free
WEDNESDAY
jan. 31, 2018 high 29°, low 27°
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 • Campaign launch
P • Royal beats
New York state Sen. John DeFrancisco launched his campaign for governor Tuesday. He made the announcement at a hotel in the suburban village of Liverpool. Page 3
dailyorange.com
Marcus Suraci didn’t know how to make music six months ago. Now, he produces his own tunes at the Makerspace at the Onondaga County Public Library. Page 7
S • Finding a spot
Oshae Brissett and Marek Dolezaj have utilized their vastly different skillsets in similar roles at the high post, especially against opposing teams’ zones. Page 12
on campus
Bargaining chip SU’s lobbying expenditures drop significantly
Since Syracuse University hit its peak spending in 2013, it has been spending less and less on influencing federal policy and legislation. In the highly competitive political market, SU falls far behind in lobbying spending compared to its peer institutions. LOBBYING EXPENDITURES ($)
By Catherine Leffert asst. news editor
By Sara Swann
Syracuse University has been spending less and less money in efforts to influence policy decisions in Washington, D.C. The university’s spending on lobbying the federal government peaked in 2013 with a total of $300,000, records show. But since then, lobbying expenses in 2017 dropped to less than $50,000 — the lowest since 2000. When asked about the decrease in spending, Chancellor Kent Syverud said the lobbying totals were “surprising” to him and he had “no idea” where the numbers were coming from. SU’s lobbying disclosures can be found through a query of a United States Senate database or a U.S. House of Representatives database. In the last year, Syverud said the university has restructured its government relations team, which handles SU’s lobbying activity. After the second quarter of 2017, SU switched its main lobbyist from Eric Persons to Tim Drumm. Persons had lobbied for the university since 2011. “We’ve been doing a lot more interactive outreach with all levels of government, in the last year, than
see lobbying page 4
The key figures behind SU’s lobbying practices By Sam Ogozalek and Sara Swann the daily orange
There are several key members to Syracuse University’s Office of Government and Community Relations. One of them directly lobbies officials on behalf of SU. Others coordinate local outreach with community organizations. Included below is a breakdown of who’s representing the university on policy matters at the federal, state and local levels. Eric Persons, a former registered lobbyist for SU who recently took a job at Cazenovia College, is detailed as part of the following list. He no longer works with the university, but lobbied for SU between 2011-17. Bea González, who works with community relations, is see team page 4
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0 2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
BOSTON COLLEGE
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY TULANE UNIVERSITY
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
what is lobbying? Lobbying is when companies, labor unions, universities or other organizations attempt to influence federal, state or local politics by spending money on issues and policies important or relevant to them. These organizations typically hire lobbyists to communicate their needs and the rationale behind them to political actors at any level.
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
ABOUT $272,000 TOTAL SPENT ON LOBBYING
senior staff writer
1st LGBT center forum held
LESS THAN $50,000
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
PEER INSTITUTIONS
$300,000
$2,200
The most Syracuse University has spent so far on federal lobbying
Amount Syracuse University lobbied on the state and local levels during the first half of 2017
graphics by casey darnell design editor
A Colgate University official on Tuesday delivered a presentation on why Syracuse University should hire him to fill the LGBT Resource Center’s vacant position of director. Khristian Kemp-Delisser, Colgate’s assisKEMP-DELISSER tant dean and director of LGBTQ initiatives, spoke during an open forum in CrouseHinds Hall, detailing how he would run the center. The former director of the LGBT Resource Center, Tiffany Gray, left SU last fall to take a job with West Chester University’s LGBTQA Services. After her resignation, Rob Pusch, a former member of the University Senate’s Committee on LGBT Concerns, was appointed interim director of the center. The university is now searching for Gray’s permanent replacement. Kemp-Delisser was the first of two candidates scheduled to give a presentation to campus community members this week. “Khristian serves … at Colgate University where they have supported students and guided the office through a period of unrest, student protests and institutional leadership transition,” said Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. Kemp-Delisser graduated from SU in 2001 and was on campus when the LGBT Resource Center was established. He also received graduate degrees from The University of Vermont, Burlington, where he wrote a dissertation about perceptions of campus climate for queer students of color. “I come to this as a member of your community, as someone who has been active in trying to shift campus climate around LGBTQ issues for a long time and has made a distinction in my brand and my pattern,” Kemp-Delisser said. During the forum, Kemp-Delisser presented strategies he used at Colgate, including a “leave-themalone” technique he described as allowing LGBTQ students of color to create their own spaces. About 15 people attended the forum, to learn more about what Kemp-Delisser would envision for LGBT student support services at SU. “I’ve been in a dual-multiplicity space,” Kemp-Delisser said. “It comes out linking my salient identities as a gay man. I came out when I came to see forum page 4