Feb. 11, 2016

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IN LIMBO 2,140

WHAT IS OPT? The Optional Practical Training Program allows international students and recent graduates to do work for a year in a field related to their study under their visa.

By Michael Burke asst. news editor

W

hen Shikai Jin looks around at the other students in his computer science courses, he doesn’t see many Americans.

“There’s usually only one or two per class,” he said. “The rest are Indian or Chinese.”

Jin, who is pursuing a Master’s degree in computer science and will graduate from Syracuse University this spring, sees

INTERNATIONAL UNDERGR ADUATE STUDENTS

this as evidence that American students choose not to pursue careers in computer science and related fields. So he has a difficult time understanding arguments that international students like him are unfairly taking jobs from Americans in those fields.

Yet that is the case the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech) — a labor union based in Washington state — made by suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2014

canada 50

turkey 51

south korea 80

india 723

china 1,091

saudi arabia 49

143.21 source: slutzker center

The percentage of SU undergraduate and graduate students who are international

11.6

brazil 71

The percentage increase in international students enrolled at SU over the past 10 years

20

BY THE BARS

canada 73

source: pew research center

south korea 143

In the 2012-13 academic year, international students accounted for more than half of the advanced degrees earned in many science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The percentage of international students who earned doctorates from U.S. universities in 2012-13

china 1,049

WHO’S EARNING WHAT?

931

International graduate students enrolled in SU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science

The total number of SU students from China — the most represented foreign country at the university

WHO’S ELIGIBLE? Students who graduate with a degree in a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) field may apply for an extension to the program. The current extension for the program is 17 months. A decision to abolish, maintain or extend this time frame will likely be made this spring.

Ruling on program may force recent international grads home

INTERNATIONAL GR ADUATE STUDENTS

graphic illustration by kiran ramsey design editor

in part over an extension to an Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for international students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

OPT allows international students and recent graduates to work in the U.S. for a year under their F-1 student visas in a field related to their study. The extension, created in 2008, allows STEM graduates to work for an additional 17 months, giving them 29 total months to work

while on their student visas.

But the future of the STEM extension is unclear. The 17-month extension rule is set to expire May 10, and a newly-proposed rule by DHS is currently under review at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

If the rule is approved by OMB and includes a STEM extension, it would benefit Jin and other international students at SU and across the country seeking to gain work experience in the U.S. within STEM

fields. If not, it would mean most of those students could be forced to pack their bags and return to their home countries within a year after graduation.

“We don’t know what will happen,” said Mary Idzior, associate director for immigration and student services at SU’s Slutzker Center for International Services. “That’s the whole rulemaking process.”

That current state of uncertainty can be traced back to August see opt

program page 6

Community members provide input on diversity at SU

By Sara Swann asst. news editor

Instead of having pockets of safe spaces on the Syracuse University campus, one group at the SU Community Visioning Session on Diversity & Inclusion said the whole campus should be a safe space.

Many suggestions, recommendations and visions like this one were given on Wednesday afternoon during the SU Community

Visioning Session on Diversity & Inclusion, which took place in Goldstein Auditorium inside the Schine Student Center.

About 80 members of the SU community — including many members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion — gathered inside Goldstein to discuss different ideas for diversity and inclusion at SU. Roughly nine people, including a facilitator and a note-taker, sat at each round table.

About eight tables participated in the discussion.

Francine D’Amico, an associate professor and undergraduate studies director of international relations at SU, moderated the session, and began by explaining the purposes and goals the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion were trying to achieve through it.

She said many campus community groups, organizations,

agencies and individuals have been raising concerns about diversity and inclusion-related issues. This session and the second one at 7 p.m. were held to address these concerns and formulate ideas to possibly make changes in the future.

The first step of the session was for each table to discuss among its members what those table members think the big picture or vision for SU should be

moving forward.

For the first 30-40 minutes of the session after the introduction, each person in their particular group discussed their individual vision for SU in terms of how the university can be more diverse and inclusive. Then, each group’s facilitator shared with the entire room what they talked about.

Some common points were made about the need for more see diversity page 6

2 february 11, 2016

dailyorange.com

THIRSTY thursday | matua sauvignon blanc

Summer wine has flowery, citrus notes

By Max Darrow contributing writer

Since Punxsutawney Phil told us we’re going to have a short winter, I decided to go with a wine that’ll be great in the summertime: the 2014 Matua Sauvignon Blanc.

It comes from the Marlborough region of New Zealand — famous for producing Sauvignon Blancs. The wine is a 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc with all of the grapes coming from the region, measuring in with a 13 percent alcohol by volume.

Being a white wine, it is pretty light in color with only a hint of yellow. On the nose, it is very floral. The bouquet isn’t overpowering, but it’s enough to make your mouth water for the taste. I smelled a hint of citrus and lemongrass somewhere in there.

When you get to take a taste, you’re in for a treat. Matua’s review is spot on when it describes it as “refreshingly good” with “vibrant citrus and pineapple flavors with great length and structure.” I intentionally didn’t look at their review until I evaluated it for myself, and I came up with pretty similar tasting notes, with the addition of a buttery feel. Sticking with the tropical trend, I got a lot of citrus notes, specifically

grapefruit and pineapple. I’d say it definitely has a tropical zest.

The wine is sweet, but not overpowering like a Moscato. It’s a bit on the acidic side — you’ll feel it at the finish, but it’s nothing crazy.

The 2014 Matua Sauvignon Blanc is definitely not a wine you’d want to enjoy with a thick steak or on a cold wintery night. However, try it with a filet of salmon or fish with a lemon-garlic sauce. The two will complement each other beautifully and really knock your socks off. You could also pour a glass to accompany a pasta dish with a white sauce, as it’ll go well with that, too.

Once winter decides to leave — could be in March, could be in June — this is a great bottle of wine to bring to a barbecue or picnic. Enjoy a glass with some friends on a nice warm and sunny day. An added bonus: The bottle is simple and elegant. It doesn’t have any crazy designs or weird fonts — rather, it is very classy looking bottle, for a great price of just $10–$12 a bottle.

So when the time comes and you’re looking for a great white wine, try and get your hands on a bottle of Matua — you won’t regret it. midarrow@syr.edu

t o day ’ s w e at h e r

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INSIDE N • Just like a tattoo

A staff worker at Maryville College started a project that encourages people in the MC community to get tattoos from MC’s alma mater.

Page 7

S • Count it

The NCAA said that SU’s play during Jim Boeheim’s nine-game suspension will be considered come NCAA Tournament time.

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BUSINESS 315 443 2315 Sports@dailyorange.com GENERAL FAX Opinion@dailyorange.com 315 443 3689 Photo@dailyorange.com ADVERTISING 315 443 9794 Ads@dailyorange.com Pulp@dailyorange.com

MATUA SAUVIGNON BLANC is a sweet summer white wine that comes from New Zealand. The wine contains hints of citrus fruits, flowers and lemongrass. lukas hallorman 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.

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N

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

See dailyorange.com

NEWS

@EngineeringSU A new partnership w/ @2Uinc introduces online @SyracuseU degrees in #ComputerEngineering, #CompSci, & #Cybersecurity

Going green SU has a department devoted to sustainability initiatives. See how SU has made progress with sustainability.

See Monday’s paper

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 11, 2016 • PAG E 3

school of education

Professor contributes to study Study sought to find causes of child obesity

By Nicole Valinote contributing writer

As white as snow Snowfall on Tuesday broke a streak of snowless and relatively warm winter days in Syracuse. On Feb. 10, 2015, there were 1.1 inches on the ground in Syracuse, according to the Weather Underground website. Now, there is a lake effect snow warning that is remaining in effect until Friday at 4 a.m. Syracuse could receive 6 to 12 inches, according to Weather Underground. riley bunch photo editor

engineering and computer science

Winners chosen for research competition

By Sara Swann asst. news editor

The Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering at Syracuse University has announced the winners of its first University-Industry Seed Funding Competition.

All participants in the competition were researchers paired with New York state companies, and the winners were chosen by an external panel, according to an SU News release. Each winner received an award of up to $50,000 for further universitybased research and development.

The three winners of the com-

petition are Sara Eftekharnejad, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science; Utpal Roy, director of the mechanical engineering program and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Amit Sanyal, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, according to the release.

Each winner focused on a different industry sector for their company project — Eftekharnejad partnered with Greenview Energy Management Systems to work on renewable energy, Roy partnered with FilterTech, Inc. to develop advanced manu-

While it is true that faculty members come up with interesting ideas all the time, it is often difficult to commercialize these ideas.

