March 2, 2023

N • Bias incident

Office of Student Living officials addressed alleged anti-LGBTQ writings found in Watson Hall a week after they were reported to DPS.

Page 12

the independent student newspaper of syracuse, new york | dailyorange.com

C • Beyond awareness

During National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, SU students reflect on limited support from the university.

Page 5

S • At the X

After transferring from Canisius, Johnny Richiusa took over as Syracuse’s top faceoff specialist, replacing Jakob Phaup.

Page 12

Language barriers

18%

Percentage of students in the SCSD that are learning English

10k

Since 2000, Syracuse has become home to over 10,000 refugees

By Jana Seal news editor

In 2020-2021, only around 20% of Syracuse City School District elementary schoolers reached a proficient score in the New York State Regents Exam’s English Language Arts section. But the state’s standardized test only covers one of 74 different languages represented by students across SCSD schools.

SCSD, which as of 2021 comprises over 18,000 students, serves the four neighborhoods in the city of Syracuse, all of which have highly-concentrated refugee populations. Since the year 2000, Syracuse

graduate students

has brought in over 10,000 refugees. With this influx, educational environments serving the city’s population have seen a boom in linguistic diversity among children in public city schools.

Among the 74 languages in SCSD, common spoken languages include Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Dari Persian, Drench, Fuluh, Haitian Creole, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Tigrinya and Vietnamese. The district’s student population also represents around 80 different countries of origin.

Currently, New York state schools operate under English as a New Language systems, said Stephanie McMillen, a communications sciences

SGEU, SU reach union agreement

By Brittney Miller asst. copy editor

Syracuse Graduate Student Employees United tweeted Wednesday afternoon that it has won an election agreement with Syracuse University.

“After years of building power by talking with our coworkers and months of public actions and events, we have secured an agreement with the administration for a fair and speedy process for a union election this semester,” the tweet read.

Although an election date has

not yet been posted, SGEU says the next step is their election to form an official union.

This comes after the university did not recognize the union after its deadline on Feb. 20.

Shortly after the announcement

Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter emailed SU students about the agreement.

“The University and SGEU are committed to ensuring an inclusive, respectful and equitable process,” the email read. “Together, we will work to create an environment where the

opinions, voices and ideas of all graduate students are given consideration on this important matter.”

Part of their agreement entails that neither of the two groups will commit any “unfair labor practice,” “provide any support or assistance” to either group or behave negatively toward either group, the email said. Ritter wrote that the SU administration will continuously provide updates on the union to the campus community accordingly.

bmille19@syr.edu

@britt61370

and disorders professor at SU who researches childhood language and literacy development. The system, which includes three tiers for new language facilitation, attempts to tailor intervention responses to a student’s level of need.

The state’s Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success, which was added to the New York State Department of Education website in January 2022, outlines ENL requirements for teachers, schools and school districts.

But because of the long process for achieving government regulations, developments in inclusive education requirements are relatively see languages page 3

SU Wellness Initiative celebrates Nutrition Month

By Brittany Miller asst. copy editor

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of National Nutrition Month, Syracuse University’s Wellness Initiative hopes to fuel students’ futures throughout the month of March.

NNM, an annual month-long campaign established in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, encourages people to learn more

about developing healthy food diets and exercise habits. SU’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and Wellness Initiative team is working to give students and faculty opportunities to improve nutritional knowledge and be in touch with registered dietitians throughout the month.

Emily Januseski, a dietitian at Hematology Oncology Associates of Central New York, said the month is as

Number of different languages spoken by students in the SCSD

Students across the Syracuse City School District collectively speak a total of 74 languages, but continue to take standardized tests and evaluations built for English speakers

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INSIDE

The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.

NEWS

“But that’s not a consequence of bilingualism. That’s a consequence of us … not having the resources that we need to e ectively identify kids who need additional support and treatment.” - Stephanie McMillen, communications sciences and disorders professor at SU

Page 1

CULTURE

“Human connection fi ghts eating disorders, so that is the fi rst step toward recovery. You are enough. You shouldn’t ever have to face your fi ght alone.” - Tracy Mergler, Safe Space Organization founder

Page 5

OPINION

“But while I wish there wasn’t a root of my negativity in the fi rst place, I’m happy to say I’m a pessimist — because I’d rather vouch for improvement than hope for it.” - Jonah Weintraub, columnist

Page 8

SPORTS

“No matter what it is in life, sometimes you need to slow it down to see what you’re doing wrong. You have to be adaptable.”Johnny Richiusa, SU Men’s Lacrosse faceo specialist

Page 12

COMING UP

Noteworthy events this week.

WHAT: Campus Race to Zero Waste Tabling

WHEN: March 2, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

WHERE: Sadler Dining Hall

WHAT: La L.U.C.H.A. Anniversary Gala

WHEN: March 4, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Skybarn

WHAT: OttoTHON

WHEN: March 5, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Goldstein Auditorium

Week after report, DPS yet to speak on alleged bias incident

By Dominic Chiappone asst. news editor

Editor’s note: this article contains mentions of anti-LGBTQ language

Derogatory language directed toward the LGBTQ community was allegedly found on a bathroom door and mirror at Watson Hall on Feb. 23, according to an email from SU sent to Watson Hall’s residents, prompting a Wednesday night gathering of SU officials and students to address the bias incidents.

Over 30 SU students and staff from the university’s Bias Response Team, the Office of Student Living and residential staff met at the Life Sciences Complex to discuss the two bias incident reports identifying the markings on Watson Hall’s third and fourth floors. Quincy Bufkin — SU’s assistant director for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Office of Student Living — notified Watson residents on Tuesday afternoon about the reports and the Wednesday night forum.

The standard for publicly reporting hate speech and other bias-related incidents is to post the incident to DPS’s Bias Incident Reports website within 48 hours unless the report jeopardizes active investigations, according to the website. As of Wednesday night, the incident has not been added to the Bias Incident Reports website or disclosed in a campus-wide email.

An anonymous source told The Daily Orange that derogatory words were allegedly spray painted

on campus

in white on the Watson door and mirror on the night of Feb. 23. The source said both words were allegedly written with reference to the name of a student, though Bufkin said the office couldn’t guarantee the language targeted a specific student.

There is no suspect as of Wednesday night, Bufkin said. DPS is actively investigating the incident.

“This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our residence halls or anywhere else on campus,” Bufkin’s Tuesday email to Watson residents read.

Bufkin said SU Facilities Services initially contacted him about the graffiti. DPS conducted two rounds of investigations, said Kofi Addai, SU’s associate director for Stop Bias Education.

Bufkin acknowledged that DPS and Facilities Services didn’t record the incidents soon enough, saying the two need to improve to ensure effective incident reporting and work toward prevention of future incidents.

Students who attended the Wednesday meeting expressed anger over the lack of transparency among SU officials, as well as the lack of accountability for students who commit bias-related incidents.

Jordan Beasley, the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for SU’s Student Association, said he was tired of the university holding bias meetings repeatedly if students accused of hate speech and using derogatory terms aren’t going to be held accountable.

“This university has a history and a pattern of embodying homopho -

bia… SU likes to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, but then when it comes down to it, we do things such as workshops,” Beasley said. While the investigation is under -

way, Bufkin said officials plan to listen to the people who were impacted by the two reported bias incidents.

“I think the important part is that we support the people who this

impacts, as well as continue with the investigation and make sure that this does not happen again,” Bufkin said. dcchiapp@syr.edu @DominicChiappo2

Sustainability lab researches SU reaching net-zero carbon emissions

By Faith Bolduc contributing writer

Following the Syracuse University Student Association’s call in December for net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 — 10 years earlier than SU administration’s current goal — the university is working to spread sustainability awareness and solutions through its Dynamic Sustainability Lab.

Harrison Vogt, SA’s director of sustainability, said that although SU is on track to achieving its original 2040 goal, SA wants the school to do more to reduce its carbon footprint with the resources it has.

“Why can’t we aspire to do more? All it takes is investment and commitment,” Vogt said.

The Dynamic Sustainability Lab is one way SU is working to evaluate sustainabilityfocused transitions. The lab, founded in 2021 by Dr. Jay Golden, employs SU students to analyze risks and benefits of new public policy and technology in the pursuit of reaching net-zero carbon emissions.

Golden, who also directs the lab, is SU’s Pontarelli professor of environmental sustainability and finance, and the senior research associate for SU’s Center for Environmental Policy and Development. He said he wanted to create a student-centered workplace to prepare the next set of environmental leaders.

