February 23, 2011

Page 1

PAPER, SCISSORS, COLD HI

31° |

LO

WEDNESDAY

14°

february 23, 2011

T H E I N DE PE N DE N T S T U DE N T N E W SPA PE R OF S Y R ACUSE , N E W YOR K

INSIDE NEWS

Accelerated ambition Money raised through the late iSchool dean’s fund will aid a student-venture program. Page 3

A new chapter Story Project for first-generation students grows

ASST. FEATURE EDITOR

Tour of the town The Daily Orange Editorial Board suggests SU tours go through Marshall Street. Page 4

INSIDE PULP

Varied visits Students touring the SU campus may get a different experience depending on the time of the year. Page 8-9

INSIDE SPORTS

Spring forward The Syracuse softball team’s high hopes rely on pitcher Jenna Caira. Page 16

W

STAFF WRITER

hen Amanda Lashua told her mother she planned to attend college, the only thing she heard was laughter. “She thought I was joking,” said Lashua, who went to high school in New Hampshire. “She didn’t actually think I was going to do it.” To her mother, seeking a postsecondary education was ridiculous. After all, neither she nor Lashua’s father went to college. So at age 16, Lashua began the long journey of being not only the first in her family to complete college but also the first to do so on her own dime. Lashua, now a teaching assistant and a graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences working toward her chemistry doctorate, decided to share her journey with the Syracuse University Story Project, a mentorship initiative created for students who are the first in their family to attend college. After starting last year for graduate and undergraduate students, the Story Project is now opening its doors to faculty and staff who were once first-generation college students to share their stories and give current first-generation students advice. Individuals who are the first in their families to attend college are invited to submit their stories to be posted on the

Tickets for DJ Diplo sell out Tuesday By Amrita Mainthia

By Flash Steinbeiser

INSIDE OPINION

univ ersit y union

brian norris | contributing photographer AMANDA LASHUA , a College of Arts and Sciences graduate student, smiles outside the LIfe Sciences Complex. She is a first-generation college student. project’s website within the Office of FirstYear and Transfer Programs website. For the Story Project creator, Sudeshna Majumdar, the role of a first-generation mentor is crucial — especially because 18 percent of the students in the Class of 2014 are first-generation students, she said. Students with a collegiate family can look to their parents for guidance, but first- generation students are without such tools, said Majumdar, a graduate student in the School of Education. A first-generation student herself, Majumdar began the program by gathering first-generation students in a focus group practicum for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The goal of the study was to see

what made first-generation students successful. Yet once the initial study was over, the students sought further interaction, having bonded over their unique background and common experiences. “They realized that they need this space where they can meet people like them,” Majumdar said. Lashua, the graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences, did not have a space like this when she went to college. At age 17, she obtained a GED and went to college because she dropped out a year early from high school. As she packed her bags for her undergraduate studies, her SEE STORY PROJECT PAGE 6

DJ Diplo and two unannounced opening acts will perform to a sold-out crowd in Goldstein Auditorium on March 26. The concert, co-hosted by University Union and Hillel at Syracuse University, sold all 915 tickets by 1 p.m. Tuesday, said Michael Weiss, president of Hillel. “It feels amazing to have sold out within 27 hours,” he said. “To see such an amazing student response so quickly shows that we really picked the right person and chose someone with such campus-wide appeal.” Diplo, a Philadelphia-based American DJ, has worked and collaborated closely with artists such as M.I.A., Sleigh Bells, Britney Spears and Linkin Park, according to a UU press release. The two opening acts are finalized and will be announced within a week, Weiss said. The concert is part of Hillel’s weeklong 60th anniversary celebration and will be a great way to increase Hillel’s exposure, Weiss said. Chancellor Nancy Cantor, whose financial contribution will help fund the show, said she was happy the event has the student body buzzing, Weiss said. “I think this really proves that Hillel does more than just religious programming,” Weiss said. “We’re

SEE DIPLO PAGE 6

Construction company unveils plans for student apartment complex at SU By Laurence Leveille ASST. COPY EDITOR

Construction for the student apartment complex announced in the fall is expected to begin during the summer. Syracuse University has selected Education Reality Trust Inc., formally known as Allen and O’Hara Development Co., to develop, own and manage Campus West Apartments, the housing unit intended for College of Law students, graduate students and upperclassmen, according to a Feb. 22 EDR press release. “We know there is an ongoing need for housing options for law and graduate students,” said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs, in an e-mail. The complex will have a total of five

floors, four of which will be residential floors with 312 beds in 191 studios and one-, two- and four-bedroom units. The ground floor will include a combined coffee shop and convenience store; a clubhouse with a fitness center, computer lab and business center; and a Department of Public Safety office, according to the release. Construction is expected to begin this summer, but the EDR team is still seeking local government approval, according to the release. The expected completion date for Campus West is summer 2012. Campus West will be located near the Carrier Dome, two blocks from the College of Law and one block from Dineen

SEE APARTMENTS PAGE 6

courtesy of education realty trust Education Realty Trust will build Campus West Apartments near the Carrier Dome. Construction is expected to begin this summer and last through 2012.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.