free
TUESDAY
jan. 30, 2018 high 23°, low 12°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Refugee decline
A significant decrease in the number of refugees resettling in Syracuse between 2016 and 2017 could have negative effects on the area’s economy, experts say. Page 3
O • Helping hands
Liberal columnist Lauren Silverstein suggests ways for students to get more involved in the greater Syracuse community this semester. Page 5
P • Lending a hand
dailyorange.com
Volunteers recently took to the streets of central New York to conduct a count of homeless individuals in the region. They will now work to assist those in need. Page 7
S • Pistol Pete
Peter Dourdas has trained Syracuse-area locals and SU basketball players alike in recent decades. His training is based on basketball fundamentals. Page 12
DEMANDING REFUGE
student association
Group debates speech bill By India Miraglia staff writer
A bill was introduced at Monday’s Student Association meeting to allow all people affiliated with Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF to speak freely at SA meetings. Obi Afriyie, SA’s parliamentarian, said he felt the bill would give more representation to graduate students, part-time students and faculty who do not pay student activity fees, which prevents them from joining SA. The new bill would allow those students to have a voice in decisions made about the campus, said Ryan Golden, an SA representative.
what is sa?
More than 150 people marched through downtown Syracuse on Monday to protest controversial immigration policies enforced by President Donald Trump’s administration. paul schlesinger staff photographer
Regional activists split on mayor’s ‘sanctuary city’ stance By Shweta Karikehalli asst. copy editor
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yracuse resident Rebecca Fuentes said a friend of hers was detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency just four days before Christmas. Fuentes, a member of the prominent regional CNY Solidarity Coalition activist group, said the father of three young children was held by ICE after dropping his wife off at work, and eventually taken to a detention facility in Batavia, a small city in western New York. It’s moments like this Fuen-
tes hopes Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh keeps in mind, she said, as he considers the “sanctuary city” issue. She remains positive about the new mayor’s outlook on federal immigration policy, Fuentes said. And she’s not alone. A few members of the CNY Solidarity Coalition, which has staged several protests since the election of President Donald Trump, say they think Walsh is headed in the right direction. But other local activists disagree. Members of the coalition are still concerned by Walsh’s hesitation to publicly use the “sanctuary city”
phrase to describe Syracuse, about a year after the terminology received national recognition after Trump’s administration implemented a controversial travel ban that affected several majority Muslim countries. A sanctuary city is a broad term that generally means a jurisdiction will not require local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE detainers. Walsh has said the phrase “sanctuary city” is not a legal definition. Walsh, an independent who swept into office this past year by promising a nonpartisan approach to politics, has see sanctuary page 6
Protesters march in Syracuse on anniversary of travel ban By Kennedy Rose asst. news editor
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earing a black suit, a red tie and a gigantic papiermache head that resembled President Donald Trump, a protester marched up to Syracuse’s City Hall and held a sign reading “Deport me!” The protester’s outfit included a phone with the Twitter logo on it, a devil tail and a Nazi-style armband with “45” written on it. A year after a massive protest at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport in opposition of Trump’s con-
troversial travel ban, more than 150 people marched down Montgomery Street on Monday afternoon. They chanted, “from Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go!” and were met by honks of approval and cheers from passing cars. Community members on Monday gathered to protest Trump’s inflammatory remarks toward immigrants, the uncertainty surrounding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the executive order, initially signed last year, that banned travel from several majority Muslim countries.
The Workers’ Center of CNY organized the march, in collaboration with the CNY Solidarity Coalition, Black Lives Matter Syracuse and the Syracuse Peace Council. Several churches and community groups also participated in the demonstration, including the Central New York Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition, Syracuse United Neighbors and the University United Methodist Church. Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, director of the central New York Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, also spoke at the rally in front of City Hall, where see protest page 4
The Student Association is the the student government body of the university. SA is currently in its 61st legislative session, and James Franco is president. Outside of the cabinet, there are five committees and four boards, which report to the association.
Current SA rules mandate that members of the organization have to yield their time to any audience member wishing to speak. Then, that decision to yield must be voted on and approved by the SA assembly. William Pritchett, an SA representative, introduced the bill, which will not be voted on until next week. Some members said they were concerned the bill could make debates and discussions during the meeting longer and more disorderly. The bill, which could potentially allow graduate students and faculty to speak freely during meetings, could take some of SA’s focus away from SU’s undergraduate population, some members said.
Other business
• Members of SUNY-ESF’s Undergraduate Student Association also became liaisons to SA on Monday. James Quinn, a SUNY-ESF student, will be the official liaison between the university and SU. Anton Antchoutine and Gary King, also SUNY-ESF students, will act as informal liaisons. • Quinn said he hopes this partnership will increase coordination between the colleges and allow more joint events to be held. • President James Franco and Vice President Angie Pati announced an SA sponsorship of ‘Cuse for Good, a series of events intended to address the need for conversations surrounding social justice. • The event was developed by SU’s see bill page 4