“Our students represent almost every college on campus … and very different socioeconomic backgrounds,” Golden said. “That is what makes us a stronger lab, because we have these different perspectives to help make decisions that affect a larger community.”

Students and faculty involved in the lab conduct research and collaborate with outside groups to develop insight on transitions to more sustainable practices, according to its website. The lab also studies strategies to achieve a netzero carbon economy through focus on energy, bio-based and institutional strategies.

In its efforts to help the university reach its environmental goals, the lab has held waste audits and apparel exchange events. Now, Golden said, the lab is working to create a dashboard that SU can use to track energy consumption, waste production and water use in every on-campus building.

“Those types of things are where the university needs support, and especially when it comes to moving 2040 to 2030, we are there to help,” Golden said.

Melissa Cadwell, SU’s sustainability coordinator, says the university is still committed

to working toward its 2040 goal by improving campus facilities and transportation services, as well as by quantifying carbon sinks.

Cadwell also said the Sustainability Management team collaborates closely with the lab for research.

“We look forward to integrating the results of their research into Sustainability Management,” Cadwell said.

SA released its sustainability report in December 2022, which outlines its proposed update to SU’s 2009 Climate Action Plan to move SU’s carbon neutrality date up by a decade to 2030. “We believe that the climate crisis is our generation’s issue,” Vogt said. “It should be our priority to mitigate it and do everything in our power to adopt policies that are more sustainable.”

Golden said that while SU is on track to meet the original 2040 goal, it’s possible to meet the goal earlier, as long as SU remains transparent and committed to sustainability efforts.

Vogt said that in its progress toward netzero carbon emissions, it’s important for SU to reach carbon neutrality through collective action rather than opting for carbon offsets.

The lab will hold events to increase student awareness and involvement in campus sustainability efforts in April, Golden said. Students can also attend SA’s Sustainability Committee meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Schine Student Center room 217.

Over 50 members of the lab will travel to Washington, D.C. for a Sustainability Sym -

posium on April 3 and 4. The symposium will include conferences with United Nations and United States government officials, various panels and talks on topics on sustainability and student presentations.

SA and the lab will host a sustainability research poster competition on April 6 and a sustainable film festival, featuring a screening of The Lorax, on April 7. The following week, Tom Steyer, former presidential candidate and environmental activist, will speak at SU.

“There’s only one way of knowing, and that’s by doing, or at least trying,” Golden said. “I don’t think that the university should shy away from ambition and goals, because that’s how leaders are formed.”

flbolduc@syr.edu

JAY GOLDEN, director of the Sustainability lab, said that through the lab, he wants to create a diverse, student-centric research workplace that prepares the next generation of environmental leaders. leanne rivera staff photographer

At least 36 students and staff gathered to discuss the two homophobic bias-related incidents at Watson Hall, nearly a week after the graffiti was found. dominic chiappone asst. news editor

DSL research pursues accelerated net-zero emissions at SU

By Claire Samstag staff writer

When Laura Feldman started working as an attorney, she saw the relevance of her Syracuse University biology degree when working in areas of pharmaceuticals and malpractice. Now, as an attorney at the first fully woman-owned law firm in Philadelphia, she wants to bring the benefits she’s seen in her degree to SU students belonging to groups with poor retention in STEM fields.

A $1.5 million grant going to the SUSTAIN program, or Strategic Undergraduate STEM Talent Acceleration Initiative, aims to minimize the rate of women and other marginalized students that drop out of STEM programs. It provides a $5,000 scholarship for selected students’ first two years at SU, in addition to any preexisting financial aid packages or awards.

Students and faculty in the program said SUSTAIN expands beyond financial assistance, and works to expose students to research and career development opportunities while emphasizing community.

“When I was a science major, there wasn’t a lot of support, and having that support is really useful in allowing people to succeed,” Feldman said. “One of SUSTAIN’s biggest successes is giving underprivileged students equal footing.”

In founding SUSTAIN in 2017, John Tillotson, an associate professor of STEM education and chair of the department of science teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences at SU, said the goal of the program is to create a robust environment for professional development that includes faculty mentoring, introductory courses and a social network.

“When the grant ended, the program was so successful that we had several private donors who have since given well over $2 million in private funding, and now the program operates entirely on private donations,” Tillotson said. “It’s very close to being endowed.”

Tillotson said the grant program opens up doors beyond the classroom for participating students. He added that the program includes four seminar courses for students over the first two years of college to ease the transition process to college life.

“In that original grant of those 28 scholars, a big group of them continued to live together

after they got out of the dorms,” Tillotson said. “I still get pictures and social media posts that they send me where they’re all on vacation together.”

Amra Mujcic, who studied biochemistry and psychology at SU, was a first generation college student and participant in the SUSTAIN program. She graduated in three years and is now a first year medical student in the University of Buffalo M.D./Ph.D. program. Mujcic said SUSTAIN was more than just a financial scholarship to her because it provided her with social connections.

“SUSTAIN helped me grow up. College was completely new to me as a first generation student and I had to figure out how to navigate it,” Mujcic said. “I learned how to make connections with my peers and faculty, which I wasn’t used to.”

Ryann Washington, a sophomore at SU majoring in biology and forensic science on the pre-med track, said being offered the SUSTAIN scholarship spurred her decision to attend SU.

“I was fully committed to Penn State, and

then I got an email about the SUSTAIN program, so I started to consider Syracuse again, “ Washington said. “A lot of schools don’t offer a program like SUSTAIN. Once I got in, it nudged me to come.”

In her time as a SUSTAIN student, Washington said she’s been able to regularly speak with mentors who help her explore opportunities and build professional connections.

“When I first came to college, I never knew that I would have the interests that I have now,” Washington said.

Barrington Bucknor, another former SUSTAIN student, also pointed to the mentorship opportunities as a main benefit of his experience with the SUSTAIN program. He said he worked with Carlos Castañeda — an assistant professor of biochemistry at SU who runs the Castañeda Lab for biophysics and biochemistry at SU — doing undergraduate research while he studied biochemistry and neuroscience.

Bucknor said the scholarship helped him balance academic and research commitments, which he said was his main priority as an undergraduate.

“SUSTAIN made it possible for me to hit the ground running with this endeavor. The rest was a matter of good mentoring, drive and a natural love for exploration,” Bucknor wrote in an email statement.

But aside from the career boost that SUSTAIN provided him, the social aspect was the most memorable, Bucknor said.

“Peers that I have met freshman year, I still share professional and personal goals with. Speakers that imparted their knowledge and experiences with the scholars have molded my approach to applying for different career building opportunities,” Bucknor said in the email. “The connections I have made have served as a foundation to support me through successes and failures.”

csamstag@syr.edu

ASP committee to host in-person feedback session on first draft

By Dominic Chiappone asst. news editor

Members of Syracuse University’s Academic Strategic Plan committee will host in-person meetings with undergraduate and graduate students later this month to gather feedback on the plan after the Feb. 17 release of its initial draft, said Jamie Winders, SU’s associate provost for faculty affairs, at a Wednesday forum.

SU hosted a previous feedback session at the Schine Student Center in November 2022 to directly engage with students and gather perspectives on ASP, a five-year roadmap outlining 10 goals the university aims to reach by 2028. Over 30 SU community members attended Wednesday’s feedback session, the second of three planned virtual feedback sessions.

This year’s ASP is the first SU has produced since its 2015 Trajectory to Excellence. The plan sets a goal for all undergraduate students to participate in a study abroad or other study away program by 2028, expand STEM research and workforce training in anticipation of Micron’s new Clay facility and promote diversity and community engagement.

Throughout the discussion, faculty expressed optimism surrounding the draft’s approach to new academic objectives, like course and program offerings. Elisa Dekaney, SU’s associate dean of research, graduate studies and internationalization in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said the upcoming changes are necessary to refresh the university’s academics.

“I am excited about the opportunity to engage in meaningful revision of what we do in a more programmatic and constant way,” Dekaney said.

Outside of ASP’s programming content, some attendees appreciated the structural allowances and framework of the plan itself.

Amy Schmidt, the program coordinator for the Citizenship and Civic Engagement department in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said she valued the inclusion of an annual symposium to revise and adapt the ASP on a yearly basis.

