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CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS Police, student statements on Ackerman assault show discrepancies By Casey Darnell, India Miraglia, Jordan Muller, Gabe Stern and Kennedy Rose the daily orange
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statement that has circulated on social media among Syracuse University students since Sunday is accusing campus and city police of mishandling a violent assault reported Saturday morning along Ackerman Avenue. The statement spurred Student Association on Monday to publicly condemn the Department of Public Safety for a “lack of transparency� over what SA has called a racially-charged crime. SA President Ghufran Salih told The Daily Orange on Monday afternoon she had seen the statement, signed by “Your Fellow Students,� and was trying to put Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado in contact with victims of the assault. At an SA meeting Monday night, Salih added that she wanted to organize a meeting between the students, Maldonado and DPS Patrol Commander
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see assault page 4
1. dps statement 2. sa statement 3. student statement 4. spd statement photo illustration by bridget slomian presentation director
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ackerman avenue assault
Students describe Saturday assault at Ackerman party By Casey Darnell, Emma Folts and Gabe Stern the daily orange
Several students who attended the Friday night Ackerman Avenue party that ended in a violent assault early Saturday spoke with The Daily Orange about the incident in a series of interviews Monday and Tuesday. The students’ accounts differ from statements released by the Syracuse Police Department and Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety. A statement signed as “Your Fellow Students� circulated on social media Sunday and Monday criticizing the two police departments’ handling of the assault case. Stu-
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Student Association President Ghufran Salih spoke with Department of Public Safety officials Tuesday about alerts sent to campus about the Ackerman assault. Page 3
dent Association on Monday night condemned DPS’ response to the situation and called the assault a racially-charged crime. Three students were attacked in the assault, which was reported at about 12:40 a.m. Saturday, DPS has previously said. Caleb Obiagwu, a junior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was one of the three students attacked at the party, he said. Obiagwu said four white people approached the porch of the house, and his friend Jair Walker went outside to see what was happening. When Walker was on the porch, a white man yelled, “What’s up n*gger� at him, Obiagwu said. A fight broke out between Walker and two of the
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Liberal and conservative columnists Lauren Spiezia and Harrison Garfinkle comment on the multiple statements and confusion regarding the Ackerman assault. Page 5
four white people, Obiagwu said. Obiagwu and Walker are both black. Obiagwu said he ran outside to the porch after he heard people shouting Walker was in a fight. One white man and a white woman were hitting Walker, and Obiagwu jumped into the fight, he said. He said the woman then struck him in the back of the head with what appeared to be a gun. When he turned around, she pointed the gun at his face and said, “I’ll shoot you,� according to Obiagwu. He and Walker ran away from the house after the woman threatened to shoot them, Obiagwu said. Obiagwu later went to Crouse Hospital, where he was diagnosed see students page 4
The assault was reported at about 12:40 a.m. Saturday, DPS previously said. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer
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Syracuse University’s Black Reign Step Team builds a sense of camaraderie beyond the stage through practices in preparation for upcoming peformances. Page 7
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Katie Kolinski served as Syracuse’s student manager for four years. Now, she’s living her dream as Buffalo’s director of basketball operations. Page 12
2 feb. 13, 2019
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Ackerman coverage The D.O. will continue to report on the violent Ackerman Avenue assault that occurred Saturday. See dailyorange.com
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Highway conflict City and county officials are split over what should be done with Interstate 81’s viaduct. See Thursday’s paper
Career services The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics recently opened a career services office. See Thursday’s paper
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community reactions Below are tweets from the Syracuse University community in response to statements made by multiple organizations on the Ackerman assault.
RESPONSE TO STATEMENT FROM “YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS� @CDJX3 real talk (f*ck) dps for downplaying what happened last night - a white girl pulled up to our party with a GUN and pistol whipped & terrorized my friends. At syracuse university. The place we all call “home�. I don’t think y’all understand the severity of how wild this is. saturday, 10:45 a.m.
@HOTWHITEDAD �Hey if everyone could rt this (not just syracuse students) the cuse community would really appreciate it!! We need to spread this cause the school isn’t acknowledging it and we know damn well why they aren’t� monday, 4:40 p.m.
RESPONSE TO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Off-campus confusion
@SONYAROB13
A statement that is circulating on social media among Syracuse University students is accusing the Department of Public Safety and Syracuse Police Department of mishandling an assault on Ackerman Avenue. The statement said three students of color were assaulted by three white men and one white woman Saturday. More than a dozen organizations have shared the statement on social media. bridget slomian presentation director
ackerman avenue assault
SPD says assualt not racially motivated By Jordan Muller
asst. digital editor
The Syracuse Police Department on Tuesday morning said the Saturday morning assault along Ackerman Avenue did not appear to be racially motivated, contradicting statements circulating among Syracuse University community members. “At this point in the investigation, after speaking with victims and witnesses, it does not appear
that this incident was motivated by race,� SPD said in a statement. The investigation is ongoing, SPD said. Just after 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, SPD responded to an assault call in the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue. A white woman suspect struck three people in the head, possibly with a handgun, before fleeing on foot with a white man in an unknown direction, SPD said. A statement that circulated
among SU students on Monday accused SPD and the Department of Public Safety of mishandling the incident. The statement, signed by “Your Fellow Students,� said that three students of color were assaulted by three white men and one white woman. The statement prompted SU’s Student Association to publicly condemn DPS for its “lack of transparency� over what SA called a racially-charged crime.
Victoria Payne, a second year SU student studying social work, said she attended the birthday party where the assault occurred. People at the event told Payne a white woman, who yelled a racial slur, struck three students of color while three white men also attacked the students, she said. — Assistant News Editor Casey Darnell contributed reporting to this story. jmulle01@syr.edu
SA meets with DPS to discuss Saturday assault asst. news editor
Student Association President Ghufran Salih met with Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado and Patrol Commander Kathy Pabis on Tuesday to discuss DPS’ role in the Saturday morning assault in the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue. DPS previously said a woman struck three students with what appeared to be a pistol at about 12:40 a.m. on Saturday. A statement that circulated on social media among Syracuse University students Monday accused campus and city police of mishandling the assault. Salih and SA’s Director of DPS Relations Kailee Vick were present at the meeting, Salih said. Vick is also a staff writer for The Daily Orange. DPS was unable to elaborate on
monday, 9:42 a.m.
@BABYLON_ALEVIAT “Syracuse University does not identify a perpetrator’s race in these alerts in deference to previously expressed community concerns about racial profiling.� I’m sorry, what? monday, 4:19 p.m.