Jeffrey Stanton

interim dean of the school of Information studies

facturing systems and Sanyal partnered with ANDRO Compu-

tational Solutions LLC to create unmanned or autonomous air vehicles, said Pramod Varshney, director of CASE. Any SU faculty member partnered with a New York state company to conduct research could have participated in the competition, which was first announced in October 2015, according to the release. For the competition, the company research is focused on creating a positive economic impact for the company and the state of New York, whether that be through innovation, revenues or jobs.

see case page 6

engineering and computer science

School launches online education partnership

A Syracuse University professor recently finished a five-year study of behaviors that lead to obesity, finding that there could be a common link that spans across the globe.

Childhood obesity has more than doubled within the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Tiago Barreira, an assistant professor in SU’s School of Education, participated in a recent global study — The International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment — hoping to better understand what contributes to childhood obesity.

“The primary aim of ISCOLE was to determine the relationships between lifestyle behaviors and obesity in a multi-national study of children,” Barreira said.

The study was conducted primarily by monitoring the physical activity of children through the use of accelerators, which monitor movement, and by sending surveys out to children, Barreira said. Researchers also monitored the sleep patterns of the children involved in the study.

ISCOLE is unlike other childhood obesity studies because it monitored

see obesity page 7

national news Here is a round-up of the biggest national news stories in the world: POLITICS

IT’S OVER New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businesswoman Carly Fiorina suspended their campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination after poor showings in the New Hampshire primary. source: the washington post

By Sara Swann asst. news editor

Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science has announced a partnership with 2U Inc. to launch Engineering@Syracuse, an online graduate degree program.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science has joined the S.I. Newhouse School of Public

Communications, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the School of Information Studies as the fourth school to partner with 2U to create an online graduate degree program, according to an SU News release.

Engineering@Syracuse will include three online graduate degree options: a Master of Science in computer engineering, a Master of Science in computer

science and a Master of Science in cybersecurity, according to the release. All the online classes in the degree programs will be offered through the College of Engineering and Computer Science and taught live and face-toface by professors in the college.

SU first partnered with 2U last year to create its first two online graduate degree programs, MBA@Syracuse with Whitman —

which was recently ranked No. 44 in the U.S. News & World Report’s top 50 “Best Online MBA Programs” — and Communications@ Syracuse with Newhouse.

Andrew Hermalyn, executive vice president and regional general manager for 2U, said in an email that discussions were had with each of the four colleges to explore how an online graduate see su

and 2u page 6

HEALTH ZIKA LINK The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the Zika virus in the tissue of two Brazilian babies who died from microcephaly, which the CDC called “the strongest evidence to date” that the viruses causes the birth defect. source: cnn.com

4 february 11, 2016

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gender and sexuality

Pro-rape group’s meetup attempt perpetuates toxic masculinity

U

ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND COMMENCEMENT IN MAY? HERE’S A CHECKLIST TO HELP YOU! FILE A DIPLOMA REQUEST! Bachelor’s degree candidates must file on MySlice by February 12 to receive a Commencement mailing and be on the graduation list for a cap and gown, if you plan to complete requirements by August 2016

Mark your calendars for: Commencement, Carrier Dome, Sunday, May 15, 9:30 a.m. to noon Commencement Rehearsal, Carrier Dome, Thursday, May 12, at 10 a.m.

School and College Convocations check schedule: commencement.syr.edu Cap and gown distribution begins May 9 (no need to pre-order) Lodging Arrangements for guests (VisitSyracuse.org) Disability Arrangement forms are online beginning March 1: commencement.syr.edu Order Announcements and more at bookstore.syr.edu

Complete Commencement information online March 1, 2016 at commencement.syr.edu Check often for updates!

nfortunately, Googling “return of the king” no longer just links you to Lord of the Rings results.

The brainchild of Daryush “Roosh” Valizadeh, Return of Kings is a “neomasculine” group. It champions beliefs including that a woman’s value depends on her physical being while a man’s value is structured from intellect and that traditional gender roles are needed to prevent promiscuity in women, to name a few.

The organization recently had to cancel its 165 planned meetups — one of which was scheduled to happen in Syracuse last week — due to threats that their ever-fragile masculinity couldn’t handle.

The Syracuse meetup, scheduled for Return of Kings’ International Meetup Day on Feb. 6, was to take place at Columbus Circle, “next to the statue” on East Onondaga Street, before threats and counterprotests erupted against the members.

Opposition against the group, aside from its atypical meninist mantra, really caught fire after a blog post from Valizadeh outwardly promoted “legal rape.”

While controversy has arisen from the public, others have defended ROK’s actions in stating that the group’s outrageous speeches are seeking a response as opposed to calling for action. But the fact of the matter is, trolling or not, rape is never a joke.

When proclaiming satire as free speech, it must be known that it only goes so far, considering anything that is intended to harm the person in regard to their physical well-being, mental health or safety is illegal.

In the pro-rape post, Valizadeh claims to have figured out how to put an end to rape. His solution is to make rape legal if done on private property, stating that “If rape becomes legal, a girl will not enter an impaired state of mind where she can’t resist being dragged off to a bedroom with a man who she is unsure of — she’ll scream, yell or kick at his attempt while bystanders are still around.”

Although Valizadeh later claimed the post to be satirical, unlike Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” he has previously backed up his promoted values in other blog posts on his site.

Apparently, the only men we need to pay attention to are those who feel the need to aggressively portray their heterosexuality.

Gay men, transgender men and “meninists” — despite their active promotion of domestic violence and values aptly described by Urban Dictionary as being “a mockery of feminism that proves that we can’t request equality without white men making everything about themselves” — have been considered too unmasculine for the likes of ROK. It’s hard enough to prevent women from being raped, let alone prosecute those who

BRONTË SCHMIT

FAVORING FLUIDITY

commit this vile act. It is almost unspeakable to know that there was such a positive acknowledgement of these terrifying ideals so close to the school we call our home.

These acts come in spite of positive male involvement in the anti-sexual assault campaign with movements such as “It’s On Us,” “The Hunting Ground” and Vice President Joe Biden’s speeches on college campuses.

Even fraternities are taking a stand and this shows us that violent misogyny still lies outside the comfort of the Internet with tangible manifestations of assault. If anything, the attempted meetup should shed light on the dangers of toxic masculinity and progressively shift the focus to the change that is trying to be made by others.

The number of planned international meetups hosted for the pro-rape group Return of Kings’ International Meetup Day, one of which was in Syracuse

As women, we are taught not to walk alone, not to take a drink from anyone and to be on guard at all times. I walk with a self-defense tool because, as a woman, I was taught that I need to know how to fight for my life because there are men who think rape is their right.

As women, we already face enough of a fight before a man comes along with a need to kindle his masculinity through the societal promotion of violence. Writing even this much was difficult, not just because of the disgusting and utterly immoral actions that this group promotes, but because in acknowledging their values, we give them more power.

These events should encourage countries to follow in the footsteps of Australia and ban this miserable excuse of a man and his followers from entering, and that we as a society take Valizadeh’s speeches with the complete disregard of attention that they deserve.

And when it comes to the conversation of sexual assault, men should mobilize to help women and other men in the fight against gendered violence, rather than networking to perpetuate rape culture.

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

She can be reached at bkschmit@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @brontekincaid.

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The Daily Orange is hiring columnists for the Spring 2016 semester!

If interested, please email opinion@dailyorange.com

O

OPINION

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 11, 2016 • PAG E 5

student life

scribble

Sleep deprivation is unhealthy, glorified

S

leep is for the weak: it’s the unspoken mantra in the college landscape.

We hate our lack of rest, but what’s more telling is that we love to hate it. We take pride in exchanging sleep horror stories. “I only slept three hours last night” and “I’m going to need a triple espresso shot today” are subtle hints in our everyday lives that perpetuate the glorification of sleep deprivation culture.

A recent study by the University of California, Irvine found that evidence of sleep deprivation is reflected in our social media habits.

Researchers discovered that the compulsive use of Facebook is correlated with lack of sleep. It’s a simple, but thought-provoking concept: less sleep leads to more distraction, which means a higher tendency to go online and browse social media.

This might explain why you say you’re too tired to finish assignments late at night, but are perfectly capable and willing to scroll through Instagram until the break of dawn.

Social media is often blamed for procrastination, but maybe our sleep habits are really at fault.

Sleep isn’t a primary concern for college students, especially when you’re surrounded by fellow students who boast about “only” getting “X” hours of sleep. And because of the hectic nature of student life, sleep schedules are constantly changing — based on the week’s big assignments, spontaneous late-night adventures and random Netflix binges.

Despite this unpredictability and our indifference toward sleep, we need to emphasize healthier rest habits. This is necessary not only on an individual level, but also for the greater campus culture so students find a balance between work, play and sleep.

