March 8, 2016

free

TUESDAY

march 8, 2016 high 60°, low 48°

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |

N • Free bird

Associated Press correspondent Kathy Gannon received the 2015 Tully Free Speech Award on Monday evening in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.

Page 3

dailyorange.com

S • Grudge match

P • Building bridges

Gene Mills, a two-time national champion, builds off his past experience to try and bring wrestling back to SU 15 years since the school disbanded the program.

Page 16

Through her work in architecture, Syracuse University professor Lori Brown has helped shatter the glass ceiling of women playing a prominent role in the field.

Page 9

MAGIC IN MANHATTAN An oral history of the 2006 Big East tournament, 10 years later

sports editor

T

im McNamara stayed at his brother’s apartment the week before the 2006 Big East tournament, accompanying a deflated senior whose college career approached a painful end with each debilitating ache. A stress fracture in Gerry McNamara’s pelvic bone had lingered for more than half the regular season.

He struggled to put his shoes on, braced himself to cough or sneeze and lied on the floor just to put socks on.

To add insult to injury, the Orange was ravaged by a combined 64 points in three consecutive losses to end the regular season, including a 39-point loss to DePaul that still stands as the worst defeat in Jim Boeheim’s 40 years as head coach.

Heading into Madison Square Garden as the No. 9 seed, Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament hopes were grim.

“If you look back and look at some of the games that led up to the tournament, we were not in games,” McNamara said. “We were not competitive in those games.”

But what transpired over the next four days wasn’t just history — the Orange became the first team to win the tournament with four wins in four days — but it transcended one player’s physical limits as he captivated a sport and city in the process. Ten years later, those that went along for the ride relived the magical run.

By Sara Swann asst. news editor

see robinson page 7

student assocation

Students announce candidacy

CHAPTER 1: THE FLOATER

see mcnamar a page 14

Senior Justin Robinson died in Georgia

Justin Robinson, a senior in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, died Sunday, the university announced Monday.

Robinson, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, died unexpectROBINSON edly in his hometown of Palmetto, Georgia, on Sunday, according to an email from Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, senior vice president and dean of the Division of Student Affairs at SU. Robinson was a member of the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble (BCCE), Juvenile Urban Multicultural Program Nation and the Multicultural Empowerment Network, according to the email.

By Matt Schneidman

Syracuse drew eighth-seeded Cincinnati on Wednesday, March 8, and the loser was all but eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention. The Orange trailed 73-71 with 6.2 seconds left when McNamara caught an inbounds pass 70 feet from the basket. Cincinnati’s Cedric McGowan rode McNamara to half court before McNamara went behind the back, split two defenders and lofted a running floater near the 3-point arc.

Curtis Shaw, referee: I was really trying to get into position to see what he’s going to do on the play. Is he going to pull up from 3?

Is he going to try and run into somebody?

Eric Hicks, Cincinnati forward: Andy Kennedy, the coach that’s at Ole Miss now, he drew it up right. He said don’t trap it, just show so we can’t get split and Cedric McGowan tried trapping him and

SU student died on Sunday

GERRY MCNAMARA hit a 3-point floater to beat Cincinnati in the 2006 Big East tournament 10 years ago Tuesday to kick off a magical week. daily orange file photo

Juniors are second to run for SA president, vice president

By Sara Swann asst. news editor

THE FLOATER 2. BEHIND THE BACK

4. SHOOTS 3-POINTER 3. SPLITS DEFENDERS

5. LANDS PAST FOUL LINE

1. RECEIVES BALL

graphic illustration by chloe meister presentation director

Syracuse University juniors Charlie Mastoloni and Jessica Brosofsky want to bring the Student Association at SU at back to its roots by making it a “partner,” rather than a government for students.

Mastoloni, a junior policy studies and political science major, and Brosofsky, a junior policy studies and international relations major, announced their campaign for SA president and vice president, respectively, on Monday afternoon in the Schine Student Center to a see candidacy page 6

2 march 8, 2016

dailyorange.com

t o day ’ s w e at h e r

TATTOO tuesday | dana grey

Freshman supports mother with foot tattoo

By Leah Meyers staff writer

When Dana Grey was a junior in high school, his best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer.

His best friend is his mother.

Although Grey, a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major, had never considered getting a tattoo before, he changed his mind a little more than a year after his mom was diagnosed. At the end of this past summer, he decided to tattoo the pink breast cancer ribbon on the inside of his right foot.

Following his mother’s diagnosis in March 2014, she had successful surgery that May and has been undergoing various forms of chemotherapy ever since, Grey said. Because the two are very close, Grey said it was difficult to see his mother go through the battle with cancer.

“She had been my rock for 17 years,” Grey said. “There were a lot of bad days and not many good days, but she fought and she beat that cancer.”

It was the strength his mother showed that inspired Grey to get the tattoo.

Grey said he knew the foot is one of the most painful parts of the body to get a tattoo, and didn’t tell his parents he was even considering getting one. Still, Grey said he

a.m.

noon hi 60° lo 48°

p.m.

INSIDE N • Locked in

See what a Syracuse University professor has to say about the lawsuit that left Kesha stuck in a contract with her alleged abuser.

Page 7

S • Back at it again

Syracuse University disbanded its wrestling program in 2001.

Fifteen years later, Gene Mills is trying to bring the team back.

Page 16

c on tac t Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com

EDITORIAL 315 443 9798

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

DANA GREY had never considered getting a tattoo before. But when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, he was inspired by the strength she displayed, so last summer he decided to get a breast cancer awareness ribbon tattoo on the inside of his right foot in her honor. connor martin staff photographer

was 100 percent sure he wanted the tattoo and would be happy having it for the rest of his life.

When Grey first showed his mother the tattoo, he said, all she did was cry.

Despite still being in recovery two weeks after surgery, Grey’s mother still made sure to attend

his a cappella concert.

“She had shaved her head already and was still in a lot of pain,” Grey recalled, “but she still came to support and didn’t care about the way people looked at her.”

Grey said he admires how his mother always kept her head held high despite how much her life was

going to change because of the cancer.

To Grey, the breast cancer tattoo makes him feel as if his mother is with him, supporting him every day despite living in a different state.

Said Grey: “I’m reminded every day of her fight, and I’m inspired incredibly.” lmeyers@syr.edu

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

All contents © 2016 The Daily Orange Corporation

Applying to Grad School?

Think Syracuse University, Falk College!

Now accepting 2016 applications for: Addiction Studies

Nutrition Science

Athletic Advising

Social Work

Child and Family Studies

Sport Venue and Event Management

Food Studies Global Health Marriage and Family Therapy

Trauma Studies

More information at falk.syr.edu, 315-443-5555 or e-mail falk@syr.edu.

N

Three things

@SyracuseU

What do you need to know about Monday night’s Student Association meeting? The D.O. News Department can help you.

See dailyorange.com

“I knew early on in the process she represented the future of Syracuse University” - Aysha Seedat ‘16 #SUProvost

NEWS

Academics, athletics The D.O. takes a look into tutoring student athletes at SU roughly one year after SU was hit with sanctions by the NCAA. See Wednesday’s paper

dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 8, 2016 • PAG E 3

Reception held for provost SU community introduced to Michele Wheatly

By Brett Samuels senior staff writer

Syracuse University

UNIVERSITY LECTURES

DACHER KELTNER

DON GARBER

MARY ROACH

SARAH KOENIG

Director of the Social Interaction Lab at UC Berkeley

Commissioner of Major League Soccer, CEO of Soccer United Marketing

Multiple-time New York Times best-selling author

Co-creator of podcast “Serial” and producer of “This American Life”

Survival of the Kindest: Toward a Compassionate Society

An Evening With Don Garber

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

Binge-Worthy Journalism: Backstage with the Co-Creator of ‘SERIAL’

TUESDAY AT 7:30 P.M. Hendricks Chapel

MARCH 22 AT 7:30 P.M. Hendricks Chapel

MARCH 29 AT 7:30 P.M. Hendricks Chapel

APRIL 12 AT 7:30 P.M. Hendricks Chapel

Michele Wheatly said she felt right at home in the Life Sciences Complex, which is where she spoke to members of the university community at an introductory reception on Monday.

“I will work my heart and soul out for Syracuse University,” Wheatly told the crowd of students, faculty and administrators.

The reception was Wheatly’s first time speaking publicly to the campus community. She was named vice chancellor and provost-designate on Friday. She will join the SU staff from West Virginia University, where she previously served as provost and now serves as special assistant to the WVU president, on May 16.

Wheatly talked for about 15 minutes about the value of a liberal arts education, how her academic background and opportunities shaped her career and what attracted her to the job at SU. Wheatly’s remarks were preceded by comments from Chancellor see wheatly page 6

news to know Here is a round-up of the biggest news stories happening around the world:

student association

SU official gives updates on Orange SUccess

By Nina Leeds staff writer

The overarching goal of implementing the advising tool Orange SUccess is to increase Syracuse University’s retention rate by 1 percent each year over the next five years, said Kal Srinivas, the director for retention in the Office of Academic Programs, on Monday.

Srinivas visited the Student Association at its Monday night meeting to give a presentation about Orange SUccess, an advising program currently in its pilot stage at SU. Orange SUccess is intended to improve communication between all members of the SU community.

Also at the meeting, SA Vice President Jane Hong provided updates on the syllabi visibility initiative and the preferred name policy. Hong also told the SA assembly that SU officials are concerned that they will

not be able to use results from the campus climate survey.

Srinivas said Orange SUccess is being used in every 100 and 200 level course in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and

what is sa?

The Student Association is the student government body of the university. SA is currently in its 59th session and Aysha Seedat is president. Outside of the cabinet, there are four committees and four boards, which report to the association.

University College. As of now, 928 students, 244 faculty members, 63 teaching assistants, 63 advisers and a few representatives of other campus resources have created accounts, Srinivas said.

