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october 24, 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
I LEADER OF THE PACK SU to help lead campaign for NCAA student-athlete mental health awareness
illustration by andy casadonte | art director
By Jesse Dougherty ASST. COPY EDITOR
n student-athlete mental health issues such as concussion prevention, Syracuse University’s Tim Neal has been ahead of the curve. The assistant athletic director of sports medicine was selected to attend the NCAA Concussion in Sport Medical Management Summit as an expert in 2010. Many of the issues raised at the summit — educating student-athletes about concussions, building a strong
rapport between players and trainers, monitoring the physicality of practices in contact sports — had been part of Syracuse’s concussion-prevention program for decades, he said. Now, Neal is again at the forefront of a major issue in college athletics: tackling the growing prevalence of mental health issues among student-athletes. “The more we’re learning about mental health issues in college-age adults, along with some reports
of student-athletes having issues,” Neal said. Nearly two years ago, Neal brought these issues to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) attention when he approached Jim Thornton, the organization’s president, at a sports medicine meeting. Thornton was convinced of the need to address student-athlete mental health issues. Thornton compiled a team of 11 writers headed by Neal to draft a
SEE NCAA PAGE 8
NY comptroller speaks on SU tax exemptions, donations By Alfred Ng ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Without its tax-exempt status as a nonprofit, Syracuse University would pay
the city $24 million in taxes every year. This was discovered by Thomas DiNapoli, New York State comptroller, who spoke at city hall on
Wednesday morning alongside the city’s mayor, Stephanie Miner. DiNapoli came to Syracuse to speak on the issue of tax-exempt
properties burdening the state. He chose to come to Syracuse specifically because Miner had raised this issue with him shortly after
she became mayor. SU makes up a part of the 51 percent of tax-exempt properties in
SEE TAXES PAGE 11
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Born and raised SU dining halls featured
Head strong SU is proactive in leading a
Ice, ice baby Syracuse University has
Sidekicks Student coaches Mark Brode
Final tune-up Syracuse cross country heads
local cuisine as part of Campus Sustainability Day. Page 3
change in NCAA for mental health awareness. Page 5
its own official ice cream flavor, Otto’s Cupcake. Page 13
and Louis Clark provide Ian McIntyre assistance on — but mostly off — the field. Page 24
to Ithaca, N.Y., for one last meet before the ACC Championships. See dailyorange.com