RESPONSE TO STUDENT ASSOCIATION @TAJRANI 1. It was racist
ackerman avenue assault
By Gabe Stern
@SyracuseU @SyracuseDPS As a parent of a Syracuse student of color I need answers. These are two very different accounts. Shouldn’t there be some warning to students of color to be vigilant while this is being investigated?
the assault in its emails sent early Saturday morning due to the ongoing investigation that the Syracuse Police Department is conducting, Salih said. DPS’ jurisdiction does not extend to public property or buildings owned or controlled by student organizations, according to its website. Campus police officers can only patrol off-campus houses as private citizens, Salih said. If DPS elaborated on the incident to the student body, SPD’s current investigation of the assault could have been compromised, Salih added. Salih said Vick and she emphasized that DPS should have been more clear to students as to why it couldn’t elaborate on the assault. “Definitely there was a lot more clarity (from the meeting),� Salih said. “I do think that the statement
that they put out was very confusing to a lot of people, especially myself after seeing what’s going on on social media.� Academic Affairs Chair Ryan Golden introduced a bill during Monday’s SA Assembly meeting that called on the university to “recognize the racial implications and racially charged motives of this assault and commit to investigate this crime with that in mind.� The bill also said it’s a common occurrence for racially-charged criminal activity to go unnoticed by DPS. “It’s difficult because I know there are policies in place that restrict them from talking about it,� SA Vice President Kyle Rosenblum said on Tuesday, before he had heard about the content of the DPS meeting. “Whatever DPS couldn’t cover in their email because of policy
restrictions, it was the university’s job to follow up with another email clarifying those issues.� Salih also said during Monday’s assembly meeting that she was working to get DPS in contact with students who were affected by the assault. Salih learned during the meeting that DPS and SU reached out to students that were affected by the assault, and that those students are now in contact with SPD, she said. She said she was not told what happened with the students past that point. “We want to make sure that students have time to process and time to heal, because they were made to feel unsafe in their home,� Salih said. — Assistant Copy Editor Natalie Rubio-Licht contributed reporting to this story. gkstern@syr.edu
2. The campus itself is not incredibly inclusive of students of color, so also work towards fixing that SU 3. Protect your Black + Brown students – they’re there to learn, not be harassed monday, 8:48 p.m.
@THEMARQUISEF Terrible situation took place at @SyracuseU. But encouraged that student groups on campus are coming together to call the situation what it is. Racist and poorly managed by both campus DPS and Syracuse Police Dept. tuesday, 11:46 a.m.
@THELAURENLINE I’m curious as to the difference between “racially charged� and just straight up “racist� and a simply put, “a hate crime.� monday, 8:46 p.m.
4 feb. 13, 2019
from page 1
assault Kathy Pabis. “There’s a lot of discrepancies that students have been concerned about in the student statement versus the DPS statement,” said Salih, in an interview. The students’ statement on the assault reads, in part: “In a space that we assume to be protected, in a space where Syracuse University students are supposed to feel safe, this was not the case. We would like to send a message out to our fellow students and, especially, students of color and we urge you all to be cautious.” Confusion over the incident continued Tuesday morning when the Syracuse Police Department issued a statement saying it believed the assault was “not motivated by race.” Maldonado said in a statement to The Daily Orange on Monday afternoon SPD is investigating the assault along Ackerman Avenue. SPD, in its Tuesday statement, confirmed that the investigation was ongoing, as of about 10 a.m. “Acts of violence and intolerance of any kind, including those based on race, contradicts our values and will not be tolerated,” Maldonado wrote Monday. He added that DPS is “in frequent communication” with city police regarding the investigation. Maldonado said DPS is working with SPD to “apprehend those responsible for this crime and to prevent future occurrences.” The information previously released by DPS on Saturday, via email, stated that one woman attacked three students, possibly with a pistol. It did not specify the race of the suspect. The DPS statement reflected the “most current account” of the incident, Maldonado said in his Monday statement. According to the students’ statement, four white people — three men and one woman — entered a “birthday gathering” at a house in the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue on Saturday. One of the men yelled, “What’s up n**ger” at a student of color, according to the statement written by students. The white woman then repeatedly struck three students of color
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in the head with a pistol, the statement says. The woman threatened to shoot the students before she and the three men left the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue, the students’ statement alleges. Neither DPS nor SPD has publicly noted any reported verbal exchanges between the victims and assailants in published statements. The email sent by DPS early Saturday morning listed one woman assailant. It did not specify the race of the suspect. Maldonado on Monday said DPS doesn’t release a suspect’s race due to previous concerns from the campus community about racial profiling. When approached by D.O. reporters Saturday morning at the scene, both DPS and SPD officers declined to comment on the incident. Victoria Payne, a sophomore studying social work, said she attended a party at the Ackerman Avenue house Saturday. She said the attack occurred after SPD officers shut down the party due to a noise complaint, and about 20 people remained in the house at the time of the assault. In an interview with The D.O., Payne said she was upstairs when a fight broke out on the porch of the house, and she heard people yelling that a woman had a gun. People who were downstairs at the time of the assault told Payne a white woman, who yelled a racial slur, struck three students of color while three white men also attacked the students. Payne added that she expected DPS to specify that the assault was racially-charged “because it’s important to know if people are going after students of color.” “It made us all feel not cared about,” she said. In an email to The D.O. on Tuesday afternoon, SPD spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski also said “I can assure you that Officers from the Syracuse Police Department treat all victims fair and respectfully.” Sophomore Khari Brandes was hiding upstairs at the house during the altercation, he said, and in that moment didn’t have much information. Brandes heard there was a gun, and that multiple friends were assaulted, he added. Brandes said SPD put in an “earnest and honest effort,” but officers at the scene lacked sensitivity. Brandes said one of the people who
was assaulted was frustrated because SPD was trying to make it look like he had provoked his attacker, according to Brandes. SPD released a statement Monday just after 4:30 p.m. saying one white man and one white woman attacked three men along Ackerman Avenue on Saturday. SPD’s statement did not identify the race of the victims. According to DPS crime logs, an assault was reported at 814 Ackerman Ave. at about 12:40 a.m. Saturday. The crime logs show that that case is now being handled by SPD. SA on Monday night released a statement on Instagram condemning DPS’ response to the incident and presented a resolution at its Monday meeting urging DPS to recognize what SA called the racial implication of the crime. “Students of color on campus should have the same right to feel safe and heard on this campus, and we implore the University to reframe their language in future situations,” the SA statement read. Ryan Golden, chair of SA’s Academic Affairs Committee, presented the resolution Monday to “recognize the racial implications and racially-charged motives of this assault.” The resolution said DPS “refused to categorize this criminal act as a hate crime.” The bill was not voted on Monday because a bill in SA cannot be voted on on the same day it’s introduced by a member.