Every school and college will

implement the system in the fall 2016 semester and every faculty member and student will be in the system, she added.

This semester is devoted to training the people who will be using the system next semester, Srinivas said. She added that there will be between 20-25 training sessions in April, as well as several in the summer and fall for teaching assistants. Another training session will be held in the fall to make sure everyone who needs training has been trained, she said.

Srinivas added that she has already received a lot of positive feedback regarding how manageable and user-friendly the system is. The system allows students to be flagged and given kudos, she said.

“It’s not only the students at risk that we need to focus on, but all of our students,” Srinivas said.

“Our students who are doing well

also need reinforcement.”

The program is currently set up so that students can be flagged for seven factors: absence, attendance concerns, general concerns, low participation, low quiz or test scores, missing or late assignments or a notification to let the student know they are in danger of failing.

Students can also be given kudos to “keep up the good work,” if they have an “outstanding academic performance” or if they are “showing improvement,” Srinivas said.

The students themselves are also able to send notifications if they need an adviser’s help or if they need help in a particular course, she said.

Srinivas added that the program is all about providing students with assistance before it is too late.

“The overarching goal is to help students’ success, which, in itself,

see meeting page 7

POLITICS

NO RUN FOR BLOOMBERG Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he won’t be running for president in 2016 as an independent candidate. Bloomberg said his running for president as a thirdparty candidate might risk business mogul Donald Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) winning the general election. source: bloomberg view

WORLD

NOT DOPE Tennis star Maria Sharapova admitted that she failed a drug test on Monday at the Australian Open. Sharapova — who is now provisionally suspended — tested positive for meldonium, a medication she started taking for health reasons in 2006. The substance was added to the list of banned substances by the World AntiDoping Agency this year. source: cnn.com

4 march 8, 2016

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

newhouse

AP correspondent honored with Tully Free Speech Award

By Daniel Yarnall contributing writer

During Kathy Gannon’s time reporting in Afghanistan and Pakistan for The Associated Press, she was once denied access to the Taliban for “being a woman.” So Gannon sat outside for six hours until she was allowed to speak with a high-ranking official. Eventually, the Taliban let her.

“We argued a lot,” she said of her interactions with senior Taliban members.

Gannon was presented with the Joan A. Tully Award for Free Speech in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium on Monday, earning the honor for a nearly 30-year-long career covering Afghanistan and Pakistan as The Associated Press’s bureau chief and correspondent for the region since 1988.

Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and executive editor for the AP, introduced Gannon as “tenacious and tough” and “the embodiment of what the Tully award looks to recognize.” Carroll also lauded Gannon’s “devotion to telling stories,” which enabled her to “command respect from warlords” during her distinguished career in the region.

The floor was then handed to Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, to lead the discussion with Gannon.

Gannon answered questions on her career and experiences, from starting in Timmins, Ontario to reporting all over the Middle East and Southeast Asia for The Associated Press.

That same determination carried over in her return to Pakistan in early January of this year, with Gannon saying that she refused “to be held

hostage by fear” in spite of an attack in April 2014, during which her vehicle was fired upon by a member of the Afghan police. The attack killed her friend and colleague, Anja Niedringhaus, an AP photographer, and severely injured Gannon’s right shoulder and left hand.

The attack occurred while the two journalists and police were helping deliver ballot boxes to eastern Afghanistan during the 2014 election. That election would see the end of Hamid Karzai’s term as president and allow for power to democratically change hands for the first time since the Taliban rose to power.

“I’ll be reporting just like have before,” said Gannon, who rattled off a list of stories she has covered in her time since returning from the attack, including women’s rights and the Islamic State’s recruitment tactics in Pakistan.

The gunman, a police commander identi-

fied by authorities as Naqibullah, was originally sentenced to death by Afghan courts.

He appealed the verdict and is currently serving a 20-year sentence, the maximum term of imprisonment in Afghanistan.

Speaking to the crowd Monday about the attack, Gannon said she was “fine” that Nabiqullah’s sentence had been reduced.

“Anja and I never believed in the death penalty,” Gannon said, adding that she wants to “see him serve the 20 years.”

The loss of her colleague and friend of six years still weighed on Gannon as she reminisced on a photo taken when they were the first two journalists embedded with the Afghan Army.

“Anja always wanted to show what is was like for (Afghans and Pakistanis) to live and … to show their courage,” Gannon said. djyarnal@syr.edu

newhouse

Reporter reflects on injury, losing friend in Afghanistan

By Daniel Yarnall contributing Writer

The Associated Press correspondent Kathy Gannon was recognized Monday with the 2015 Tully Free Speech Award, an award given by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

In April 2014, Gannon was seriously wounded on the job after being shot several times by a commander of an Afghan police convoy. Gannon had been on the way to deliver ballots for elections in the country when she was shot. The elections marked the first democratic change of power in Afghanistan. The AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus was killed in the attack.

Prior to Gannon receiving the Tully Free Speech Award, The Daily Orange was inter-

86

viewed the Canadian reporter to discuss her recovery and her return to Afghanistan after the attack.

The Daily Oramge: How do you feel about receiving the Tully Free Speech Award?

Kathy Gannon: It’s a great honor. I think that it’s important to have a conversation about the value of free speech and how we define free speech, so I think these awards are significant for that reason. Personally, it’s a huge honor to be associated with an award for free speech because that’s really why we get into our profession, to practice the right of free speech.

The D.O.: How did you recover from your injury and the loss of your friend in April 2014?

K.G.: It’s been a long year and a half. I think that, for me, I’ve worked really hard to get as

much movement and strength back as possible. The left side was the worst because it was hit by six bullets. I’ve had 16 operations.

A lot of my time has been spent in operations, recovery and therapy. … I’ve gone to Germany to Anja’s grave, alone with a bottle of wine and a cigarette, to have my conversation with her. I’ve been really focused on being grateful for so many things.

The D.O.: What was your relationship like with Niedringhaus?

K.G.: Anja and I had an incredible bond. We clicked from the beginning. We had been working together since 2009, as a team of photographer and writer...She had such a desire to tell the people’s story in pictures, and she did it with such tremendous heart and an eye that was remarkable.

The D.O.: What motivated you to return to Afghanistan and Pakistan after you were nearly killed?

K.G.: Covering Pakistan and Afghanistan is what I do, and I’m very good at it and I love doing that. ... I won’t let some gunman decide my future.

The D.O.: How has your time in Afghanistan and Pakistan affected you?

K.G.: I hope it’s made me more aware of how similar we all are. It has made me realize how the very fundamentals of our profession are so important to be able to give an honest recording of history and how important it is to give an honest recording of history. …

Maybe that’s something where our profession has to have some real soul searching. djyarnal@syr.edu

O

OPINION

dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 8, 2016 • PAG E 5

conservative

Permits counteract ‘American Dream’

M

ore than 4 percent of New Yorkers are out of the workforce, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the state education department’s Board of Regents.

The regional governing body recently announced that DREAMers, individuals who came to the United States illegally with their parents before age 16, can be licensed to teach in public school districts.

The ruling comes after President Barack Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order that allowed undocumented immigrants to be legally employed. But it didn’t give immigrants professional licenses.

New York state has since taken it upon itself to propose handing out these official documents for more than 50 different careers, a prospect that will be officially voted on in May. And the license that has been met with the most controversy is the teaching certification because undocumented immigrants will now be just as eligible as legal citizens to be hired as public school teachers.

Immigration to the United States, when done legally, should be encouraged because this is the land of opportunity and it is mutually beneficial when immigrants can contribute to the labor force. Yet it’s hard to see how schools are the right place of employment for individuals who are only here because their families broke the law.

The crux of the problem lies within the board’s rationale to expand on the DACA program in giving undocumented immigrants a chance to succeed in the United States. It just doesn’t make sense to pass legislation for those who have ignored the United States’ rules for their own gain when there are already plenty of law-abiding citizens contributing to society.

The certification measure also sets a dangerous precedent at a time when even New York City Council Speaker Melissa MarkViverito is moving to legalize voting for undocumented immigrants.

And to reject these policies would

KYLE O’CONNOR

CALM, COOL AND CONSERVATIVE

better protect the about 480,300 New Yorkers that were unemployed as of January, according to the state department of labor.

In addition to being unfair to U.S. citizens, it is also unclear how exactly the Board of Regents’ policy will help undocumented immigrants themselves. According to Chalkbeat, New York is already an extremely competitive place to secure a job in a teaching profession, considering only one in three graduates of the state’s teacher preparation programs are able to obtain a job.

According to Newsmax, 3.8 percent of New York’s population is made up of undocumented immigrants. That’s about 750,000 people based on 2012 data from the Pew Research Center. With such a small number of available regional teaching jobs, it is clear the Board of Regents has its priorities backwards. Rather than simplifying the certification process, improved employment prospects should be wielded as an incentive to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

This method would shift the focus to accentuate the incentive to become legal in an approach that becoming documented would mean increased exposure to educational resources to pursue a professional career accordingly.

But, instead, the irrational policy would give undocumented individuals the opportunity to work in fields including engineering and dentistry. The regional expansion of these industries for employment have been supported by New York State Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia, who claimed that even when immigrants are often barred from obtaining proper licensing to work even when they have done everything properly.

As reflected by Elia’s efforts, it is understood that the measure would provide previously unavailable opportunities for both immi-

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r ac u s e , n e w yor k

Mara Corbett

Justin Mattingly

EDITOR IN CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

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

Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. Editorial Editor Asst. Feature Editor Asst. Feature Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Design Editor Design Editor Design Editor Design Editor

Michael Burke Rachel Sandler Sara Swann Caroline Colvin Alex Archambault Lizzie Michael Chris Libonati Paul Schwedelson Zach Barlow Liam Sheehan Emma Comtois Matthew Hankin Lucy Naland Kiran Ramsey

grants and public education alike.

