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2011 GRADUATION GUIDE
Stepping
out
Graduating class of 2011 prepares to leave SU, move on to next chapter INSIDENEWS
INSIDEOPINION
INSIDEPULP
INSIDESPORTS
Looking back The last eight months
Farewell address The Daily Orange Editorial
Come together Alumni clubs across
Road to redemption The Syracuse lacrosse team begins its
have given rise to both uplifting and heartrending stories at home and abroad. Pages 6-7
Board calls on new graduates to stay tuned in to campus issues after graduation. Page 5
the country allow SU graduates to relive their college years. Page 11
quest for the national championship with its first-round matchup against Siena. After a disappointing end to last season, SU is focused on making this year different. Page 20
danielle parhizkaran | asst. photo editor
S TA R T T H U R S D A Y
2 commencement 2011
WEATHER >> TODAY
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sports
Summer updates Stay tuned for sports updates during the summer at dailyorange.com/sports.
All contents © 2011 The Daily Orange Corporation
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MAY 13, 1969 Bill Buckley tapped for commencement
illiam F. Buckley Jr., editor of the “National Review,” apparently, will be this year’s commencement speaker. According to a spokesman for the Senior Class, Buckley has accepted the offer to speak her, and his selection has been approved by Chancellor Tolley. All that bars an official announcement of the selection is the formality of approval by the Board of Trustees for Buckley to recieve an honorary degree. Buckley’s selection was announced briefly by Chancellor Tolley at the “Moving Up” ceremony on Saturday, and the official announcement is expected tomorrow. Buckley, a renowned conservative, gained national fame just after his graduation from Yale University, where he was the editor of the student newspaper. His “God and Man at Yale,” a heated indictment of liberal trends in education, catapulted him into social circles and journals. He furthered his conservatve stance when he defended the late Senator Joseph McCarthy, and justified the Communist scare of the ‘50s in his book, McCarthy and his enemies. In 1955, Buckley became the editor-inchief of the “National Review,” and expanded his conservative outlook beyond political science, and into the realms of education and economics. The highlight of his political career was his candidacy for mayor of New York City in 1965.
When he was once asked what would be the first thing he’d do if he won, Buckley replied, “I’d demand a recount.” After gathering some 13 percent of the vote, Buckley hit the bestseller list once again with his Unmaking of a Mayor, and in 1966 began to hold a weekly television talk show entitled “Firing Line.” During the 1968 presidential campaign, Buckely and writer Gore Vidal made headlines as they offered commentary and traded barbs as part of ABC News’ coverage of the convention and elections. Buckley has since instituted legal action against Vidal for remarks made during the appearances. Buckley, it seems, was born fighting. As early as age six, he wrote a letter to the King of England, demanging that the country pay back its war debts to the US. And Buckley has not stopped. In recent years he was attacked the Warren Court, the New York Times, education and other libreral trends and institutions in our society. He sometimes even attacks his own right-wing. “Robert Welch things I’m a Communist plot,” he quipped. — Compiled by Meghin Delaney, asst. news editor, medelane@syr.edu This excerpt was taken from the full version of this article published May 13, 1969.
commencement 2011
commencement
Venter to address graduates
4, 5 10
J. Craig Venter has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. “I’m 64 now, and I’m learning just as much, if not more, each year than when I was in college,” he said. Venter said he hopes to share
SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry will hold a joint commencement ceremony with J. Craig Venter as the speaker. Where: Carrier Dome When: May 15, 9:30 a.m. How much: Free some of his knowledge and love of learning with this year’s graduating class. As the 2011 commencement speaker, he will address graduates from Syracuse University, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the SU College of venter Law on Sunday in the Carrier Dome. This year will be SU’s 157th Commencement, but the first time College of Law graduates will be joining SU and ESF graduates in one commencement ceremony. Venter, a world-renowned scientist in the field of genetics, said he learned how important getting an education was during his time as a Navy corpsman in Vietnam. He realized the more knowledge he had the more lives he could save and, in turn, the more beneficial he would be to his country. After his tour of duty was completed in 1968, Venter began his formal higher education at the University of California San Diego where he was introduced to some famous scientists and made a few early breakthroughs, he said. Since earning a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and a doctorate in physiology and pharmacology, Venter has become the founder, chairman and president of the J. Craig Venter Institute, a nonprofit, research-based organization with more than 400 scientists dedicated to microbial, human, plant and see venter page 9
Each individual college or school at Syracuse University holds its own convocation prior to the university-wide commencement for SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Convocations will be held on Saturday and commencement is on Sunday. No tickets are necessary to attend the individual convocations, and most schools require students to wear their caps and gowns.
6
Staff Writer
Syracuse University Commencement
Finding a place
7, 8, 9
By Liz Sawyer
page 3
the daily orange
11, 12, 13, 14
10. 11. 12. 13.
L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
master’s and doctoral degree convocation
1, 2, 3
L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science bachelor’s degree convocation
College of Arts and Science
Where: Manley Field House When: 9 a.m.
bachelor’s degree convocation
Where: Carrier Dome, enter through gate A, B or E. When: 9 a.m.
College of Human Ecology convocation Where: Manley Field House When: 3 p.m.
School of Education convocation Where: Manley Field House When: Noon
7. 8. 9.
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications convocation
School of Information Studies convocation
Where: Goldstein Auditorium in Schine Stu-
dent Center When: 9 a.m.
College of Arts and Science master’s degree convocation
Where: Setnor Auditorium in Crouse College When: 2 p.m.
School of Architecture convocation
Where: Setnor Auditorium in Crouse College When: 10 a.m .
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Where: Gifford Auditorium in Huntington Beard Crouse Hall When: 2 p.m.
Where: Carrier Dome, enter through gate A, B or E. When: Noon
Martin J. Whitman School of Management
Martin J. Whitman School of Management master’s and doctoral degree convocation
Where: Goldstein Auditorium in Schine Stu-
master’s degree convocation
Where: Hendricks Chapel When: 1 p.m.
dent Center When: Noon
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and forestry convocation Where: Goldstein Auditorium in Schine Student Center When: 3 p.m.
bachelor’s degree convocation
Where: Carrier Dome, enter through gate A, B or E. When: 3 p.m.
14.
College of Visual and Performing Arts convocation
Where: Carrier Dome, enter through gate A, B or E. When: 7 p.m. —Compiled by Meghin Delaney, asst. news editor, medelane@syr.edu
Professors, artists to speak at individual convocations By Nick Gallagher Warren Staff Writer
Each individual school at Syracuse University will present its graduating undergraduate and graduate students with their degrees Saturday at its respective convocation ceremony. These convocations are held a day before the university-wide convocation for both SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
College of Visual and Performing Arts Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn will
address the graduate and undergraduate students at the VPA convocation. Yorn is a VPA graduate and has a certified gold album. He has also had his music play in many major motion pictures and has produced an album of duets with actress Scarlett Johansson. “The department of communication and rhetorical studies is excited to have Pete Yorn return to campus 15 years after his graduation and deliver the convocation address,” said Amos Kiewe, professor and chair of the communication and rhetorical studies department, in a VPA
news release on March 30.
School of Information Studies The iSchool invited Dennis Crowley to speak at its convocation. Crowley is an SU graduate and a co-founder of the new social networking site Foursquare. “We selected Dennis because he exemplifies the talents and leadership which characterize our iSchool graduates as they enter an information-centric world,” said Elizabeth D. Liddy, dean and trustee professor at the iSchool. “Dennis also embodies the entrepreneurial talents, which our students value as essential for
success in an exciting, ever-evolving information landscape.”
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications The speaker at the convocation for Newhouse students will be Richard Edelman, according to the Newhouse website. He is the president and CEO of the largest independent public relations firm in the world — Edelman. “I have always wanted to play at the Carrier Dome. But, with my limited basketball skills, this speaking
see speakers page 4
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Class of 2015 enrollment on target with expectations By Jon Harris Asst. News Editor
A year after 167 more students enrolled than expected, Syracuse University appears to be on track to reach this yearís freshmen class target of 3,350 students. As of Sunday, 3,317 students have decided to enroll in the Class of 2015, said Don Saleh, vice president for enrollment management at SU. Of those students, approximately 3,250 decided to enroll after being accepted by the university during the admissions process, he said. The remainder of the students decided to enroll after being accepted off the universityís waitlist, Saleh said. The deadline for accepted students to enroll was May 1, but the university has been admitting students from the waitlist during the course of the past week, Saleh said. ìOur plan was to have the responses come in about 125 short of our target and then go to the waitlist to finish the class,î he said. ìAnd we did that because we wanted to be sure we didnít over-enroll the class.î SU received a record 25,835 first-year applications in fall 2011 and accepted approximately 12,500 students, Saleh said. Of those 12,500 students, about 3,250 decided to enroll at SU, 100 students short of the universityís target enrollment of 3,350. To fill the remaining spots, students are being admitted from the waitlist, Saleh said. This yearís waitlist has 1,927 students on it, and the university expects to admit around 300 students from the waitlist, Saleh said. SU plans to enroll more than its target of 3,350 students because it will lose some students over the summer, he said. Less than 12 students were admitted from last yearís waitlist ó which had 1,017 students on it ó because the university had overenrolled, he said. SU received 22,925 first-year
speakers from page 3
gig is clearly my only opportunity to step onto the court,” Edelman said on his website about speaking at the convocation.
School of Education Gerardine Wurzburg will speak to the graduating School of Education students, said Angela Flanagan, an office coordinator to the School of Education dean. Wurzburg is an Academy Award-winning documentary producer and director whose work focuses on social justice and disabilities, according to her website. Wurzburg has also been nominated for another Academy Award and has received three National Endowment for the Arts grants, according to her website. She recently released the film “Wretches & Jabberers,” which follows two men with autism who set out to change the way the world views the disorder, according to the film’s website.
Martin J. Whitman School of Management Amanda Nicholson, assistant professor of retail management, will be the speaker at Whitman’s convocation. She was chosen by the senior members of the Whitman chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, a business honor society, said Jaime Alvarez, communications manager for Whitman. Each year the seniors of BGS hold an election to decide who will speak at their convocation, Alvarez said.