Even if personal health isn’t enough to encourage better habits, keep this in mind: sleep deprivation can also harm relationships and

RASHIKA JAIPURIAR SO HIP, SO COOL, SO COLLEGE

academics, which is counterproductive, considering many students give up sleep to keep up with schoolwork.

Larry Lewandowski, a professor and chair of the psychology department in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, said he has noticed that on average, most students went to bed at 1 or 2 a.m. — only to be halfasleep during their 10 a.m. lecture.

“People are sometimes burning the candle at both ends a little bit,” Lewandowski said. “It’s unfortunate to not be all there, when you’re spending that much money on an education.”

Lewandowski explained that long-term sleep deprivation has historical significance as a torture device because it “can cause negative physical effects and negative mental effects,” causing people to break down. Although the danger isn’t as immediate in our daily lives as students, the effects are more gradual.

For instance, sleep problems have about the same impact on GPA as binge drinking and marijuana use, according to a 2014 study conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

It’s hard to take this issue seriously when it seems that our generation’s missing out on essential hours of rest is normalized. Walking around as an exhausted and overly caffeinated zombie is expected in today’s student culture.

It’s an epidemic that has even plagued Georgetown University, an SU peer institution. “Sleep when you’re dead” is known as their unofficial motto, according to a student film made two years ago about Georgetown’s sleep culture on campus.

One interviewee in the film

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

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admitted, “There’s definitely a culture of ‘If you’re not busy, you might be doing something wrong.’”

This is a mindset that transcends high-achieving college campuses everywhere because rest, for many young adults, is often viewed as a secondary need — an option.

On any given day with school, work and social obligations, sleep is the easiest area to sacrifice.

But maybe we’re making the wrong choice. Sleep should be more of a priority considering the more obvious health reasons and the fact that sleep deprivation perpetuates an over-stressed campus culture and puts unhealthy workaholic behavior on a pedestal.

With trends like binge-drinking and the “Freshman 15” prevalent on college campuses, this may be tough advice to follow, but it must be said: college is the time to build lifelong healthy habits.

Coming to college, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the opportunities and fall back into the old hyperinvolved madness of high school that include resume-padding and AP fervor; however, there comes a time when one must acknowledge that enough is enough.

Going to bed as early as 10 p.m. may encourage teasing from friends, but putting yourself before schoolwork is a special kind of self-love.

It’s tempting to think our hectic schedules and stress will be limited to these four years, but that is not the case. Life after college goes on and so will the day-to-day grind. This is a rare time when we are not tied down with nine-to-five jobs and familial responsibilities, and it is important to appreciate that independence and remember that snoozing isn’t losing.

Rashika Jaipuriar is a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at rjaipuri@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @rashikajpr.

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editorial board

OPT debate requires deeper understanding If the United States and its respective universities are going to brand themselves as diverse places of opportunity with high rates of international students, it should be understood that each student, regardless of their country of origin, should be granted the same opportunities in the U.S. job market.

The outcome of the ongoing legal battle between the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers — a labor union based in Washington state — and the Department of Homeland Security over an extension to an Optional Practical Training program for international students in STEM fields will affect this demographic of students studying at U.S. institutions, including Syracuse University.

The current 17-month extension rule is set to expire May 10.

And if a newly-proposed ruling currently under review is approved and includes an extension, it would allow international students at SU and across the country seeking to gain work experience in U.S. STEM industries. If not, it would require most international students to return to their home countries within a year of graduation.

As the extension dispute courses through the legal system, it should be understood that students without permanent U.S. residency should be able to seek out postdegree job prospects without facing excessive limitations as long as they are qualified and rightfully selected to fill the position.

This is reinforced by the margins of U.S. students to international students when it comes to the general qualifications needed to secure STEM-related jobs.

A 2014 Brookings Institution study found that STEM skills are in high demand, “particularly those associated with high levels of educational attainment.” Following this, the Pew Research Center published findings that while international students earned just 11.6 percent of all doctoral degrees earned at U.S. institutions in 201213, they accounted for a majority

of all doctorates in engineering and in computer and information sciences and half of all doctorates in mathematics and statistics.

When U.S. students aren’t stepping in to fulfill requirements set by American employers for these jobs, it is justifiable for international students to harness these opportunities and bridge this gap.

But it is telling that U.S. students aren’t meeting this demand, considering a 2015 report by employment expert Anthony P. Carnevale found that recent bachelor’s degree holders in STEM fields had an average unemployment rate of 8.3 percent between 2011 and 2012. This demonstrates that the ongoing debate at the intersection of foreign students and the U.S. labor market is reflective of a much larger issue regarding the long-term effects of current federal policies.

It is possible that recent U.S. graduates with citizenship are poised to satisfy STEM-related employment openings, but are being failed somewhere in the system approaching college graduation. This sheds light on the impending need to reshape these policies accordingly to ensure that the U.S. is structured to be able to take care of its citizens before others.

Though this is far easier said than done, the complex of having an excess vacancy of STEM positions for international graduates to fulfill while U.S. graduates of the same area of study collect social welfares is solely counterintuitive.

In the context of the extension regarding the OPT program for international students, market opportunities extend to each graduate, maintaining that the most qualified candidate is selected for the opportunity.

But it is integral in addressing the greater issue of U.S. unemployment that this discussion transcends a seemingly niche extension and is representative of the multifaceted understanding that U.S. students studying STEM should not be set up to fail in the first place.

6 february 11, 2016

from page 1

opt program of last year, when the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, in response to WashTech’s suit, found that DHS’ creation of the extension was a “serious procedural deficiency” because DHS did not provide notice or invite public comment before implementing the extension.

The court ordered the current rule to be vacated but delayed the vacatur until Feb. 12 to give DHS time to submit a new rule. DHS proposed a new rule on Oct. 19 that would replace the 17-month extension with a 24-month one.

On Dec. 22, after receiving more than 50,000 comments on the proposed rule, DHS filed a motion to extend the vacatur date until May 10 — a motion the court granted on Jan. 23.

DHS sent the final rule — which is not yet available to the public — on Feb. 5 to OMB for review, according to nafsa.org.

But WashTech officials are still holding out hope that the extensions “come to an end,” said John Miano, the lawyer representing WashTech and fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.

Miano said the extensions circumvent the H-1B work visas, which are awarded to temporary workers in specialty occupations.

That’s unjustifiable, he said, because the extensions are supposed to be student visas,.

from page 3

case

Jeffrey Stanton, interim dean of the School of Information Studies, said in an email that the purpose of the competition is to connect faculty researchers with local companies to create partnerships for new products and services.

“These seed funding grants help the uni-

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

“If you read the rule, its entire purpose is to supply the labor industry,” he said.

“There’s no mention of education at all. It’s all that employers can’t get enough H-1B workers, ‘so let’s do this instead.’”

But Idzior said the real issue is that there aren’t enough H-1B visas. The STEM extensions, she added, help “fill the gap” that arises due to that shortage of visas.

Congress caps available H-1B visas at 65,000 per year, with an additional 20,000 for graduates who have received a Master’s degree or higher, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

“We know we don’t have enough visas in this country, but for some reason we can’t change that,” Idzor said.

Meanwhile, some proponents of the extension disagree with Miano’s stance and maintain that the extensions provide a worthwhile addition to students’ education.

Michael Wildes, an immigration lawyer based in New York City, said that the OPT extensions have “a lot of purpose.”

“OPT and the extension were established to give students a practical bird’s eye view of the academia that they study,” he said.

Others say the driving force behind WashTech’s lawsuit — to “protect American workers,” as Miano put it — is flawed

because Americans can’t satisfy the excessive demand for STEM workers.

And while officials at the Center of Immigration Studies argue that the STEM shortage is a myth, a 2014 Brookings Institution study suggests otherwise.

The study found that, on average, openings for STEM-related jobs “requiring a Ph.D. or other professional degree” last 50 days, compared to 33 days for non-STEM jobs. The researchers saw that as evidence that STEM skills are in high demand, “particularly those associated with high levels of educational attainment.”

And it’s international students who are disproportionately achieving those levels of educational attainment.

In June of last year, the Pew Research Center published a study which found that while international students earned just 11.6 percent of all doctoral degrees earned at U.S. colleges and universities in 2012-13, they accounted for 56.9 percent of all doctorates in engineering, 52.5 percent of all doctorates in computer and information sciences and half of all doctorates in mathematics and statistics.

At SU, international students account for 37 percent of total graduate student enrollment this academic year, according to Slutzker Center data.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Information Studies

have the highest number of international students, with 931 and 351 such students, respectively, according to the data. That means international students at those schools account for 53.2 percent of all graduate international students at SU, according to the data.

If the STEM extension were to no longer exist, tech companies and other companies in STEM fields would suffer without those foreign workers, said Wenjuan Jiang, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering as an international student at SU. “I don’t think the U.S. people can satisfy this demand without the international students,” she said.