Others expressed their concerns with the plausibility of some of the plan’s goals, and questioned the logistics behind getting every undergraduate student to participate in a study abroad or study away program as outlined in the initial ASP draft. At the Feb. 23 feedback forum, Winders said

individual colleges and schools at SU will need to revise their curriculum so that students with “rigid” degree tracks are able to fit into its study abroad goal. Alongside other panelists, Gretchen Ritter, SU’s provost, vice chancellor and chief academic officer, emphasized that students with athletic commitments and intellectual or developmental disabilities need to be included too.

Emily Stokes-Rees, director of SU’s School of Design, said there would be significant cost implications for students if required to go abroad. She said some of her students would love to go abroad but can’t afford it, and others don’t have the same interest as other students.

SU is ahead of most American universities in terms of its student participation in study abroad, said Steven Bennett, SU’s senior vice president for international programs and academic operations. He pointed to the U.S. News and World Report, which currently ranks SU as the ninth-best study abroad program in its 2022-2023 rankings.

Bennett also emphasized the importance that SU accommodates students’ needs in its expansion of abroad programs.

“We just need to be creative, thoughtful and prepared to invest the resources to make it possible for every student — regardless of their financial situation — to have that study abroad

experience,” Bennett said. “We’re not going to be able to do it overnight. This is something that we’re going to have to build to over time, but this is in the spirit of distinctive excellence.”

Bennett said that as SU continues to gather feedback, the ASP will begin to come together with the upcoming strategic plans from SU’s individual schools and colleges.

SU will host another feedback session on Tuesday over Zoom. Following the feedback period, an SU News release states the plan will be finalized and shared with the SU community in early April.

The ASP planning committee will be hosting meetings with undergraduate and graduate students on its initial draft that includes a goal for all SU students to participate in study abroad. dominic chiappone asst. news editor

SU professor John Tillotson works for marginalized groups’ equal footing in STEM via SUSTAIN. Amra Mujcic, a first generation college student, participated while studying biochemistry at SU. photo illustration by meghan hendricks photo editor

recent, said George Theoharis, a professor in the Teaching and Leadership department and the coordinator of SU’s Inclusive Early Childhood and Special Education undergraduate program.

He said systems for students with disabilities were established through the courts in the early

now starting to see the same steady incline in inclusivity as disability policy has over the past 50 years. Though underfunded, McMillen said, Syracuse city schools are working to increase accessibility at the district level.

Often, the responsibility to determine and coordinate the necessary resources for students who are learning English can become discretionary, she said, because it ultimately falls on classroom teachers and ENL instructors.

in the U.S. for any other language pairs.

When it comes to standardized testing scores, she said bilingual children are disproportionately affected by low ELA proficiency on both New York state and U.S. exams. She said because children don’t have the dual language support they need in order to be successful in schools, they’re falling significantly behind their monolingual English-speaking peers.

“But that’s not a consequence of bilingualism,”

and time in separate spaces with specialists.

Up until the current wave in education inclusion, he said the common practice was to take English-learning students out of typical learning environments, rather than provide the support they need to acquire a new language in the classroom.

“When I first came (to Syracuse), anytime I would talk about inclusive ESL, people thought I was an alien,” Theoharis said. “Even though there were pockets around the country of people doing that, people had not gotten their heads around that here, even though they’d gotten their heads around including kids with disabilities.”

Theoharis said the integration approach is central to helping students establish connections with peers, and emphasized that community is an important aspect of learning a new language. He said committing to diversity as something that enriches a classroom has a practical side, as it helps to actually implement inclusion.

When it comes to areas of language and dialect, McMillen said, teaching practices can significantly impact identity because of how closely it’s tied to language. When assigning Literacy Corps tutors from SU to SCSD classes and students, Ramirez said she tries to pair tutors and students who share a non-English language.

“Being with a group that has the same values, same culture and same language as you helps them build that relationship, also with the community, and build the confidence they need,” Ramirez said.

At SU, Theoharis said the undergraduate program in elementary education emphasizes adjusting approaches to fit different needs. In SU’s programs and in the city of Syracuse, McMillen said there’s been a gap in traumainformed practices when it comes to meeting communication needs of refugees in Syracuse.

McMillen and CSD professor Jamie Desjardins plan to help address that gap through a one-credit course starting in the fall, which will include hands-on experiences like practice with live interpreters, for students going into clinical work like speech pathology. But most importantly, she said, the program is going to center on and be informed by refugees in the community.

1970s, long before language-related accessibility. For non-English speaking families who have historically needed educational resources for children, that path didn’t translate, Theoharis said.

“There’s a ton of special ed regulation that had come from case law, because parents sued states, sued districts,” Theoharis said. “If you’re a new family (to the area), even if your kids are not getting the education deserved, it’s really hard to sue states and school districts when English is not your first language, right?”

Theoharis — who also runs SU’s Ed.D. program in educational leadership and the education studies minor — said education is

from page 3

important for workers in the dietetics industry as the people they aim to help.

“(AND) just (tries) to focus on highlighting healthy eating to consumers, but also highlighting the profession of dietetics, and that registered dietitians are the go-to credible experts for people to seek nutrition advice from,” Januseski said.

The year’s theme for NNM is “Fuel for the Future,” which hopes to emphasize the importance of fueling bodies at all ages with sustainable eating, according to AND’s website.

Olivia Mancabelli, an SU dietetic intern with a master’s degree in nutrition science, said the month’s celebrations emphasize nutritional principles like eating balanced meals, enjoying eating with family and friends and practicing food sustainability.

“The theme this year is ‘Fuel for the Future,’ and so they take into account your environment and being a little bit more eco-friendly,” Mancabelli said. “So (that means) really focusing on recycling or using all of a food product and not letting food go to waste.”

AND releases weekly messages on social media throughout the month that share nutrition improvement tips. The messages encourage cooking meals at home and eating in a way that’s environmentally friendly.

Januseski said AND’s actions throughout the month combat misconceptions about dietitians. These initiatives encourage people to seek care from registered dietitians who can help them meet their health goals.

“Sometimes people assume that dieticians might just be food police trying to get people to go on diets and stuff, and that’s definitely not true,” Januseski said.

SU’s Wellness Initiative Team, which helps students access health and wellness resources, will host programs throughout the month that discourage diet mentality, among other harmful wellness strategies, for faculty and staff. These programs include a seven-day mindful eating challenge from March 13 until March 21, a six-week interactive Am I Hungry? Mind-

“What I often see is speech pathologists will say or teachers will say, ‘Oh, they’re dual language learners, they’ll catch up eventually,’” McMillen said. “Then unfortunately, these kids, by the time they’re in third and fourth grade, haven’t caught up. They’re significantly behind their peers.”

For students who speak languages other than English and Spanish, she said a gap in standardized testing is one way responsibilities transfer to instructors. State tests evaluate monolingual English speakers and Spanish-English bilinguals, but there aren’t any commercially-available tests

McMillen said. “That’s a consequence of us — as clinicians, as teachers, as researchers, as people who are involved in children’s lives — not having the resources that we need to effectively identify kids who need additional support and treatment.”

Despite the inaccessibility of state tests, Carla Ramirez, SU Literacy Corps’ associate director, said SCSD intervention specialists and ENL teachers work to get English-learning students to a point where they’re able to perform well on tests like the NYS Regents Exam. To Theoharis, the recent shift toward inclusive ENL education means a necessary balance between time spent in the classroom

When education students leave SU, McMillen and Theoharis both said they ideally have a vision of teaching that values diversity and prioritizes individual needs and experiences.

“It’s being human-centered, being studentcentered, knowing that we’re all trying to come together as people and as humans to be and live and work in an environment where we’re going to need to communicate and connect through language,” McMillen said. “But we’re also going to need to connect through just being people and just being humans living our everyday lives.”

jlseal@syr.edu

@JanaLoSeal

ful Eating Program beginning on March 27 and the 440 Strong challenge, which asks participants to complete 440 repetitions of a strength training exercise over 15 days from March 10 through March 24.

Mancabelli said she values SU’s efforts to improve nutrition on campus, like the vegan, vegetarian and religious dietary options in dining halls and Core Life in the Schine Student Center.

“It’s huge that Syracuse University respects (well-rounded diets) and allows

that option and the variety in the balance for all students,” Mancabelli said.

Mancabelli will also be presenting an in-person cooking demonstration to the staff at Syracuse VA Medical Center at the end of the month.

The Central New York Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics will also be emphasizing the importance of nutrition in community outreach. Januseski said the board will walk in Syracuse’s upcoming St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17, and will continue its

social media campaigns for the month to share tips for living a healthier lifestyle.