College of Human Ecology The College of Human Ecology’s convocation
applications in fall 2010 and accepted 13,694 students. Despite having a target of 3,300 students, the university enrolled 3,467 students. Although theyíve already enrolled, some students will decide over the summer not to attend SU for various reasons, including financial situations, distance from home or deciding to take a year off before attending college to do something else, such as missionary work, Saleh said. ìThereís all kinds of reasons as to why students decide not to come,î he said. ìWe refer to that as our ësummer melt,í and we just need to be prepared for that melt.î Saleh said initially enrolling about 3,250 students before admitting students from the waitlist gave the university a cushion, making it more difficult to over-enroll the class. ìI think all the signs are that when we reconvene in August, weíll have a class of very, very close to 3,350,î he said. ìI canít predict the exact number, but Iíd say weíll be very close ó not much above or not much below.î The freshmen class in fall 2010 put stress on the universityís academic advisers, as they had 167 more students than they were originally planning on working with, Saleh said. The over-enrollment of the fall 2010 freshmen class also put pressure on the universityís housing system and those living in residence halls, he said. Prior to enrolling more students than it had planned last fall, SU had plans to convert lounges being used as dorm rooms back into lounges, Saleh said. But because of the large freshmen class, the university was unable to do that, he said. The Office of Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card Services had to use approximately 200 residence hall lounges as student dorm rooms because of the additional freshmen who enrolled in fall 2010, said Sara Miller, associ-
speaker will be David B. Falk, who graduated from SU in 1972, said Amy Rood, coordinator for alumni programs for the College of Human Ecology. Falk has managed players in the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. He recently donated $15 million to the university and will have the College of Human Ecology renamed in his honor as the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
School of Architecture The School of Architecture will have three speakers from within the school at its convocation, said Michelle Klock, an administrative specialist for the School of Architecture. Mark Robbins has been the dean at the school since 2004 and earned his master’s degree at SU, according to his biography on the School of Architecture website. Undergraduate chair Jonathan Massey, who earned his master’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and his doctorate at Princeton University, has worked to establish a new interdisciplinary program at SU in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies, according to his biography on the School of Architecture website. Massey also served as the presiding officer of University Senate this year. Graduate chair Francisco Sanin was director of SU’s architecture program in Florence, Italy, from 2005-08, according to his biography on the School of Architecture website. Sanin will also address the graduating students.
ate director of SU News Services, in an email. Saleh said last yearís over-enrollment was taken into account when deciding to initially enroll around 3,250 accepted students and fill the remaining spots from the waitlist to get to the target of 3,350. He said he doesnít expect any problems with enrollment for the fall 2011 freshmen class. ìI speak to my colleagues in housing and residence life on a regular basis and none of us are anticipating problems with the number of students who weíre going to have to house,î Saleh said. ìThe freshmen class size will be right on target, and therefore, our ability to house those students will be fine.î But the housing office still has taken steps in preparation of housing the rising sophomore class, which is required to live in residence halls for one more year, and the targeted number of freshmen for fall 2011, Miller said. The housing office has 188 beds at Park Point Syracuse on Comstock Avenue and University Village Apartments on Colvin, she said. The office also holds 64 beds at the Sheraton University Hotel and Conference Center and 60 beds at the Parkview Hotel on East Genesee Street, Miller said. The 312 total beds at the four facilities were made available to upperclassmen during the housing reservation process that began in March, she said. The additional spaces allowed the housing office to hold 3,350 beds for the incoming freshmen, Miller said. The space available within the residence halls is one of the factors that helps determine the overall class size, Saleh said. He said: ìWe need to make sure that the sum of the nine undergraduate colleges comes to a number that fits within our ability to be comfortably housed with students.î jdharr04@ syr.edu
L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (Undergraduate Students)
Salmin Amin will address the graduating L.C. Smith seniors. Amin is the executive vice president and chief marketing officer for PepsiCo, according to a May 2011 press release from the College of Engineering. Amin received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from SU in 1981. He is responsible for driving global marketing strategies and plans for PepsiCo worldwide, with accountability for consumer and shopper marketing, media, insights and marketing talent development, according to the press release.
L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (Graduate Students) Ehtisham Siddiqui will address the graduating L.C Smith master’s and Ph.D. students, according to the L.C. Smith Convocation website. Siddiqui is vice president and general manager for Commercial Avionics, a $550 million transAtlantic business that provides controls and avionics for aircraft engines, air transport, regional and business aircraft applications, according to a May 2011 press release from the College of Engineering. Siddiqui received his master’s degree in 1976 and his Ph.D. in 1979 from SU.
College of Arts and Sciences The College of Arts and Sciences will have professor Gary Radke address the graduating seniors, said Tamera Beard, an administrative assistant in charge of advising and academic support. Radke graduated from SU in 1973 and
Joining in
Here’s a further breakdown of the Class of 2015 enrolled thus far: • The incoming freshmen class has more students from the Western and Southern parts of the United States, but has fewer students from the Northeast. This year’s freshmen class is made of 72.2 percent of students from the Northeast, compared to 74.6 percent last year, Saleh said. • The incoming class has 6.5 percent of its students from the West, compared to 4.9 percent the year before, he said. The class also has 8.2 percent of its students from the South, an increase over last year when it was 8 percent, Saleh said. The freshmen class for fall 2010 had 28.8 percent students of color, and this year’s incoming freshmen class is 31.6 percent students of color, he said. • This year’s freshmen class has 7.7 percent international students, compared to 6.6 percent for fall 2010’s freshmen class, Saleh said. The percentage of international students in the incoming freshmen class is likely to drop during the summer because of students’ distance from home, he said. • Of the 3,317 students enrolled in fall 2011’s freshmen class as of Sunday, nearly 40 percent are in the College of Arts and Sciences, Saleh said. The School of Architecture, the School of Information Studies and the School of Education each have 3 to 4 percent of the incoming freshmen class, he said. • The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications consists of 8 percent of the class, and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the College of Human Ecology each have 9 percent of the incoming class, Saleh said. • The L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science has 11 percent of the incoming freshmen class, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts has 14 percent of the class.
obtained his doctorate from New York University. Radke often teaches at SU Abroad’s Florence Center and leads Spring Break trips to Florence and Rome for students in his course on Michelangelo’s Italy, according to Syracuse University Magazine. Na’Tasha Webb-Prather, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences will deliver the senior speech, said Beard.
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Graduate Students) Catherine Bertini, a professor of public administration will speak at Maxwell’s convocation Saturday, said Ann Wicks, an administrative assistant at Maxwell. Bertini is also currently chair of the international relations program at Maxwell. “Based on her life experiences and qualifications, we felt she was an excellent choice to address the master’s candidates,” Wicks said.
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Roger A. Sedjo is a senior fellow at Resources for the Future and director of its forest economics and policy program. He will be an honorary degree recipient at the ESF convocation Saturday, said Laura Crandall, director of student activities for ESF. Sedjo has written and edited many articles related to forestry and natural resources, according to his website. ndgallag@syr.edu
opinions
thursday may 12, 2011
page 5
the daily orange
ide as
scribble
Chancellor, SU offices reach out to student’s family after tragic fire This letter is to thank the people in Syracuse who have helped my family deal with a tragic, spontaneous fire that burned our house of 22 years in Milford, Pa., to the ground two weekends ago. After I reached out to her, Chancellor Nancy Cantor put into motion gracious support from the university. My family and I truly appreciate her and her office for their support. The Parents Office, thanks to the outreach of its director, Colleen O’Connor Bench, is offering financial assistance so my parents can still travel up to Syracuse for commencement. My parents, as you’d expect, had practically bought everything in the SU Bookstore over the past four
News Editor Editorial Editor Feature Editor Sports Editor Presentation Director Enterprise Editor Photo Editor Development Editor Copy Chief Art Director Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. Feature Editor Asst. Feature Editor
let ter to the editor years. Betsy English and Ronna Schindler from the bookstore helped put together a bag of ’Cuse gear for them, which I know will mean so much to them when they arrive on campus this weekend. The empathy from my co-workers, friends and professors on campus has also meant a lot to me. The good people at DJ’s on the Hill down on Marshall Street made a donation to my family’s relief fund. My family and I are truly grateful for the support everyone at my home away from home has given us.
Dara McBride Beckie Strum Sara Tracey Brett LoGiurato Becca McGovern Shayna Meliker Brandon Weight Tony Olivero Susan Kim Alejandro De Jesus Michael Boren Meghin Delaney Jon Harris Colleen Bidwill Kathleen Kim
Ryan Balton
Senior television, radio and film and policy studies major
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 Design Editor Asst. Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor
Role as alumni important, life-long duty From the grassy, sun-drenched Quad to the dark corners of Chuck’s Café, promises of visits, Homecoming returns, good lucks and painful farewells echo through campus. The weight of nostalgia has reached a fever pitch. The routine walks to the Schine Student Center or down Marshall Street or Euclid Avenue have become surreal moments of reflection as you envision the familiar — friends’ apartments, teachers’ offices, favorite restaurants and study spaces — one day becoming unfamiliar. The looming move away from school and, for many, a move far away from the city feels like the end of an era. It is, but it is also the beginning of your role as alumni, a role that demands you are forever involved in the changes and future
Amrita Mainthia Danielle Odiamar Michael Cohen Mark Cooper Danielle Parhizkaran Andrew Renneisen Jenna Ketchmark Stephanie Lin Ankur Patankar Luis Rendon Alyson Roseman Chris Iseman Laurence Leveille Rachel Marcus
editorial of this campus. Most graduates made one of the single greatest investments of their life — both financially and emotionally — by coming to Syracuse University for college. Being active alumni, connecting with future students, providing guidance for them, visiting, and speaking up about changes to campus policy and politics becomes your responsibility when you walk across that stage. Alumni comprise the greatest force for change and direction at this school. They serve as members of the Board of Trustees, donate influential and targeted gifts, and create a network of professionals to guide thousands of future graduates. But
t h e i n de pe n de n t s t u de n t n e w spa pe r of sy r acuse, new york
Katie McInerney Kathleen Ronayne editor in chief
managing editor
most importantly alumni hold an institutional memory that becomes greater and more relevant than any chancellor’s, administrator’s or director’s. Alumni status demands more than attendance at Homecoming or a few emails with an eager student. Alumni status provides more than a smile at the sight of an SU sweatshirt in a crowded airport, a drunken cheer in a bar as SU wins another bowl game or an apt for navigating through many feet of snow. Alumni status means a dedication to your degree and to its value. If you so choose, you can have the single greatest effect on SU’s future. So, for those who ache from the number of goodbyes this weekend, remember your role here is far from over.