“Anything that can be done to increase the pool of qualified teachers may raise the quality of education,” said Kristi Andersen, a political science professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, in an email. “I also think that immigrant children may benefit directly from having teachers who share their experience of learning a new language and adapting to a new home.”

But this approach is flawed, as highlighted by the politicallyinvolved individuals who were quick to denounce the Board of Regents’ plan. Hans von Spakovsky, a former U.S. Justice Department attorney and senior legal fellow at conservative organization Heritage Foundation, declared that the board’s decision has breached the country’s immigration code. And New York State Senator Terrence Murphy blasted the board for following unelected bureaucrats, including Elia, who have their priorities backwards.

A 2015 Rasmussen survey recorded that 51 percent of Americans felt immigrants without permits were taking jobs away from U.S citizens — a unnerving finding that exacerbates the neglect of U.S. citizens at the hands of the Board of Regents.

Rather than perpetuate employment anxiety, the country’s politicians and governing bodies shouldn’t be turning their backs on the people who went through the system appropriately and giving undocumented immigrants opportunities that could have otherwise benefited legal citizens in a country of that is defined by rules and borders.

It isn’t that people who came to the United States with their parents illegally aren’t as qualified teachers as legal residents. But public school administrations need to select the most ethical candidates — candidates who have followed the legal route to citizenship.

Kyle O’Connor is a sophomore sport management major and political science minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at kdoconno@syr.edu.

Design Editor Colleen Simms Design Editor Estella Xian Asst. Copy Editor Sam Fortier Asst. Copy Editor Brigid Kennedy Asst. Copy Editor Tomer Langer Asst. Copy Editor Danny Mantooth Asst. Copy Editor Satoshi Sugiyama Asst. Copy Editor Clare Ramirez Asst. Web Editor Alex Erdekian Asst. Web Editor Connor Grossman Asst. Web Editor Delaney Van Wey General Manager Christopher Russo IT Manager Maxwell Burggraf Business Assistant Tim Bennett Advertising Manager Lucy Sutphin Advertising Representate Alanna Quinlan Advertising Representative Gonzalo Rodriguez Advertising Representative Manuel Garcia

Digital Sales

Alexis Strahl

Special Events Coordinator

Linda Bamba

Special Events Coordinator Taylor Sheehan Advertising Design Manager Abigail Starobin Advertising Designer Cyrstal Yanf Advertising Designer Nicole Corcoran Circulation Manager

Charles Plumpton

Student Circulation Manager

Michael Rempter

scribble

editorial board

NY wage ‘challenge’ is insensitive, impractical The “minimum wage challenge” taking place across New York state this week is a misguided attempt to understand the experiences of people living on minimum wage.

The challenge is being organized by the Service Employees International Union in support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to gradually raise the minimum wage from $9 to $15, according to Syracuse.com. The project comes after Cuomo visited Solavy, a suburb of Syracuse, last week to garner support for the measure as a part of the 2016-17 state budget, which will be voted on by April.

Twenty-five local politicians and community members — including Syracuse City Councilor Helen Hudson; Democratic congressional candidates Colleen Deacon, a Syracuse University alumna; and Eric Kingson, an SU professor — pledged Sunday to try to survive on $9 per hour for five days, beginning Monday while documenting the purchases they cannot afford on social media.

Although the simulation challenge may have been thought of with good intentions, its execution fails to take into consideration that it is inherently insensitive to demonstrate support for Cuomo’s minimum wage legislation with a halfhearted effort from a place of privilege.

The combination of showcasing the experience on social media and the unrealistic approach in an attempt to empathize with minimum wage workers proves self-serving rather than in the best interest of the community.

The challenge’s initial budget of $360 falls to $263 after taxes, housing and utilities, leaving

participants with only $97 left to spend on food, transportation and any additional expenses for the week. As reported by Syracuse.com, the community members agreed to shop for groceries as if they can only afford what minimum wage workers can buy, limit their total expenses to $19 per day and take public transportation to work at least once.

And while inevitable, the exclusion of necessary bills for personal vehicles, credit cards or child care from the challenge reflect the fact that the project is unrealistic in contrast to a very grim reality for many New Yorkers. The inaccuracies are reflected by the fact that participants may begin the challenge with a full tank of gas or a home with paid utilities. This creates a distorted view of what it’s really like to live on a minimum-wage budget.

There is nothing wrong with genuinely attempting to be a more informed supporter of minimum wage legislation by placing yourself in the shoes of another person. But the fact of the matter is that taking part in what appears as a PR-driven tactic is distasteful and equally impractical when drawing attention to the self is not an essential part of supporting a higher minimum wage.

Many New Yorkers are living on a minimum wage income each day without recognition. So rather than document their experiences for public display, those who take part in the project should focus on using what they learn to make an impact where it matters most to be a more insightful voice in political discussion, rather than having validation from others for good deeds.

6 march 8, 2016

from page 1

candidacy crowd of about 40 students.

They are the second pair to announce candidacy for SA president and vice president.

Eric Evangelista, who is the longest-serving member of SA, and Joyce LaLonde, who has no experience with SA, announced their candidacy last week in the Maxwell Atrium.

“I stand here today because I know that many of you are either unaware or disenchanted by the way Student Association has conducted itself in the past,” Mastoloni said during his announcement speech. “Let me tell you that will change under our leadership.”

Mastoloni said both he and Brosofsky would not immediately continue initiatives started by current SA President Aysha Seedat and Vice President Jane Hong. If elected, Mastoloni said, they will assess these initiatives before deciding whether it is best in their opinion to continue them.

This is in contrast to Evangelista and LaLonde, who said they will continue the initiatives started by Seedat and Hong in

from page 3

wheatly Kent Syverud and members of the search committee, who all praised Wheatly and the work of the search committee.

Wheatly said a search like the one that led to her hiring is often about finding the right fit. The two things that made SU the right fit for Wheatly were quality and access, she said.

“I’ve led a life very focused on quality in everything I do,” Wheatly said, referring to her interactions, her research and her instruction. “And I see Syracuse University as a place that emphasizes quality.”

She also said she views SU as an institution that has “gotten out ahead on the issue of access” and embraces people’s differences. It’s important to bring people together from different backgrounds and to view things in different ways in thinking about

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

order to have “a smooth transition.”

Both Mastoloni and Brosofsky have had experience both inside and outside of SA. Mastoloni first got involved with SA during his freshman year and continued his involvement until he went abroad to London last semester. During his time with SA, he served on the Student Life Committee, which serves “to be in sync with what students want and what students need from SA,” he said in an interview with The Daily Orange.

Brosofsky started her involvement with SA a couple weeks into her freshman year as an assembly representative. She then became the vice chair of the former Student Engagement Committee. When that committee was removed, Brosofsky became a member and then vice chair of the Board of Elections and Membership.

“That gave me great insight into the structure of SA and what type of people we’re looking for to lead our students and really forming the relationship between our actual representatives and the board,” Brosofsky said in an interview with The Daily Orange.

the world’s problems, Wheatly said.

Wheatly also touched on the need for cooperation in order for her to be successful. She called on those in attendance to accept her as the new provost, trust her and teach her.

She emphasized the need for communication, especially with the impending implementation of the Academic Strategic Plan, a component of Syverud’s Fast Forward initiative.

“Even though I know a lot about higher education, I don’t yet know the Syracuse community and culture inside Syracuse University,” Wheatly said.

Syverud and three members of the search committee came to the podium before Wheatly, and each spoke briefly about what made Wheatly the best candidate for the job. Search committee chair Charles Driscoll rattled off Wheatly’s

She added that she took a semester off from SA in the fall to be president of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.

The two decided to run together for SA president and vice president because of their previous involvement in SA and their experience working together on a number of SA initiatives. Through that, Mastoloni said he and Brosofsky have developed a “good team bond.”

Their campaign platform consists of four “simple, but essential” pillars: culture, community, diversity and safety.

Under culture, Mastoloni and Brosofsky said they want to make sure facilities are up-to-date and ensure the administration is giving proper attention to students’ needs.

The pair wants to strengthen SU’s sense of community with initiatives such as a start-up innovation series that would allow students to field their ideas through friendly competition. They also want to establish a flea market where students can sell their unwanted textbooks directly to other students.

For their diversity pillar, the pair would like to create a Diversity Outreach Committee so that they can better understand the

I wanted a provost who students would want to take a selfie with on the Quad and who students could see at the Dome.

Aysha Seedat student association president

accomplishments and called her “the right person at the right time” for SU. Tej Bhatia, a professor of linguistics, said finding the right provost was critical to the success of the College of Arts and Sciences, particularly given the implementation of the Academic Strategic Plan.

Aysha Seedat, president of the Student

different groups of people at SU. Finally, for safety, their main initiative is the installment of more blue light stations in the off-campus areas where many students live.

“I’m living off campus next year too. I want to feel safe walking home at night,” Mastoloni said. “Every student wants to feel safe walking home at night.”

The pair will also launch an initiative in which they will visit various recognized student organizations (RSOs) and other student organizations at SU to understand and become better equipped to meet their needs.

Brosofsky said she thinks she and Mastoloni have the most “unique” leadership experiences and that is why they should be elected.

“We’ve been in Student Association and then taken time off and out of it to just be regular students to see that perspective of SA, so I think that’s really unique compared to the other candidates who are either completely in Student Association or maybe never been in SA at all,” Brosofsky said. “I think that’s what makes us different and sets us apart from the pack.” smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann

Association and the lone undergraduate representative on the search committee, said Wheatly seemed like the best candidate from early on in the process. She said she wanted the next provost to be someone who would engage with students on academic issues, but be a visible face in the community.