12:40 A.M. Time on Saturday that DPS first sent a campus-wide email to the SU community regarding the assault
In an email to the student body on Saturday morning at about 2:50 a.m., DPS said three students reported being approached by an “unknown female” who struck them, possibly with a handgun. The woman fled north toward Euclid Avenue, the email said. All three students had minor injuries and declined medical treatment, according to the from page 1
students with a concussion, Obiagwu said. He left the hospital at about 4 a.m. Saturday, an Uber receipt shows. Since the attack, he has had migraines and trouble sleeping, Obiagwu said. Tyler Smith, who lives at the Ackerman Avenue house where the assault occurred, hosted the party Friday for her friend’s birthday, she said. Smith, who is white, said that when two SPD officers arrived to shut down the party between 11:30 p.m. Friday and midnight, they spoke differently to black students in comparison to how they spoke to her. In an email sent to The D.O. on Tuesday, SPD Sgt. Matthew Malinowski did not confirm whether SPD spoke differently to students of color and white students. “I can assure you that Officers from the Syracuse Police Department treat all victims fair and respectfully,” Malinowski said. Smith and other students, in interviews with The D.O., said people at the party discussed issues of race and policing with the officers who came to break up the party. Victoria Payne, a second year student studying social work, said she attended the party. She said SPD officers shut down the party late Friday night due to a noise complaint. Khari Brandes, a sophomore in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Bandier program, also attended the party, he said. Brandes said SPD officers put in an “earnest and honest effort,” but lacked sensitivity when they initially came to the house. Payne said she was upstairs when a fight broke out on the porch of the house Saturday morning, and she heard people yelling that a woman had a gun. People who were downstairs at the time of the assault told Payne that a white woman struck three students of color while three white men also attacked those students, Payne said. Obiagwu said two of the four people on the porch attacked him. Information released by DPS on Saturday, via email, stated that one woman attacked three students in the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue, possibly with a pistol. It did not specify the race of the suspect or victims. SPD released a statement Monday afternoon that said one white woman and one white man
email. The woman was described as being in her early 20s with brown hair, a gray jacket and dark pants, per DPS’ email. “We are saddened and disturbed by the events that occurred, and are especially disheartened by how the situation was handled by DPS and the City of Syracuse Police,” the students’ statement read. The students’ statement did not specify exactly why students are condemning actions taken by DPS and SPD. “We will continue to take strong measures to protect all members of our campus community,” Maldonado said. In an Instagram post on Monday afternoon, SU’s branch of the National Pan-Hellenic Council said it was “deeply saddened and disgusted” by the events that occurred Saturday morning. “We stand together in solidarity with the afflicted students and implore that Syracuse University, The Department of Public Safety, and the city of Syracuse, take a serious vested interest in finding the assailants,” the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s statement read. The National Pan-Hellenic Council is an organization of nine nationally-recognized historically black fraternities and sororities. As of Tuesday afternoon, several other campus groups and student publications had released statements condemning police responses to the assault, including: BLISTS, The Renegade Magazine, Mixtape Magazine, Femme Noire, the Student African American Society, SASSE, SU’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, SU’s Residence Hall Association, SU’s chapter of UNICEF, SU’s chapter of College Democrats, SU’s chapter of the NAACP, SU’s Interfraternity Council, WERW Radio, Light on Ebony, Mane Attraction, Lambda Alpha Upsilon, the Caribbean Student Association, Alpha Kappa Psi, Nu Rho Poetic Society, Lambda Theta Alpha and Delta Beta Nupes.
cdarnell@syr.edu | @caseydarnell_ irmiragl@syr.edu | @IndyRow jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18 gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326 krose100@syr.edu | @KennedyRose001
assaulted the three students. SPD did not note the race of the victims. DPS also sent a campus-wide email Saturday morning that said the three students denied medical treatment at the scene. Obiagwu said police officers repeatedly asked him if he wanted to go the hospital. He told them he was fine, but later decided to go to the hospital, he said. Malinowski on Tuesday said he could not confirm the students’ accounts, as the incident is being investigated. People were still at the Ackerman Avenue house when DPS sent out an initial statement at about 1 a.m. Saturday, Payne said. That statement, called a public safety notice, mentioned only one woman as a suspect. But in a Monday statement, DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado said the Saturday email reflected the “most current account” of the incident. Payne added that she expected DPS to specify that the attack was racially-charged “because it’s important to know if people are going after students of color.” “It made us all feel not cared about,” she said. Brandes was hiding upstairs during the assault, he said, and in that moment he didn’t have much information about what was going on. He heard there was a gun, and that multiple friends were assaulted. “(There) was the disconnect between us as mostly students of color and them as older white men,” Brandes said. “And I don’t think it was malicious at all, I just think there were some ways that they weren’t as aware of how they could affect that situation.” Michael Larkin, a sophomore television, radio and film major, said he was at the party and slept over at Smith’s house after the assault because Smith would have been there alone. At about 1 p.m. Saturday, Smith’s downstairs neighbor found the gun Larkin and Smith believed was used as the weapon in the assault, Larkin and Smith both said. The gun, found on the front lawn, they said, was actually a BB gun that looked like a real pistol, and it was given to police for evidence, according to Larkin and Smith. — News Editor Kennedy Rose contributed reporting to this story. cdarnell@syr.edu | @caseydarnell_ esfolts@syr.edu | @emmafolts gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326
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OPINION
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editorial board
Editorial Board urges SU to hold forum on off-campus safety
F
ollowing an assault along Ackerman Avenue early Saturday morning, students and police have released different statements that have discrepancies about details of the reported incident. The Daily Orange Editorial Board urges Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department to prioritize transparent communication with the campus community regarding the assault. And, in DPS’ case, the editorial board urges the department to hold an open dialogue in a public setting about off-campus safety
concerns so students and officials can discuss the issues together. The students’ statement detailing an account of the assault circulated on social media Sunday and Monday. On Monday, several minority and multicultural organizations publicly commented on the incident and criticized officials’ handling of the attack. Notable is the specific language that DPS and SPD did not acknowledge or comment on in their respective statements. The students’ statement alleges that one of the men assailants Saturday shouted, “What’s up n**ger� before
striking a student of color at the house along Ackerman Avenue. The police statements did not note that or explain or detail exact verbal exchanges between the victims and assailants. The confusion surrounding the details of this assault is unacceptable and warrants immediate action. It’s the responsibility of the police departments involved to acknowledge the concerns of students. The solidarity of campus organizations following the assault and Student Association’s public condemnation of DPS’ “lack of transpar-
letter to the editor
DPS needs to inform students on assault
I
n the early morning hours of Feb. 9, it was reported that Syracuse University students were assaulted with a handgun in the University Neighborhood. SU’s Department of Public Safety promptly sent out a safety notice, writing in part, â€œâ€Ś students reported being approached by an unknown female in the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue. The students say the female displayed what appeared to be a silver handgun and struck the students with the gun.â€? According to statements published on thetab.com on Feb. 11, DPS failed to inform the campus community of the racial motivations of this attack. This omission is unacceptable and potentially dangerous for people of color. According to thetab.com, a white woman struck a black SU student with a pistol, while a white man used a racial slur and attacked a black SU student. DPS released another statement shortly after
thetab.com article, saying in part: “Acts of violence and intolerance of any kind, including those based on race, contradicts our values and will not be tolerated ‌ The information in the public safety notice includes a brief and the most current description of the crime and the perpetrator as described by the victim or witnesses. SU does not identify a perpetrator’s race in these alerts in deference to previously expressed community concerns about racial profiling.â€? If a crime with racial machinations has been reported to public safety officials, this must be publicly confirmed immediately. Transparency that an assault with facially racial motivations has occurred is not racial profiling. When a white person strikes a black person while yelling a racial epithet, it is a racially-motivated crime. It is no longer an isolated attack, but an attack against a
group. It is racist. In its duty to protect this community, DPS has an obligation to inform us when crimes occur so we may take the appropriate safety precautions. The racial component of this crime is an integral piece of public safety information. DPS failed us — and especially people of color — in this responsibility. DPS should give students of color the opportunity to take the safety precautions they deem appropriate. As a white man at SU, it is my obligation to reject any institutional attempts to whitewash the presentation of a racially-motivated crime on the basis of a claimed fear of racial profiling. What is more consequential is giving members of our community the information they need to live safely.