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Review session Students reflect on memorable events from SU, beyond campus throughout past year By Debbie Truong
T
Staff Writer
he 2010-11 academic year was filled with highs and lows in news coverage for the campus community and beyond. These 11 events have shaped the last eight months for students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University and may continue to throughout the next few years. dbtruong@syr.edu
Sept. 22
Death of Tyler Clementi
The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman, ignited outrage across the country. On Sept. 22, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate broadcast Clementi’s intimate encounters with another male online. Clementi’s death received the most visibility in a string of suicides by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth covered by media in fall of 2010.
Oct. 1
Louise and Howard Phanstiel Scholarship
SU alumnus Howie Phanstiel and his wife Louise established a $20 million donation for middle-class SU students on October 1, according to an article published that day by The Daily Orange. The donation, which is the second largest received in school history, was tailored specifically toward middle-class
October SUCOLitis
SUCOLitis, a WordPress blog, was the topic of much controversy this year for its entries satirizing students and professors in the College of Law. Some in the college viewed the content of the site as malicious and pushed for legal action against the publisher. The months-long legal ordeal began in October when Len Audaer, a secondyear law student, received an email from faculty prosecutor Greg Germain telling him he was under investigation
December
The Middle East
Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor who was pushed to his breaking point after years of living under an oppressive Tunisian government, set himself on fire on Dec. 17. His suicide would be the catalyst to uprising in nearby Egypt, as well as Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Due to safety concerns, SU relocated four students studying abroad in Egypt when protests erupted. On campus, Deborah Berry, a doctorate student studying science education, was invested in the uprisings because she sympathized for people of the Middle East and also because she was concerned for her cousin, a photojournalism student
SU’s LGBT Resource Center responded with the “You Are Not Alone” campaign. Students sported shirts with the campaign’s logo and gathered at an Oct. 11, 2010 forum to recant tales of alienation. Nick Haas, outreach coordinator with SU’s Pride Union and a student in the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, said he hopes LGBT concerns will be a topic of conversation “without a string of suicides to prompt it.”
students whose families may not qualify for other forms of financial aid but need assistance. The Louise and Howard Phanstiel Scholar Program will be available for fall 2011’s incoming class. Scholarships will be offered to freshmen who have demonstrated potential academic success, as well as philanthropy. The donation was ranked 48 on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of 50 most generous donors in February.
for harassment. The case was eventually mediated before a federal judge and ended soon after on Feb. 1, but not before the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education named SU as the worst school in the nation for free speech. Audaer later admitted to writing for the satirical blog. He issued an apology on Jan. 29, following an editorial published by The Huffington Post that cited FIRE’s findings. Shortly after, Germain sent an email to Audaer’s lawyers stating the investigation had ended and recommended the issue be put to rest.
who captured photos of the uprisings in Egypt and Libya. Berry and her family were on edge after photography equipment was stolen from her cousin in an ambush by the Moammar al Gadhafi militia, she said. “It was a very scary experience for my family knowing he was overseas where there’s so much danger, especially for photographers and journalists,” she said. Though Berry said she sometimes feels she lives in a “bubble” as a graduate student, she’s compassionate toward the fight being waged by people of the Middle East. “I sympathize with the people because it seems like there’s a lot of unnecessary killing going on,” she said.
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commencement 2011
nate shron | staff photographer
Dec. 30
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Stephen Ryck, a junior music industry major, recalls seeing a sea of orange as he and his dad stepped off the train into the Bronx. Their destination, Yankee Stadium, would play host to the Dec. 30 New Era Pinstripe Bowl game between Syracuse and Kansas State. Ryck braved a frosty winter day in New York City to watch Syracuse edge Kansas State, 36-34, in a fourth-quarter finish. After heading into the second half tied 14-14, the game remained close throughout. An offensive push from Kansas State’s
44-yard line to the end zone by junior receiver Marcus Sales in the fourthquarter, however, put Syracuse up for good. It was special for Ryck to “celebrate the victory with a stadium full of Syracuse football fans that really haven’t had much to cheer about recently,” he said. Ryck is hopeful SU’s first bowl victory since 2001 will transfer into next season. “I think it was really big for the seniors to go out that way,” Ryck said. “They were pumped up. It’ll definitely carry over some momentum into the years to come.”
danielle parhizkaran | asst. photo editor
March 7 Snow day
Snowfall totaling 13.4 inches prompted SU officials to cancel classes and issue a snow day for the first time in 18 years. An email canceling all classes before 12:30 p.m. was first sent to students the morning of Monday, March 7 around 7:30 a.m. A second batch of email alerts announcing all classes were to be canceled followed at approximately 9 a.m. Brothers from the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity capitalized on the day off by building
March 11
Japan earthquake and tsunami
Jan. 28
Alpha Chi Omega Lambda chapter closes
The closing of SU’s Alpha Chi Omega Lambda chapter took effect Jan. 28, one day into spring sorority recruitment. The decision was made the day before by A Chi O’s National Headquarters. A Chi O’s Lambda chapter was on pro-
bation when the National Headquarters cited “risk management issues” for the closure. Risk management issues can range in severity from hazing to low chapter membership. A vote to revoke a chapter cannot be undone through an appeal, but the chapter can typically return through recolonization after four years, according to national A Chi O policy.
When Yuriko Takahashi awoke to news reports of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hitting Japan on the morning of March 11, she frantically began phoning her family in Saitama. After two hours of nothing but busy lines, Takahashi was relieved to hear her family was fine through Skype. Although Saitama is located considerably far from the North Central coast of Japan — where the earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit hardest — Takahashi called the uncertainty in the hours directly following the earthquake nonetheless than “terrible.”
March 20 Blown call
Teddy Goldberg huddled with friends around a television to watch Syracuse faceoff Marquette in Cleveland during this year’s NCAA Tournament on March 20. The group would eventually erupt in frustration after a crucial officiating error during the closing minute of play contributed to Syracuse’s third round exit. With the game tied at 59 and 51.2 seconds left in play, Dion Waiters inbounded from above midcourt to Scoop Jardine. Referees ruled that Jardine’s foot landed on the half-court line as he received the pass and called a backcourt violation. The violation resulted in an SU turnover
andrew renneisen | asst. photo editor
March
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra shuts down
After failing to meet a March 4 fundraising deadline, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra suspended operations prematurely this season. The SSO’s “Keep the Music Playing” campaign was $144,913 short of a March 4 fundraising goal of $820,000. SU’s chapter of the Music Educators National Conference aided efforts by collecting recyclable bottles and cans and exchanging them for cash. Cristianna Marks, a freshman music education
major, helped fundraise. “That was a small effort towards the cause that was really a lot bigger than we could ever really handle, but I feel good about it,” Marks said. Marks said she expects the SSO will remember the conference’s effort and generosity, should operations resume in the future. The SSO filed for chapter seven bankruptcy Tuesday, according to an article published in The Post-Standard on May 10. The organization reported $327,000 in assets and $4 million in liabilities, according to the article.
May 2
Osama bin Laden killed
News of American-led forces killing Osama bin Laden in a firefight sent shockwaves across the nation at the beginning of May. President Barack Obama’s late-night, televised address on May 2 confirmed the al-Qaeda leader’s death. Kyle Rapone, a junior television, radio and film major, sat glued to a computer screen at a lab in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications during the address. Rapone’s reaction to the news was one of “jubilation.” For Rapone, whose brother is currently training with the military, bin Laden’s
an igloo and a 13- to 14-foot snowman on the fraternity house’s front lawn. Dev Awasthi, a member of the fraternity and a sophomore political science and public policy major, said the snowman building was both an escape from schoolwork and a brotherhood “bonding experience.” “People recognized our house just because of a snowman,” Awasthi said. “It was awesome.”
Takahashi, a graduate student studying chemistry and secretary of SU’s Japanese Student Association, convened with other members of JSA the Monday after the quake to collect donations for victims. The efforts have raised approximately $8,000, but Takahashi said fundraising will continue throughout commencement weekend in the SU Bookstore at the Schine Student Center, where handmade badges will be sold for $3. Two months removed from the earthquake, Takahashi said Japan faces a difficult road to recovery. “Still, there are so many people who are suffering,” she said.
and subsequent, momentum-shifting 3-pointer basket by Marquette with 26 seconds before the final buzzer sounded. The game ended 66-62, in Marquette’s favor. According to 2010 and 2011 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Rulebook, however, inbounds passes can be received behind the half-court line. Though NCAA officials acknowledged the mistake a day after SU’s tournament-ending loss on March 21, Goldberg and those with him were immediately enraged by the call. “When they called the backcourt violation, we were just screaming expletives at the television,” he said.
death put the stark contrast between fighting overseas and life at SU into a larger context. “Here we are, we stress over turning in a graphics project or writing an essay when there’s people fighting overseas who went into that mansion and killed Osama. It really puts us into perspective,” Rapone said. “We cannot take any day for granted.” Consequences from bin Laden’s death continues with new information surfacing almost daily. Recent reports from The New York Times indicate strained ties between the United States and Pakistan, where bin Laden lived unquestioned for years.