“I wanted a provost who students would want to take a selfie with on the Quad and who students could see at the Dome,” Seedat said.

Wheatly closed by telling those in attendance that she knows what the job entails and that it’s time intensive, but that she’s prepared to put in what’s necessary to be successful.

“I will be there with you all the way, and I will do everything I can to be successful so Syracuse University 10 years from now can be an even better place,” she said. blsamuel@syr.edu

Destiny USA

ask the experts every tuesday in news

dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 8, 2016

•

PAG E 7

illustration by devyn passaretti head illustrator

Professor discusses Kesha’s legal situation, effects on music industry

By Caroline Bartholomew staff writer

ince October 2014, Kesha has been fighting a lawsuit against producer Lukasz Gottwald, more commonly known as Dr. Luke, alleging that for the past nine years he emotionally, physically and sexually abused her, according to The Atlantic.

Dr. Luke is the founder of Kemosabe Records, the record company owned by Sony Records that Kesha has been signed to since 2005.

Fans and other celebrities have been standing by Kesha to show their support. At the Brit Awards, Adele voiced her support in her acceptance speech of Best Female Vocalist, and Taylor Swift has donated $250,000 to try to help Kesha out of the contract.

Outside of the courthouse following the ruling, fans held signs that said, “Free Kesha.”

The Daily Orange interviewed Ulf Oesterle, an assistant professor at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music and chair of the Department of Music and Entertainment Industries, to get insight on the subject from someone who has worked in the business.

The Daily Orange: What do you think of The amount of money Taylor Swift donated to Kesha to help her out of her contract

On Feb. 19, a New York Supreme Court justice ruled against allowing Kesha to get an injunction that would have allowed her out of that contract. The judge, Shirley Kornreich, ruled that there “has been no showing of irreparable harm,” according to BuzzFeed.

Both Dr. Luke and Sony have called Kesha’s claims false and accused her of extortion, according to Slate. A countersuit they filed in 2014 called her claims “defamatory.”

this situation?

Ulf Oesterle: The Dr. Luke and Kesha situation is an unfortunate one to say the least.

You never want to see anyone be sexually abused and if the allegations are true, I feel as if Kesha’s human rights should be the focus of the story. I also feel that there is a lot of speculation by the public and until the case goes through the entire legal process, it is hard to know the full truth.

The D.O.: If Kesha refuses to produce more music with Dr. Luke, how will that affect the production company and music industry?

U.O.: If Kesha refuses to make music with Dr. Luke, it may not have that big of an impact on

the greater industry in terms of sales figures or streaming numbers. Most singular artists not named Adele or Taylor Swift will not have a huge impact on the overall industry sales figures. It will impact Kemosabe Records if Kesha is not releasing music through them because she is a successful artist. More impactful than any sales figures is the focus that such a public case has on the industry talking about sexual assault.

The D.O.: Will Kesha’s own career suffer if she refuses to make music with Dr. Luke?

U.O.: This will depend on how the legal case goes. If Kesha is released from her contract, her career will still thrive. She has received tremendous support from the music business and more artists, producers or songwriters will want to work with her. If she does not get released from her contract, Kesha may decide to no longer put out records since they will be with Dr. Luke’s label.

The D.O.: Have there been other cases like this where an artist has successfully been released from their contract?

U.O.: I think this issue goes beyond contracts. The allegation is that the producer and label owner sexually assaulted the artist. The human factor in this equation is more important than any contract. If Kesha was assaulted, she deserves justice. cbarthol@syr.edu

Here is a look at the events that lead up to Kesha’s sexual assault trial: Kesha signed with Dr. Luke as a songwriter and performer.

Kesha entered a rehab facility for an eating disorder. She began telling doctors Dr. Luke had drugged, physicallt abused, and sexually assaulted her.

Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, claiming sexual assault and battery and sexual harassment among other charges. Luke filed his own defamation suit against Kesha, her mother and her manager Jack Rovner.

Kesha filed an injunction request, asking to amend or end her contract with Sony.

Kesha amended her original complaint and claims Sony knew about the abuse, but “turned a blind eye” to it.

Kesha’s request for a preliminary injunction was denied.

source: forbes

8 march 8, 2016

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

from page 1

robinson “I join Chancellor Syverud and the entire Syracuse University community in extending our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew him, during this difficult time,” Kantrowitz said in the email.

Kantrowitz added that the BCCE and Hendricks Chapel will work together to host a vigil in memory of Robinson.

Yasmin Florence, Robinson’s mother, created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her son’s burial and medical bills. On

from page 3

meeting will help both retention and graduation rates,” Srinivas said.

Currently, students at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry are not in the system, but Srinivas said officials are working to fix that issue.

Srinivas also said that officials are working to make sure the program is easily accessible and understood by first-year students and international students.

Also at Monday’s meeting, Hong said that so far only 11 percent of undergraduate students and 16 percent of graduate students have completed the campus climate survey.

Officials are worried that not enough students will complete the survey to warrant using its results, Hong said.

The deadline to complete the survey has been extended to March 18.

Additionally, the assembly discussed the preferred name policy, a policy that will allow students to receive emails and other documents issued to the name of their choice.

Hong said she hopes this initiative will help international as well as transgender students

the page, Florence said her son only worked part-time so he did not have any insurance.

As of 11:15 p.m. on Monday, the GoFundMe page had had raised $6,474 of its $10,000 goal from 231 different people.

Shyrron Anthony, one of the contributors to Robinson’s GoFundMe page, left a comment with her contribution, saying that Robinson sounded like a “very precious, precious young man.”

“I wish I could do more, but here is something to help,” Anthony said in her comment. “I will pray for your strength.” smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann

on campus. She said that, if all goes as planned, this program will be implemented by the fall.

Hong also discussed SA’s continued work on the syllabi visibility project, an initiative SA President Aysha Seedat has been working on with other assembly members that aims to make syllabi available to students before they sign up for the class.

It’s not only the students at risk that we need to focus on, but all of our students. … Our students who are doing well also need reinforcement.

Kal Srinivas

director for retention in the

Seedat plans to meet soon with Andria Costello-Staniec, associate provost for academic programs, to discuss the policy, Hong said. nsleeds@syr.edu

P

Hoverboard crisis

French Fashion

Syracuse University has recently placed a ban on hoverboards, and D.O. humor columnist Danny Cuneo is absolutely outraged.

See dailyorange.com

As Fashion Month ends, style columnist Jackie Homan reminds us that some of the best fashion tips come from the French.

See dailyorange.com

PULP

Ball pits, dude The world is a mean place, but humor columnist Ian McCourt has a solution: There needs to be a ball pit in Schine. Now. See dailyorange.com

dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 8, 2016

•

PAG E 9

WOMEN’S SERIES PART 2 OF 4

GLASS CEILING

building history Since women first entered the architecture field, they’ve struggled to advance. Throughout history, these notable women, among others, have broken down the walls holding them back.

1873 Mary Page became the first woman in the U.S. to graduate with an architecture degree.

1881 Louise Bethune became the first woman to open an architecture firm in the U.S.

LORI BROWN doesn’t just teach about the politics of architecture — she’s trying to change them. Recently, she’s looked at lawsuits that seek to shut down abortion clinics, examining building codes and building cases to keep them open. connor martin staff photographer

Professor shatters the politics of architecture that hold women back Editor’s note: In light of Women’s History Month, this four-part series looks into how Syracuse women have contributed to the fight for equality.

By Kathryn Krawczyk co-feature editor

L

ori Brown didn’t always want to become an architect. She was creative and loved math and science, and somehow those equated to studying architecture.

Making her way through architecture school, Brown just wanted to prove to herself she could do it.

To get them to think beyond their own body and their own lived experiences was very critical. And to me, that’s a very feminist approach.

Lori Brown su professor

That stubbornness got Brown to where she is today: an associate professor in Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, co-founder of the women’s architecture group Architexx

and, as she puts it, a feminist architect.

She’s defied the statistics and history working against women architects and works to make sure future architects, including her students, can do the same. Though making up about half of all people entering architecture school, women only constitute 18 percent of licensed architects, said Despina Stratigakos, associate professor and interim chair of the architecture department at the University at Buffalo.

Brown never considered giving up on her degree, even though she was the only woman in some of her design studios at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She didn’t give up when, in 2001, she became one of only a handful of female architecture faculty members at SU. And when SU students started expressing concerns about that inequality, Brown didn’t give up — she made a change.

“I realized I couldn’t sit there and say, ‘I completely empathize with you,’ and no longer try and change it,” Brown said.

This became a turning point in her career, Brown said, the point where she really began bringing feminism into her research and teaching.

Feminism and architecture may seem like unrelated topics. But when it comes to design, it’s not just about creating beautiful buildings. Architects need to look at gender, age, mobility and other factors the built environment serves, something Brown said she works to teach her students.

“To get them to think beyond their own body and their own lived experiences was very critical,” Brown said. “And to me, that’s a very feminist approach.”

Even though conversations are springing up today, the fight for gender equality in architecture has existed for more than 100 years. But unlike in the past, these issues are no longer just being discussed — they’re being confronted.

“We’re seeing what I hope is another wave of discussion, that we’re going to finally break out of this cycle of kind of noticing the lack of women in the field and talking about it, but then forgetting about it,” Stratigakos said.

Stratigakos credits Brown as an important part of creating this change. After the publication of her book “Feminist Practices” in 2011, Brown held roundtable discussions at Van Alen Books in New York City. Though people of all different ages came, Brown said younger women who had just graduated were shocked with the real world of architecture they’d discovered.

“Why aren’t we saying more? There’s clearly something that can be done to facilitate students being prepared — and to be confident when they make that transition,” Brown remembered thinking.

In 2012, Brown teamed up with fellow architect Nina Freedman to create Architexx, a New York City-based group that aims to link university experience with the real world. A non-hierarchical organization, Brown said anyone can bring discussion topics and projects to the table.