Nicholas Croce Social Science Doctoral Student Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Syracuse University
conservative
Police should note racial motivation
T
he assault of three Syracuse University students in the 800 block of Ackerman Avenue on Saturday was disturbing, but what’s more troubling has been officials’ responses to the attack. SU’s Department of Public Safety has previously said that the assault was reported early Saturday morning. It seems as if the assault was perpetrated by a group of complete strangers outside a house along the street. A statement, circulated among campus community members in the past
few days, signed as “Your Fellow Students,� says that one of the people who assaulted the group told one student of color, “What’s up n**ger.� The Syracuse Police Department has not called this reported assault a hate crime. The described events noted in the students’ statement does not necessarily mean this assault was a hate crime. But what makes this incident so troubling is that there appeared to be no contact with the attackers and victims before the moment of the assault Saturday, at least according to the circulating
News Editor Kennedy Rose Editorial Editor Allison Weis Feature Editor Haley Robertson Sports Editor Michael McCleary Presentation Director Bridget Slomian Photo Editor Molly Gibbs Illustration Editor Sarah Allam Digital Copy Chief Sarah Slavin Digital Editor Maeve Rule Digital Design Director Talia Trackim Video Editor Mackenzie Sammeth Asst. News Editor Casey Darnell Asst. News Editor India Miraglia Asst. News Editor Gabe Stern Asst. Editorial Editor Michael Sessa Asst. Feature Editor Diana Riojas Asst. Feature Editor Kelsey Thompson Asst. Sports Editor Nick Alvarez Asst. Sports Editor KJ Edelman
Asst. Photo Editor Dan Lyon Asst. Photo Editor Namrata Naik Asst. Illustration Editor Audra Linsner Senior Design Editor Amy Nakamura Design Editor Diana Denney Design Editor Blessing Emole Design Editor Jenna Morrisey Asst. Copy Editor Anthony Dabbundo Asst. Copy Editor Emma Folts Asst. Copy Editor Hattie Lindert Asst. Copy Editor Arabdho Majumder Asst. Copy Editor Jalen Nash Asst. Copy Editor Natalie Rubio-Licht Senior Data Analyst Andy Mendes Asst. Video Editor Anna Genus Asst. Video Editor Lauren Miller Asst. Digital Editor Brooke Kato Asst. Digital Editor Jordan Muller Asst. Digital Editor Kaci Wasilewski
students’ statement. There seems to be no other apparent motivation behind the assault, except race-related reasons. Based off of that, it seems clear that this was a racially-motivated incident. Which is why it’s so disheartening that DPS and SPD have not publicly said that the Ackerman Avenue assault was based on race. It’s troubling. Harrison Garfinkle is a communication and rhetorical studies major. His column runs bi-weekly. He can be reached at hgarfink@syr.edu.
ency� clearly shows how campus is reacting to this assault. And beyond that, SA President Ghufran Salih’s efforts to put victims involved in the incident in touch with Department of Public Safety Chief Bobby Maldonado is commendable. To foster a similar conversation, based off Salih’s idea, SU should hold an open, public forum for all community members to address off-campus safety and the safety of students of color. Regardless of the discrepancies among the multiple statements released since the assault Saturday, the seemingly racially-charged attack needs to be
acknowledged by SU in some form, and a conversation must be had about broader concerns raised by students in the wake of the assault.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@ dailyorange.com.
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liberal
Details on Ackerman assault are missing
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n Saturday, an assault was reported on Ackerman Avenue. Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety sent two campus-wide emails shortly after that report, regarding the assault, but ultimately failed to release all necessary details about the incident and how it was racially-charged. This is information that the student body has a right to know, and not sharing is a huge disservice to the SU community, as a whole. In one of its first emails, DPS gave a bare-bones description of the event, only including the time and date of the assault, a description of a single woman attacker and the department’s contact information. A recent social media post, though, written by unnamed students, describes the assault differently. The post described an eyewitness account of three students of color being approached by a group of four
white people Saturday at a house along Ackerman Avenue. One of those people allegedly said, “What’s up n**ger,� according to the students’ statement. The attackers first punched the victims and then struck them with a handgun, before fleeing in a car, per the students’ statement. This statement has been shared by many SU student organizations. DPS’ first priority should be to protect all SU students, and an integral part of that charge is to keep the student body as informed as possible. DPS’ choice to not include how this was a racially-charged event is extremely concerning. DPS needs to remedy the situation by sharing all available details related to the assault. It’s essential to student safety, here.
Lauren Spiezia is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at lespiezi@syr.edu.
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slice of life
City-wide festival to kick off this week
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2019
By Jillian LeVeille
contributing writer
Syracuse continues to embrace the frigid, snowy season with the city’s annual Winterfest. The festival begins on Thursday and runs through Feb. 24, featuring art exhibitions, outdoor skiing and snowshoeing, professional ice carving, music performances, literary events and treasure hunts.
It’s a nice way to bring people together in the coldest part of the year. 8):)ì 366-732 owner of the mission restaurant
Black Reign Step Team, the only non-Greek affiliated step team at Syracuse University, performed during SU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in late January. alexandra moreo senior staff photographer
Reign and rhythm Black Reign brings heart, precision to the art of stepping By Cydney Lee
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contributing writer
ne Friday evening, the Ernie Davis dance studio was filled with laughter and playful camaraderie as the Black Reign Step Team warmed up for practice. “Black Reign stance!” yelled senior Aminata Siby, the president of the team. In response, the group got into formation, standing tall with their arms behind their backs. “Can I see face, energy … and I don’t want to see any mistakes,” Siby said as they aimed to perfect a step for an upcoming performance.