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Job market for graduates continues to grow during past 2 years as economy improves By Breanne Van Nostrand Staff Writer
Syracuse University seniors searching for jobs have a reason to feel a little more optimistic this year. The job market is slowly improving compared to the last two years, said Michael Cahill, director of SU Career Services. After the economic downturn, it takes a little while for employers to begin hiring again, he said. “I think we’re seeing the economy get enough life, and companies are starting to move forward,” Cahill said. About 40 percent of graduating seniors usually obtain jobs before graduating, but Cahill said he did not have specific job placement numbers for the graduating Class of 2011. Thirtynine percent of the graduating Class of 2010 secured jobs before graduation, he said. “There are always jobs out there,” Cahill said. “It’s all about having that effectiveness in a job search.” Cahill said he expects the percent of seniors who have secured a job to be similar this year, but the numbers depend on the fields the students intend to work in. Students at the professional schools at SU have the highest percentage of obtaining jobs near graduation because they prepare for specific careers, Cahill said. The percentage of employment tends to be higher for students in schools such as the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, the School of Information Studies and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, he said. Cahill said students in the College of Arts and Sciences are more likely to attend graduate school. Budgets and funding reductions have caused government and education jobs to lag behind other fields, Cahill said. But jobs involving technology and manufacturing are doing well because of frequent advancements, Cahill said. Many students obtain positions through personal contact, internships, or networking and previous jobs, according to the SU Class of 2010 Placement Report from Career Services. The most effective method graduates secure jobs with continues to be developing their own employment leads, according to the report. Mike McHugh, a senior civil engineering
major, said he plans to intern as a construction inspector for the New York State Department of Transportation during the summer. He uses OrangeLink, SU’s online job and internship database, but said there is a lot of self-reliance for students when looking for jobs or internships.
“There are always jobs out there. It’s all about having that effectiveness in a job search.” Michael Cahill
Director of SU Career Services
“When your resume’s on OrangeLink you can hopefully get interviews, but it’s not like people are immediately coming to you,” McHugh said. McHugh said he hopes to take the first step toward an engineering license by passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. He said he is interested in project management as opposed to direct engineering work for his future career. McHugh said younger students should get involved in many different activities because it will help them in the long run. “The more people you know here, the more people you know when you leave,” McHugh said. After graduation, Sundus Mian, a senior biology major, said she plans to take a gap year and will spend time applying to medical school this summer. She said she hopes to stay in the Syracuse area for now, conducting research at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University or taking classes to be an emergency medical technician during the summer. The biology department has helped Mian find opportunities for research in the area, she said. In the future, Mian would like to become a doctor and possibly work with Doctors Without Borders. She said younger students should take advantage of things in front of them. “When you have an opportunity,” Mian said, “seize it right then.” brvannos@syr.edu
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2011 senior giving campaign sees rise in donations before graduation By Laurence Leveille Asst. Copy Editor
The 2011 Senior Class Giving Campaign is expected to reach its goal to surpass the number of gifts last year’s class gave. “We are almost up to how much last year’s class had at the very end of their campaign,” said Beth Anne Kieft, a chair of the campaign. As of Wednesday afternoon, 134 gifts were given to the campaign, 118 of which were from seniors, said Kristen Duggleby, assistant director of development of annual giving. As of Sunday, the campaign raised $11,537.60, according to the SU Giving website, but Duggleby said she did not have the updated amount. Last year, the Class of 2010 gave a total of 150 gifts, with 120 from seniors. The 2010 campaign surpassed its goal of $10,000 by raising $11,845. This year’s Senior Class Giving Campaign set a goal to build onto the success of the Class of 2010, said Marc Heintzman, a chair of the campaign. The Senior Class Giving Campaign has seen more seniors giving gifts during the last week. By Sunday, there were a total of 88 gifts from seniors, but after the first cap and gown distribution on Monday, a total of 17 gifts were given, raising the total on that day to 105 gifts, Duggleby said. “We were blown away by that because we
venter from page 3
environmental genomic research. Last year, Venter announced the creation of the first, selfreplicating synthetic bacterial cell. Venter said his job is one of the best in the world because he gets to satisfy his intense curiosity by asking questions about life — doing studies to figure out what it is, how to define it, and even how to create it, like he and his team did in May 2010. “I’ve been able to sail around the world sampling the diversity of life, making discoveries
“We are in a world that’s 100 percent dependent on science for our future. The challenges for the students graduating are some of the biggest challenges ever faced by people, starting with a new education.” J. Craig Venter
Class of 2011 Commencement speaker
that will hopefully benefit humanity in lots of different ways — and I get paid for that,” he said. In 1992, Venter founded The Institute for Genomic Research, a nonprofit research institute. He and his team decoded the genome of the first free-living organism at the institute in 1995, according to the commencement website. In 2006, several organizations, including The Institute for Genomic Research, merged into the J. Craig Venter Institute, according to the its website. Venter has published more than 250 research articles and has received many awards and honors for his work. Venter won
haven’t seen that much activity in so short a time,” Heintzman said. He said he thought last year’s campaign saw a similar spike due to seniors becoming nostalgic as commencement nears. “They realize they have just a few days left on campus, and they’re looking for a way to extend their time at SU,” he said. With the recent jump in donations, the committee expects to reach its goal by commencement. Kieft, a chair of the campaign, estimated the campaign would receive at least 20 more gifts. She said this was a low but realistic expectation. Heintzman also said the goal for this year’s campaign was not only to build upon the success of last year’s class but to raise awareness. Brenna Carlin, a member of the Senior Class Giving Committee, elaborated on this, and said the goal was to raise awareness of what it is to be a senior. “Everyone who has been here has obviously been affected by SU in some way,” she said. Christine Danielson, a senior exercise science major, said she gave a gift to the exercise science department. She said the department does not get a lot of funding and thought the money could help fund for lab equipment, field trips to exhibits and hiring new professors as current professors leave.
the 2008 United States National Medal of Science and the 2002 Gairdner Foundation International Award, according to the website. And in 2007, Venter was the first person to have his complete genome decoded — all 6 billion letters of it. This led his team to a better understanding of human variation and how to predict and prevent diseases, he said. Venter wrote the book “A Life Decoded” about the genetic findings. Venter said he predicts everyone in this generation and in future generations will have their genome decoded to try and predict which diseases they might be susceptible to, to take preventative measures against them. Venter said he hopes to leave the graduates thinking about what their generation can do to develop new technologies through science so people are fed but the planet isn’t permanently destroyed. “We are in a world that’s 100 percent dependent on science for our future,” Venter said. “The challenges for the students graduating are some of the biggest challenges ever faced by people, starting with a new education.” Venter has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world, but he said he can’t attribute all his success to one specific quality. He wants graduates to know that it’s fine to take risks and be curious because that has helped him along the way. “I’ve taken a lot of risks that probably a lot of people wouldn’t have taken,” Venter said. “But have been successful because of that.” Ramesh Raina, associate professor of biology at SU, said Venter is an exceptional choice for this year’s commencement speaker because his research is relevant, even to nonscience majors. Raina said he expects Venter to discuss some of his work in energy efficiency and the creation of life because those topics affect everyone. The selection process for a commencement speaker begins more than a year in advance and allows students, staff, faculty, alumni and Syracuse community members to offer suggestions. The official speaker selection committee, which is made of students, then takes the submitted names and creates a shorter
“They realize they have just a few days left on campus, and they’re looking for a way to extend their time at SU.” Marc Heintzman
A chair of the 2011 Senior Cl ass Giving Campaign
“There’s a lot of things that go unfunded in exercise science that we end up having to pay for,” she said. Seniors have had the chance to give back to any part of Syracuse University that has made their experience meaningful, including schools and colleges, departments, organizations and programs. Family and friends can also donate to anything affiliated with SU. Gifts will be accepted online after commencement until June 30. To help raise more money for the 2011 Senior Class Giving Campaign, committee members began raising awareness in October 2010 at Orange Central, SU’s Homecoming celebration, rather than waiting until spring semester like the Classes of 2009 and 2010 did. Since then, seniors have been able to give gifts at events such as Senior Night and the cap and gown
list of speakers to present to the chancellor. The chancellor makes the final decision based on the candidate’s relevance to SU, availability and cost, according to the commencement website. Kevin Hirst, class marshal from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and senior marketing management and television, radio and film major, said the committee presented a list of 14 candidates to Chancellor Nancy Cantor last spring. She then chose Venter to speak at commencement. “When choosing a speaker you can never please everyone, but I think the chancellor did a great job in finding someone that really transcends beyond just the science field into a variety of academic disciplines,” Hirst said. While Venter wasn’t Hirst’s first choice as a commencement speaker, he said Venter is an extremely versatile person in that he acts as an entrepreneur and a humanitarian. “If you look at him as more than just a
distribution the week of graduation. In March, seniors were also challenged to donate with the Palmer Senior Class Gift Challenge. For every senior that donates $20.11 or more before commencement, Deryck Palmer, a 1978 alumnus, member of the SU Board of Trustees and SU parent, will donate $100 to the university’s unrestricted funds. This makes all gifts of at least $20.11 worth at least $120.11. So far, Palmer has contributed $11,800 of the $25,000 total he plans to give. The Palmer Challenge has helped a lot with the campaign, said Keift, a chair of the campaign. A similar challenge is possible in the future, she said. Although committee members said they expect to reach their goal by commencement, Jon Barnhart, a chair of the campaign, said the total gifts did not reach his expectations. “We’ve come up a little bit short,” he said. “I did expect more. I was really hoping for more.” So far, 3 percent of the senior class has given a gift, but Barnhart said he hoped to see 10 percent of the class donate because the campaign started earlier than previous years. He said he now hopes 5 percent of the senior class will give a gift by commencement. He said: “In the last couple days, we’re really hoping for a big push.” lgleveil@syr.edu
scientist, you can discover that he has a wealth of knowledge he can offer to our graduating class,” he said. Matt Butler, a senior information management and technology major, said there is no one he would have been happier with as the commencement speaker than Venter. “I understand the appeal of a celebrity, but I’m glad that it’s someone so well-respected in academia and that we have someone that can teach us something new,” he said. Venter has spoken previously with standing room only at SU in November 2008 at the dedication of the Life Sciences Complex, according to a Nov. 10, 2008 article in The Daily Orange. Venter said he gives one or two commencement addresses each year and turned down other universities to speak at SU. “Your education doesn’t end in college,” Venter said. “You learn how to learn in college, and that’s the beginning of the future.” egsawyer@ syr.edu
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PERSPECTIVES compiled by danielle parhizkaran | asst. photo editor
Looking back, what would you liked to have known when you were a freshman?
