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september 18, 2013
t h e i n de pe n de n t s t u de n t n e w spa pe r of s y r acuse , n e w yor k
INSIDENEWS
INSIDEOPINION
Fashion forward A local show helps
Electric smoke The use of e-cigarettes
promote clothing businesses in Armory Square. Page 7
demands regulation before the trend becomes a phenomenon. Page 5
INSIDEPULP
On the ball
An SU alumnus describes the culture of street basketball in the documentary, “Baillin’ in the Graveyard.” Page 9
Up in
INSIDESPORTS
ONLINE
Just enough Alex Halis’ one goal was
Play on
The Sex & Health columnist creates a playlist to use during foreplay. dailyorange.com
enough for Syracuse to top Connecticut. Page 16
A
smoke
t first glance, it can be
hard to discern the difference between an electronic cigarette and a traditional one. Both supply the user with nicotine and both emit smoke. But in reality, electronic cigarettes, commonly know as e-cigarettes, aren’t like traditional ciga-
Use of electronic cigarettes rises among young people across the country
rettes at all. The smoke that leaves the lungs is actually vapor, and rather than lighting up, users simply insert batteries and take a drag. In the last couple of years, the use of e-cigarettes has increased among young people. The increase can also be attributed to users
Text by Avery Hartmans STAFF WRITER
preferring the new trend of emitting vapor
Photo Illustration by Drew Osumi
instead of smoke and e-cigarettes’ cost-effective-
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ness. Although e-cigarettes offer an alternative to traditional cigarettes, to many, it’s still unclear whether they’re actually a healthier option, especially to young users. E-cigarettes have battery-operated systems and turn nicotine, a highly addictive substance, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user, Jenny Haliski, a press officer in the Food and Drug Administration Office of Media Affairs, said in an email. SEE E-CIGARETTES PAGE 8
DPS reports recent pattern of burglaries involving fake utility workers By Alfred Ng ASST. NEWS EDITOR
On Monday night, Department of Public Safety and Syracuse Police Department officers questioned a man representing a utilities company, due to a recent series of burglaries involving people impersonating utility workers. The man was going door-to-door for Columbia Utilities in areas sur-
rounding campus, and was questioned by police on the corner of Euclid and Ostrom avenues. Police let the man go after determining he wasn’t involved in any of the burglaries, said Ryan Beauford, a DPS commander. He added that no arrests have been made for any of the reported burglaries. Connie, a representative from the Columbia Utilities company who
declined to provide her full name, said the company engages in door-todoor solicitations to attract customers to its third-party energy service. Since the start of the fall semester, DPS has received three to four reported incidents of this style of burglary with students living in off-campus housing, Beauford said. On Sept. 9, a burglar entered a Remington Garden Apartments resi-
dent’s home by posing as a utilities worker, according to a DPS public safety release. While claiming to check the building’s utilities, the person stole the resident’s iPad and cash from different rooms, the notice said. Beauford said students should be wary of unscheduled visits from utility companies, and to always check for an ID card and a corresponding uniform. “If you live off campus and you
have not had a pre-arranged appointment, then you probably need to check with your landlord before you let somebody in your house,” he said. “This happens all over, where you have someone pretend to be a handyman, so these sorts of scams are not just specific to Syracuse University, on or off campus.” alng@syr.edu @alfredwkng