Given that, Jiang said she believes the new DHS rule, when published, will include another STEM extension.

If that doesn’t happen, her time left in the U.S. could be very limited. The same would be true for Jin, the graduate student studying computer science.

It would be even worse for some of Jin’s former classmates, who he said are currently using their STEM extensions and working with tech companies, many of which have advocated for more H-1B visas.

“If the extension is canceled, they will have to go back to China,” he said.

versity-industry partnerships get through that initial, difficult phase of commercialization,” Stanton said.

The winners of the competition have the potential to create new employment opportunities in New York state — and these companies will hopefully hire SU graduates in the future, Stanton said.

Varshney said CASE — a university-wide center that works with all of SU’s schools

and colleges — is graded by the state on how well it is doing in terms of showing significant economic impact.

He said this motivated those involved with the program to start this competition for New York state companies to participate in.

The monetary awards each company received, Varshney said, will be used by SU graduate students involved with CASE to help develop new ideas and products that can then be used by the particular company to move their projects forward. The companies will then be able to apply for grants in the future, he added.

SU faculty members and students involved with CASE work with industry

partners to “turn raw data into useable knowledge, creating tools and delivering insights that capitalize on the vast quantities of digital information flooding the marketplace,” according to the release.

Stanton said one of the “most powerful” learning experiences a student can have while at SU is to get involved in research with a faculty member.

He added that SU has many faculty members involved in well-known research.

Later in the year, CASE is planning to announce the second round of the University-Industry Seed Funding Competition in conjunction with a conference and Technology Showcase, according to the release.

mdburk01@syr.edu

smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann

from page 1

diversity transparency, inclusiveness and dialogue on the SU campus.

Others felt it was important that everyone feel safe and comfortable at SU, emphasizing the fact that SU should be one university and not separated based on culture, race, gender or any other factor.

One problem that was brought up in one of the groups’ discussions was the fact that South Campus is not very accessible to people with disabilities. Taking steps to change this was one of the suggestions.

One of the groups suggested providing different affordable break alternatives for

from page 3

su and 2u degree program might fit into each one’s structure and community.

Hermalyn said 2U provides the technology, support services, marketing and other operational functions, while SU manages all areas related to academics, teaching, admissions and degree conferrals.

After a series of discussions with SU officials and faculty at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Teresa Dahlberg, dean of the college, said the college agreed to the partnership with 2U. She added that research of alternative opportunities was also conducted by the College of Engineering and Computer Science/

students who cannot afford to travel home for breaks to participate in.

One group suggested that topics of diversity and inclusion be incorporated into class requirements.

A second session, similar to the first one at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, started at 7 p.m. and had the same format in which groups discussed and shared ideas with each other.

Notes collected from the workshops will be transcribed for the workgruop. A final report, including these notes and more information, will be put together and made public on March 11. smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann

The requirement for rigorous online graduate degree programs, she said, has grown increasingly relevant as online education “moves from the periphery to a more significant position within the University’s instructional portfolio.”

This partnership, Dahlberg said, will allow SU to move toward an organizational model for standardizing development and delivering “world-class” online graduate degree programs.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science will now be able to respond to its rising demand for more options regarding flexible graduate education through this partnership, Dahlberg said.

Engineering@Syracuse will start accepting applications in May, according to the release, with classes beginning October 2016. smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann

BEYOND THE HILL

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

february 11, 2016 7

School ink Maryville College staffer starts project to connect alumni with tattoos

Text By BreeAnna Poshek staff writer

Illustration By Tyler Hill contributing illustrator

B

en Wicker, the assistant director of residence life at Maryville College, wanted to pay tribute to the “echoes” of the college’s alumni that came before him. So he recently had the phrase “wake the echoes” tattooed onto himself.

“For me, that’s just the portion of the alma mater that represents the history of this school, which is almost 200 years old. We survived a lot of different things,” Wicker said. “I’m very proud of that history.

It wasn’t really me, but I want to honor that and recognize our role in creating this history.”

He got the tattoo as part of the MC Alma Mater Tattoo Project he started, in which participants tattoo the phrases of Maryville College’s alma mater on themselves. So far, 39 people have gotten tattoos for the project, Wicker said.

from page 3

obesity subjects beyond North America and Europe, Barreira said, and included people in Africa, the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia.

“ISCOLE was the first children obesity study that was global in nature that included countries from a variety of human developing index and used the exact same methodology and equipment across all countries,” Barreira said.

Barreira was involved with the study

The only rules he created for the project were making sure the phrase was legible and that the participant was willing to share a high-quality image of the tattoo after it was done.

“Because of my experiences here at Maryville, knowing the fondness that my classmates and students have for the institution and the growing acceptance of tattoos in general, I didn’t really think I had a problem, and it really hasn’t been difficult getting participants,” Wicker said.

Evy Linkous, a senior writing and communications major at Maryville, originally didn’t sign up for the project. But after admiring the tattoo of someone involved with the project one day at lunch, she decided to put her name on a waiting list with two of her friends, she said.

Three spots then became available because people dropped out for various reasons, Linkous said. She added that she saw this as a sign, so she and her friends decided to join the project. Her tattoo is on her wrist.

It says “ensign of our hill.”

It was her first tattoo, she said, which is part of the reason she decided to do it.

since the original planning phase in 2010.

He was a member of the protocol development and training team and the accelerometer analysis team. Additionally, he developed training materials and the manual of procedures for the accelerometry used in all 12 countries involved in the study.

One of the study’s main findings was that lower amounts of sleep and higher amounts of sedentary behavior were associated with higher BMIs. Children who did 55 or more minutes a day of moderate to vigorous exercise were less likely to be obese, according to the study.

Linkous said that before joining, she thought that if she were to ever get a tattoo, that would be the type of tattoo she would want.

“I like the idea of the project because I don’t have a big power ‘M’ tattooed on myself; it’s more like a subtle nod to Maryville College,” Linkous said. “It was like marking an important milestone in my life.”

Jenna Hunt, a senior theater studies major, also participated in the project. Hunt decided to let Wicker choose her phrase for her rather than specifying which one she would want.

Hunt said the tattoo, which reads “pierce thee,” is meaningful to her despite the fact that she did not choose it herself. The phrase is a reference to mountains “piercing the sky,” she said.

“Anywhere you look on campus, you can see the mountains,” she said. “They are a big part of the heritage of this area, and they are a really neat symbol of overcoming adversity, like climbing the mountain to success.”

Wicker said the project was simply a side venture for him when he started it, but he added that he has been pleasantly surprised by the positive reactions from

“We knew physical activity would be important, but I think it was almost more important than we thought it was going to be,” said Timothy Church, one of the primary investigators in the study.

Much of the physical activity recorded in the study was not necessarily from exercise, but from the day-to-day lives of the children, Church said.

The amount of physical activity varied based upon different cultures and geographical areas. For example, Church said children in certain areas exerted a lot of physi-

cal activity walking to and from school each day. But in areas like Finland, researchers found a lower amount of physical activity due to the cold weather.

One of the study’s most unexpected findings came after monitoring a group of children’s sleeping patterns in Latin America, Church said.

Researchers initially couldn’t understand why so many children were waking up at 4 a.m., but it turned out that they were waking up to milk their cows. nvalinot@syr.edu

P

PULP

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 11, 2016

Labor of love Six professors. Three couples. One university.

Text by Alex Archambault asst. feature editor

Illustration by Devyn Passaretti head illustrator

A

s Valentine’s Day draws near, most people are left reflecting on their relationships, whether they want to or not. While some are mystified at their mishaps in love, others realize how lucky they are to have someone to support and care for them.

Syracuse University professors are no exception. What follows are a few of their stories.

••• Despite being employees at a Borders Books & Music store in Maryland in 1999, Elizabeth and Raymond Wimer’s first date was dinner, and then a night spent at Barnes and Noble.

“We had to drive a while to get to the Barnes and Noble,” Raymond Wimer said. “We weren’t going to go to a Borders where people would recognize us.”

“Oh, and I had walking pneumonia,” Elizabeth Wimer chimed in. “So it was phlegmy, disgusting coughs over a romantic dinner.” They both broke out into laughter.

Now, the pair of Martin J. Whitman School of Management professors continue the trend when they leave their young sons with a babysitter. They leave around 5 p.m., go to dinner, then head to Barnes and Noble to browse before going grocery

shopping and calling it a night.

“We are the ideal parents for babysitters, we leave early and come home early so our babysitters have enough money and time to go out the rest of the night,” Elizabeth Wimer said.