Mancabelli encouraged people to take a closer look at how and when they are eating, emphasizing that food sustains the human body and keeps it going throughout the day. It’s important to celebrate NNM, she said, because diet is a key tenet of wellness.

“It’s so important because our food is our future,” Mancabelli said. “Our food is who we are.”

kaluther@syr.edu

@kendallaluther

SCSD and collaborating Syracuse University programs are navigating educational practices and environments for students learning English as a new language. meghan hendricks photo editor

NNM’s 2023 theme is “Fuel for the Future,” emphasizing the importance of fueling your body through sustainable eating. SU’s NNM events will showcase these nutritional principles. remi jose illustration editor

slice of life

“End the cycle”

By Sophie Szydlik asst. digital editor

During the fall semester, a neutral, offwhite flier made its way across the Syracuse University campus. Sage green leaves on either corner were paired with a simple, direct headline

— “Disordered Eating Support.”

When Tracy Mergler, the founder of the Safe Space Organization, hung these fliers, she didn’t think much of it, hoping students would respond to the QR code and express interest to help promote her new non-profit organization, Safe Space. Mergler said what she didn’t expect was that she needed a permit to hang the flier.

To Mergler, she didn’t understand why seeking to support students required a permit, because Syracuse University was missing the bigger picture.

“We actually got a large number of people to respond, which showed me very clearly the need,”

Mergler said. “People would accept the help if it was there, but it’s not. At least not enough.”

Every year, the National Eating Disorder Association recognizes National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (NEDAW) from Feb. 27 to March 5, a week designated toward destigmatizing and empowering individuals with eating disorders and promoting recovery.

The theme of NEDAW 2023 is C.A.R.E, which stands for “continue the conversation, act early, strengthen recovery and end the cycle.” As students, experts and providers alike examine SU’s approach to eating disorder recovery and the treatment landscape of central New York, they argued that these pillars are not reflected and that SU can, and must, do more.

Using her own recovery experience as a catalyst, Mergler founded the Safe Space Organization, a nonprofit mental health community center located in Syracuse. She explained that when her bulimia reached its tipping point, her loved ones held an intervention and it made her realize it would be easy for someone to slip through the cracks if no one recognized the signs of an eating disorder, especially on a campus the size of SU.

“What happens when you’re already struggling with an eating disorder, your body is already weak,” Mergler said. “So then you add college things — drugs, alcohol, sex — and it skyrockets you to the next level.”

Carolyn Hodges Chaffee, founder and CEO of

the Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service, said Mergler was “in crisis.” Chaffee said the largest patient demographic the Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service sees is college-aged individuals. She explained that patients in crisis typically receive greater support and their eating disorders are deemed more severe.

This is an issue that a lot of college students are dealing with, especially young women, and it’s really hard to ask for help. Even if they just had a little more training, maybe I wouldn’t feel so alone

MJ Gray su senior

But in her 30 years of experience as a certified eating disorder specialist and registered dietitian, Chaffee explained she’s constantly seen these metrics as arbitrary and skewed.

see nedaw page 6

Nicole Terez Dutton shares poetry for SU writing students

By Ofentse Mokoka asst. copy editor

Abbey Fitzpatrick only attended Nicole Terez Dutton’s book reading Wednesday for her ENG 107 class, but having left with meaningful insight and the opportunity to hear an author read their own work, Fitzpatrick said this won’t be her last time going to the series.

“It’s an opportunity you don’t get

all the time to read a book and then meet the author. All of them have been so kind and welcoming,” said Fitzpatrick, a freshman at Syracuse University. “I’m not even an English major, I’m a political science and CCE major, but I just really enjoy this stuff.”

The book reading is a part of the Raymond Carver Reading Series, which brings in the authors of six readings for question-and-answer

events. The series is hosted and overseen by faculty within the creative writing program and is put on by the English Department. This week the series brought in Dutton, the author of “If One of Us Should Fall.”

Dutton’s book is a collection of poems that follows a traveling musician who details her trip and the various experiences, conversations and observations that add to her

experience on the road. Before Dutton read various poems from her book, students could ask questions about Dutton and her book based on their interpretation and understanding of her writing.

Fitzpatrick said she really enjoyed Dutton’s thoughtful answers and welcoming demeanor. The question-andanswer session and reading allowed her to rethink Dutton’s work and look

back at some of the discussions they had in class.

Following the Q&A session, Dutton took to the podium to read some of her poems and speak about some of the stories behind the pieces. She spoke about how many people falsely assume all of her pieces are based solely on personal experience. Her brief anecdotes ranged from first-person

Syracuse community members reflect on SU and local support for eating disorders

kayla tomlin | contributing illustrator

A poem dedicated to the man I didn’t match with on Tinder

By Aine Hunt Humor Columnist

When I find myself craving another’s affection I open this app and receive several rejections

But I never expected I would receive one from you

The guy I see in Newhouse, you know who

The one with the face and the smile and hair

He likes me, he’s seen me, I swear.

One time in food.com, he let me cut him in line

Well, not really, I sort of didn’t even see there was a line

Either way I took it as a Godgiven sign

Because what are the chances that both of us were there

Standing in line ordering bagels, it was a sexual love affair

Well, I have to admit the chances are pretty high

I know when his class gets out, I

from page 5

NEDAW

cannot deny.

But now, as I sit in my bed alone

I swipe through this stupid app, clutching my phone

When suddenly his name and his face illuminate my room

And my heart and my lower half start to go boom

He’s everything I’ve ever wanted and more

Even though in his last picture he’s standing next to another girl

Oh wait, that’s his sister, cut that last line

If only he knew what I would do if he were mine.

My hands are shaking as I pray to whatever God there may be

That someone above knows that this is the only man for me

I mean we’re perfect together, everyone knows that I’m funny and smart and he’s…nice to look at I’m gonna swipe right on the count of three

“If I have a patient that’s a ‘normal body weight’ that tells a doctor that they have an eating disorder, the common response is, ‘just eat a little bit less or more, but you look fine,’” Chaffee said.

At SU, students have experienced similar interactions with counselors at the Barnes Center at The Arch who work in Eating Disorder Support, with many saying that their demand for support is met with limited resources and hesitancy, given their weight or the frequency of episodes.

Shannon Feeney-Andre, SU’s executive director of communications, said in an email that the Barnes Center refers students to treatment resources in order to help them access greater care as part of its treatment program. Though Chaffee explained this is positive, when counseling centers like the Barnes Center are overwhelmed by patient load they won’t be able to serve all students in need, she said.

MJ Gray, a senior studying geography, policy studies and environmental sustainability policy, explained that though the resources she was given in eating disorder support were helpful, they only sought to treat her in a surface-level way, she said.

“I still wasn’t calling (my eating disorder) what it was, and neither did they. They were perfectly fine to not help me really,” Gray said. “They kind of just passed me off to the nutritionist.”

Another student, who is earning her master’s degree in advertising at SU and preferred to remain anonymous, called eating disorder support when she was a freshman. On the phone, the student answered intake questions and was told there was a long waitlist to get an appointment with the center. However, because she was in crisis, the student got an appointment.

“It took me a few years to realize that they took me in right away because they deemed I was in crisis,” the student said. “But I didn’t get a dietitian until the following semester, even though they said I was in crisis.”

The student committed to the recovery program and went to the school-provided therapist but, after a few sessions, the message she was receiving began to change. Instead of helping her

from page 5 author

experiences to stories in which she was a bystander, but still found a way to put them into poetry.

Dutton spoke about how being in a space so connected with the writing community has so much value. She added how she remembers attending talks like this and how valuable they were to her as a writer.

“I just think it’s a rich exchange and I think it’s an opportunity to share and to be together and to have some calming ground,” Dutton said. “It feels really precious to have the gift of someone’s time and their attention.”

One, two, three—

So we didn’t match on Tinder, but I still see him around That Newhouse guy that I was so close to taking to pound town I wish him the best, although it didn’t work out

with an eating disorder, the student’s therapist told her she was just in a “phase” and after a few more months, the eating disorder support center graduated the student from the program.

Naturally, the student said, she relapsed. So, she went back to eating disorder support at the Barnes Center.

“I was so angry and resentful to be back there, I wasn’t engaged at all and I remember her saying to me ‘you know, your heart could stop,’” the student said. “I was like ‘yeah, you sure about that? Because you told me this was just a phase.’”