Since its founding, Architexx has embarked on a variety of feminist projects. Brown helped organize a WikiD, where people teamed up to edit more women architects and designers into Wikipedia.

Architexx also tackled the politicization of

see brown page 10

1948 Eleanor Raymond constructed the first occupied solar-heated home in the U.S. 1972 Title IX was passed, and female architects really start speaking out about discrimination in professional and education settings.

2012 Lori Brown and Nina Freedman co-launched Architexx, an organization for female architects.

2014 Sixty years after her death, Julia Morgan was awarded the Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects.

2016 Denise Scott Brown became the first living woman to win the AIA Gold Medal.

10 march 8, 2016

su architecture alumna

fragmented Breaking down the percentages of women in architecture during various stages of their careers.

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS MEMBERS

Katie Walsh

kjkrawcz@syr.edu | @KathrynKrawczyk

FIRM PARTNERS

I was told that if you had a job, you kept it. You have to navigate around this white man and tiptoe around some people so you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

toward gender equality at SU and in architecture schools in general. She’s seen more female professors hired and does her part to further the cause both in and out of classes.

But no matter one’s age or architectural experience, Brown said it’s time to create an equitable discipline that engages everyone and brings women’s voices into the mix.

“Who better to consider the built environment? We occupy it just like they do,” Brown said. “We have different perspectives, we bring different things to the table and so those voices need to be a part of the larger conversation.”

INTERNS

abortion clinics and their design, looking specifically at a clinic in Mississippi dealing with intense pro-life protests.

“It can be a very traumatic experience to have these people looking at you and yelling at you as you’re trying to make your way into the building,” Brown said.

To protect patients, the clinic duct-taped what looked like plastic bags between the gaps in the wrought iron fence around the building.

But this stopgap solution was not only ugly, it just wasn’t effective, Brown said. Architexx put out a call for design ideas, and Brown said the goal is to install a new fence that is both more aesthetic for the neighborhood and more private for employees and patients.

Architexx is also tackling inequality in education, creating university hubs at colleges around New York state. One of the big features of these hubs are their brown bag lecture series.

These highlight the fact that few female architects are invited to speak at universities, Brown said, and bring those women in to speak and

dered architecture girl.”

Walsh said she took nearly every class Brown offered, looking for more outlets to analyze gender in architecture. And in 2002, she took that mission a step further, co-founding Women in Design at SU with fellow student Chi Lee. With Brown onboard as their faculty advisor, Walsh, Lee and Women in Design brought architecture to the community. They taught design at Edward Smith Elementary School, just a few minutes off SU’s campus, spreading awareness about diversity in architecture.

The real world is a different story. Working in Pittsburgh with its old-school architecture firms, Walsh said there’s not much gender or racial diversity. And as she and friends approach 10 years after graduation and as many decide to start families, they seem to have hit the glass ceiling.

“I was told that if you had a job, you kept it,” Walsh said. “You have to navigate around this white man and tiptoe around some people so you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings.”

To combat that, she’s followed the lead of Architexx. Walsh said she’s working to create spaces where women architects can discuss their careers and how to advance in the boy’s club of architecture.

Today, fifth year architecture students Shauna Strubinger and Hannah Seigel are heavily involved with organizing brown bag lectures, with topics stemming from whatever Women in Design at SU is interested in talking about.

“One of the important things about the lectures is that we have to cater to everyone,” Seigel said. “We’re in our fifth year, so jobs are our primary concern. But we also have to include first- and second-years who wonder why only guys work in the woodshop.”

Right now, Strubinger and Seigel are planning a lecture with Sherburne Abbott, SU’s vice president for sustainability initiatives, to discuss sustainability in design.

Brown said there have been big steps

STUDENTS

brown

hopefully make a name for themselves.

Katie Walsh, a 2007 SU architecture alumna, said Brown’s architecture classes challenged her to think beyond making pretty objects and look at the social context of design.

For one of her first projects, Walsh said Brown challenged her class to create a place of gender equality at Seneca Falls, New York. From there, Walsh’s architectural studies changed course.

“I went on a mission to put gender in everything,” Walsh said. “I became the gen-

PERCENT OF WOMEN

from page 9

dailyorange.com pulp@dailyorange.com

17

16

49 39

CAREER STAGES

From the

runway every tuesday in p u l p

dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 8, 2016

•

PAG E 11

ALL-ACADEMY REJECTS Step up your fashion game with these looks inspired by Oscar-nominated losing films Text by Hannah Malach staff writer

Photos by Doris Huang staff photographer

A

lthough there were some undeniably deserving winners at the Oscars this year, you can’t have the Oscars without a couple of snubs.

But have no fear, your unsung favorites haven’t been forgotten. In fact, they can be immortalized with just a little help from your wardrobe: 1. “Joy”

“Joy” is a feminist film for the ages, with a main character whose perseverance is complemented by her revolutionarily sleek style. To get this sophisticated monochrome look, style a black button-down with a pair of black jeans or slacks. Throw on a leather jacket (or blazer if you want to go full ‘80s), some aviators and booties, and you’ll give J-Law a run for her money. Accessorizing isn’t at all necessary for this look. However, a statement necklace is fine. If you’re feeling daring, maybe try the outfit in all white.

2. “Straight Outta Compton”

1

2

Undoubtedly the biggest snub on the list, “Straight Outta Compton” is an edgy flick that had us yearning for the style of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. For starters, wear a logo t-shirt underneath a black varsity jacket or bomber. As for bottoms, a black or grey pair of jeans, joggers or track pants are perfect to capture a chill yet unmistakably badass aesthetic. Lastly, you couldn’t embody the style of any ‘90s rapper without a logo-emblazoned snapback. If you want to add a more colorful touch to this look, try wearing a brightly-colored tee or hat, or match the two to give off a unique vibe.

3. “Brooklyn”

Set in the 1950s, “Brooklyn” depicts the famous New York City borough as a far cry from the hipster haven we know today.

Style it with the oldies by donning your favorite midi or tea-length skirt — A-line is a must. Tuck a simple blouse or high-neck crop top underneath to get the perfect ‘50s silhouette. For a little extra warmth, throw over a cropped cardigan to channel the decade’s classic feminine flare. Wear some statement wingtips or oxfords (these are Doc Martens) with a lace-trimmed sock.

As a finishing touch, add some cat-eye sunglasses for a simple sprinkle of glam. Oh, and a little red lipstick never hurt anybody.

4. “Steve Jobs”

3

4

You can’t pay homage to “Steve Jobs” without acknowledging his classic uniform. Wear a black turtleneck and some white sneaks and a pair of high-waisted light wash jeans: a mom or a skinny cut will do just fine. Matching black or white socks, if visible, are another necessity to channel the tech icon. To add your own personal twist on the look, dress it up with a variety of accessories. No promises that this outfit will help you invent the next iPhone, but with just the right personal touch, it might leave you feeling inspired.

12 march 8, 2016

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

from page 16

mills Yet, Mills winces at the thought of the Olympics, almost as if someone just put him in an arm bar and ran it up his back.

“I wanted to kill (President Carter),” Mills said. “Who the heck was he to take away my dreams I busted my ass for? I pinned everybody in the world and then I lost to a peanut farmer? Put me on the mat with him. See how he comes out of that. It was bad. I couldn’t think straight.”

20

••• Years since John du Pont killed Gene Mills’ friend Dave Schultz

“F

*cking du Pont!” Mills yelled.

While he was eating a team dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse, a restaurant in downtown Syracuse, on Jan. 26, 1996, the general manager told Mills his friend and former Olympic teammate Dave Schultz had died.

Mills rushed to the television nearest to the bar. His heart sank when CNN confirmed what he already knew. John du Pont had killed Schultz. He had just talked to him that morning. du Pont started Foxcatcher Farms in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, in the mid 1980s, housing Olympic wrestlers to train together. Mark Schultz trained at Foxcatcher first and quit by the time Dave started training there. Mills tried to go to Foxcatcher as little as possible and estimated he traveled there about six times.

A married couple that was friends with Mills would take care of du Pont because he’d get sick on international flights and doubled as videographers for USA Wrestling and Foxcatcher. The two prepared a bath for du Pont, ordered room service and du Pont fell asleep at a tournament in Bulgaria, Mills said. The two headed to Mills’ room, but du Pont found the couple after he woke up and yelled at them for not taking care of him, Mills said.

He belly-bumped du Pont to the ground and down the hallway, yelling at du Pont for shouting at his friends. Again it served Mills well.

Mills was with Dave when his brother, Mark, had to cut 12 pounds in 45 minutes at the Olympic trials in 1988 in Pensacola, Florida. For the 45 minutes prior, Mark had slowly pedaled on the bike, not listening to Dave, so the older brother found Mills.

“Schultzy, you gotta get going,” Mills recalls saying when he got to Mark.

“I don’t give a f*ck,” Mills recalls Mark firing back.

For the next 45 minutes, he convinced Mark to pedal on a stationary bike like he was chasing a woman he was interested in. Mills pushed him until sweat poured out of his sweat pants, leaving a puddle on the ground.

15 T

••• Years since Syracuse University disbanded its wrestling program

wenty-two seasons after Mills arrived at Syracuse and 34 after Ed Carlin started coaching at SU, director of athletics Jake Crouthamel called Carlin and Mills into his office to tell them that the wrestling program would be cut. All three cried.

The two coaches passed the news to players, along with the devastation and tears. Most left the school for other wrestling programs.

Mills said he turned down an offer to be an associate athletic director at the time, because it would approve of what the univer-

sity had done. Other universities offered him coaching positions. He did accept an offer from Crouthamel for the university to pay for a graduate degree and his salary while he took classes. Mills finished the teaching program in just more than a year, a little less than half the time it was supposed to take him.