When they met at Borders, Elizabeth was the café manager and Raymond was the marketing manager. The jobs helped both of them gain basic knowledge they needed to teach at SU: He is a marketing and retail professor, and she is a marketing and entrepreneurship professor.

They’re in agreement that there are many benefits to working at the same school, be it going to the gym together or bouncing ideas off one another for lectures.

Last fall, Elizabeth taught one of Raymond’s “signature classes,” and he gave her all of the materials. She said they were able to have great conversations about content they never would have been able to have before.

“If anything, our relationship benefits the students because I bring in a different energy than he does to the course,” Elizabeth Wimer said. “He has deep theory and deep content, and I add the context and together we build these dynamic classes.”

••• There’s a common phrase that goes, “Do what you love, love what you do.” For some, this is a struggle, while for others like Graham Leuschke and Moria McDermott, living by this adage can lead to bumping into another person

who happens to thrive on the same beliefs.

Leuschke and McDermott met at a math conference in January 1999. Now, they are both professors of mathematics at SU. To play off another cliché aphorism, “Some things are meant to be.”

After that conference, the duo stayed in touch over e-mail, and later that summer, met up again at another conference where they decided to start dating despite the long distance.

“We were long distance for nearly seven and a half years,” Leuschke said, gazing in the direction of McDermott.

“We mostly only saw each other at other math conferences,” McDermott replied to him, grinning.

The couple now lives just off the SU campus with their son.

“When he was first born, it was really crazy,” McDermott said. “We would balance our schedules so I would walk him in the stroller on my way to class and intersect with Graham who would be coming back from class and take him back home with him.”

Now that their son is older, it’s a little easier, but the couple still balances their time in class so someone can always be on call for their son.

“You know,” Leuschke said. “In case he breaks his leg or something.”

Even though having a young child and being full-time professors can be exhausting, they still make time to do things together.

“We’ve honestly been really bad about date nights lately,” McDermott said. “But when we do see love

stories page 10

•

PAG E 9

10 february 11, 2016

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sex and health

Block sperm flow with the flick of an implanted switch

F

rom condoms to birth control pills, the types of contraceptives seem endless. But German inventor Clemens Bimek might add another one to the shelf.

Bimek recently introduced the Bimek SLV, a small device for men that stops the flow of sperm. The devices are attached to the vas deferens, the two ducts that transfer sperm from the testicles to the urethra. During insertion, each duct is cut and the ends are placed into the in-and-out tubes of a valve.

With the literal flip of a switch, the contraceptive will make its user temporarily sterile. The switch can be flipped through the scrotum’s skin and once it’s closed, it’ll stay in that position for three months to prevent accidental switching.

According to advertisements, these shutoff valves are the size of gummy bears.

They are made of non-magnetic metallic components and a biocompatible polymer, which are used in medical implants.

If all these medical terms and components are getting confusing, compare the vas deferens to a garden hose and the sperm to running water. If you place your hand on the center of the hose and squeeze it, water will stop flowing.

That’s basically how this contraption works.

Scott Pitnick, a biology professor at Syracuse University with a specialization in sexual selection, speciation, evolution of reproductive and life history traits, said that while the Bimek SLV is a clever idea, it could come with many consequences.

“If the testes don’t have a release, it’s going

from page 9

love stories have time we like to find new restaurants or just talk about students and the department. ” “We also Netflix,” Leuschke interjected.

And when they get some time off, they like to travel. This past January they took a trip to Seattle, which happened to be hosting the same math conference they met at 17 years ago.

••• Ramesh and Surabhi Raina teach two sections of the same biology course at SU, coming full circle from the time they took the same class at a university in India where they met.

“It’s both good and challenging, when you’re two bodies coming to the same institution,” Ramesh Raina said. “But, we knew we wanted to be in the same place, and now here we are.”

Surabhi Raina nodded and then upon a moment of reflection, added, “We see each other

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to get weighed down. That’s a problem — you’d get back-up,” Pitnick said. “If the factory keeps running, and nothing’s coming out, something’s got to give..”

Pitnick added that the backup from this device has the additional risk of causing vessels to rupture, which would be problematic.

But he does believe there could be an answer to this sticky situation: masturbation.

“Open the gates occasionally and masturbate,” Pitnick said. “From an evolutionary standpoint, sperm is still aging if you don’t use them. Masturbating is another way of just shedding.”

Shedding older sperm is something humans have adapted to do, since fresh, quality sperm is best for reproduction, Pitnick said.

Bimek is looking for males willing to try out his device, and it just might be worthwhile, especially for males that wouldn’t want to use a condom.

“In general, it’s a clever idea,” Pitnick said. “There’s no problem as long as you investigate potential downsides.”

While I do support all forms of contraception, I suggest waiting this one out a little bit.

Isabella Ong is a sophomore television, radio and film major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. She can be reached at iong01@syr.edu.

24/7.” Ramesh caught her eye and smiled at this.

The couple was married in India in 1989.

They agreed their wedding was one of their best memories of their time together, despite being a little hectic.

Soon they moved to Baltimore, where they could find “better science” and do their postdoctoral.

“Oh, that trip was also a memory, coming to America with an infant on three separate flights was a huge challenge for us,” Surabhi said.

After some time teaching biology at Penn State University, they were asked to come to SU. “It was a really attractive offer, and we would still be together,” Ramesh Raina said.

Now, the couple’s children have moved out, their daughter having graduated with an economics degree and their son currently studying computer science. This gives them more time to stop for dinners after work or even drive to classes together. ararcham@syr.edu

february 11, 2016 11

From the

calendar every thursday in p u l p

Porches and Sam Kogon Where: Spark Contemporary Art Space When: Sat. at 8 p.m.

How Much: $3 with SU I.D. dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 11, 2016

1 1. SAM KOGON began his music career at Syracuse University’s student-run radio station WERW, where he hosted his own radio show, “Swing and Sway with Sammy K.” 2. WERW will be hosting a concert to launch their spring semester. Kogon is one of the musicians scheduled to perform. courtesy of sam kogon

MAKING WAVES SUNY-ESF alumnus to perform at WERW radio station spring semester kickoff concert

By A.J. Gersh staff writer

T

wo years after graduating from college, Sam Kogon is coming back to where it all started.

The new wave rock n’ roller will perform at Spark Contemporary Art Space on Saturday.

WERW — Syracuse University’s student-run radio station — is kicking off its spring semester with a concert featuring the indie synthpop band Porches and Kogon, who graduated from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2013.

Kogon is touring fresh off the September release of his debut LP “Before You Knew Me.” He has returned to his college town a number of times, but doing a concert in conjunction with WERW has special meaning to the singer-songwriter.

“I had a radio show on WERW, so this is like a double whammy homecoming for me,” Kogon said.

“It’s just cool to be a part of something that I care a lot about and really loved when I was at school.”

Kogon spent four years as an on-air personality for WERW. He hosted a show titled “Swing and Sway with Sammy K,” where he conducted interviews and talked with people who he viewed as “rock and roll royalty.”

The show jumpstarted Kogon’s music career, and he never looked back. While at school he was still interested in environmental studies, his true passion laid in the music industry.

At SUNY-ESF, Kogon was the frontman of a band called The Vanderbuilts. The group played two shows at Schine Underground while they were in school, so Kogon said he can’t wait to return to the Syracuse area to perform and see some familiar faces.

“I’m excited to visit Syracuse,” Kogon said. “I just get that nostalgic feeling. It’s really nice to see some of the kids I know that live there. They are basically the people who are putting the show on.”

One of those familiar faces, WERW general manager Caitlin Lytle, was a freshman working at the station during Kogon’s senior year. Now a senior, in the Setnor School of Music is excited to have a WERW alum and acquaintance back in town.

I’m excited to visit Syracuse …

I just get that nostalgic feeling.

Sam Kogon suny-esf alumnus and muscian

“To have someone that was part of the station and was a friend of yours come back is kinda cool,” Lytle said. “Our station is very much about meeting new people and hanging out with friends. In having (Kogon) back, it reinforces that theme.”

Lytle said she is happy to be throwing a party to celebrate the musical success of one her friends.

It’s even more exciting because this launch party

2

will be one of WERW’s first SU-sponsored events.

WERW has been more adamant about getting funding from the university, so Lytle said she’s sure this will be a big party for everyone who comes.

Lytle is not only happy to have Kogon return to WERW as a performer, but is also very excited to have Porches come play in Syracuse again.

“Porches performed at one of the off-campus house show concerts my freshman year. So, we’re bringing him back, which is really exciting,” said Lytle. “He just released an album last Friday so we’re getting one of their first shows promoting that album.”

Lytle said the show, which is on the eve of Valentine’s Day, will be an early Valentine’s party with heart décor, candy and balloons. Besides the two performances, they will also be raffling off vinyl records and selling merchandise.