We’re a team that wants the energy to be shown and people to reciprocate that to us. 1-2%8%ì -&=
member of black reign step team
Two weeks ago, Black Reign performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. After holding tryouts earlier this month, the team solidified their roster for the semester and is now gearing up for future shows. Founded in 2005 by SU alumnae Tanira Lindsay and Mia Armstrong, Black Reign is the only non-Greekaffiliated step team on campus. The group prides itself on their ability to “showcase the art of stepping through fellowship, discipline, unity, and precision,” according to the team’s Twitter. Stepping is an art and dance
see BLACK REIGN page 8
Bill Cooper, the president of Syracuse Winterfest Inc., said he spent “thousands” of hours organizing the festival by gaining sponsors, contacting local restaurants for culinary competitions and selling tickets for the events. Each year, he said, the festival attracts visitors from outside the Syracuse area — even outside the state. “We have people that come with bus loads from Virginia … Pennsylvania,” Cooper said. “We have people fly in from California and visit their relatives just for this and buy tickets ahead of time.” The festival has drawn crowds since 1985, when the inaugural Winterfest was organized by the UpDownTowners of Syracuse. For the past 34 years, the festival has grown, gaining support from the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County, local businesses and residents. For some, the success of Winterfest is evident in the sense of comradery that the event kindles in the community. “It’s a nice way to bring people together in the coldest part of the year,” said Steve Morrison, owner and head chef of The Mission Restaurant, one of the restaurants participating in the festival. Winterfest aims to get people outside and experience the downtown Syracuse community, despite the freezing temperatures. “Syracuse people don’t like to be cooped up,” said Katie Beckett, general manager of Clinton Street Pub. “They don’t like to be told they shouldn’t go out.” Beckett also manages The Penny Pub and co-owns Modern Malt, both of which will be participating in Winterfest 2019. Cooper said Winterfest draws in approximately 100,000 visitors each year. He added that at the festival, cold weather becomes the center of attention rather than a cause for distraction. Some of the more popular events are the festival’s food and beverage
see WINTERFEST page 8
8 feb. 13, 2019
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DanceWorks to host annual performance this weekend contributing writer
DanceWorks is getting ready to present its annual spring showcase just in time for Valentine’s Day. The organization is one of the largest student organizations at Syracuse University and will host their performances in Goldstein Auditorium this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Rob Bellman, a senior and one of the organization’s choreographers, said the dances will include hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, tap and lyrical. Regarding this year’s showcase, Bellman said this year’s theme, Feel The Heat, lives up to its name. The showcase is months in the making for the dancers, who practice throughout the week for each musical number. Rehearsal often extends beyond regular studio time when learning new choreography. Depending on the number of dances each performer is in, their time spent in the studio can last several hours each week. Alanna Sadler, a senior board member, said seeing this year’s freshmen become fully immersed in the organization can be attributed to the different dance styles they encompass in their program. “I think people can tell from the outside that we’re all really close and that an incentive to be a part of it,” Sadler said, adding that and dancers develop close bonds with one another throughout the year. Outside of rehearsals, performers and choreographers balance producing their spring show with the responsibilities of school and life. Even with all the outside pressures, Bellman said the dancers’ main goal is putting on the best show for a great audience. “It’s such a nice space to just take away from from page 7
winterfest competitions, starting with the Culinary Cruise on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Participating restaurants include Peppino’s Neapolitan, The Sweet Praxis, Clinton Street Pub and The Mission Restaurant, among others. The following days are dedicated to the Chili Cook-Off walking tour, beer tastings, a Sandwich Stroll and the Margarita Mix-Off. Tickets are sold at the Winterfest’s ticket booth in Clinton Square and at participating restaurants for $5 per ticket for each event, with limited numbers available.
school and take away from everything, to work on something that is uplifting for everybody,” Bellman said. Baldo’s own hourly commitment can vary in time commitments as well, as her duties include organizing, budgeting and other board-related duties. Since this week is also their tech rehearsal week, he added that dancers will rehearse five to 10 hours in Goldstein Auditorium, learning how to adjust the spacing and choreography for that specific stage. “This year, we had to have the showcase two weeks earlier than it usually is. This might not seem like much, but that’s two weeks of rehearsals, planning and preparation gone,” Baldo said. For many of the senior performers, like Baldo and Bellman, it will be the last show they put on for the organization. Senior Taylor Garlow, the president of DanceWorks, said organizing her final show has been bittersweet. “It’s truly super overwhelming going through this process. Trying to get everything done, yet still making time to enjoy the process has been difficult to balance,” Garlow said. “Now that we’re getting close and closer to showtime, it’s been easier to enjoy my last show with DanceWorks.” Garlow hopes people resonate with the emotions of the dances, whether its feeling happy during an upbeat jazz dance or feeling an emotional connection while watching a contemporary piece. “I’m most excited for people to feel what we feel while we’re dancing,” she said. “I want our audience to feel during this show, and leave feeling like they had an incredible experience.” – Assistant Feature Editor Diana Riojas contributed reporting to this story. asblanco@syr.edu
“You don’t make any money off of it,” Beckett said. “In fact, you spend quite a lot of money on product that you give away for free, so it’s not a profitable thing.” She added that Winterfest offers small businesses potential new customers since some of the visitors might not normally venture downtown. For Jennifer Walls, co-owner of The Sweet Praxis, seeing visitors’ reactions inspires her to participate year after year. Despite only having a half-dozen other hands to help with planning, Cooper said “the rewards are tenfold” for him and everyone else involved with the festival. jpleveil@syr.edu
black reign form with derivations from Africa and influences from South African gumboot dancing. Steppers use their bodies to create various percussive sounds through clapping, stomping and patting their legs. Members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council — also known as NPHC or The Divine Nine — also incorporate stepping. This semester, Black Reign is made up of about 30 members, and the majority of its steppers are women. Avery Callahan is the only male stepper this semester, yet he said he doesn’t feel isolated. For him, everyone shows love and support at the end of the day. “I don’t feel left out of anything at all,” he said. “Sometimes if we’re joking around, they’ll be like ‘what’s your input as the only guy on the team?’ (but) it’s all family.”
We try to do as many events outside of our practices ... the one thing we pride ourselves on is supporting the team on their own endeavors. Assata Cradle-Morgan member of black reign
At the beginning of each semester, original team members hold a clinic for prospective steppers to get their feet wet before officially trying out. Tryouts consist of two progressive skill rounds followed by an interview round. But skill is not the only thing the executive board judges. Attitude and commitment are some of the traits the team values in its members. “We’re a team that wants the energy to be shown and people to reciprocate that to us,” Siby said. A “step” refers to the choreography as a whole. Sometimes during a performance, one member will begin the step alone — called a start — and through timing, other team members will join in. Black Reign has a step committee that brainstorms steps related to the theme of its shows. Most of the time, the committee creates the steps themselves. But Siby cited music as their inspiration as well. Tichina Sewell-Richards, a senior step committee member, can attest to the difficulty of the process. Despite how
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from page 7
slice of life
By Ashley Blanco
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good the performances turn out, she said, making the step is still hard, even after being on the team for three years. Midway through the practice, some of the steppers broke out into an a capella version of Beyoncé ’s “Irreplaceable” during one of their 3-minute breaks. Soon after, the whole room was harmonizing. Black Reign’s vice president of external affairs, junior Assata Cradle-Morgan, attributes the group’s strong sense of unity to the hours spent together in and out of practice. She said the team likes to bond and support each other — whether it’s by attending other campus events or studying in Bird Library together during finals week. “We try to do as many events outside of our practices,” she said. “The one thing we pride ourselves on is supporting the team on their own endeavors.” To Cradle-Morgan, Black Reign has one of the strongest work ethics out of all the organizations on campus. She said they typically practice four times a week, but the work doesn’t stop there. The team also spends time during the summer and school breaks to perfect their steps. As SU’s only non-Greek-affiliated step team, a few steppers said this team gives them more flexibility in trying different steps throughout the year. Callahan, who is also a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., compared his experience stepping with Black Reign to that of his fraternity. He said Black Reign is more precise and allows for more complex, detail-oriented moves. “(We) make sure that it not only looks good, but it sounds pleasing to the ear,” he said. For the newest members, Djenaba Sow and Tiffany Javier, joining Black Reign meant an opportunity to get more involved on campus and meet new people. The two girls are dubbed “Reign Drops” since they just joined this semester. “This team is about personality, having attitude, facing your fears (and) being confident,” Sow said. Javier said she thinks being a member of Black Reign will help build her confidence, and that she hopes to grow more as a person and have fun while doing so. Black Reign has a handful of performances this semester, many in collaboration with other organizations on campus. While they spend countless hours prepping for upcoming performances, Siby said the team is about more than what’s on stage. “We’re more of a family than a team,” she said. cmlee100@syr.edu
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eĂŹPAGE 9
1.