“I should’ve made friends with people in my classes. It would’ve made things easier to study for.”
“There are cute towns around ‘Cuse that have nice restaurants and shops that I found out about last year.”
Anastasia Lindahl
Anjali Chakravarty
SENIOR PSYCHOLOGY AND MATH MAJOR
“Go out of my box more to meet different people.”
SENIOR ADVERTISING MAJOR
“That I didn’t need to stress out — that everything was going to be fine.”
Gabrielle Brody SENIOR HISTORY MAJOR
Claire Stumbras
SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS AND POLICY STUDIES MAJOR
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill College of
Human Ecology SYRACUSE
UNIVERSITY
Congratulations & Good Luck TO THE CLASS OF 2011 You have given your time and talents to our campus and community. We are most grateful to you, and we are very proud of you not only for what you have done but for all you will do for others and your community in the future. Best wishes from Dean Diane Lyden Murphy & the Faculty and Staff of the College of Human Ecology
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2011
the daily orange
the sweet stuff in the middle
Q&A with career mentor Klamm By Erik van Rheenen Staff Writer
Graduation might be the first day of the rest of their lives, but for some new graduates, summer signals a time to work toward securing a job for the fall. Career counselor Daniel Klamm at the Syracuse University Center for Career Services offered some tips on how those who didn’t land a job can use this summer to take strides toward their dream occupations.
The Daily Orange: What’s the first step that new graduates looking for a job should take?
brandon weight | photo editor sign of the whale became the hangout of the Alumni Club of Washington D.C. after the group was removed from a Georgetown bar.
Hit the
spot
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By Sara Tracey Feature Editor
ays at the Loud House are dwindling for graduating Syracuse University students and commencement may be the last time some of them see the inside of the Carrier Dome. With their days at SU almost behind them, graduating students may yearn to feel a bit more at home after they break into the “real world.” Alumni clubs help make the transition easier. Though alumni use many of the clubs for networking purposes, some say the comfort of your alma mater appeals to them the most. SU graduates from across the country have designated specific hang out spots, mostly sports bars, where they can watch football and basketball games in special rooms and reminisce about their undergrad years. Beth Crisafi, president of New York City’s alumni club, Big Apple Orange, said: “It’s the best first step to make a city not feel like such a big place anymore.” Sign of the Whale was Washington D.C. not the first bar where Sign of the Whale members of the Alumni 1825 M St. NW Club of Washington D.C. SUinDC.org gathered for games, said Charlene Wilson, the club’s vice president. The club entered a bar scuffle at the
How can they go about searching for jobs in the summer?
Alumni groups flock to hangouts nationwide to watch games, reconnect to SU Rhino Bar and Pumphouse with some Georgetown University sympathizers. “The people got angry and complained, and we got kicked out,” Wilson said. “We had to look for another one.” Alumni have since deemed Sign of the Whale as their official hangout for SU games. Food and drink specials are available during games, but D.C. alumni use special cards that allow them to access the deals outside of sporting events. “People who go there go to it as our bar,” she said. The club has formed a relationship with Sign of the Whale. When one of the original owners of the bar died, Wilson said the club called its members to hold a fundraiser for the owner’s daughter. “Everyone came together,” she said. “He was very generous to us, and we had to do something.” The Village Pourhouse New York City had its fair share of SU Village Pourhouse alumni this year when 64 Third Ave. at 11th Big Apple Orange signed Street bigappleorange.org a contract to watch men’s basketball games at the downtown sports bar. Because alumni work and live in various locations around the city, it has been difficult to designate one spot to call a hangout, said Beth Crisafi, a 2005 alumna.
Klamm: The most important thing to do is to network with professionals in the industry that you want to go into. There are more than 230,000 SU alumni in many different fields, and a can use resources like LinkedIn to network themselves. A lot of times it’s not about applying for jobs online, but knowing someone that is in the field you want to work in and directly linking yourself with the Syracuse network is really beneficial.
Just keep networking and using social media, like Twitter and even Facebook, to put yourself out there. It’s also good to keep talking to your family, friends, classmates, and even sorority sisters or fraternity brothers. There’s a chance that someone will know someone working in your dream field that might be able to help you out.
Can you name some ways they can build their resumes? It all depends on the field, but working at internships while still searching for a job is useful, as is doing freelance work, especially for students in the advertising or graphic design fields. Some job applications require you to have a portfolio, so anything you can do to boost your portfolio, either on your own or as part of an internship, will help in the long run.
During games, alumni gather around TVs in the bar’s back room, waited on by a staff clad in Syracuse T-shirts — many of them are SU alums, she said. Members can munch on Jim Boeheim wings and Melo mozzarella sticks, enhancing the SU atmosphere. “You’d think you were watching a game in Chuck’s,” Crisafi said. Crisafi said the most exciting moment wasduring the first game of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Not only did a chant of “Let’s Go Orange” ring through the bar, she ran into someone that see hangouts page 13
What advice would you give those who didn’t get the job they wanted or may not love the job they landed? Odds are that they didn’t land the dream job they thought they might get. But it’s good to remember that it’s only their first job, and it’s a good test to see if it’s the field they really want to do, or to use it as a way to eventually get into their dream job. If any student is going right from graduating into his or her dream job, he or she must have
see klamm page 14
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HANGOUTS F R O M P A G E 11
lived on her floor freshman year. She said: “I didn’t even feel like I graduBoston The Pour House ated.” 909 Boylston St., #21 The long-term bostonorange.org relationship between the Boston Orange and The Pour House started when one of the managers, an SU alumnus, invited the group to watch games at his bar. Since then, alumni from around Massachusetts come to the bar for games — and it gets packed. For the attendance record-breaking game against Villanova last year, people started saving seats at the bar at 11 a.m. for the 9 p.m. game, said Kristen Krikorian, former president of the group and a 1999 alumna. The group’s dedication to watching the game at the same bar has garnered some interest, she said. A writer for the Boston Metro newspaper was working on a piece about how university alumni don’t gather in bars to watch games since the advent of live-streaming sports online. When Krikorian discussed the Boston Orange’s time at The Pour House, the article took a different turn. “He had to change his story,” she said. “Despite that technology, the camaraderie you find at this place realSouthern ly brings us together California for games.” SOUTH located on The vastness of 3001 Wilshire Blvd. and The Parlor Hollywood Southern California located on 7250 Mel- has made it difficult for the SU Alumni rose Ave. socalorange.org Club of Southern California to stay in just one place for events, said Dennis Jacobs, the club’s Director of Outreach and a 2007 alumnus. Instead, the group splits its game watching between two different clubs — one in Santa Monica and another in Hollywood. Frequenting two bars gives the club an ability
commencement 2011
to cover more ground and reach more alumni, who show up en masse to watch SU athletic events, Jacobs said. “It’s always over 100 people,” he said. “Some of these big basketball games will bring in 200 to 300 people. We can’t expect them to come to one location.” SU alumni crowded a bar for the Villanova game last year, a game Jacobs remembers vividly. The bar reached maximum capacity, and Jacobs played trivia with patrons, throwing shirts to those who answered questions correctly. When SU won, Jacobs and some friends led the bar in singing the since-banned “Hey” song. “It was perfect,” he said. “That was such a perfect game and a perPhiladelphia fect day.” Tavern on Broad For Andrew Laver, 200 S. Broad St. picking a hangout locahttp://www.alumtion for Philadelphia’s niconnections. alumni club was all com/olc/pub/SYR/ about compromise. cpages/home. jsp?chapter=32 Before trying out Tavern on Broad, the group met at a smaller bar. Though they could rent out the basement, the members’ immediate past president said the place wasn’t favorable for networking and socializing because of the noise. “Some people wanted to just watch the game, not listen to music in the background,” said Laver, a 2001 graduate. In an area where Pennsylvania sports are king, Laver said it took some effort to make SU’s prestige known. Thanks to the Pinstripe Bowl and the basketball team’s presence in the NCAA Tournaments, however, Tavern on Broad has seen more orange and blue, he said. Events like that have helped build the club’s name, Laver said. One particular memory Laver has of the bar was watching SU lose to Butler in the Sweet Sixteen last year. “It wasn’t the best of memories, but it kind of showed how we were all together,” he said. “It’s kind of about the wins and losses.” smtracey@syr.edu
Come join the entrepreneurs and business leaders of CNY as we gather to hear from another famous entrepreneur and management thought leader. ■ Learn strategies to grow your company from “good to great.” ■ Network with industry leaders. ■ Train employees to think innovatively.
Company Sponsorship Packages Available. Individual Tickets Available Online.
May 17, 2011
Venue T.B.D.
(4:30 registration & reception, followed by presentation)
Seth Godin
Best-selling author, popular blogger, master marketer, and entrepreneur
Topic: Making Remarkable Products and Spreading Powerful Ideas $50 general admission. $85 preferred seating/reception.
www.fes-cny.org • info@fes-cny.org
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Being graduate student changes SU experience
or those of us who are graduating, it seems like just yesterday mom and dad were helping us move into our Syracuse residences. Compared to many of this year’s graduates, I really did just get here. I came to Syracuse University in July of last year to begin my oneyear master’s degree in magazine, newspaper and online journalism. Before I could fully accept that I’m one of the few people here that (correctly) calls soda “pop,” my parents are returning to town, signaling that it’s time to move again. To some, this time of year is fi lled with sadness and bittersweet goodbyes. Others will knock back glasses of champagne as they let out sighs of relief for their long awaited homework-less existence. I’ve thought about how I will feel when G-Day rolls around. I think I’ll be happy, proud and reminiscent, but you won’t catch me watching photo slideshows with Green Day’s “Time of Your Life” playing in the background. My Kleenex box won’t need replenishing, and if I give you a hug, you won’t have to worry about leaving my embrace with a dampened shoulder. Don’t get me wrong — my year at SU has exceeded my expectations. My knowledge of journalism has grown tenfold, I’ve made lifelong friends, and I’m much closer to figuring out what I want to do with my life.