That’s allowed him to teach and coach for almost the last 20 years. He has turned Phoenix into a solid program that competed at the Union-Endicott Duals, one of the most prestigious tournaments in New York. He decided to stay around Syracuse and coach at John C. Bridleborough (New York) High School in Phoenix, New York. He said he could help more kids and not uproot his family by coaching locally. But longtime friend Tim Boda added Mills also had a point to prove to SU. “In his heart, he was like, ‘You know what?

They’re going to drop it for a few years, realize it was a mistake and bring it back,’” Boda said.

“I still kind of think he’s in denial about it.”

Mills, however, has spoken with director of athletics Mark Coyle and had a phone call with assistant director of athletics Kimberly Keenan-Kirkpatrick. They told him Syracuse wouldn’t be adding another sport right now.

“I think he’s been kind of silent on it,” Boda said. “… He’s not confrontational. I think if he got too engaged in bringing it back, that would change.”

••• Quonset hut in the Manley Field House parking lot served as the wrestling dorm when Mills attended SU. Before Mills got to Syracuse, wrestlers installed sheet rock, carpeting and heaters to make the rooms inside it. When he was at SU, wrestlers climbed to the water towers behind Manley Field House and spray painted “Building Boys” on them.

While others laid the physical foundation for the program, Mills’ two national championships and being a four-time AllAmerican added to the metaphorical one.

SU eventually did level the Quonset hut a short time after Mills graduated.

Now, Mills is building for a program that doesn’t exist. He believes it’s time for the program to come back. Coyle is from wrestling-crazy Iowa and worked at Minnesota when the program won back-toback national championships. Boise State came on as a strong wrestling program when Coyle was there.

Mills had a blueprint figured out. Syracuse would announce the addition of a men’s and women’s wrestling program at the NCAA championships at Madison Square Garden on March 17-19. If SU added a women’s program, Mills said it would be the 40th in the country, bringing women’s wrestling one step closer to becoming a Division I sport.

Kids start shuffling by his office. The father of a wrestler has stopped by. This father moved his family from Ohio to Phoenix, New York, for his son to wrestle for Mills. The father said Syracuse was known for two athletes — Jim Brown and Gene Mills — when he grew up.

More kids shuffle by to the locker room.

The father said these kids don’t appreciate just who they’re taking lessons from and going to wrestling practice with. But Mills had his chance at Olympic gold taken from him. The SU program was shelved around the time some of his students were born.

It’s slipped beyond the generation of students attending Syracuse and soon could slip by the adults, too. While 15 years have fogged the program’s history, 15 more could bury it.

A few more stragglers run into the locker room while some have started to empty out of it. The clock ticks toward 12:50 p.m. Time winds down. On Mills’ legacy at Syracuse and the potential for reclaiming the program.

But for now, Gene Mills has to teach gym class.

A

cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati

It doesn’t get much better than this!

Across the street from campus 2 bedroom apartments furnished 9 month lease

(315) 422-7138 jgregg1085@yahoo.com

AVAILABLE NOW ELEGANTLY OVERLOOKING PARK: 1108-1207 Madison 1-2-3 bedroom apts-lofts-or house; All luxuriously furnished, heated, hot water, off-street parking. NO pets.

Some pictures on web site: Fine-Interiors-Syracuse.Net Call (315) 469-0780

JOBS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT NYPIRG, the state’s leading environmental advocacy group, is hiring for campaign positions in Syracuse and 8 other locations from Buffalo to Long Island. Work with NY’s largest citizen movement to shape landmark climate change policies. $500-$700/week, benefits. Call (315) 236-2012 or apply online at JobsForActivists.Org

collegehome your home away from home

2016-2017 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 Bedrooms furnished, double beds, carpeted, laundry, off-street parking, close to campus!

John O. Williams

CUSE REAL ESTATE LAST ONE’S LEFT!

GREAT 1,2,3 AND 5 BEDROOM HOUSES AND APARMENTS LEFT! 721 Maryland - 3BR Apartment 708 Lancaster - 2BR Apartment 919 Lancaster - Huge 5 BR House 519 Walnut Ave - 1 BR Apartment

CALL 315-474-6791 EMAIL: CUSERE@GMAIL.COM OR GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.CUSEREALESTATE.COM

Quality Campus Area Apartments over 30 years of service Call

John

or

Judy

478-7548 collegehome.com

One Bedroom for Rent Beautiful Strathmore Home very spacious and private 10 minutes to campus.

$550 a month

includes utilities, internet, cable, parking and laundry Lease is month to month, graduate students or professionals preferred Contact Sarah at 315-727-4978

Studios, 1, 2, & 3 bedrooms Close to campus & 24-hour on call maintenance

D.N. Drucker Ltd. Please call (315) 445-1229 OR frontdesk@dndruckerltd.com www.dndruckerltd.com

Serving SU Campus for more than 30 years!

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 Bedrooms Lancaster Ackerman Sumner Furnished, Washer/Dryer, Parking, Leases Start Sept. 1 Call Rich at 315-347-9508

CLASSIFIED

dailyorange.com

3 Bedroom Apartment 939 Ackerman Ave. Sunny second floor flat

Parking, porches, fireplace, laundry, and hardwood floors $500 per person Available August 1, 2016 CoolRent@twcny.rr.com

Available NOW and Spring Semester

march 8, 2016 13

Copper Beech Commons Renting for Fall 2016 Private Tenant Shuttle to SU and ESF! All-inclusive living starting at $899.

PRIVATE FURNISHED STUDIO APTS. RENTS START AT $525 PER MONTH Including Utilities

1011 E. Adams St. 509 University Ave. Refinished Floors, Air-Conditioned, Furnished, Secure, Laundry, Parking, Maintenance Available For 2016-2017 UNIVERSITY AREA APTS.

Amenities include: Extensive On-Site Fitness Center

(315) 479-5005 University.area2@Gmail.com

Indoor Basketball Court

1 Room & Parking

Movie Theater

737 Euclid Ave.

Outdoor Grilling Area

$425 a month

On-site parking

Contact: Jovan Millet at (619) 322-5527 or

Weekly shuttle to Wegmans/Target

Tina Millet at (619) 322-6161

Now Leasing 2,3, & 4 Bedroom units for Fall 2015 info@copperbeechcommons.com

300 University Ave. 315.565.7555

www.housingsu.com Roomate wanted

Female preffered Starts January 16th Nice private house on Ackerman Ave. Share house with three mature lady undergrads.

Text David at (315) 439-7400

Quality off Campus Housing Find photos, videos, floor plans info at www.csa-syracuse.com 1-8 bedrooms Ackerman, Redfield, Greenwood, Westcott, and more...

(315) 256 5775

csa.syracuse@gmail.com

3 bedroom apartment • hardwoods • tile bath • parking • $850+ For the student with elegant taste 157 Redfield Pl (4 Bedroom) 950 Westcott St. (4 Bedroom) lstennis53@gmail.com (315) 446-7611

Call (315) 373-7108

3 Bedroom apartment furnished parking porches washer / dryer on Ackerman

2 Bedroom Apartment Second Floor Flat, includes parking & yard Barry Park, Westcott St. Available April 1, 2016 Information: (315) 474-3774

Call Rich (315) 374-9508

ay! d o T Tour

Contact Lori 315-422-0709 rentals@universityhill.com www.universityhill.com

14 march 8, 2016

from page 1

mcnamar a got split.

Cedric McGowan, Cincinnati guard: I did exactly what Coach said, but Gerry made a great play. Nobody expected him to split. He split me and then shot a floater from 3 point.

Eric Devendorf, Syracuse guard: For him to be able to split those two and get it off in time was pretty amazing.

Gerry McNamara: Eric Hicks, another friend of mine, played USA Basketball with him, snuck it … I would’ve preferred to take a pull-up as opposed to a floater, but you know, the only way I could get it off with a great shot-blocker.

Hicks: I was pissed at Cedric because he wasn’t supposed to get a clean look like that …

If he got a shot off, it was supposed to be one of those falling away, hand in your face, just over half court.

Shaw: The first thing I’m looking at is making sure where his foot is and that was my main responsibility really.

Gerard McNamara, Gerry’s father: I thought it was a two at first.

Tim McNamara: We were on the baseline so he was coming toward us … but it’s kind of hard to tell from where you’re sitting where he actually was. We were obviously thrilled at just the idea at that point of even going to overtime.

Terrence Roberts, Syracuse forward: I believe I was behind him, but I couldn’t tell.

People don’t think it’s a 3-pointer because of where he landed.

Demetris Nichols, Syracuse forward: I guess I was 50-50.

Brad Pike, head trainer: I don’t even know if I saw it, there was so much going on.

I’m not looking at where his feet are.

Todd Burach, Syracuse walk-on: Did Gerry ever shoot two-pointers? That runner, you can kind of close your eyes, and still visualize.

Shaw: I had followed him all the way down the floor. I knew he was a good step behind.

Kip Wellman, Director of Operations: I’ve seen him do that before in practice. As

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

soon as he split and got it off, I knew it was good and I knew it was a 3.

Chris Doherty, mayor in 2006 of Scranton, McNamara’s hometown: As he was coming up the court, he was right in front of us, and I remember my son saying, as soon as it went off, ‘It’s in.’

Pete Moore, Syracuse sports information director: I didn’t have any question about two or three. There was very much the sense that this could be it, then his shot, it was like a fourth of July fireworks.

Jim Boeheim: I had a feeling that he was going to make it. I don’t know why. It’s probably about a 10-percent shot.

That’s a 50-50 shot … I like to think I’d make 75 percent, but it’s a rare make. gerry mcnamara

Hicks: I was just like, ‘Why didn’t you listen to the coach?’ and Ced was like, ‘Uh my bad.’

