losing 11 commits from Shafer era

13

14

meet the class Here’s a list of the 20 members in Syracuse’s 2016 recruiting class and when they each chose the Orange.

6 kendall coleman | de

11 jo-el shaw | rb

2 airon servais | ol

7 evan foster | s

12 michael clark | ol

3 sam heckel | ol

8 tim walton | lb

13 devin butler | wr

16 scoop bradshaw | s

19 kenneth ruff | ilb

4 joshua black | de

9 carl jones | cb

14 moe neal | rb/wr

17 devon clarke | s

20 mckinley williams | de

5 liam o’sullivan | ol

10 andrew armstrong | lb

15 rex culpepper | qb

18 jaquwan nelson | de

1

sean riley | athlete ht: 5’9’’ wght: 165 california jan. 17, 2016

15

ht: 6’6’’ wght: 260 wisconsin dec. 8, 2015 ht: 6’5’’ wght: 265 wisconsin june 27, 2015

ht: 6’3’’ wght: 251 illinois jan. 25, 2016

ht: 6’7’’ wght: 247 illinois dec. 14, 2015

ht: 6’3’’ wght: 235 indiana jan. 15, 2016

ht: 6’2’’ wght: 195 michigan jan. 24, 2016 ht: 6’2’’ wght: 225 michigan jan. 26, 2016

ht: 6’2’’ wght: 175 ohio dec. 14, 2015 ht: 6’2’’ wght: 215 ohio jan. 19, 2016

key

ht: 6’1’’ wght: 215 pennsylvania jan. 23, 2016

ht: 6’3’’ wght: 225 florida june 9, 2015

ht: 6’3’’ wght: 185 florida jan. 17, 2016

ht: 6’4’’ wght: 230 florida jan. 24, 2016

Behind the weekend when Orange locked up 8 Class of 2016 signees

By Paul Schwedelson asst. sports editor

M

ichael Clark stood in front of an auditorium filled with coaches, current players and fellow recruits. His host for the weekend, quarterback Zack Mahoney, introduced him. First by naming his hometown. Then by listing off his accolades. And concluding by letting Clark declare his recruitment status.

The former Maryland commit stood still with his hands in his pocket. When he left for Syracuse that weekend, he was uncommitted but picked up an SU offer the day before on Jan. 22.

Mahoney pointed toward Clark, who said he was committing to Syracuse, shocking everyone in attendance. The room erupted with cheers, claps and yells. Clark turned

to Mahoney and hugged him.

“I kind of kick-started everybody committing,” Clark said. “…

After that, everything just started rolling. Everybody got closer as the weekend went on and everybody felt comfortable.”

During the weekend of Jan. 22-24, the Orange hosted 12 players on official visits, nine of whom were either uncommitted or pledged to a different school. The other three were already verbally committed to SU. But by Thursday of the following week, all 12 players were committed to Syracuse and it all started with Clark’s unconventional announcement.

While linebacker Rashad Smith flipped back to Florida Atlantic on Wednesday, the other 11 visitors all signed their letters of intent to join the Orange, making up 55 percent of SU’s 20-member 2016 recruiting class.

see nsd page 12

18 19 20

moving on

ht: 5’11’’ wght: 175 florida june 13, 2015

ht: 5’11’’ wght: 160 north carolina aug. 1, 2015

16

scott shafer commits dino babers commits

ht: 6’7’’ wght: 277 pennsylvania jan. 23, 2016

ht: 6’3’’ wght: 195 maryland jan. 24, 2016

17

fast and furious Over a span of four days, Syracuse received nine verbal commitments from all nine players not committed to SU who took official visits on Jan. 22-24. Seven players committed during the weekend while two others committed later.

Here are approximate times of when they chose Syracuse.

jan. 23

2:07 pm michael clark 3:38 pm jo-el shaw 8:34 pm mckinley williams

jan. 24

9:36 am evan foster 10:19 am jaquwan nelson 11:22 am devin butler

jan. 25

8:59 am joshua black

jan. 26

8:03 pm tim walton

ht: 6’1’’ wght: 240 florida dec. 12, 2015

ht: 6’5’’ wght: 255 florida jan. 23, 2016

SU’s 2016 class had 15 players committed when Scott Shafer was fired. Since then, 11 of them left the Orange’s 2016 class. Here’s a look at which schools they ended up choosing.

will harper linebacker • tulane darius stubbs hybrid • georgia state dymelle parker linebacker • towson noel brouse offensive lineman • connecticut cam degeorge offensive lineman • connecticut sadiq palmer wide receiver •massachusetts brandon ginnetti defensive lineman • uri monquavion brinson cornerback • georgia southern

graphic illustration by emma comtois design editor

taylor riggins linebacker • massachusetts lindsey scott quarterback • louisiana state jamal holloway defensive lineman • unsigned

5 notable topics from Dino Babers’ presser

By Matt Schneidman sports editor

Syracuse inked 17 players in its Class of 2016 on National Signing Day to round out Dino Babers’ first recruiting class as SU head coach. Babers addressed the media for just under 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon, discussing a wide variety of topics surrounding the 20-person group.

Here are the five most notable things he talked about: Honesty with Scott Shafer’s recruits Of the 15 commits former SU head coach Scott Shafer reeled in, only four remained as National Signing Day came to a close.

Moe Neal, Rex Culpepper, Scoop Bradshaw and Sam Heckel stuck with Babers and a revamped staff while 11 players decommitted.

When he took over, Babers was tasked with balancing his own views for a winning template with providing perspective to the players already verbally pledged to Syracuse.

“We’re going to be completely honest,” Babers said of what he told players already committed when he got the job. “Were going to be crystal clear. Those young men, they still could’ve attended school here if they wanted to. In the giant scheme of things, when you look at things, if someone’s being absolutely crystal clear with you and telling you the gospel truth then you have to decide whether you want to swim up that river or not.”

In the trenches The bulk of Syracuse’s signees were at the big-body positions, see babers page 12