April 18, 2013

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THURSDAY

april 18, 2013

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t h e i n de pe n de n t s t u de n t n e w spa pe r of s y r acuse , n e w yor k

INSIDENEWS

Pay it forward Area hospitals are raising

awareness about organ donation for National Donate Life Month. Page 3

univ ersit y senat e

Athletic fees spark discussion By Dara McBride

INSIDEOPINION

INSIDEPULP

INSIDESPORTS

Limiting speculation Assumptions made by citizens

Words of wisdom The Monk brings its funk-rock

Cool draft Former Syracuse defensive end Deon Goggins

and media following tragedies and concerning attackers should be curtailed. Page 5

fusion sound up to The Westcott Theater on Wednesday night. Page 13

Behind the

Curve

As enrollment increases, honors program looks to expand opportunities for students

DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

The Syracuse Athletic Department — not the university — should bear the $7.5 million exit fee of leaving the Big East conference, said members of the university’s budget committee. Syracuse leaves the Big East conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference this summer.

WHAT IS USEN?

University Senate is an academic governing body with powers such as proposing various policies, approving new curricula and recommending faculty for promotion. The Senate meets once a month on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. SEE USEN PAGE 6

Committee reports on homophobia By Dara McBride DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

Homophobia is “an everyday experience” for Syracuse University studentathletes, according to findings from SU’s Committee on LGBT Concerns. At Wednesday’s University Senate meeting, the committee presented its annual report, which addressed homophobia in athletics, along with updates to Health Services, health coverage and genderneutral housing. “One of the issues that we looked at very deeply this semester was the

SEE ATHLETICS PAGE 11

By Stephanie Bouvia and Liz Sawyer

P

STAFF WRITERS

ush the students. Push the program. This remains the focus of the Renee Crown University Honors Program at Syracuse University. People familiar with the program agree it’s demanding. “The honors program is not for everybody, and it’s not for every wonderful student,” said Founding Director Samuel Gorovitz. The honors program is designed for students who are looking for a unique — albeit intensive — educational experience, Gorovitz said. And though the capstone project has been criticized for its difficulty in the past, Gorovitz said he has seen the benefits students have gained in completing it. “The people who complete the honors program typically go through stages of terror, suffering, despair, exhaustion and over and over again say afterwards, ‘It’s the single most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,’” he said. Despite revamping the program eight years ago, those involved say there are still changes that can be made to its resources to improve students’ experiences. Director Stephen Kuusisto said he wants to focus on improving three main facets of the program: student diversity and accessibility, inadequate facilities and funding opportunities available for scholars. Kuusisto, who has been blind since birth, is a strong

HONORABLE MENTION

trains with some of the NFL’s best, and tries to come to terms with his draft stock. Page 24

A NEED FOR FACILITY FUNDING As the Renee Crown University Honors Program continues to add more students, it has struggled with limited facilities. The program is housed on the third floor of Bowne Hall, and the space consists of several academic offices, two classrooms, a small computer lab and a lounge.

FOR THE

900

STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HONORS,

Editor’s Note: This series explores how the Renee Crown University Honors Program has changed since its overhaul in 2005, and where those involved wish to see it head.

advocate for disability studies, and has spent the majority of his career helping to build interdisciplinary programs across the country. He would like to see SU move in this direction, he said, by first making the honors facilities ADA-accessible. These are public accommodations for students who are mentally or physically disabled, in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although the student demographics of the honors program reflect SU’s overall enrollment, Kuusisto said he wants to explore new ways to continue diversifying the program. One way the program has tried to increase diversity, he said, is by inviting students from the POSSE Foundation — a college access and youth leadership development group that offers full-tuition scholarships to promising inner-city high school students — to join the honors program at SU. The POSSE Foundation allows students who might be overlooked by traditional college selection processes for various reasons the chance to pursue academic

SEE HONORS PAGE 12

THERE IS A SMALL LOUNGE THE SIZE OF AN OPEN-DOUBLE DORM

AND A SMALL COMPUTER LAB WITH EIGHT DELL COMPUTERS

We need much more space for the quality of the education and intellectual activity students are currently engaged in.”

Stephen Kuusisto

DIRECTOR OF THE HONORS PROGRAM


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