And everybody on the team looked like, ‘Why did you do that?’ The locker room, he was so quiet. Cedric McGowan was by himself.

McGowan: I was devastated.

Jake Presutti, Syracuse walk-on: After he made it, they went and checked and there was a long delay. Gerry came over and he was yelling, with some profanity, that he said it was good … He knew he made that shot, he was behind the line.

Shaw: Part of protocol is you kill it and go check just to be positive. We were really doing more about getting the clock.

Mike Hopkins, Syracuse assistant coach: I’ve seen him in four games make half-court shots or game-winning shots … so there are certain guys that just have that magic, and he was one of them.

Hicks: You talk to Gerry Mac, tell him I’m still pissed about it.

Half a second remained on the clock. Cincinnati’s Jihad Muhammad threw up a des-

peration heave that hit the front of the rim and Syracuse escaped with a one-point win.

CHAPTER 2: ‘NOT 10 F*CKING GAMES’

About two weeks prior, Daily Orange beat writers Zach Berman and Ethan Ramsey wrote point-counterpoint columns on McNamara being overrated, with Ramsey arguing for the case. The Post-Standard, for the seventh year, also conducted an anonymous survey of 15 Big East assistants on a variety of topics. McNamara was voted the most overrated player in the league. Then, Jim Boeheim took to the microphone after beating Cincinnati.

“I have to laugh a little bit when our own paper, and our own student newspaper is calling him overrated. And they actually listen to a couple assistant coaches who I guarantee you will never be head coaches if they think Gerry McNamara is overrated.

“Without Gerry McNamara, we wouldn’t have won 10 f*cking games this year, OK, not 10.

“And everybody’s talking to me and writing about Gerry McNamara being overrated? That’s the most bullsh*t thing I’ve seen in 30 years.”

Gerry McNamara: The language, when that came up, that was more the surprising thing. Down the stretch of your career you don’t want to be thinking about an article written in the paper. It was nice for him because I would’ve never publicly spoken up about it and he kind of did it for me.

Kip Wellman: We have staff meetings and it came up from time to time and Coach would get fired up about it before that … I knew that if we ever got it to a point where he had a chance to say something that he was going to go off. I didn’t know he was going to go off in that magnitude.

Gerard McNamara: And he said, ‘I can guarantee you that none of them will ever be head coaches,’ which I thought was a great line.

Jim Boeheim: I don’t think I planned it.

I was just upset by the article … more upset about coaches who would say stuff like that than necessarily the paper itself.

Mike Waters, The Post-Standard beat writer: So what? So some assistant coaches in some fun poll? But for Jim Boeheim it was a cut, it was a hurtful criticism of one of his best and maybe one of his favorite players.

Ethan Ramsey: I remember thinking, ‘Does anyone else know what he’s talking about?’ The D.O. and Post-Standard, I don’t know why most reporters would know about that. I guess I did feel somewhat singled out. It’s not like there’s an opportunity to defend yourself.

Jake Presutti: What was ironic about that moment was the team had no idea it happened. We’re all sitting on the bus and then we were all looking around because people started texting and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, what happened.’

Terrence Roberts: We would’ve probably won just as many games as we won without Gerry if other people just step up. Funny and a little frustrating because it was kind of like a slap in the face. Kind of like him saying I don’t believe these other guys could’ve got it done without this one guy.

Jay Bilas, ESPN commentator: That was vintage Boeheim. When the obvious isn’t grasped by people, he gets his back up a little bit. I actually really enjoyed that one.

Pete Moore: I was surprised. It was defi-

10 YEARS LATER...

The comparisons between SU teams are eerily similar.

2006 conference tournament seed: 2016 conference tournament seed:

9

2006 record in last 4 regular season games: 2016 record in last 4 regular season games:

GERRY MCNAMARA averaged over 16 points and eight assists per game in the 2006 Big East tournament, garnering Most Valuable Player honors. daily orange file photo

2006 regular season wins: 2016 regular season wins:

19

1-3

nitely dramatic to see him go in that direction.

Waters: His mom and dad were not happy.

Joyce McNamara, Gerry’s mother: He was certainly not overrated.

Gerard McNamara: It was great for us to see it and hear it because how personally he took it … When Gerry came out, his eyes were like he just saw a ghost or something.

He said, ‘Dad, Coach just went off in there.’

I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘He just went off, he went crazy in there, he was really mad.’

We’re in the locker room and Gerry walks in and goes, ‘Hop, you won’t believe what just happened. mike hopkins

Jim Connors, Gerry’s uncle: It was a joke for anybody who knew Gerry. Boeheim won the day.

Roberts: For people to say Gerry was overrated, especially in the Syracuse area, was kind of asinine to me.

Demetris Nichols: He was letting the media know that they didn’t know what they was talking about.

Ramsey: Definitely no regrets.

CHAPTER 3: A LONG SHOT

Possibly needing another win to get on the right side of the bubble, Syracuse faced the No. 1 team in the country less than 24 hours after beating Cincinnati. Connecticut, who boasted four future NBA Draft first-round picks, had beat Syracuse twice by a combined 31 points in the regular season.

Ross DiLiegro, Syracuse walk-on: I remember seeing (UConn starter) Marcus Williams eating potato chips sitting on the scorer’s table before the game while we were out there stretching as a team.

Mike Hopkins: They’re sitting over there, Rudy Gay, they’re eating like granola bars and laughing and we’re working.

Kip Wellman: We just kept looking down and the Connecticut guys were just sitting on the scorer’s table eating, some of them didn’t have their shoes tied. As soon as that started spreading through the team and into the locker room, we knew it was on. They didn’t.

They didn’t have a clue.

Jim Calhoun, UConn head coach: That’s not true. I refuse to believe that … There’s no reason for any of us to believe that wouldn’t be a great game.

Rashad Anderson, UConn guard: I knew it was going to be a tough game. Any time we play Syracuse, it’s going to be a tough game, always.

Terrence Roberts: That game was just absolutely pure hatred of UConn. I’m friends with all those guys on UConn, but I hated them with a passion. I hated Marcus Williams more than anything.

Jim Boeheim: We probably needed to win the game just to make sure. We might’ve been in, but who knows.

After the Huskies erased a 14-point second-half deficit, they took a 74-71 lead with 11 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds, McNamara caught the ball 70 feet from the hoop and took off before unloading well beyond the NBA 3-point line with Anderson’s hand in his face.

Calhoun: Well I think the biggest thing was to make sure we kept the ball out of his hands.

Gerard McNamara: The one guy in the whole place that said whatever you do, don’t let him get the ball was Calhoun. I think he’s still b*tching about that one.

Tim McNamara: In talking to Gerry about it afterward, the play I believe that they had originally drawn up was for (Syracuse guard) Josh Wright to try and get open, and Gerry was like, ‘Well what if I’m

march 8, 2016 15

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

open?” and I think (Boeheim) said ‘You’re not going to be open.’

Eric Devendorf: We always did the handoff up top and then try to get a switch or a mismatch … I remember going behind G-Mac and the guy switched a little bit too late … and he was able to get some space and that’s all he needed.

Anderson: Coach said don’t let him dribble the ball … and I should’ve fouled him. I didn’t foul him and he made a 3. I’m like, ‘Wow, are you serious?’ I didn’t want to foul him while he was shooting a 3. As a person who makes tough shots my whole life, I got a feeling of how that felt.

Wellman: The shot he hit in the Connecticut game was much tougher than the Cincinnati shot.

After that shot, then you knew something was going on. The guy is just a cult hero. jay bilas

CHAPTER 4: RUNNING ON FUMES

Sixteen times, teams had won in overtime in the Big East tournament. All 16 times, they’d lost the next day. McNamara’s groin was about the only thing slowing him down, but No. 23 Georgetown also stood between the Orange and a berth in the title game.

Jim Boeheim: He had a fairly significant injury but he just kept playing, played through it and it didn’t affect his play very much. But I know he was in some pain for sure.

Jake Presutti: I just remember the famous Gerry ice bath. We were staying in the East Side Marriott … I went to his room and he was just sitting … and I walk in and this guy is just sitting in this tub of ice. What I remember is our trainer Brad Pike having to take four, five, six trips to the ice machine.

Mike Hopkins: I remember going up there … if Twitter was there I would’ve had Twitter all over it, it would’ve been Instagrammed.

Brad Pike: As close to good as I could get him was going to be good enough. A lot of people go in the ice bath and they go up to their mid-thighs, but Gerry had to go clear up to his waist, which adds another dimension to the whole thing.

Gerry McNamara: I lived with Brad Pike that whole year. Brad’s one of the best trainers in the country and we joke about it to this day and we got a little too close to each other that whole year. It’s a difficult thing playing the amount of

GERRY MCNAMARA battled a groin injury for about half of the 2005-06 regular season. He was significantly banged up in the Big East tournament, but managed to play vast amounts through the pain. daily orange file photo

minutes I did with an injury like that.

Todd Burach: The kid could not walk in between games in the hotel.

Joyce McNamara: He was not 100 percent physically. For his part, it was, when you say leave it all on the court, he left it all on the court. And I think by physically, just the sheer will for them to succeed is what must’ve carried him through.

A hobbled McNamara took two shots in the first half and had a meager two points at the break. Georgetown had stretched its lead to 15 by halftime, but McNamara caught fire and hit five 3s to set up a hectic final 48 seconds as Syracuse trailed, 57-53.

Boeheim: We really were out of it at halftime.

Tim McNamara: I know my thought at that point was pretty much, well, this game is probably a lost cause. It doesn’t look like he has anything left in the tank.

Zach Berman, Daily Orange beat writer: When Gerry started hitting those shots in the second half, you knew this was going to be a big part of the story. Everything that happened those first two games, this was almost a continuation of that because he just got hot at exactly the right time.