2. @ĂŹ ĂŹ AĂŹ #ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ star as Tanya, Donna and Rosie, college friends who formerly performed as The Dynamos. courtesy of amelia beamish @ĂŹ ! ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ star as lovers Sky and Sophie. courtesy of amelia beamish @ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ ĂŹ play mother and daughter in the production of “Mamma Mia!,â€? which opens Thursday. courtesy of amelia beamish
3.
‘here i go again’ The Central New York Playhouse brings energy of ABBA to Syracuse with “Mamma Mia!� run
By Izzy Bartling staff writer
T
his Valentine’s Day is opening night for the hit musical “Mamma Mia!� at The Central New York Playhouse, a community theater located at ShoppingTown Mall. The production is a central New York amateur premiere and will run through March 2. “Mamma Mia!,� a jukebox musical based on some of ABBA’s greatest hits, tells the story of Donna Sheridan as she prepares for her daughter’s wedding on their small Greek island. Things heat up when Sophie, Donna’s only daughter, secretly invites her three possible fathers to the wedding. While many people are familiar with the 2008 film adaptation of “Mamma Mia!� starring Meryl Streep and its recent sequel, the stage production has been around for 20 years, inspiring countless renditions at theaters across the world. To put their own spin on the classic musical, the playhouse has stripped away the glitz of the show, shining a spotlight on the music itself. Co-director Abel Searor said the company’s talented singers and instrumentalists will help the show’s music stand on its own.
“It’s almost like going to a two-hour rock concert, really,� Searor said. “The story is there, but people come for the music.� The show, also directed by Stephfond Brunson, stars theater veteran Becky Bottrill as Donna Sheridan and Hali Greenhouse as Sophie Sheridan. Greenhouse is no stranger to the CNY Playhouse stage, having starred as Sherrie Christian in “Rock of Ages� last summer. The minimalist set works to convey a simpler time and happier life found on the small Greek island where “Mamma Mia!� takes place. The set design is intentionally simple, with 14 chairs and four trunks that will be reconfigured from scene to scene so the set doesn’t distract from the performance itself. Audience members will see a blank stage outside a giant Greek taverna transform into Donna’s bedroom with a bed made out of trunks, Searor said. The props are designed with enough detail to suggest what they are in the simplest way. “It’s almost as though these characters have stripped away things from their lives and have been mostly able to focus on what actually matters: relationship, friendship and love,� Searor said. “I think that that’s something that all of us can stand to be reminded of.� Members of the playhouse are not afraid to venture
beyond the limits of traditional community theater, priding themselves on doing show premieres that haven’t been done at an amateur theater in central New York before. Stage Manager Lizzy Allers, who manages set pieces and props, said she was experimental when choreographing the scene changes. “We had to be a lot more creative with how we make a bedroom out of only using chairs and four trunks,� she said. The CNY Playhouse was originally a store in a shopping mall that was converted into a theater, Allers said. Because of this unconventional arrangement, the staff is always thinking of new ideas and trying different things with the limited space they have. Allers said Searor is especially skilled at making live music work in the venue. For this show, the band will perform on stage rather than in an orchestra pit. For Searor, “Mamma Mia!� is an opportunity to revisit classic hits that nearly everyone has heard, whether it was dancing to “Dancing Queen� at a wedding reception or hearing ABBA on the radio. “I think that it does cause you to view this music in a new light and just kind of stop and have fun for a couple of hours,� Searor said. icbartli@syr.edu
10 feb. 13, 2019
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men’s lacrosse
Returning defenders stabilize unit with new goaltender By Andrew Graham senior staff writer
All preseason, Syracuse praised its defense. With every close defender — Nick Mellen, Tyson Bomberry and Marcus Cunningham — returning and a plethora of experienced options like Austin Fusco, Andrew Helmer, Brett Kennedy and Jared Fernandez to back them up in the defensive midfield, the unit stood poised to anchor an experienced team. “I think we can lean on our defense,” Helmer said after SU’s first scrimmage in late January. And in a 12-9 loss to Colgate (1-0) in the season opener, No. 20 Syracuse’s (0-1) defense was leaned on heavily. The unit was challenged for a majority of the game due to struggles at the faceoff and a rare inability to clear. SU’s defense kept the Orange in striking distance in the historic loss, despite facing 41 shots. The lone variable — new goalie Drake Porter — proved capable, making 14 saves in from page 12
kolinski coach Mike Hopkins one day told her that she’d be a great coach one day. He urged her to coach anywhere, regardless of the level. He also reflected on his early years, when he started out as an SU assistant coach earning $15,000 per year while living in a fraternity house. His message to her: ascension in coaching takes time. “Hop helped me find my way,” Kolinski said. “When he could tell I was having a bad day, he’d say, ‘Katie, suck it up, your energy matters every day!’ He gave me a lot of confidence in myself.” At the forefront of her dream is a focus on developing players into the best they can be. SU assistant coach Gerry McNamara said she held her own with the SU bigs, pushing them with training pads. She didn’t relent in post drills against players who stood more than a foot taller. But her ability to elevate the mood of a
his first start. Syracuse relied on defense by necessity, not choice. “(Colgate) had a lot of possession time, and it made our defense play a lot,” head coach John Desko said postgame. “... But it’s not unusual for a team to have that many goals.” The defense started slow. After Sam Cleveland backed down Bomberry, spun left and slotted home the Raiders’ second goal between Porter’s legs, Desko stormed up the sideline, angry with his team. Switching assignments and putting star defender Mellen on Cleveland helped, but in the moment, the Raiders’ startling possession margin mattered more. Colgate edged Syracuse on faceoffs in the first half, 7-4, parlaying three-straight wins to start the game into a 3-0 lead. The Raiders entered halftime sporting a 6-3 lead over the Orange as Colgate held the ball for 4:08 of the first 6:23 of the game. Under constant pressure, SU parried away 19 shots. Porter, in his first-ever collegiate
start, displayed the same confidence teammates saw throughout the preseason, taking control and communicating clearly, something the defense has stressed. Some saves were easy, when opponents flung blind shots off dodges into the webbing of his stick. Others, he flashed the stick skills that made him the starter. When it was still 2-0, Brian Minicus drove from behind the cage around Porter’s left, turned and rifled a shot between the keeper’s legs. Porter instantly recognized the attempt, dipping down before calmly cradling the save in his pocket. “We were able to hold them, I thought, to a pretty low amount of goals just based off keeping our composure,” Porter said. SU’s propensity to give the ball away once it got back stressed the defense even further. Colgate won the groundball battle, too, scooping six more. The Orange turned it over 18 times — which would’ve been the second most for an SU game in 2018 — and failed on a quar-
ter of their clears. Desko lamented the clearance problems after the game, unsure of where the troubles stemmed from in the first place. The Orange had only practiced a handful of ways to get the ball out, he said, but players tried running it out of the zone, ignoring calls for passes. The clearances improved later in the contest, but for a usually efficient clearing team, 15-of-20 is a glaring deficiency. All of this against what Desko called nothing “too special” from Colgate’s defense. “It had to do a lot with the decisions that we made,” Desko said. Still, after the mis hits and struggles, when Brendan Curry’s goal made it 10-9 Colgate with 7:09 to go, Syracuse had the opportunity it needed. Instead, Colgate held the ball for more than half of the remaining time, scored twice and won the game. SU’s defense labored some more, trying to give the Orange another chance.