ALICIA SMITH
do the body right But for students who have already had the undergraduate experience, graduate school commencement is merely a watered down version of the “real thing.” The nature of an intensive one-year graduate program doesn’t allow for complete immersion into the SU community, which contributes to my subdued attachment to the university. Sierra Fox, a senior who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, has been active in several campus groups during her four years here. “Everything came together to provide me with a truly beneficial college experience,” she said. “I am very reluctant to leave the opportunities and organizations that I have become attached to.” The community of graduate students at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is stronger than I imagined it would be, and I plan on maintaining the invaluable bonds I’ve formed this year with classmates and professors. But beyond the walls of New-
house, my scope of campus doesn’t extend far beyond workouts at Goldstein Fitness Center and bus stops at College Place. Preoccupation with schoolwork and internship applications eclipsed the quintessential SU events. I didn’t go to MayFest, and as a former college basketball player, I’m ashamed to say Newhouse convocation on Saturday will be my fi rst time stepping foot in the Carrier Dome. Unlike many seniors, my SU experience was almost purely confi ned to one building. “I have a greater emotional attachment to the institution as a whole,” said Crystal White, a senior illustration major. “And I’m sure that I’ll always hold SU in some sort of high regard, for various reasons, whereas I feel a grad student simply sees the school they attend for grad studies as a stepping stone in a greater plan.” White is right. I didn’t come to SU to repeat the experience I had as an undergraduate. My four years at Oberlin College were the best of my life. But that chapter was only meant to happen once. The excitement of the future entices me more than the craziness of a house party, and I don’t think my liver could handle another round of college. When I fi nished the last of my schoolwork this week, my friends and I celebrated with drinks at the Inn Complete. It epitomized my graduate student experience: separated from much of campus and surrounded by unforgettably talented individuals. We were boozed up enough to forget about schoolwork and enough to feel like undergrads again. Alicia Smith is a graduate student in the magazine, newspaper and online journalism program. She can be reached at acsmit05@ syr.edu.
DAILYORANGE.COM
KLAMM F R O M P A G E 11
gotten pretty lucky. How can new graduates avoid feeling overwhelmed after starting a new job right after graduating? Graduates should defi nitely stay in contact with their college friends as a support system. Most of them will be entering the same kind of unusual nine-to-five job situation, so they will know what others are going through and just staying in touch is a way to overcome that overwhelming feeling of jumping right into the real world after graduation. ervanrhe@syr.edu
KEEP IN TOUCH
Syracuse University’s Center for Career Services offers several services for alumni, both fresh out of college to those who haven’t graduated so recently. • 15-minute drop-in services: For a select time during the day, Career Services gives 15-minute sessions without appointments for quick questions and counseling. • Hour-long appointment: You can meet with a career counselor face-to-face to discuss in depth any issues, problems or questions you have about job searching, interview tips, and other topics. • Phone consultations: If you are out of the area, counselors are available for phone appointments if scheduled in advance. Source: careerservices.syr.edu/alumni/
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Hack departs SU after discovering profession he grew to love
ears ago, when I was just a kid, I had a conversation with my dad about what I wanted to do when I grew up. His message to me was simple: Find something that you truly love, and do it to the best of your ability. Over the years, my dad has always been the supreme example of that. I can’t think of many people who love what they do more than how much he loves being an architect. Though the day-to-day grind has undoubtedly caused its fair share of stress over the years, he genuinely loves his career and enjoys getting out of bed and going to work. Growing up, I often thought about his advice. I wasn’t sure there was anything I would enjoy doing professionally as much as he did. One thing I did love was sports. When I wasn’t playing, I spent most of my time studying and reading about the players of the major professional and college teams. I religiously read my favorite sports writers, Michael Wilbon (long before “Pardon the Interruption” came along), Thomas Boswell and Mike Wise, in The Washington Post. At one point, I was somewhat of a sports encyclopedia. Friends and family members
I
15
andrew l. john
goin’ hog wild would ask me about certain players, and I could usually give them a full biographical and statistical breakdown. When I was told I could have my choice of any book in a downtown bookstore as a gift, I chose a simple, $20 sports almanac. It wasn’t until after high school that I even thought about trying to tackle a career in sports journalism. While many of my friends and colleagues in the student media at Syracuse University have known that this is what they wanted to do since childhood, I just never thought it could happen. Not to me. I didn’t even enjoy writing growing up, and I certainly wasn’t any good at it. So how was that going to work? In addition, I had let myself get sidetracked. I found myself listening to those, most of whom knew nothing about the industry, who would tell me about
the difficulties of embarking on a career in print media. Yet that didn’t stop me. I started a sports blog and wrote about anything I thought people would be interested in. I soon found that the more I wrote the more I began to like it, and then love it. Eventually, in what I consider to be a turning point in my life, I bit the bullet and enrolled at SU with one thing in mind: I wanted to pursue what I loved to the best of my ability. I had very little writing capacity (just ask my editors), but I had a desire to learn the craft and found some of the best teachers available at The Daily Orange. During my time The D.O., I’m proud to say I’ve taken my father’s advice and truly found something I love — and I’ve tried to do it to the best of my abilities. Like so many that have gone before me at this newspaper, I’ve worked harder here than I ever have at anything else in my life. When I worked as sports editor while covering the SU football and men’s basketball teams this past season, in addition to being a full-time student, I would joke with my colleagues that we were working the equivalent of three fulltime jobs. We barely slept.
Yet despite the long hours — whether in the office, writing and reporting, or on a road trip covering a game — it rarely felt like work. I didn’t mind flying to Seattle and back, writing four stories over the course of a weekend. Nor did I mind driving back to Syracuse from Madison Square Garden during the middle of the night to make it to an early morning class the following day. Those experiences, along with the many wonderful people who I’ve associated with along the way, are why I love doing what I do. A very wise person once told me that to have a career in this business you have to love writing even more than you love sports. I hope I’m being honest with myself when I say that I have made that transformation. So after more than 250 bylines, this will be my last in the pages of this newspaper. I may be entering a tough, competitive profession that has been on the decline in recent years, but I’ve found the one thing I truly love doing. And I hope that leads to a career that I not only enjoy, but one that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. Andrew L. John is a former sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns no longer appear. You can reach him at ajohn135@gmail.com.
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Hack reflects on moment that made writing career special at Syracuse
hate writing about myself. It reminds me of a time when I was a novice writer walking into the sports office of The Daily Orange. A wise assistant sports editor who would go on to become sports editor the next semester skimmed through my unfocused profile of a swimmer, one that lacked the appropriate sourcing as well. “Why,” he asked, “did you choose this person to write about?” I chose him because I didn’t really know any better — he was offered up for interviews. More than two years later, I feel exactly the same. Why did I choose this guy? One hundred words. Too long of a lede. But it’s hard to sum up three years of writing in 700 words — probably why some of you readers didn’t think I summed up a game well enough in 700 words from time to time. I guess, though, what’s most interesting about me is that I had the privilege of covering Syracuse athletics for The Daily Orange for the past three years. Everything seems to come together so effortlessly on the page. Writing game story after game story, sometimes it does come together that way. This piece is not effortless. I thought about what I was going to write for a while, and I still don’t really have a clear topic — 200 words into the piece. My apologies to every sports editor that scolded me for that when I first started writing. Once in a while in this job, something more happens during the game that you take for granted watching as a sports fan. That’s where the effortlessness stops and the lessons begin. Sometimes, there’s more that goes into the 450 of my words and the five or six quotes from others. At times, everything prevents you from putting those words on the page. At other times, you want to make the words on that page that much more eloquent. One such moment keenly sticks out from my time at The D.O. The moment just happens to be one of the biggest events in SU sports this academic year. In writing, you have to capture moments — and the emotions that come with them — in so many words. The first was in a spacious Yankee Stadium press room as members of the Syracuse football
bret t l o giur ato
outrageous fun team filed in one by one after its Pinstripe Bowl victory. It was a lot to capture. With your beat partners, you always have a good idea of what you’re each going to write late in the fourth quarter. Then, you get a game like the Pinstripe Bowl — where a shootout and other crazy things happen. It took me back to another chilly night at Yankee Stadium, when, as a fan, I watched the Yankees come back from a Game 2 deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins in the 2009 American League Division Series. It took me back to being a fan and appreciating sports and appreciating the game I was watching, something I had lost a bit once I started writing more for The D.O. And it took me into a postgame frenzy.
Plans changed quickly with a controversial penalty call on Kansas State’s last touchdown that didn’t give the Wildcats a chance to tie the game. In the heat of the moment, I tried to capture a flurry of emotions into two stories. There was Doug Marrone’s utter jubilation as the boy from the Bronx accomplishing something in the city where he grew up. There was the sense of accomplishment from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett after his unit torched the KSU defense. Hackett jokingly asked me if “that was enough,” after I had asked him a few times during the season about opening up the playbook. There was a combination of emotions from the Syracuse players. On the other side, there was KSU head coach Bill Snyder’s tongue-tied explanation to the penalty call. There was utter disappointment all around from players. For this hack, witnessing that contest — and, in my mind, accurately capturing it — was the one of the things I’ll remember most about my time at The Daily Orange. Seven hundred words later, you might wonder why you’re still reading about me. Now you
know why I hate writing about myself. Brett LoGiurato was the sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his column will no longer appear. He can be reached at bplogiurato@gmail.com.