“We’re working our butts off to get you to come out,” Lytle said. “The show is going to be amazing, the performers are amazing, so it’ll be worth it to come out in the freezing weather.” ajgersh@syr.edu

•

PAG E 11

12 february 11, 2016

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women’s basketball

How taking the most shots in the ACC hurts Syracuse

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BRIANA DAY has helped SU recover a lot of its misses on the offensive end, but she knows the team’s total rebound margin must improve. daily orange file photo

By Connor Grossman asst. web editor

With the final seconds of the first half against Georgia Tech peeling away, Briana Day bodied GT’s Roddreka Rogers to the ground in an effort to create shooting space.

From the edge of the key, Day tossed up a right-handed layup that clanked off the backboard. She weaved through three Yellow Jackets to corral the rebound and marched forward two steps to put in the shot from under the basket.

The play was a microcosm of the season. Day’s errant shot contributed to Syracuse’s Atlantic Coast Conferenceworst mark in missed shots. Her rebound added to SU’s conference-best mark in offensive boards.

“It’s good that we get a lot of rebounds, but we let up a lot too,” Day said. “It doesn’t really equal out in my eyes. If we’re getting the most, we shouldn’t be allowing that many either.”

Although it didn’t come back to haunt Day and the Orange in that moment, the ill effects of Syracuse’s high-octane style of play are evident. By taking far more shots than opponents — 172 more than any other ACC team — SU inevitably will miss the most. More missed shots means more rebounding opportunities, and the Orange has failed to take control of that aspect of its game.

It hasn’t outrebounded its opponents by more than one in the last five games. Syracuse’s (18-6, 8-3 ACC) game against Virginia (13-11, 3-7), the third-worst rebounding team in the conference, offers SU a chance to buck its recent trend when it hits the road for Thursday’s game at 7 p.m.

Orange head coach Quentin Hillsman often leans on a mantra representative of his team’s shooting and rebounding tendencies, which, despite a four-game win streak, may be perceived as woes.

“It’s real simple. The more you go the more you get,” Hillsman said. “That’s all we talk about. Every possession get a shot.

“If you don’t turn the ball over and we can get shots, then we have a chance to get a lot more rebounds.”

Syracuse has hung onto every one of its head coach’s words. Hillsman sets out for his team to retrieve 30 percent of its missed shots, a mark the Orange has surpassed in its last 10 games.

But defensive boards have emerged

as an Achilles heel, with Day saying two weeks ago after a loss to Louisville that she “(doesn’t) understand what’s going on” in regard to SU’s and her own defensive rebounding troubles.

She’s responded with 17 defensive boards in her last four games, but Syracuse has yet to outrebound an opponent defensively since dismantling Texas Rio Grande Valley, 91-32, on Jan. 1.

“When it comes to defense you just have to get in a position to rebound. You have to be in front of your opponent,” Day said. “… That’s where a lot of people get their rebounds on us, when we try to tip it and we don’t get a full hand on it.”

Syracuse has been saved by scoring often on fast breaks, situations that don’t usually lend themselves to missed shots.

But otherwise, the Orange hasn’t fully grasped how to maximize the over-aggressive blueprint laid out by Hillsman.

Rebounding woes aren’t going to stop SU from shooting, but its issues are growing more difficult to overlook.

“You can’t think about (rebounding) too much,” junior center Bria Day said. “If you try to focus on one thing so much, it ends up probably not happening.” cgrossma@syr.edu

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softball

Jocelyn Cater builds off experience from Pan Am Games

By Matt Feldman staff writer

Jocelyn Cater has been playing international softball since high school.

She joined the Canadian national team at the age of 16 and was one of the youngest females in Canadian softball history to play on the national team.

The Syracuse senior said she was doubted at first but has since proved herself, shining as one of Canada’s elite pitchers at the international level.

This past summer, the national team traveled to the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, with Cater again on the pitching staff. There, the Canadians pulled a 4-2 upset in the championship over the United States and went home with the gold medal.

Cater pitched 10.2 innings over four games in the tournament, striking out 11 and walking five. All four of her appearances resulted in no-decisions.

Cater has used international experience like the Pan Am Games to improve her pitching at SU and better handle the pressure of collegiate competition, which starts up for Syracuse this weekend in the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas.

11

Cater recorded 11 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched for Team Canada during the 2015 Pan Am Games in July.

“The Pan Am Games was a big moment for me. Our team knew that we just had it, and we knew that we would win it either way,” Cater said. “… Over the years, people start to expect you to get better and better and better.”

Due to transfer rules, Cater saw the field just once in 2014 after transferring from

Washington, appearing in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Virginia Tech. In 2015, a season which SU head coach Mike Bosch called “basically her freshman year,” Cater threw 182.2 innings, striking out 236 and posting an ERA of 3.79.

“You look at it, compared to other pitchers’ freshmen year, she had a really good first year on the mound,” Bosch said, “She was top 20 in the nation in strikeouts, solid ERA, and that’s the part that we want to build on.”

Bosch said he’s seen growth from Cater with her ability in pressure-packed situations.

While she only saw limited time for the Canadian national team, the innings she did see were more pressured than what a player might get out of a typical club softball experience. “(Cater) got a little more of that ‘I got the ball in pressure situations, I have to get some of these elite hitters out’ mentality,” Bosch said, “But you also want to have the repetitions and doing it over and over again.”

That lack of repetitions is where the offseason, and Cater’s training, has come into play.

The team practices in Manley Field House during the offseason when SU can’t use Skytop Softball Stadium, and fellow senior pitcher Lindsey Larkin said that Cater is always working to hone her pitching indoors.

“She’s so positive about (her training),” Larkin said, “It’s very uplifting. She’s a person who’s very passionate about the game and always wants to learn more.”

From the Pan Am Games over the summer to the bullpen sessions throughout the winter, Cater has been building off the season she had last year.

Now, she has a chance to further affirm her role as a dominant pitcher for the Orange.

“She has come a long way,” Bosch said, “Just from a development standpoint, it’s fun to have a kid like that on the mound.” mjfel100@syr.edu

ice hockey

SU can clinch 1st-round bye with win over Robert Morris

By Chris Thomsen staff writer

Paul Flanagan’s message to his team last week was to play a complete 120 minutes of hockey. Syracuse did just that, earning two wins against Penn State in the SU’s first sweep of an opponent in a single weekend.

OH SO CLOSE Only Mercyhurst is ahead of the Orange in the standings as Syracuse pushes for a first-round bye in the CHA tournament with the regular season coming to a close.

Team Mercyhurst Syracuse Robert Morris

Conf.

11-3-2 10-4-2 6-6-4

Overall 14-10-4 14-13-3 14-11-5

This week, the direction is the opposite.

“We’re just focused on Friday night,” Flanagan, SU’s head coach said.

That’s because the Orange (14-13-4, 10-42 College Hockey America) would clinch a first-round bye in the CHA tournament with a win over conference foe Robert Morris (14-

11-5, 6-6-4) on Friday or Saturday.

Top-seed Mercyhurst currently leads the Orange in the conference standings by two points with four games left in the regular season. Meanwhile third-ranked RMU trails SU by six points and Penn State, Lindenwood and RIT are all too low in the standings to make a push for a firstround bye.

A win over Robert Morris on Friday or Saturday would prevent the Colonials from moving into second place and earning the only other first-round bye. And while either day would suffice to beat RMU, Flanagan insists that his team gets the job done on Friday night.

“The task at hand is getting those two points,” Flanagan said. “Our mindset is all about Friday night. Let’s get those two points and see where we go from there.”

If the team ends up with the No. 2 spot in the conference, SU would have to travel to Mercyhurst for the CHA final if both the Orange and Lakers make it to the championship round. After never beating Mercyhurst in program history prior to last season, Syracuse has defeated the Lakers both at

home and on the road this year.

Flanagan said he thinks his team is better than the current top-seed Lakers this season. But he was worried about his team’s ability to find ways to win games, as SU hadn’t won back-to-back contests against the same opponent.

That changed last weekend, when the Orange won both against the Nittany Lions.

Jessica Sibley’s overtime goal sealed a victory on Friday, while Syracuse maintained a 2-1 second-period lead to win on Saturday.

“In a couple games, we’ve gotten ahead and we’ve laid back,” defender Heather Schwarz said. “That wasn’t true this time around.

When we got ahead, we kept pushing.”

While Flanagan is stressing earning the clinching win on Friday night, his players, including defender Morgan Blank, want to build on the confidence established last weekend and earn the top seed.

“I know no one wants to settle for second,” Blank said. “Everyone’s looking to get first, to beat Mercyhurst. I’m really hoping Mercyhurst loses this weekend and we can take that momentum into the playoffs.”