The counselor who worked with the student has since left the university and the student said she doesn’t believe all students who utilize eating disorder support have negative experiences. But the student said SU’s treatment model is lacking a multidisciplinary approach to eating disorders that accounts for the complex mental and physical relationship that an eating disorder inherently presents.

In her email, Feeney-Andre explained the Barnes Center employs a multidisciplinary approach designed to recognize and treat eating disorders and work on the specific needs of each student.

But in Gray’s treatment experience, she said she felt her mental and physical recovery were treated separately, only being recommended to a nutritionist instead of a therapist to help get to the root cause of her eating disorder and not being offered alternative forms of support.

That support can come from other places besides clinical providers, said Holly Lowery, chief operating officer of Ophelia’s Place. Located in Liverpool, Ophelia’s Place is another non-profit like Safe Space that incorporates a multidisciplinary approach by providing support services, connection to treatment, harm reduction resources and support groups to anybody impacted by eating disorders and body oppression. Lowery said patients are urged to have compassion for themselves across all of their programming.

Lowery explained that, for many people, eating disorders function as a protective shield. Recovery can feel vulnerable for someone who is stepping out of their armor for the first time, especially a young person, she said.

“We know restricting or binging and purging isn’t what we want for ourselves long term.

program and a member of the committee that plans the reading series, said the series is important since there aren’t many opportunities on campus for students to hear from contemporary authors.

Harwell said that giving students a shared space where they get to read the book, ask questions of the author and hear the pieces read aloud is impactful.

“It’s rare to get to hear poetry aloud once you’ve studied it and it’s a whole different experience,” Harwell said.

And by best I mean I hope that the rest of his life can only be described as a sexual drought I’ve deleted that app, I want you guys to know Instead, I downloaded Hinge, where all the Whitman hotties go. ahunt04@syr.edu

No matter what, you are worth more than that,” Lowery said. “But it’s okay to still be in the messy middle of it.”

Since Mergler found comfort in alternative modes of therapy during her time in residential treatment, she prioritized them as she developed Safe Space, she said.

Both women emphasized that recovery is a personal journey, and different modes of therapy and treatment will resonate better with different people solely based on their unique qualities. They support an interdisciplinary approach instead of a one-size-fits-all one, and believe that fewer students at SU would be struggling if more of these resources were readily accessible.

But it’s not a conversation for SU to have during NEDAW and then put away until the following year, Gray said. Instead, she believes it should be a constant conversation, and awareness weeks like NEDAW shouldn’t just be performative measures.

“This is an issue that a lot of college students are dealing with, especially young women, and it’s really hard to ask for help,” Gray said. “Even if they just had a little more training, maybe I wouldn’t feel so alone.”

The anonymous student said it isn’t the responsibility of students in recovery to be the voice of eating disorders on campus.

“I don’t need to be a champion of my own cause. You’re a champion of your own cause just by existing,” the student said. “The school doesn’t need to have an event or make some bullsh*t post like, ‘it’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week’… If I was deemed to be in crisis, I shouldn’t have had to wait three months to see a dietitian.”

Mergler said that as daunting as recovery may seem, the first step begins with just three little words — “I need help.”

From there, she said it becomes one day, one hour, one minute at a time — the fight to reclaim worth and power — but a fight that does not happen in solitude. With a multidisciplined, clinical support team and personal alternative modes of therapy, recovery is real, possible and happening every single day, she said.

“Human connection fights eating disorders. So that is the first step toward recovery,” Mergler said. “You are enough. You shouldn’t ever have to face your fight alone.” sophieszyd@dailyorange.com

dents often struggle with or don’t feel comfortable reading, but talks like these help.

Dutton’s talk gave students an opportunity to better understand her book, which can be seen as a difficult read for people who don’t feel comfortable reading poetry, Harwell said. She also said that the talk, combined with the discussions with professors and the analyses they do in the class, make the works more interesting and fulfilling to read.

CONCERTS THIS WEEKEND

Funk ‘n Waffles

Start your weekend with a performance from Nashville-based artist Sunny War at Funk ‘n Waffles. The country musician will be joined by folk rock group Honey For the Bees, a Syracuse based band with backgrounds in theater and queer advocacy.

WHEN: Friday, March 3 at 8 p.m. PRICE: $18.22

Redgate

Horse around at Redgate this Friday and see Phunk Musket, Nancy Dunkle and Sammy Curcuru take the stage. Phunk Musket is a five-person band that’s been making its way through the northeast. The band will be joined by SU students Nancy Dunkle and Sammy Cucuru and the set will start at 10 p.m. Direct message @ redgatecuse on Instagram for the address.

WHEN: Friday, March 3 at 10 p.m.

PRICE: $8 at the door

The Lost Horizon

Kick off your Saturday night by heading to The Lost Horizon to see performances from local rock bands Sympathy and Bad Bloom. The concert is being presented by After Dark and Mosh Retirement and will also feature Sound Discard and Charlie Wittman. Tickets can be purchased online.

WHEN: Thursday, September 15 at 7 p.m. PRICE: Starting at $24.51 as of today.

The Garden

This Saturday, stop by The Garden to see the New York based rock band, Seeing Double. Artists, Saint Luke and Teddy Holly will join the band. Seeing Double was created in Oneonta, NY and the five-person band is currently on tour. For the address, direct message @the. garden.syr on Instagram.

WHEN: Saturday, March 4 at 9:30 p.m., with doors opening at 9 p.m. Price: $7 at the door

St. Paul’s Syracuse

The Symphoria Orchestra will be beginning its March program with a performance on Sunday March 5. It will open with Carlos Simon’s “An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave,” before being joined by lutenist Michael Leopald and pianist Paul Di Folco. Tickets can be purshased through Symphoria’s website.

WHEN: Sunday, March 5 at 3 p.m.

PRICE: General admission starting at $33, and $5 for students with valid student ID

where people care about each other and support each other,” Dutton said. “I would also say that it’s especially gratifying to read to people who you can tell are really listening.”

Sarah

Harwell, associate director of the creative writing

The series also works as a great way to help students better understand the works of these authors. Harwell added how poetry is a form of writing that many stu -

Even Dutton got something out of the event, and said she doesn’t take the opportunity to connect with the writing community and her audience for granted. “It was such a warm welcome and this is clearly a community

As students filed out, some eagerly stood in line waiting for Dutton to sign their copy of her book and briefly chat with her about her reading. She just captured so many beautiful moments of her life into poems and it kind of inspires me to want to capture small moments of my life,” Fitzpatrick said. “Whether that be in poetry, or in other ways like through photos or just notes or a journal.”

ommokoka@syr.edu

stephanie zaso | digital design director

pessimism

somehow getting worse as years go on. As of Feb. 19, there have been over 70 mass shootings in 2023 alone, with MSU being just the tip of the iceberg. At this point in the year, that figure is a new high. This begs the question: how are we supposed to have hope that there will be palpable change?

The same can be asked about other events I saw covered. A few weeks prior to the MSU shooting, every broadcast in the nation led with news surrounding Tyre Nichols’ death at the hands of Memphis Police. I saw the videos of Nichols being relentlessly beaten as he called for mercy and his mother. I found myself casually watching from a screen as this man’s human rights were violated by brute force at what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop.

and that “the people of East Palestine may face low levels of exposure to some of the dangerous chemicals from the derailment, with uncertain health effects.”

These disasters are obviously detrimental, but the U.S. doubles down by covering up as many details as possible. By minimizing these catastrophes to a spectacle, policymakers avoid blame while simultaneously distracting the public from actions they do control, such as investments in big oil and excess carbon dioxide emissions.

By Jonah Weintraub columnist

In most of my Newhouse classes, the professors insist that we watch, read or listen to the news on a daily basis and with each broadcast or article, I remember how increasingly difficult it is to maintain a positive attitude towards the state of America.

In the middle of last month, every news channel I watched was focused on the Michigan State University shooting that claimed the lives of three students. Not only did the shooting shake the United States to its core, but it hit me on a personal level. My own mother attended MSU, and I have multiple friends in East Lansing, the location of the shooting. Anticipating any of your loved ones falling victim to an event like this is a reality exclusive to Americans. An NPR article stated that “children (in the United States) are more likely to die from gun violence than in any other high-income country.”