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16 c o m m e n c e m e n t 2 0 1 1
siena
from page 20
Siena clinched an automatic bid to the tournament when it beat Detroit 12-3 in the MAAC championship game. The one-sided affair wasn’t surprising considering the Saints have scored double-digit goals in all but three of its games this season. As it has many times this year, the Syracuse defense is going to be called on once again to hold down a potent offense. “We need to learn their personnel in the days that we have,” SU goaltender John Galloway said. “We have a good idea of what’s coming into us, but need to prepare as the days go on now until Sunday night.” Sunday will mark the second matchup between SU and Siena in the first round of the tournament. The Orange beat the Saints 11-4 in the opening round in 2009, en route to a national championship. This year, the Orange is preparing to try to stop an offense that features three players with at least 29 goals. Siena attack Bryan Neufield leads the team with 40 goals and 25 assists, anchoring the No. 1 offense in the Saints’ conference, which is averaging 11.9 goals per game. And while averaging double-digit goals, Siena is also only allowing about nine. Saints goaltender Tom Morr was the best goaltender in the MAAC this year, but he was the backup two years ago when SU and Siena played. Moor saw just over two minutes of action in that firstround game. A lot has changed in two years. This Siena team is very different. That change is keeping Syracuse focused on this weekend, and this weekend only. “It’s a different year. They have a lot of different players, and so do we,” SU attack Stephen Keogh said. “We can’t take anyone lightly, and we have to take Siena’s best and just come out ready to go.”
seeding from page 20
source of comfort. The senior class has only lost three games at home over the last four seasons. “It’s just nice to be able to be home and have another game in the Carrier Dome,” Galloway said. “I think that’s pretty important to us.” On April 12, Syracuse fell to Cornell 11-6 inside the Dome. It was the Orange’s only loss this season. Galloway said practices have been much more intense since the loss. The result: five straight wins to close the regular season and a second consecutive Big East championship. With postseason play now at the forefront, Galloway said practices will be taken up another notch. Last year’s first-round defeat to Army still lingers, and now is the time to put in the work to ensure Siena can’t pull a similar upset. “Siena might be the No. 16 seed, but they’re 0-0 just like all of us,” Galloway said. “To be able to keep playing in May, not a lot of teams have that opportunity. And we’re seizing it.” Keogh agreed that as of right now, the seeds mean nothing. But he couldn’t deny the importance of one particular ranking — the final one. And as long as Syracuse is on top of the final rankings, he will be happy. Said Keogh: “I’m happy with how the bracket ended up but — the top seed is nice, but it all matters who’s No. 1 on Memorial Day.”
Tim Desko continues to receive treatment John Desko said Monday that he would be
sports@ da ilyor a nge.com
“We know what’s at stake. Now we know the feeling of being able to exit the tournament early. Everything rides on the line every weekend now.” John Galloway
SU goaltender
During the final stretch of the regular season, the offensive struggles that plagued the Orange midway through the year disappeared. In its final five games, Syracuse averaged nearly 14 goals per game. And during that span, it allowed an average of only 5.2 goals per contest. For Syracuse, this is the start of a new season. The winner will move on to face the winner of the game between North Carolina and Maryland in the second round next weekend in Foxboro, Mass. For now, though, that game is too far in the future for Syracuse to even begin to consider — especially after what happened last year. Galloway knows the feeling of walking off the Carrier Dome turf with nothing but disappointment after last year’s first-round exit. But that’s the last way he and the most winningest senior class in Syracuse history want it to end this time. And the prospect of that happening is more than enough to keep Syracuse’s focus on Siena, and not on possible matchups in the next round. “We know what’s at stake,” Galloway said. “Now we know the feeling of being able to exit the tournament early. Everything rides on the line every weekend now, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, everybody has a chance to live.” cjiseman@syr.edu
surprised if his son Tim, a junior attack, would be able to play this weekend against Siena. John Desko said the timetable for his son’s return depends on how he reacts to the treatment for a knee infection suffered April 9 against Princeton. “That will really be up to him and how he responds to everything,” Desko said. “I’d be a little surprised for this weekend, but we’re hoping sometime after that.” Desko said Tim continues to receive treatment for his injury, and when he gets on the field comes down to a matter of when he starts to improve. “He’s been back with the trainers today getting a little bit of a workout,” SU head coach John Desko said. “I think it’s more of a stretching and kind of getting things moving again, some stimulation to help with the muscle tone. But at least the stitches are out, and he’s getting started.” In the nine games Tim Desko played at attack for SU, he scored 16 goals. Desko’s injury has allowed Tom Palasek to thrive. Palasek, also a junior attack, scored 11 goals in the six games since Desko injured his knee, and tallied at least one goal in every game. Keogh said Palasek has brought a “new edge” to the team. His speed and athleticism have given the Orange another playmaker on the offense that can create his own shot and set up teammates. Nonetheless, Tim Desko’s finishing ability around the net would be a welcome addition to SU’s roster in its hunt for a national championship.
m e n ’s b a s k e t b a l l
Local recruit Coleman climbs up wish lists with another strong year By Zach Brown Staff Writer
Bob McKenney describes DaJuan Coleman’s persona as a quiet self-confidence. As McKenney’s Jamesville-DeWitt boy’s basketball team warmed up prior to its state championship game earlier this year, the head coach McKenney surveyed the scene. He watched as his players went through their typical pregame routine before his eyes fell upon his star big man. “Is everything all right, DaJuan?” McKenney asked the 6-foot-8, 290-pound center. “Let’s just go get it done,” Coleman said. And Coleman got it done. He scored 22 points and pulled in 16 rebounds to lead Jamesville-DeWitt to its fourth straight Class A state championship, Coleman’s third in three years with the Red Rams. “He just has that quality,” McKenney said in a phone interview. “Let’s just go get it done. We can X and O, talk about this, talk about that, but at the end of the day, we have to go out and play.” Coleman has been one of the most sought-after recruits in the country since he was in eighth grade. He played for Fowler High as a 6-foot-7 eighth-grader before transferring to Jamesville-DeWitt for his freshman year. Coleman has remained among the top prospects in the nation as he has honed his low-post skills and grown into his massive frame. According to Scout.com, he currently has Division I offers from Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, West Virginia and Syracuse as he enters his senior year at J-D. “What stands out is that he is so big and he plays like he’s big,” said Scout.com national recruiting analyst Brian Snow. “I can’t say you’re surprised when you watch him. He’s kind of what you hope for him to be and what you want him to be.” Coleman did not return multiple phone calls, but McKenney said the center has been that typical big man since he first started coaching him as a freshman. Back then, Coleman was still adjusting to his size. Both Snow and McKenney said he wasn’t quite out of shape but he still had some “baby fat” on him. And with his size and inexperience at that point, his game was all power and strength. “It was a lot of times just overpowering people at that point,” McKenney said. “Now he’s learning to play with a little more finesse and how to use that strength, not have to work quite so hard to get the same shot that he used to get.” But before those skills developed, Coleman took a backseat to senior guards Brandon Triche, now a starter for SU, and Alshwan
Hymes, who played in every game for Canisius last year. McKenney said Coleman picked up some of his quiet confidence from Triche. The head coach said the experience of being a secondary option as a freshman helped him stay humble, despite all the attention he received. “He played his role,” McKenney said. “He could have come in and commanded the ball a lot more than he did, but he just kind of slid in and accepted that he was a freshman playing with two great players.” Triche and Hymes led J-D to a state championship that year. But since then, Coleman has become the main attraction. He demands the ball now on the rare occasion his teammates aren’t feeding him down low. Kentucky head coach John Calipari was at the state championship this year to watch Coleman perform. Scout.com currently ranks Coleman as the No. 3 center in the Class of 2012. He scored 21.7 points per game for the Red Rams last year. Snow said Coleman was “definitely college-ready” and compared him to first-team All-American Jared Sullinger from Ohio State. “He’s probably not going to come in and put Jared Sullinger numbers up,” Snow said. “But like Jared, he has a college-ready body, a college-ready physique, a collegeready game. “And he’s going to make an immediate impact on college basketball.” McKenney has watched Coleman grow from that overpowering freshman to the collegeready player Snow described. He said Coleman has put in the time to develop his skills in the paint. And even if the center doesn’t influence the college game immediately through scoring, McKenney believes he will do so through defense and rebounding. But Coleman hasn’t reached his full potential just yet. Coleman did knock down two 3-pointers in the state championship game last year, but McKenney said his perimeter game can get better. Snow said he could add some explosion and improve his footwork. And though Coleman’s potential is intriguing to scouts, he is a top recruit because of his play on the court. “At the end of the day, it’s about what do you get done,” Snow said. “DaJuan Coleman gets a lot done on the floor to go along with being a good prospect going forward. He’s not shrinking, he’s not getting smaller, so you know he’s always going to have that size and physicality for him to go along with being a super productive player.” zjbrown@syr.edu
Big man on campus
DaJuan Coleman has blossomed into one of the top high school big men in the country heading into his senior season. The Jamesville-DeWitt center is a gifted rebounder and scorer in the low post, making him a coveted recruit in Syracuse’s backyard. Here’s a look at how he stacks up with the top 5 centers in the class of 2012, according to Scout.com: Ranking
Player
College choice
Height/weight
2 Isaiah Austin
Baylor
7-0/200
1 Andre Drummond
Undecided
6-11/265
3
DaJuan Coleman
Undecided
6-8/280
mjcohe02@syr.edu
4
Kaleb Tarczewski
Undecided
7-0/220
— Sports Editor Brett LoGiurato contributed reporting to this article.
5
Cameron Ridley Texas
6-9/260
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row ing
commencement 2011
17
Men’s crew’s NCAA exclusion draws split opinions at Syracuse By Nick Toney
Contributing Writer
Gina Biascoechea understands the benefits of Title IX. But the sophomore Syracuse women’s rower doesn’t understand why her sport has to be split by sex. “Our team (the SU women’s rowing team) gets an earlier season, more team gear and more scholarships,” Biascoechea said. The NCAA has never been affiliated with the country’s oldest intercollegiate sport, men’s rowing. But women’s rowing is a different story. When the SU women’s rowing team raced on May 1, on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., it finished fourth in the Big East championship, in an NCAA-affiliated meet. Women’s rowing is an official NCAA sport with recognized conferences and an official NCAA championship in three divisions. Men’s rowing is not. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association is the men’s answer to NCAA rowing exclusion. But SU men’s rowing head coach Dave Reischman said winning a Big East championship would be more glamorous than winning the IRA. “It’d be great for the men’s team to be able to say we were the best in the Big East,” Reischman said. “People get that, and name recognition would come easily because of the Big East conference. “ The reason for the divide in collegiate rowing between genders is simple. It comes down to Title IX. The 1972 Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act stipulates that all federally funded programs must offer equal opportunities and dedicate equal resources to men and women. Women’s rowing became an NCAA-affiliated sport in 1996, in part to help the scholarship inequities addressed by Title IX legislation. The size of a Division I college football roster makes resources less available for other men’s teams. Syracuse football has 85 permitted scholarship athletes. Women’s rowing teams help offset the gender disparity created by football. Reischman said teams can have up to 60 participants and 20 full scholarships. “I don’t find it fair that the women’s crew team has more advantages than the men’s team because of the football team,” said Biascoechea, the SU women’s rower.