If Mercyhurst loses once this weekend

and Syracuse sweeps Robert Morris, the two will be tied for first place in the CHA standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

But SU may have problems with Robert Morris’ impressive power-play. The Colonials have scored on 24 percent of its power-play opportunities, a high percentage compared to SU’s 14-percent conversion rate. Three of the last eight goals surrendered by the Orange have been power-play goals.

“I don’t know the referee assignments, I’m a little nervous,” Flanagan said.

“They’ve got a dynamic power play. They’ve scored a high percentage of their goals on the power play. Our (penalty kill) needs to be ready.”

But Schwarz says improved chemistry on SU’s four lines — and the team’s overall development — give Syracuse an advantage over Robert Morris’ defense.

“We weren’t consistent with moving our feet and being defensive against (RMU),” Schwarz said. “Since the season has gone on, that’s gotten a lot better.” cfthomse@syr.edu

tennis

Gabriela Knutson uses power strokes to find her role at SU

By Charlie Disturco staff writer

During her singles match against Cornell, Gabriela Knutson hit a return that bounced off the net and back onto her side of the court. She turned around and flipped her racket in the air, before looking at her teammates who were both playing a doubles match on the court beside her and said, “Go Anna, go Libby!”

Her face turned serious as she clenched her racket, set her feet and bent over. Her opponent was creeping back into the match, but Knutson was determined not to lose her grip.

“I’m the kind of player that needs to relax when I’m playing,” Knutson said.

While playing against the Big Red, Knutson used her backhand to her advantage.

With each return from her opponent, Knutson set up and hit the ball to the opposite

corner of the court, eventually setting herself up for to win both sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Knutson is a power-hitting player that can beat opponents with both her forehand and backhand, and plays mostly in the back-center of the court. This aggressive approach allows her to use a mixture of strong backhands and quick forehands to leave her opponent off balance.

Her powerful game that she’s developed over the years led her to earning the top spot among all freshmen on the team. Knutson is currently slated as Syracuse’s (4-0) No. 3 singles player and has yet to lose a match this season. She will help the Orange with her power hitting when SU goes to Yale on Friday at noon and plays St. John’s at home on Sunday at 11 a.m.

“It’s an offensive position that I like to create so I can maybe go up to the net, or back (to the baseline),” Knutson said.

Knutson’s power is centered around her backhand. While she has a solid forehand, she does experience several miscues in matches, which leads her to setting up to hit backhand.

(Gabby’s) a winner.

She stepped up as a freshman and played some really good tennis.

Younes Limam su head coach

However, much of this success has come with some struggles. Knutson comes from the Czech Republic, and was recruited to enroll at Syracuse full-time this past year.

Recruited by former Syracuse head coach

Luke Jensen, Knutson showcased her skills at the Orange Bowl, a tennis tournament that consists of the best tennis players all around the world. “(Jensen) scouted me and really liked my energy. He saw I’d be really good in a group and wanted me to come to SU,” Knutson said.

Though Jensen is no longer the coach at Syracuse, Knutson decided to not transfer. Current SU head coach Younes Limam picked up where Jensen left off, and Knutson has assimilated well.

As an assistant coach for Rice, Limam was one of many coaches that recruited Knutson. While he didn’t get to coach her at Rice, he’s getting the opportunity at SU. “(Gabby’s) a winner. She stepped up as a freshman and played some really good tennis,” Limam said “We are fortunate to have her.” csdistur@syr.edu

february 11, 2016 15

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

The coach said he had players for three seasons who never quite got it. If Bacon ever wrote an article about himself, he said he’d title it, “Monster.”

“To be successful, you have to be a monster,” Bacon said. “You have to be focused always; be locked in.”

Bacon ran out of competition locked into Florida’s mid-size division of 4A. That year, McKeel played rival Lakeland Christian looking for the school’s first district title. Gandy remembers drawing up a play down four with about two minutes to go. Bacon turned to him and said, “I got this.” McKeel didn’t allow another bucket, and Bacon scored six of the next 10 points to win.

Multiple coaches think this initial lack of competition led to inconsistent effort from Bacon. That led to later questions about his defense and team play from other AAU coaches and IMG Academy, where he transferred to from McKeel for his first semester junior year.

But the talent was undeniable. Diana Neal, coach of the Florida AAU juggernaut Showtime Ballers, left a McKeel game and called a recruiting agency. “I just seen the best freshman in the state,” she said. Another coach in attendance, Kenny Gillion, said he has coached more than 200 Division I athletes, including some NBA players. Bacon is the best he’s ever seen.

“He conserved energy for offense,” Gillion said. “He wasn’t terrible at defense, but he needed to learn ... because he wasn’t challenged.”

Neal and Gillion left impressed by the physical, above-the-rim 6-foot-7 guard with handles, vision, body control and, more than anything else, the ability to score even on the toughest shots.

They saw something few else appeared to. No major recruiting sites ranked him and his name wasn’t widely known after 9th grade, coaches said.

Bacon joined Showtime under Neal, who he ended up calling “Godmama.” Rumors reached Neal that Bacon was “spoiled,” but she never saw it. He did everything asked of him, she said. FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton echoed that sentiment.

Neal played him at the 2-guard spot and worked on ball-handling, creating his own shot and pick-and-rolls. He improved, but Gillion said his ranking rose little.

from page 16

mellen Mellen’s proven to be an ambitious playmaker in a starting group otherwise composed of juniors and seniors.

While being cornered by a group of Brown attacks and his teammates calling for him to dish the ball, Mellen took off. He sprinted diagonally across the field through four Brown players, and nearly outran them before the ball slipped out of his stick.

In part, it’s that quickness that makes him the ideal option to guard shifty attacks Syracuse will face like Notre Dame’s Matt Kavanagh or Virginia’s Ryan Lukacovic.

“He’s lights out,” Mullins said of Mellen.

“I think you just watch him play and he seems to make plays. … He’s quick so he can cover, and he’s pretty strong too.”

Mellen said he feels the weight of responsibility that comes along with playing in his first season. Desko almost always encourages a redshirt season, and this year’s roster features 23 players who sat out a year.

Junior attack Jordan Evans relates to Mellen coming into Syracuse as a highly-

sjfortie@syr.edu

touted freshman. His expectations were sky-high as the top-ranked high school player and the one chosen to don the esteemed No. 22 jersey.

Even with tempered expectations for Mellen compared to Evans, the junior stressed composure to the young defender. He reminded Mellen he went from being the best player on his high school team, to an SU team full of players with the same entitlement.

“It’s hard as a freshman trying to be so excited and jump right into things,” Evans said. “The good freshmen who step in are the ones who can keep composed, they can take their time and not make stupid penalties.”

The speed of the game has kept Mellen levelheaded, he said. He admires how Mullins plays aggressively without taking himself out of position, while McDermott stifles attacks on the edge of the crease.

It’s a group he silently hopes he’ll fortify and keep up with, one where he can let his legs do the talking.

“They expect a lot out of me defensively.

I got to play defense,” Mellen said. “… Being one of the few freshmen out here playing a lot, it’s definitely a lot of pressure.” cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman

s ss nt le ra or au 5 YR st $2 kS Re • s ee 29 e s gW ur in Co in #D

bacon

Showtime had a shoe deal with Reebok, which doesn’t offer league play like Nike or Adidas. Bacon wasn’t invited to some major showcases as a result, Neal said. Gillion calls it “shoe game politics.”

Some coaches and players criticized Bacon for staying with a female coach, multiple people said, and that she couldn’t get him proper exposure.

Bacon developed a catchphrase he’d always say to Neal: “Wait on me.”

After he transferred to IMG, attention increased, but he returned to McKeel for the second half of his junior year. For senior year, Bacon chose Oak Hill, which once produced Carmelo Anthony and Eric Devendorf. Meriwether noted that it’s difficult for an Oak Hill player to be underestimated, but that Bacon was “criminally underrated” by most.

Playing against the country’s stiffest competition, Bacon became more consistent. He learned defensive help techniques and how to contain the dribbler.

“Once they got his motor up to his ability, you couldn’t stop the guy,” said Meriwether, who saw more than 20 Oak Hill contests that season. “… He dismantled the other guy from the jump.”

That season, Oak Hill won a schoolrecord 47 games, losing only in the national championship game. Bacon won team MVP. He climbed to No. 14 in ESPN’s recruiting rankings. Meriwether saw his consistency rise as well as his presence dominate the gym. Meriwether saw him make multiple buzzer-beating, half-court shots at the end of quarters.

“He’s got an ego, but the right amount of ego,” Meriwether said. “… He could miss eight shots, but it doesn’t bother him on the ninth shot. When you’re as talented as him, that’s a big deal. He’s not arrogant to the point where he thinks he can do things he can’t do, but he’s the right type of confident who knows he’s really good. That’s why he’s been so successful.”