It’s no secret that these incidents of gun violence are a mainstay nationwide, but their frequency is

The bodycam video was not just horrifying in a vacuum, but even more so when considering how we’ve all seen it before. We watched it in 2020 with the murder of George Floyd, the year before that with Elijah McClain and in 2014 with Eric Garner. We can even go back 32 years to the footage of Rodney King’s death from 1991. Hearing about law enforcement murdering Black Americans is nothing new. When Tyre Nichols’ death hit the news, I was reminded of yet another problem that exists primarily in our country with little to no signs of improvement.

As for last week’s news, the center of attention was East Palestine, Ohio. The small village in the Buckeye State fell victim to a train derailment that resulted in chemical spillage. Thousands of fish have turned up dead in the oil-sheened waters surrounding East Palestine. And while the immediate damage doesn’t look to be too fatal for the residents of the area, it highlights America’s trend of providing vague information regarding its environmental destruction.

Residents of East Palestine were assured by government officials that much of the risk has faded, yet, the Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability has stated that they cannot use the word ‘safe’

These three events occurred in the month of February alone. Yet, each one is a continuation of nasty motifs we seldom see in other nations. We are so often told to have hope when faced with these developments, but that hope is hard to maintain when the ugliest sides of the U.S. are the most recurring. Meanwhile, people in positions of power — regardless of partisanship — haven’t proven themselves trustworthy to stop calamities, let alone contain them. And whether that is by choice or not, the outcome is the same.

I’ve started to understand that pessimism is more productive. Abandoning all belief in America gets us absolutely nowhere, but on the other end of the spectrum, seeing bad news and wishing for betterment is equally futile. I’ve found my own sweet spot in dissatisfaction-fueled motivation.

It’s the very reason I decided to write about this subject: I wanted to air my grievances but remind readers to maintain cautious efficacy. People don’t need to ditch their yearning for change, but also shouldn’t wait for it to come without action. With headlines like those mentioned above, it could be easy to resort to these rationalizations and complete hopelessness. But while I wish there wasn’t a root of my negativity in the first place, I’m happy to say I’m a pessimist — because I’d rather vouch for improvement than hope for it.

Jonah Weintraub is a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jsweintr@syr.edu.

Pessimistic views surrounding American politics and society come from a constant stream of negative news and a lack of tangible solutions

illustration by remi jose illustration editor

men’s basketball

By Connor Smith senior staff writer

Syracuse continued its late-season struggles by getting blown out, 96-76, by Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. The Orange allowed 53 points in the first half, and the Yellow Jackets had no trouble beating SU’s 2-3 zone, full-court press and even the SU’s man-toman defense.

Next up for the Orange is Wake Forest, a team one spot ahead of them in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 71-69 loss against Boston College on Tuesday night. Syracuse needs a win — or a Boston College loss — to secure a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament.

SU will be honoring the 2003 national championship team, and retiring the jerseys of Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick at halftime. Here’s everything to know about the Demon Deacons (18-12, 10-9 ACC) before Saturday afternoon’s regular season finale: All-time series

Syracuse leads, 10-2.

Last time they played Syracuse and Wake Forest met twice in a three-week span last January, and the Orange avenged a prior overtime loss in North Carolina with a 94-72 win at home. Syracuse scored 55 points in the second half, and Buddy Boeheim led the way with a season-high 30 points. Buddy hit six 3-pointers, and tacked on a game-high seven assists, too. Cole Swider had an efficient 8-for-11 shooting performance, and Joe Girard III and Jesse Edwards combined for 25 points.

SU shot 57.1% from the field, the team’s thirdbest performance of the season, and over 52% from beyond the arc. Wake Forest led by three at halftime, but the Orange opened up a 15-point lead midway through the second half, behind a 26-8 run. The Demon Deacons shot just 42.3% in the second half and missed 8-of-12 3s. Daivien Williamson was their primary source of offense, registering 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting.

KenPom odds

Wake Forest has a 51% chance of winning, with a projected score of 80-79.

The Demon Deacons report Wake Forest and Syracuse have had similar seasons. Both lost four nonconference games — including games to Loyola Marymount and LSU, outside of KenPom’s top 100 — before going on two brief spurts in ACC play. Wake Forest won four in a row in January after a loss to North Carolina, and three consecutive games in early February before losing at Miami. The Demon Deacons have collected wins over Duke, Clemson and Wisconsin this season, but have also lost three of their past four games.

Tyree Appleby has been the team’s go-to scoring option, leading the ACC with 18.7 points and averages 6.2 assists per game. The 6-foot-1 guard also tops the conference in minutes per game with 36.4, and ranks 22nd nationally in percentage of minutes played at 90%. Wake Forest has complimented Appleby with three other double digit scorers, including guards Damari

Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth, who combine for over 25 points per game.

The Demon Deacons rank toward the bottom of the ACC in both offensive and defensive rebounding, with 6-foot-10 forward Andrew Carr being the top player at crashing the glass. Carr averages nearly six rebounds per game, and also notches a block per contest.

How Syracuse beats Wake Forest Syracuse’s biggest problem recently has been stopping the 3-ball. Unfortunately for the Orange, the Demon Deacons rank second in the ACC — and top40 nationally — with their 37.1% 3-point shooting percentage, and have hit at least 11 shots from deep in five-straight games. Wake Forest gets 36.9% of its points from beyond the arc — the third-highest rate in the ACC — and its shooting has been trending up over recent games.

SU will have to somehow limit open 3-pointers, or just hope Wake Forest misses its looks, if it hopes to win on Saturday. The Orange, who rank

fourth in the ACC in 3-point shooting, have gone 0-4 this season against other teams ranked in the top five in that category.

On the other end, Edwards will have to find a way to convert against the inside tandem of 7-foot1, 250-pound Matthew Marsh and 6-foot-10, 225pound Bobi Klintman, who the Deacons rotate at center. Jim Boeheim has said Edwards has had trouble against bigger centers this season, and the center play will help determine whether Syracuse can keep up with Wake Forest. Girard and Judah Mintz have turned in strong games recently, and the Orange will need them and another scorer — perhaps Chris Bell or Benny Williams — to score.

Stat to know: 11.5%

Wake Forest ranks last in the ACC, and 343rd nationally, in block percentage at 11.5% and also last in the conference in total blocked shots this season. The Demon Deacons have only notched one game with more than seven blocks — nine against South Carolina State in November — compared to Syracuse’s nine games. The Orange

rank second in the league in block percentage. It should give Edwards, Williams and Maliq Brown more opportunities to finish inside without fear of getting blocked.

Player to watch: Tyree Appleby, guard, No. 1 Appleby is simply the engine that makes Wake Forest go, and he has scored at least 15 points in all but four games this season. He had 23 points and six assists against Boston College on Tuesday, and dropped a season-high 35 points on North Carolina in early February. He’s a 37% 3-point shooter and hit five 3s against Notre Dame last Saturday. His ability to move the ball is crucial to the Demon Deacons, too, and he ranks 29th nationally in assist rate, per KenPom.

Syracuse’s ability to at least limit Appleby on Saturday will be one of the major keys to the Orange picking up a win and entering the ACC Tournament with some momentum.

page 12

from

copy another guy.”

The biggest changes for Richiusa were technical. The way his right hand curls over the ball for an initial clamp was something that he improved year after year.

“The more you do it, the more you win, the more comfortable you get in lacrosse,” Richiusa said.

“Faceoffs are very unique in that you have to do what’s comfortable for yourself,” Richiusa said. “You can’t just

Over time, Richiusa also started to excel at exiting the ball, Schembri said. Richiusa started to feel pressure without seeing it. He started

went in off the right post.

to understand leverage and how it helped in deciding where he should poke the ball out to. At Syracuse, volunteer assistant coach Nick Acquaviva has seen that skill come to fruition.

“He’s very multiple in the way he exits with the ball and he does a really good job of mixing things up,” Acquaviva said.

Richiusa struggled against Maryland, going 7-for-31. But just a few days later against UAlbany, he made the most of his earlier opportunities.

In the first quarter, he lost five faceoffs. But in the third quarter, he won five straight. Head coach Gary Gait said postgame that the Orange could’ve lost if not for Richiusa’s run.

csmith49@syr.edu @csmith17_ parts from each person’s game to his own. He didn’t plagiarize any player’s style exactly because every player’s faceoff style is unique to them like a basketball player’s shooting form, Richiusa said.

make it 7-1 Syracuse.

“Everyone around me makes my job really easy when they get open,” Ward said. “It’s just filling your role and knowing what to do and when to do it.”