locker room may be greater. Junior shooting guard Tyus Battle noted her positivity as her defining characteristic: She’d tap players on the shoulder after a bad game or text them the next morning asking to work out. Former Syracuse women’s basketball star Brittney Sykes, now with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, loved training with Kolinski. Even while a SU student manager, Kolinski made time to train players on the women’s team. She picked up Sykes from her apartment and rebounded for her. Kolinski helped tweak her shot through form shooting drills. “You got this! Come on!” she urged Sykes, who said she wants Kolinski to coach her children. “She can connect with players in a way coaches can’t,” said Syracuse senior point guard Frank Howard. “It’s different when it’s coming from a female. You’re more open to listening. You also listen because she knows the game. There’s no doubt in my mind Katie
will be successful, because she’s too genuine. What she says comes from a good place.” Kolinski placed a bobblehead of Breanna Stewart, the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year, beside her computer. In Syracuse, she’s worked out the four-time college national champion. A Syracuse Final Four ring sit on her shelf and a picture of Kolinski with SU players Michael Gbinije, Tyler Roberson and Paschal Chukwu hangs on the wall. When Kolinski reached out to Becky Hammon, the NBA’s first female assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, she encouraged her to spend long hours in the film room and try to get a job in the NBA’s developmental league. “There’s no skipping steps to move up, it’s a super competitive field,” Hammon wrote to Kolinski. “You have to be persistent, determined, resilient, and have a great way about you with the players. At the end of the day, a player vouching for you is a strong testament
to your work. Blessings, Coach Hammon.” Kolinski knows the odds are stacked up against her. But her goal isn’t to prove that women can thrive in male-dominated positions. Her quest isn’t about making money or obtaining the prestige of well-known names in basketball. It’s about defining herself in the game she’s devoted her life to. Every day in her office, Kolinski sees a signed basketball from Lieberman, the Hall of Famer who’s broken convention as a player and a coach — the first female head coach in the NBA’s development league and the second female assistant coach in the NBA. The ball reads: “Katie — a future head B-Ball coach. Many blessings, Nancy.” “A lot of people said I couldn’t be the first female head manager at Syracuse or the first female Syracuse grad assistant,” Kolinski said. “I’ve made my own path.”
from page 12
and really put the game away,” Levy said. While finding the net was a struggle at times, Syracuse displayed its talent advantage. Last season, the Orange were 19th in RPI while Binghamton was 67th according to Analytics Lacrosse. This season, Syracuse is ranked in the Inside Lacrosse top-25, Binghamton is not. The disparity in rankings showed on the field. Syracuse was sloppy, but it was able to win and maintain possessions. Gait said that this was what allowed the Orange to get 40 shots off, their highest total since 2017. Binghamton is not at the same level as Syracuse’s next opponent: No. 1 Boston College. Gait expects the team to come in with a different energy. He anticipated a more efficient outing than Tuesday nights output, when 10 different players found the net. Levy had three goals, including one off a free position shot. She fired it in without moving closer and flipped her stick in celebration. Morgan Alexander, after scoring her first career goal against UConn, had a goal, this one a behind-the-back shot off an assist by Hawryschuk. In the end, the mistakes didn’t matter. After the game, Levy said SU assistant coach Caitlin Defliese talked to them in the locker room about their complacency: “Only dead fish go with the flow.”
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binghamton Other times, messy passes gave the Bearcats opportunities. Late in the first half and coming off the draw, Ella Simkins had won the ball and went to pass to freshman Sarah Cooper. Cooper was running too fast, and the ball flew about a foot behind her. Binghamton gathered the ball. While the Bearcats did nothing with the possession and turned the ball over a minute later, it was a missed scoring chance for the Orange. After scoring at the 17-minute mark, it took the Orange more than 10 minutes before they found the back of the net again. SU registered 11 shots, over 25 percent of its game total, in the scoreless span. Freshman Meaghan Tyrrell had a shot blocked and then another saved. Mackenzie Baker had her shot blocked and Hawryschuk, senior Julie Cross and freshman Megan Carney had their shots saved as well. Hawryschuk, Cross and Baker registered another shot each, and all missed. And then, Mary Rahal had a breakaway, leaving only the goalie between her and the net. Her attempt flew past the cage, too. Finally, Levy had her assisted goal from Wallon, putting the Orange up 6-0. “We have to spark more energy out there from page 12
defense The key to causing turnovers for SU was its midfielders and attackers, who were often successful in riding — preventing the ball to be brought back into SU’s defensive zone. Led by Wallon, who led the team with three forced turnovers, it was the Orange’s complimentary defenders who stepped up to halt the Bearcats’ attack. A strong ride from SU’s offensive group of players led to more possessions, which rapidly turned into goals. An important stretch came late in the first half, following an over 10-minute scoring drought. It was kicked off by Swart, with her end-to-end hockey assist that led to the score by Levy. Last season, Syracuse’s scoring defense ranked 91st in the country, a mediocre mark
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that can be partially blamed on inconsistent play from its goaltenders. While Gait said this season starting goalie Asa Goldstock is at the top of her game, through two games, the defense in front of her hasn’t given her a chance to show that. She’s faced just 15 shots on goal, a drastic change from last season when she faced single-digit shots on goal once all year. But Gait wouldn’t grade SU’s play through the first two games of the season. When the best team in the country, No. 1 Boston College, visits the Carrier Dome on Saturday, it’ll have the chance to prove itself. “That’s when you can really grade your team, we’ll have that opportunity come Saturday,” Gait said. “After that game, we can really talk about how we think we are for 2019.” erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34
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It only takes one
Defensive help No. 20 Syracuse men’s lacrosse was aided by its defense in Drake Porter’s first game at net. See page 10
Miranda Ramirez’s one-handed backhand has become the No. 10 SU tennis junior’s best stroke. See dailyorange.com
S PORTS
Far from home Syracuse men’s basketball has a 5-1 record away from the Carrier Dome this season. See dailyorange.com
dailyorange.com @dailyorangeÍjif ͯ¹ Í°Ž¯¡Í:Í PAG E 12
women’s lacrosse
Syracuse defense dominates in 15-5 win By Eric Black
senior staff writer