Adding an entire men’s rowing team — and the scholarships, trips, meals, housing and other services that come with NCAA athletes — would further scramble the gender participation balance Title IX strives to achieve, regardless of how long colleges have been racing. But to Craig Amerkhanian, Stanford’s director of rowing, excluding deserving student-athletes isn’t fair, regardless of gender. “Men’s rowing would enhance the image and mission of the NCAA,” Amerkhanian said. “They would perform at the highest level in the classroom and on the water, just like any other student-athlete.” Amerkhanian said men’s rowing needs the major conferences associated with rowing — the Pac-10, the Big Ten and the Big East — to get behind deserving rowers and propose legislation to affiliate men’s rowing with the NCAA. But men’s crew has made no such proposal, said Cameron Schuh, the NCAA’s associate director of public and media relations. A few schools did petition the NCAA for inclusion in 2005. But it didn’t garner enough support. Reischman said the doomed petition was the last window of opportunity for men’s crew to become NCAA-sanctioned. If the implementation of Title IX started to close that window, the customs associated with more than 150 years of men’s rowing may slam it shut. Many rowers and coaches nationwide don’t want the NCAA to interfere with the way they’ve always operated. Syracuse men’s team co-captain Mike Gennaro said keeping rowing traditions intact outweighs any prospect of gender equity in the sport. “I can’t see men’s rowing becoming an NCAA sport because of all of the tradition involved with the sport,” Gennaro said. “It’s been this way for decades, and changing things now could potentially complicate things just as much as it would organize things.” One of those traditions is shirt trading, a custom in which the winning boat of a race receives the shirts of the losing team’s rowers. Reischman said that at the IRA Championships, a rower in the winning boat will receive 16 shirts from 16 losing teams. But shirt-trading would be viewed as gambling should men’s rowing become NCAA-affili-
ashli truchon | staff photographer The SU men’s rowing team is not currently a part of the NCAA. With many traditions in the sport, head coach Dave Reischman doesn’t think an immediate move is necessary. ated and the tradition would be subject to NCAA sanctioning, Reischman said. Two more rowing rituals, freshman races and lightweight crew, would also end under NCAA rules. Traditions aside, Amerkhanian believes a potential NCAA inclusion would benefit all of men’s rowing. The United States Olympic Rowing Team, for instance, would have a broader field of student-athletes to pick from. “It is absolutely time for the oldest collegiate sport to become a part of the NCAA,” Amerkhanian said.
But if NCAA inclusion for men’s rowing becomes a question of gender impartiality, Reischman said the answer isn’t that obvious. “Was it fair that from 1852 — when our sport first started racing — to about 30 years ago, women had limited opportunities in sports across the board? ” Reischman said. “It wasn’t fair. And if staying out of the NCAA is something that helps correct that in some small way, then I’ll stay with the IRA.” nctoney@syr.edu
18 c o m m e n c e m e n t 2 0 1 1
sof tba ll
sports@ da ilyor a nge.com
After last season’s surprise, SU looks to repeat as Big East champions By Ryne Gery Staff Writer
Going into the Big East tournament a year ago, the Syracuse softball team was an inexperienced group that often made costly mistakes in key situations. So before the Orange stepped off the bus in Louisville, Ky., last season, head coach Leigh Ross gave her team some final advice. Who: Pittsburgh Where: Louisville, Ky. “You have to When: May 12, 10 a.m. turn your fear into trust,” Ross told her team. “So if youíre nervous right now, trust. Trust yourself. Trust your teammates.” SU took the advice to heart and surprised the rest of the Big East field by winning the conference tournament championship. Ross said her team played without fear and believed it would win. Syracuse (41-11, 15-5 Big East) carried that belief into this spring and set the program record for the most wins in a season. Now heading into the 2011 Big East tournament, the team is recognized as a legitimate contender to repeat. As the No. 3 seed, SU will take on No. 6
UP NEXT
seed Pittsburgh (34-16, 13-8 Big East) in the first round Thursday at 10 a.m. in Louisville’s Ulmer Stadium. The Orange enters the tournament riding an 11-game winning streak and confident in its chances to make another run, especially after a three-game sweep of conference rival Louisville to close out the regular season. With the sweep, SU finally proved it could beat an elite team in the conference. Before that series, the team had been swept by upper-echelon Big East teams South Florida and Notre Dame. It lost both games to the Irish by a total of 10 runs. Its only conference wins had come against Rutgers, Providence, Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall — all teams with losing overall records. To get the sweep, SU had to come back from a 4-0 deficit in the first inning of game two. Lisaira Daniels said last year’s team would have folded in that situation. But this Orange team didnít panic and responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. “We have so much confidence this year,î Daniels said. “Nothing’s going to stop us. If you can’t stop us, I’m sorry, we’re going to keep hitting the ball and doing what we do.”
That confidence remained high even after a costly mental error ended the rally. Pinch runner Leah Porter was picked off at second base, wasting another opportunity to score. When Porter returned to the dugout, no one was upset with her. The SU players just grabbed their gloves and took the field. The team immediately moved on, knowing someone would step up later to erase the mistake. “Nobody dwelled on it,” Ross said. “That’s easier to let go of mistakes. It’s easier to play better when you know you can let go of mistakes.” The Orange got three quick outs on defense and began its offensive half of the inning with back-to-back home runs to take the lead. SU added two more runs in the frame and ultimately won the game 9-5. Throughout the series, the team stayed calm in pressure situations. Pitcher Jenna Caira escaped two bases-loaded jams unscathed. And Stacy Kuwik stranded a runner at third with a strikeout to preserve a one-run lead in the sixth inning of the final game. The dominant pitching coupled with a hot lineup down the stretch has SU in good spirits going into the Big East tournament. Caira said if the team plays up to its capabilities, the
Congratulations class of 2011!
Orange can challenge any team in the conference. ìIf we play against Louisville, Notre Dame and USF, for example, thatís going to be a tight game,” Caira said. “So we have to make sure that we just buckle down and play our game – the way that we’ve been playing for the last 11 games.” Though another Big East championship would be nice, Ross already has an eye on the national landscape. SU’s main goal is to make a deeper postseason run this year. And with 41 wins, she hopes her team has done enough to earn a trip to the NCAA tournament regardless of how the conference tournament ends. Ross said she is going to keep her pregame speech simple Thursday. She said SU is already motivated and understands how to win. Caira made that motivation clear. The pitcher said the team is focused on repeating as Big East champions right now. “That is our main goal right now because weíre just going to take it one step at a time,î Caira said. ìWeíre going to make sure we take care of business at the Big East tournament.” rjgery@syr.edu
commencement 2011
SPORTS 20
SIENA VS. SYRACUSE SUNDAY, 7:30 P.M., ESPNU
page 20
the daily orange
1
danielle parhizkaran | asst. photo editor tom palasek and No. 1-seeded SU will take on Siena in the first round of the NCAA tournament. SU is looking to rebound from last year’s shocking first-round exit to Army.
In
focus
Off last year’s early exit, SU not looking past matchup with Siena
By Chris Iseman
O
Asst. Copy Editor
ne of the biggest challenges Syracuse faces heading into the first round of the NCAA tournament can’t be solved on the field. But it might be the one thing that can prevent the Orange from suffering an early upset — as it did a year ago when it lost to Army in the opening round. “I think it’s all about focus,” Syra-
cuse head coach John Desko said. “I think it’s our job to get across to the players the team we’re playing against — what their characteristics are.” Syracuse received the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament last Sunday after it finished its season as the top team in the nation. Now, as Syracuse (14-1, 6-0 Big East) prepares to play Siena (13-4, 5-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in the first round Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in
the Carrier Dome, staying focused on the Saints is the crucial point of emphasis for Desko and his players. The Orange is determined not to overlook unseeded Siena in the tournament. As the Orange learned from last year’s first-round defeat to Army, taking an opponent lightly can quickly end a team’s championship hopes.
see siena page 16
With strong tournament field, Desko realizes importance of No. 1 seed By Michael Cohen Asst. Sports Editor
Stephen Keogh and John Galloway downplayed the significance of being the No. 1 seed. Getting the top spot in the NCAA tournament “doesn’t really matter” to Syracuse lacrosse players. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think a lot of guys really look at it that way,”
said the senior attack Keogh. “The seeding really doesn’t matter,” Galloway added. “As a freshman, we won as a No. 3 seed. As a sophomore, I think we won as a No. 2 seed.” But their head coach begs to differ. In what he considers to be one of the strongest fields in tournament history, John Desko stressed the
importance of being a top seed this season. And when his Orange (141, 6-0 Big East) squad was tabbed No. 1 by the selection committee last Sunday, the path to a third national championship in four years began unlike the previous two. But Desko will take it. “This year, I think it was important to be one of the upper seeds
because a lot of teams in the bottom of the bracket are very strong teams,” Desko said. “They look more like second-round games than firstround games. So on paper, I think to be No. 1 or No. 2 would help your cause.” Syracuse’s cause begins with a date against unseeded Siena on Sunday. Though the Saints are the
only nationally unranked team in the field, they come into the tournament with a 13-4 overall record and the eighth-best scoring offense in the country. As the top seed, SU will play its first game at home in the Carrier Dome. For Galloway and Keogh, both seniors, the home-field advantage is a see seeding page 16