From there, SU would score the next eight goals, keeping the clock running for the rest of the game. That meant the offense slowed down, but the defense just got better.

Midway through the second quarter, UAlbany continued to struggle to get the ball inside successfully. Another bobble on the perimeter led to a blocked pass by Sierra Cockerille, who jumped a halfhearted feed from UAlbany’s Katie Pascale at the top of the key. With the shot clock at seven, SU fouled Shonly Wallace and her free-position shot

The Great Danes got the rebound, but they couldn’t convert. Pascale got the ball back on the left wing, but was immediately doubled by Meaghan and Bianca Chevarie. Seeing this, Pascale tried to spin out, but ran into Chevarie and dropped the ball and SU took possession.

When a shot did penetrate the SU defense, goalie Delaney Sweitzer served as a stout final wall of defense. She earned six saves with a .750 shot percentage, eclipsing her season average with ease.

Shortly after the turnover by Pascale, Albany took possession again. Wallace sprinted laterally across the formation, left to right, and sent a sidearm shot off the turf. But when it bounced up, Sweitzer fell to her knees to smother it.

Once the game got out of hand, Syracuse’s Gracie Britton notched her first goal of the

season in garbage time. Adamson dodged through the middle but was blocked off by two defenders at the 8-meter wing. She spun out of the double and charged down the left seam, seeing Britton mirroring her on the other seam. Adamson dumped it off and Britton swiped down on the pass to give SU a 21-3 lead.

Despite SU’s domination on the stat sheet, second-chance points were a huge part of Syracuse’s offense, something it hasn’t needed in its other blowout victories. But nonetheless, SU pulled out a stress-free win in which it never trailed.

Up three in the first, Mashewske tipped the draw to herself and took a few steps forward before initiating the transition offense with a pass to Emma. Emma passed to Natalie Smith in the middle, who couldn’t corral the feed and a ground ball ensued.

Mackenzie Salentre had a clear path to collect it, but she bobbled and Meaghan stole it right from under her.

Outside the 12-meter, Meaghan turned and fired to a crashing Carney after everyone had assumed possession would switch. Carney slammed it home from point-blank range to give Syracuse a 5-1 lead.

Syracuse averaged the most assists per game in the nation (11.3) coming into the contest but blew that average out of the water with 17 against the Great Danes.

“We focused on ball movement and a freeflow offense this week,” said Carney, who had five goals and a season-high seven points. “We can all handle the ball and move the ball so well, and also just building that chemistry, we know where people are going to be.”

Opponent Preview: What to know about 18-12 Wake Forest

women’s basketball

ACC Tournament Preview: What to know about NC State

By Tyler Schiff asst. sports editor

Syracuse enters postseason play on a two-game win streak. On senior night at the JMA Wireless Dome, the Orange defeated Miami 77-68 behind five double-digit scorers, including a career-high 13 from Kennedi Perkins.

SU then closed out the regular season in dominating fashion against Pittsburgh, winning 85-55. After tying a program-record eight made 3s in a game earlier this year against Virginia, Dyaisha Fair came just one shy from accomplishing the feat again, notching seven as a part of her game-high 23.

On Thursday, No. 9-seeded Syracuse takes on No. 8-seeded NC State in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Both teams have the same record in conference play and have received a first-round bye. Despite defeating Pitt in its season finale, the Wolfpack are coming off of a tumultuous ending to the season after an impressive start that saw them once ranked as highly as No. 6 in the nation.

Here’s everything you need to know about Syracuse’s (18-11, 9-9 ACC) conference tournament opener against NC State (19-10, 9-9 ACC): All-time series

NC State leads 11-4.

Last time they played Syracuse and then-No. 6 ranked NC State last faced off on New Year’s Day at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange had just suffered their first league loss to Louisville and hosted a Wolfpack team without their star player, Diamond Johnson. But, the home team lost 56-54, coming just two points shy of what would have been its first ranked win of the season.

NC State controlled the opening two quarters before SU opened the second half on a 23-6 run. Georgia Woolley notched a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds while Fair added 14 of her own. In the final period, however, the Orange were outscored 16-5 as the contest came down to just a couple of free throws. Given a chance to tie

the game at 55 apiece, Woolley missed the back end of her trip to the charity stripe.

The Wolfpack report

Prior to Thursday’s game, NC State coach Wes Moore said he was unsure on whether Johnson would play, after missing the first bout with Syracuse on Jan. 1 due to an ankle injury. Johnson has since re-aggravated the injury and has not competed since NC State beat North Carolina on Feb. 16.

In her absence, the Wolfpack have won one game and lost two, possessing a new top scorer in each of their last three games. Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers have stepped up to replace Johnson’s productivity in the backcourt, averaging a combined 15 points and 4.8 assists per game. In a loss to Virginia Tech, James tallied a career-best 20 points.

On the wings, Jada Boyd and Jakia BrownTurner offer physicality and length while center Camille Hobby provides offensive versatility down low, able to hit short-corner jumpers or power her way up near the hoop.

NC State sets up in a man defense that ranks 117th in the nation, per HerHoopStats. Similar to how Syracuse plays, the Wolfpack attempts to pressure ball-handlers to one side of the court before trapping them near the side and baselines. On the offensive end, NC State will most likely look inside for easy baskets around the hoop through Hobby or Boyd. While it doesn’t shoot the 3-ball too well — only 31.8% — players like Brown-Turner are streaky, capable of stringing together multiple makes.

How Syracuse beats NC State While NC State is missing Johnson, who produces a team-high 12.3 points per game, Syracuse has its best player, Fair, who seems to improve with every game. Earlier in the week, she became the first player in program history to be named to the All-ACC First Team and All-ACC Defensive team. Currently the second-leading scorer in the conference, Fair will have to total nothing short of her 20 points per game average.

To win this game, the Syracuse support-

ing cast will need to help relieve Fair of all the offensive responsibilities. Woolley and Alaina Rice have shown their ability to contribute as shooters and drivers, while Teisha Hyman is looking increasingly more comfortable as she continues to work back from a lower-leg injury suffered against Louisville earlier in the season. The Orange will also need steady minutes and controlled play from Perkins, who showed she could take over for Fair as SU’s floor general during her first start this year against Pitt.

Stat to know: 29.1 NC State corrals 29.1 defensive boards a game, 21st among all Division-I programs, per HerHoopStats. Six Wolfpack players this season average more than four rebounds a game, with Boyd and Rivers headlining that group.

Syracuse, whose 14.5 offensive rebounding average ranks 25th in the country, could potentially see its second-chance opportunities cut down severely against this NC

State defense. It’ll be interesting to see how Dariauna Lewis, SU’s leading rebounder and second in the ACC with nine a game, matches up against Boyd and Hobby. And, if the Orange can win the battle of the boards, expect Syracuse to rain down a plethora of threes from its wings and backcourt.

Player to watch: Jada Boyd, forward, No. 5 Scoring 20 points on two occasions this season and earning 19 against a tough Duke team, Boyd is a strong slasher and has a reliable mid-range jumper. NC State likes putting Boyd near the high post and will allow her to operate one-on-one against her immediate defender.

Averaging 9.5 points per game, Boyd can get to the basket with the best. Additionally, her 4.7 rebounding average will provide the Wolfpack with second-chance opportunities if Syracuse fails to box her out properly. trschiff@syr.edu @theTylerSchiff

Emma Ward ties career-high with 7 points in win over UAlbany

By Matthew Hassan staff writer

Less than five minutes into Syracuse’s matchup against Albany, Emma Ward was positioned right behind the goal. She noticed Megan Carney creeping into the 8-meter arc and delivered a pass over the crossbar and between multiple Great Dane defenders.

Carney grabbed the pass and immediately sent it to the back of the net to put the Orange up 3-1. Albany goalie Aislinn Sweeney didn’t turn around in time to stop the shot, watching Ward behind her.

“It works because of that deception and not standing around people who are cutting,” Ward said. “Just knowing what people are gonna be doing, and just getting comfortable with the people around us.”

Emma Ward earned a career-high seven points in Syracuse’s (5-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) 22-5 defeat of Albany (2-3, 0-0 America East). The junior hit this mark twice in 2021, but did it for the third time on Wednesday. Her five assists were also the most assists she’s had in a game all season. All but one of the assists came when Ward was set up at the X position behind the net.