His confidence reminds Neal of NBA player Lance Stephenson, just not as “outspoken.” But it has allowed him to shut out critics, play with a female coach and become one of the nation’s best freshmen. It allows him to not care if some still see him as a onedimensional gunner.

“People still probably think I can’t pass, or I can’t play defense,” Bacon said. “But I can.”

3

from page 16

February 15 - 29, 2016 Beverages, tax & gratuity are additional

Some restaurants require reservations

317 at Montgomery 317 Montgomery St. 214-4267 Aster Pantry & Parlor 116 Walton St. 373-0031 Bamboo House 252 W. Genesee St. 424-8800 Bistro Éléphant Steakhouse 238 W. Jefferson St. 475-1111 Bittersweet Wine & Dessert 121 W. Fayette St. 474-9463 Black Olive Mediterranean 250 S. Clinton St. 399-5599 Byblos Bar & Grill 316 S. Clinton St. 299-6512 Byblos Mediterranean Café 223 N. Clinton St. 478-3333 Clinton Street Pub 127 W. Fayette St. 424-1187 Creole Soul Café 128 E. Jefferson St. 530-4178 Dinosaur Bar-B-Que 246 W. Willow St. 476-4937 Empire Brewing Company 120 Walton St. 475-2337 The Evergreen 125 E. Water St. 870-3500 Funk ‘n Waffles 307 S. Clinton St. 474-1060 Indian Tandoor 232 Harrison St. 565-4099 Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub 301 W. Fayette St. 424-1974 Lemon Grass 238 W. Jefferson St. 475-1111 Liehs & Steigerwald 117 E. Fayette St. 299-4799 Maxwells 122 E. Genesee St. 299-6633 The Mission 304 E. Onondaga St. 475-7344 Modern Malt 325 S. Clinton St. 471-6258 Otro Cinco 206 S. Warren St. 422-6876 Pastabilities 311 S. Franklin St. 474-1153 Peppino’s Neapolitan 409 S. Clinton St. 422-8811 Prime Steakhouse 101 E. Water St. 299-8047 Sakana-Ya Sushi Bar 215 Walton St. 475-0117 SKY Armory 351 S. Clinton St. 473-0826 Syracuse Suds Factory 320 S. Clinton St. 471-2253 The York 247 W. Fayette St. 701-0636

www.DowntownSyracuse.com/DiningWeeks

WITH CENTRAL NEW YORK

S

thursday, 7 p.m., espn

FLORIDA STATE VS. SYRACUSE

S PORTS

dailyorange.com @dailyorange february 11, 2016 • PAG E 16

PREGAME PLAYBOOK

GOING STREAKING

Winning streaks collide as Syracuse hosts Florida State

settling the score

tyler the creators

full throttle The Seminoles average the fourthmost points per game in the ACC.

Take a look at the top three scorers for each team. FSU’s top two are freshmen while SU’s top pair are both fifth-year seniors.

FSU

SYRACUSE - 70.3

22

4

5 MALIK BEASLEY

DWAYNE BACON

XAVIER RATHANMAYES

17.3 POINTS 16.2 POINTS 11.7 POINTS PER GAME

PER GAME

44.3

MICHAEL GBINIJE

TREVOR COONEY

17.2 POINTS 13.5 POINTS 13.4 POINTS PER GAME

PER GAME

asst. web editor

Tyler Lydon leads all Syracuse players with a 44.3-percent clip from behind the arc.

Florida State boasts a slightly higher field-goal percentage than Syracuse.

41.8%

SU

MALACHI RICHARDSON PER GAME

6

46.5%

In Syracuse’s last game, Tyler Roberson recorded his sixth double-double of the season.

FSU

FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE

graphic illustration by emma comtois design editor

men’s basketball

Dwayne Bacon stars at FSU after bumpy past

By Sam Fortier asst. copy editor

Dwayne Bacon dominated, attacking on offense and disrupting on defense as Jack Meriwether looked on. Bacon appeared the unquestioned alpha dog, vocal on both ends. Meriwether heard about Bacon’s inconsistency and occasional lack of defensive effort before attending Oak Hill (Virginia) Academy. What he saw then didn’t fit the narrative.

Meriwether, then a Nike recruiting coordinator, remembers Oak Hill coach Steve Smith telling him that Bacon played so hard, he’d have to pull him out of some team drills to make it fair.

The team had 12 future Division I players.

Bacon finally had the attention that eluded him for so long.

He’d jumped through hoops presented by “shoe game politics,” questions about his defense and those who criticized his female A AU coach, and into a starring role at one of the nation’s top basketball powerhouses. Bacon, now at Florida State (16-7, 6-5 Atlantic Coast), faces Syracuse (16-8, 6-5) Thursday at 7 p.m.

His 16.2 points per game is second best for Florida State and he grabs a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per game. When he’s on the court, he takes nearly one-third of FSU’s shots, per

Kenpom.com.

“By 9th grade, Bacon was so much better than everybody else that he didn’t need to play

To be successful, you have to be a monster. You have to be focused always; be locked in.

Dwayne Bacon fsu guard

defense,” said Robert Gandy, who coached Bacon at McKeel (Florida) Academy. “He’d drive

me crazy … but he’d go out and get five, six steals anyway.”

Bacon didn’t enjoy basketball when he first started in 5th grade.

He considered himself a football player. Still, he accepted Gandy’s invitation to play on the McKeel varsity team as a 7th grader.

Bacon played a lot, but Gandy managed his minutes because, he said, he wanted Bacon to remain coachable.

By 9th grade, he quit football.

He’d often text Gandy about opening the gym. Extra shots on the weekend, extra lifts in the summer. Gandy showed him the European cross-step on a Friday. He mastered it by Monday. see bacon page 15

men’s basketball

NCAA addresses effect of Boeheim’s suspension

By Matt Schneidman sports editor

The NCA A will “certainly” weigh Syracuse’s play during Jim Boeheim’s nine-game suspension differently when evaluating the Orange for the NCA A Tournament, the NCA A told The Daily Orange in an email Wednesday afternoon.

The st atement ca me

f rom NCA A Div ision I m e n ’s b a s k e t b a l l c o m m i t t e e chair Joe Castiglione via NCA A Director of Media Coordination David Worlock.

“The committee will certainly take that into consideration when evaluating Syracuse for possible selection into the field, and seeding as well in the event the Orange make the field,” Worlock said of Boeheim’s suspen-

Nick Mellen takes open spot on back line ahead of season opener

POINTS PER GAME

PER GAME

10 23

Freshman defender to start

By Connor Grossman

FSU - 79.0

SYRACUSE

0

men’s lacrosse

sion in the email.

Syracuse posted a 4-5 record in Mike Hopkins’ time as interim head coach. Since Boeheim’s return, SU has gone 6-2 with losses only to No. 7 Virginia and No. 9 North Carolina.

The Orange is riding a threegame winning streak after victories against then-No. 25 Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Currently, the Orange sits at 16-8 overall with a 6-5 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Syracuse has won four games against Top 25 teams but didn’t receive any votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll. SU next faces Florida State, riding a four-game winning streak of its own, at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome on Thursday. mcschnei@syr.edu

In Syracuse’s final preseason scrimmage against Brown, Nick Mellen poked the ball out of attack Henry Blynn’s stick to cheers of, “Nice hands Nick!” from the Orange sideline.

The caused turnover was one of many in a tune-up game that doubled as an underclassmen showcase by the time the game reached an extended “fifth period.” Mellen, a true freshman defender, fit the description.

83

Mellen will play his first college game against Siena on Saturday.

The two defenders who will start beside him have a combined 83 career games played.

But his poke check came while senior defenders Brandon Mullins and Jay McDermott flanked him.

It’s a group Mellen’s been practicing with since midway through fall practice, when assistant coach Lelan Rogers told him to take the field when the other two starting defenders did.

“It’s intimidating,” Mellen said of starting as a freshman, “but you can’t really play intimidated.

“If you do go out there and you’re nervous, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, if I make one mistake they’re going to pull me out.’”

As the preseason progressed, Mellen emerged as a rare freshman starter for SU. He’ll officially take the field for the first time as a member of the No. 5 Orange on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the season opener against Siena.

While struggling to grasp defensive slide packages and others keeping him off the man-down unit, he’s compensated with his speed. Head coach John Desko already tabbed him as SU’s best option to cover an opponent’s second attack.

“He’s got great quickness in his feet and his ability to cover people and clear the ball,” Desko said. “…

He’s just someone we’re trying to get as much experience as a freshman as possible.”

Even through three scrimmages,

see mellen page 15