KATIE KOLINSKI was the first woman graduate assistant for the Syracuse men’s basketball team. She was rejected for three assistant coaching jobs and is now the Buffalo women’s basketball director of operations. courtesy of buffalo athletics
To achieve her dream of becoming a Division I basketball coach, Katie Kolinski went to Buffalo to
Step forward
By Matthew Gutierrez senior staff writer
B
UFFALO — It’s 11:27 a.m. on Jan. 16 and Katie Kolinski had a lot on her mind. She walked through the sliding doors into Wegmans on Transit Road, grabbed a shopping cart and rehearsed her list: oranges, juice boxes, water bottles. At the front of the store, she stopped at a small mountain of orange crates, scanned a few options and lifted one that looked good. “I wear a lot of hats in this job,� she said. She drove her cart into the produce section. “This is where I play manager.� Kolinski, the director of operations for Buffalo women’s basketball, does a little bit of everything. From the team bench, she dishes out snippets to players during games. She can’t run drills in practice, due to NCAA rules, but she watches closely and relays
her observations to players. She participates during coaches meetings, with a close eye on UB head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, a former Syracuse star. She sets up team meals, plans bus rides and books the team hotel. And occasionally makes Wegmans runs. She served as an SU student manager for four years, and she was the first woman head manager in Syracuse men’s basketball history. She became SU’s first woman graduate assistant for the men’s team, a role she filled from 2016-18. Last spring, Kolinski completed her sixth season at SU and earned her master’s degree from the School of Education. But then she needed a job. She applied to a number of Division I programs, and three women’s programs interviewed her for assistant coaching gigs. She was rejected by all three. Last summer, she got a chance at UB, and the person who legendary head coach Nancy Lieberman called “a damn good coach�
took a step toward her coaching dream. “I love being here with coach Jack and the program,� Kolinski said in her office last month. “I see little things in how a program runs that could help me be a coach, because I’ve gotten to the point in life where I just want to coach. Being away from the court for a year, I’m really itching to be on that court.� Growing up in the West Genesee Central School District, Kolinski was a varsity guard and 3-point shooter. She considered playing at a community college or walking on at SU, but she decided to try to join Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s program. As a timid freshman at SU, she applied to be a student manager. Kolinski was one of a few selected that year and fell in love with working out players, rebounding and gathering towels. After hanging around Syracuse practices long enough, then-Syracuse associate head see kolinski page 10
women’s lacrosse
No. 11 Syracuse overpowers Binghamton By Kaci Wasilewski asst. digtial editor
There were times when Syracuse’s offense worked exactly as it was supposed to. With seven minutes left in the first half, sophomore Sam Swart picked up a ground ball and ran up the field. She threw the ball over Binghamton’s Rebecca Golderman – whose stick was stretched high – and hit Natalie Wallon’s stick. Wallon passed to senior Nicole Levy near the net. Levy caught it and swung the ball into the cage. It was SU’s sixth goal of the game.
The first in over 10 minutes. Last Friday against UConn, No. 11 Syracuse’s (2-0) season opener was defined by the eight goals in eight minutes. On Tuesday against Binghamton (0-1), there were no scoring runs in the 15-5 win. The game, while high scoring on the Orange’s side, was plagued with errors. With 40 shots, Syracuse scored on 37.5 percent of them. Shots missed their mark, going wide or too high over the net. “On the offensive end we were a little bit sluggish,� SU head coach Gary Gait said, “and not quite focused enough to execute the way
we can.� From the opening draw, with junior Emily Hawryschuk, the misfires hindered SU. Hawryschuk, who had 34 draw controls last season, lifted her stick high on the whistle but to little success. The ball fell to the ground where it was picked up by Binghamton’s Golderman. She took it down the field for a successful clear. Syracuse would gain possession within the minute, but not before allowing a shot. The sloppiness was seen in multiple aspects of SU’s offense. Last season, the Orange were ranked
ninth for adjusted offense, per AnalyticsLacrosse.com. This was not that offense. While SU committed 11 turnovers, the offense suffered in other ways. Messy passes and dropped balls led to 32 total ground balls. Twenty-four of SU’s scoops came in the first half, beating last season’s single-game total. The offense also counted for 18 of the ground balls. The errors caused on offense led to multiple scrambles, often in front of the net while Syracuse had possession. see binghamton page 10
Sam Swart jabbed left, then right, mirroring the ball in Olivia Batista’s stick. Everywhere the Binghamton midfielder went, Swart went too. But then, Swart went off script. She guessed where Batista was going before the Bearcat got there herself and hit the ball out of her stick. Immediately, Swart was off and running. The former four-sport athlete easily beat Batista down the field, ultimately finding Natalie Wallon in the middle of Binghamton’s defensive half. With their focus on Swart, the chaotic Bearcats defense lost Wallon, who found Nicole Levy for a goal, just 10 seconds after Swart gained possession. For 50 minutes, Syracuse’s (2-0) defense tormented Binghamton’s (0-1) attackers and midfielders, often preventing them from even attempting a shot in the Orange’s 15-5 victory on Tuesday. Despite allowing four goals in the last nine minutes of the game, SU held an opponent to five or fewer goals for the first time in nearly two years. And after defeating Connecticut 18-6 during its season opener on Friday, SU’s now held two straight teams to single-digit goals, a feat it achieved twice last season.
5
Number of goals Syracuse allowed to Binghamton on Tuesday in the Carrier Dome
“I was super impressed today (with the defense),� SU head coach Gary Gait said. “They didn’t give up any easy goals, they kept getting the ball back for us ... I thought they were the stars of the game today.� While the Orange’s seasonopening win featured their offense scoring eight goals in the first eight minutes of the game, Tuesday’s contest was controlled by the defense. Possession after possession, SU’s defense kept the Bearcats away from the goal. A goal with .5 seconds left until halftime finally got Binghamton on the board, but it was just its second shot on goal of the game to that point. Instead of shooting the ball, which the Bearcats did just four times in the first half, they frequently turned it over. The Orange forced 12 turnovers in the first half alone, two fewer than their season high in a game last year and finished with 15 in the game. “That’s always a big key, in defense or ride,� defender Kerry Defliese said regarding forced turnovers. “It just sparks the emotion to get everyone going, just keep ‘em coming.� see defense page 10