Twenty seconds after her dish to Carney, Tessa Queri spotted Ward cutting up from behind the goal near the left post. She flipped it to the attacker, who then wrapped around to her right, as Sweeny tried to track her. But, Ward extended her stick past the Albany defender and flicked a shot to the right of Sweeny for the fourth Syracuse goal of the afternoon.

“We were just reading the defense,” Ward said. “They were in a zone, so we stacked behind. They only left one back there. I think besides the cut, the bigger part of it is that Tess gave up the ball for me to score and made that feed.”

Soon after Ward’s first goal, she handled the ball behind the goal again as she swung around to the left side. She directed a pass up and over the net and across Sweeny’s face to Meaghan Tyrrell. The graduate student was lingering next to the right post as the ball landed perfectly in the pocket of her stick. Meaghan finished the job, putting the ball to the left of Sweeny and past her to give the Orange a 6-1 lead.

Ward was once again cradling the ball near the X several minutes after her immaculate assist to Meaghan. Although this time around,

she didn’t stay put behind Sweeney. Ward bursted through to the front of the net near the right post, spun around, and flung the ball to Jenny Markey running up the seam towards the goal. The midfielder shot the ball as she caught it, falling down in the process. But, the ball flew by Sweeney to the right of the net to put the score at 7-1.

Ward ended the first half with five points on four assists and a goal, and she continued her success into the third quarter quickly. Less than a minute in, Sierra Cockerille lobbed a pass from right behind the goal all

the way to the opposite side to Ward. Ward casually looked to her left and sure enough, Olivia Adamson was cutting up towards the middle of the goal. She made what seemed like a routine pass that dodged several Albany defenders. Adamson put the ball in as she caught the pass to expand the lead to 15-2.

“Knowing where everyone on our offense wants to be and how they like to cut and just having those connections makes my job really easy,” Ward said.

With two minutes left in the same period, a ful on Great Dane defender Mackenzie Beam set up a

free-position opportunity for Ward. She started for the right side of the 8-meter and took one step before whipping the ball through the right side of the net. Her conversion had the Orange up 19-2. Ward was extremely efficient against Albany, as all of her shots found the back of the net.

“It was awesome,” Ward said. “Everybody around me makes my job really easy when they’re able to get open, so it’s just a team effort and just knowing your role and knowing what to do and when to do it. I couldn’t have 5 assists unless the people I throw the ball to finish their goals.”

mahassan@syr.edu

dyaisha fair is SU’s only All-ACC selection in program history. The Orange will face NC State on Thursday to tip-off ACC Tournament play. arnav pokhrel staff photographer

Emma Ward notches two goals and five assists in SU’s win over UAlbany. Ward’s seven point outing set a career-high in points for the junior. arnav pokhrel staff photographer

Faceo ’s Finest

By Anish Vasudevan senior staff writer

Johnny Richiusa thinks better in slow motion. In games, Richiusa must be “whistle ready” and move as fast as possible at the faceo X to win the initial clamp. But during the summers when he attended Penfield High School, Richiusa had all the time in the world.

He went through every single part — kneeling down, clamping and exiting — slowly. If something needed to be fi xed, he could analyze it and correct it.

“No matter what it is in life, sometimes you

need to slow it down to see what you’re doing wrong,” Richiusa said. “You have to be adaptable.”

Now, Richiusa is at Syracuse after transferring from Canisius College, taking over for Jakob Phaup as the new faceoff specialist. He’s had some struggles against tougher nonconference squads, but he’s solidified the role as his own and is improving his play ahead of conference competition.

tweak their normal approach in the faceoff circle whenever they’re coached. Richiusa wasn’t like that.

“He’s very good at changing things up if it’s not working for him,” Schembri said. “And in the moment, too. Throughout the course of a game, he’s not afraid to modify his stance, not afraid to modify what he’s doing.”

Richiusa ended his career at Penfield with the school’s all-time record in faceo percentage. Schembri said he dominated in every single game he played in. So, during the o seasons, Richiusa sought out the best competition he could find to improve his game.

“We just gave him an opportunity to come in and he did the work on his own,” Schembri said.

Rochester and its surrounding suburbs are a hotbed for faceo talent, Richiusa said. In the summer, Schembri would invite some of the area’s top players to work out with Richiusa. He battled against players like UAlbany’s Regan Endres and John Hopkins’ Logan Callahan. Richiusa still trains with Callahan five to six days a week when he’s back home.

and goalie work because

In seventh grade, Sunday became Richiusa’s favorite day. Penfield head coach John Schembri designated Sunday mornings for faceo s there was barely any extra time to hone in on those areas during the week.

Richiusa didn’t like the 7 a.m. wakeup, but Schembri said his skills were special. Richiusa said some of the seniors in the program looked like “giants” when he fi rst started, but getting to hold his own against those players in Sunday practices gave him a “huge confidence boost.”

Schembri was a faceoff specialist himself,

mentoring Richiusa since the third grade. Richiusa said that the style of the faceoff has shifted a lot from when Schembri played, but the “see the ball get the ball mentality” that Schembri preached was still the focal point for a faceoff specialist.

Still, Schembri said a lot of players can be “pigheaded,” meaning they don’t want to

“Going against the best people in my area allowed me to get better and learn to correct myself,”

The pride of community is TD Ierlan, who was a volunteer assistant coach at SU last year and holds the NCAA all-time record for faceoff percentage. Richiusa developed a relationship with Ierlan, learning from him and other local faceoff specialists in high school.

Before Richiusa knew Ierlan, he watched him. Richiusa watched YouTube clips of all the best players growing up, adding little johnny richiusa continues to refine his faceo technique at SU after transferring from Canisius and solidifying his starting spot in the 2023 season. jacob halsema staff photographer

women’s lacrosse

Syracuse routs UAlbany 22-5 after 11-goal 1st quarter

By Wyatt Miller asst. sports editor

Regardless of Syracuse’s lead, its e ort never wavered. The foot remained firmly on the gas pedal all game long. With just over a minute remaining in the fi rst half, Syracuse led 13-2 and was in complete control. A pass into heavy tra c saw the Orange lose possession momentarily as a mass of purple and white jerseys converged on the ground ball. Emma Tyrrell got there first. Using the head of her stick, she poked the ball out in front of her and away from the defensive zone. The shot clock continued to wind down as

she escaped pressure.

Emma immediately flicked a higharching pass into the middle, where

Olivia Adamson lay waiting. Amidst several UAlbany players, Adamson leapt up, nestling the ball into her pocket before taking a few battered steps toward the middle. Then, she sent a blistering shot into the back of the net. Syracuse’s advantage now increased to 12.

“We played hard throughout the whole game,” said head coach Kayla Treanor. “It’s really hard to score 22 points in a game.”

Syracuse (5-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) refused to let opportunities slip away

against UAlbany, persevering on second-chance opportunities when it couldn’t convert on the first, to decimate the Great Danes (2-3, 0-0 America East) 22-5. From the jump, SU was in control and sped out to an early 10-point lead by the second quarter against its in-state rivals. Featuring relentless pursuit on both sides of the ball, Emma Ward, Megan Carney and Meaghan Tyrrell all finished with seven points.

In the first period, SU won the draw 9-3 and outshot the Great Danes 14-3. Carney scored four goals in the first for the second-straight game, while Meaghan added three of her own.

Up 3-1 in the first, SU’s Tessa Queri

earned a free-position shot. But rather than taking it herself, the midfielder passed to Ward, who had a head of steam circling the crease from behind. Ward emerged on the left of the goal and took the shot in stride to put the Orange up three with 9:58 left in the period.

The transition o ense came fast and successful for Syracuse o of the draw, which they won 23-5 — the biggest single-game discrepancy of the season. Draw-control specialist Kate Mashewske continued to create o ensive possessions, which led SU to outshoot UAlbany 32-12.

“It just allows us to have possession a lot more,” Treanor said

of Mashewske’s draw success. “That means we are playing make-it-take-it. I think Kate took on that role of being able to draw more to herself, which is something she’s been working on.”

Extra possessions just meant extra shots and scores for the Orange.

Meaghan’s second errant shot of the first period was a sidearm swipe that went over the goal. But Ward gained possession at the X. Spinning out of a failed crease roll to the right side, Ward looked up to see Jenna Markey streaking down the middle of the lane. Collecting Ward’s pass, Markey whistled a shot into the top of the goal to

see richiusa page 9 see ualbany page 9

Richiusa said.

Rochester’s faceoff

Johnny Richiusa honed his skills as a faceoff specialist playing older competition in high school. Now, he’s SU’s top option