Pete Moore: We were behind the entire game, and we’d also lost just a few weeks prior to them pretty handily. And then all of a sudden you get into the last couple minutes and boom, boom, boom.

Tim McNamara: They’re down by, I think, four at the time, they come out of a timeout and he hits a pull-up jumper with none other than Roy Hibbert in his face.

Brandon Bowman, Georgetown forward: Once he hits that shot over Roy, I’m like, ‘Man, it’s this guy’s tournament.’ If he shoots in the final minute, I’m always thinking it’s going in just off of what history says.

For him to hit that, I was just like, ‘Well, we saw that coming.’ Roy’s not small either, he’s 7 foot 2.

Tim McNamara: And then they get the steal and just a great run out by Devendorf.

Kip Wellman: Think about this, you’re a senior, you’re trying to win the tournament, you’re trying to go to the NCAA Tournament, you just hit two of the biggest shots in the history of the program and you get a steal on the fastbreak … but you throw a left-handed bounce pass to a freshman.

Eric Devendorf: I was fortunate enough to get it up over Hibbert in time.

Pat Connors: His passing kind of gets lost in the shuffle sometimes … That was a neat bounce pass, lefty, that was typical Gerry.

Gerry McNamara: More importantly down 15 at half and scratching, clawing, you don’t get a lead until like seven or eight seconds.

That was the beauty of it.

Boeheim: It was quite a series of plays to win that game.

Tim McNamara: Next thing you know he’s pounding the floor, and they’re moving on.

Gerry McNamara: Brandon Bowman’s a very good friend of mine. We ended up playing in the D-league together so when he would be in the training room, and I would come in and get taped and he was getting taped, I would come in and do the fist pump and start smacking the floor.

Bowman: I mean what can I say? I just got to put my head down like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’

I have no comeback for it. It’s just like a big brother having something on you … Like ‘Yeah, but why do you keep reminding me of it?’

Mike Hopkins: To see a guy with that much heart, that much soul, willing to put himself, his body, on the line, by the end of the game I mean he was playing on fumes.

I remember going back in the locker room and there was like Lawrence Moten and Billy Owens and Derrick Coleman, and they were all there and those guys bring the swagger.

Pitt was in the hallway because they were going to play the next game for who played us.

Todd Burach: It was the Mount Rushmore of Syracuse basketball just going nuts in our locker room.

Hopkins: ’You guys are next,’ they were telling the Pitt players.

CHAPTER 5: FANTASTIC FOUR

Syracuse squandered a double-digit secondhalf lead in the title game against Pittsburgh and trailed 48-47 with 8:40 left. McNamara hit a 3-pointer 15 seconds later to give SU a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. There were no last-minute heroics by the senior, but after four days and a tournament MVP to his name, he cut down the nets wearing a shirt that read “Overrated?!!,” his legacy now solidified.

Chris Doherty: It was like the icing on the cake. That’s our guy. Star, they doubted him and then he came back and was triumphant.

Pete Moore: This had never been done and then when you add onto it the fact that we were so reliant on Gerry, and he wasn’t 100 percent and he kept turning in these miraculous performances. I can’t think of a stretch like that in the (18 years) I’ve been here.

Jay Bilas: You remember moments and you remember how you felt. There have been

COUNT TO 3 Here are the number of 3-pointers McNamara madein each game of the Big East tournament.

NUMBER OF 3-POINTERS

Moore: When you thought, ‘What can be more dramatic than staying alive with a buzzer beater against Cincinnati?’ Well then he hits this unbelievable shot against UConn … It was another step up that you wouldn’t have contemplated until it happened.

McNamara hit three free throws in overtime to help Syracuse squeak out an 86-84 win.

With an NCAA Tournament berth becoming more realistic, the only question was what McNamara would do next.

Pat Connors, Gerry’s uncle: Some of the little kids, they wanted pictures with Gerry, we were laughing … they all had Georgetown shirts on and they were going to get pictures with Gerry. People were just going crazy chanting his name.

Joyce McNamara: We’d be passing by the corner where the papers would be piled and to see Syracuse featured and Gerry’s name … it was just such an exciting time.

Bilas: He was electrifying and you couldn’t wait to see what shot is he going to hit next.

Todd Burach: At that time I was interviewing for either an internship or a full-time job and I went into my interviews during the day that week, and they didn’t want to talk to me about anything else but what was going on at Madison Square Garden.

5

5 3

GAME 1

3

GAME 2

GAME 3

GAME 4

GAME

other players that have had similar stretches, but there’s nothing quite like McNamara.

Mike Hopkins: One of the greatest run of games I’d ever seen of any guy.

Terrence Roberts: It pretty much ensured this guy’s the man, the future mayor of Syracuse.

Pat Connors: He could be anybody’s kid, 6 foot 1, and if he could do it, maybe my kid could do it kind of thing. They couldn’t believe what they saw, four days in a row. I think even the leftovers from the other teams were rooting for him.

Jim Connors: If you wrote a script nobody would believe it. They were storybook games. He gave Scranton a big boost. We were walking around a little bit taller with our chests out.

Jim Calhoun: He’s one of the best clutch players in the history of the Big East.

Gerard McNamara: The biggest thing that people remember about Gerry, even though they know he won the national championship, is the four days at the Big East tournament.

Tim McNamara: The Big East tournament really did become his legacy.

Gerry McNamara: I think it probably just added a little bit to what I had kind of accomplished. We came together as a team for a week. Everybody kind of had their moment and that was somewhat of my moment.

Jim Boeheim: It’s just something that people will always remember I think ... He made the key plays in all four games and that’s pretty hard to do ... There’s been good performances, but I mean that’s the best that I’ve seen. mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman

S

SPORTS

dailyorange.com @dailyorange march 8, 2016 • PAG E 16

Rematch

GENE MILLS had his shot at a gold medal taken away from him, his friend Dave Schultz was killed and he lost the program he gave 22 years. Those experiences have helped him fight for the last of those he can salvage. Mills has approached Syracuse about bringing wrestling back, but SU is staying put for now. phillip elgie staff photographer

15 years ago, SU cut wrestling. Gene Mills is trying to bring it back.

By Chris Libonati asst. sports editor

S

cattered underneath Gene Mills’ desk are Asics wrestling shoes, some with a matching shoe, some without. Leaning on shelves, there are a few grappling trophies. On his desk, papers are stacked up.

But when he looked for a book, he peeled back a group of papers concealing the 75th anniversary Syracuse wrestling media guide. He found it with ease. Mills put two hands on the guide and longingly looked it up and down.

For the mats on the cover to be rolled out. For the 6,000 or so fans he said would come to watch SU’s biggest matches. For Syracuse to once again be seen by New York high school wrestlers as a destination.

SU announced the wrestling program would eventually go defunct unless it could raise $2 million in 1997. The program never quite got there. Two coaches took over in the program’s last three years. By 2001, the program had trimmed down, but still couldn’t make weight. It’s never wrestled in the 15 years since.

Wrestling is one of the few sports where all the combatants are placed on an even plane — the same weight, individual against individual. To Mills, a statute for equality, Title IX, was an excuse to cut the most equal sport.

Most of Mills’ problems have been dealt with on a mat, and he was awfully good at resolving them. He won national championships in 1979 and 1981 and holds the NCAA record for pins with 107. But having his only chance at a gold medal taken away and having a friend killed have

prepared him better than any challenger on the mat ever could for a battle he will have to fight to the bitter end: To revive the Syracuse wrestling program.

Mills has contacted SU’s athletic department about bringing the team back, but for now, the only trace of his time with Syracuse wrestling in his office is in his hands.

Its stiffness suggests it doesn’t get cracked open often, the memories it holds repressed under all the papers.

“It’s my only copy,” Mills says, dropping his typically jubilant voice, “Be careful with it.”

8

M

••• Number of Summer Olympics since President Jimmy Carter made the U.S. boycott the 1980 Olympics

ills lifted his opponent’s head high. Slam, into the mat. This man should have been out cold.

Mills lifted his opponent’s head high. Slam, into the mat. This man’s neck should have snapped.

Mills lifted his opponent’s head high. Slam, into the mat. This time, though, Mills drove his opponent over his head and pinned him.

“I don’t know why the guy didn’t break his neck,” said Chris Campbell, a 1980 Olympic wrestling teammate of of Mills. “It was one of the most violent, horrific, ass-whoopings that I’ve ever seen.”

That “ass-whooping” was one of many in a long line of them for Mills and there should have been more. In 1980, Mills pinned all but one opponent in the Tbilisi

tournament, a wrestling contest as tough or tougher than the Olympics. That match was called after Mills’ opponent stalled too many times.

“There was a time where he may have become the greatest, most dominant wrestler that ever lived,” said Mark Schultz, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist.

Mills redshirted the 1980 college season, which would have been his senior season, to prepare for the Olympics, but President Jimmy Carter made the U.S. boycott the event, which was held in the Soviet Union.

A friend of Mills had moved to Syracuse to train with him for the Olympics. They would wake up at 5 a.m., run just more than two miles at Green Lakes State Park a minimum of three times and intersperse the running with wrestling drills every day. After, the two would wrestle each other, eat and wrestle again.

At the 1981 World Cup the next year, Mills faced reigning Olympic gold medalist Anatoli Beloglazov. In the weeks leading up to the match, Mills couldn’t work out because he had prickly heat rash, a condition where skin feels as if its burning because sweat glands are blocked.

The night before he was supposed to weigh in for the match with Beloglazov, he tried to work out again. No heat rashes. Mills burned off 18 pounds in 12 hours. During that time, though, he kept tripping from exhaustion. Mills still won the match on a tiebreaker.

“I wrestled like dog crap,” Mills says 35 years later.

After the match, Beloglazov waved his arm at the decision. Two weeks later he faced Beloglazov again, beating him worse than before. see mills page 12