October 31, 2019 by The Daily Orange

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Faculty members pressed Chancellor Kent Syverud on his plans for the university’s free speech policies at a University Senate meeting on Wednesday. Page 3

The Editorial Board commends the NCAA’s decision to allow college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, but the organization needs to do more. Page 5

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CNY Ghost Hunters have been investigating paranormal activity together since 1997. The group raises money for historical sites that they investigate. Page 7

Paul Flanagan built the Syracuse ice hockey program out of nothing when he started in 2008. Last year, the Orange won their firstever conference championship. Page 12

‘Perfect balance’

J. COLE SMITH stepped into the role of dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the beginning of the month. He previously served as an associate provost at Clemson University and worked as a professor of industrial engineering. corey henry photo editor

Dean finds opportunity for research, social impact at SU By India Miraglia asst. news editor

ean J. Cole Smith wasn’t looking for another job when the opportunity to lead a college at Syracuse University crossed his path. Smith previously served as associate provost for academic initiatives at Clemson University. A search firm reached out to him about the SU position. Smith drafted a note declining the possible position, but the firm said something that made him pause. “I know you’re not interested in other jobs right now,” they said. “But I thought you might like this one.” In the end, Smith never hit send on his message, and on Oct. 1, he took on the role of dean of SU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. His vision for his new school is twofold. “Where people think of the best engineering universities in the world, I want them to have Syracuse on their mind,” he said. “But I also want us to be differentiated in our creativity and our application to

city

Microsoft to launch tech hub in Syracuse By Marnie Muñoz staff writer

The Syracuse Common Council will vote on Monday to approve a memorandum recognizing the city, Syracuse University and Microsoft as partners in the Syracuse Surge initiative. The Surge aims to boost economic growth and increase the city’s technological capabilities. SU announced earlier in October that it would be collaborating with the city and Microsoft on the initiative. Through the collaboration,

the three partners will work to advance city goals in public safety, energy and job creation. SU students will also gain career experience. Sam Edelstein, the city’s chief data officer, spoke at a Wednesday meeting of the Department of Public Works Committee. “As many, many cities across the country are considering how they improve their use of data and technology …. us being a model, I think, is a real opportunity,” Edelstein said. Microsoft also announced plans to open a hub in Syracuse to see tech page 4

problems of societal need.” It was the size of the college that first stood out to Smith when considering the dean position, he said. About 1,500 undergraduate students are enrolled at SU’s engineering school — a smaller number than other engineering colleges, Smith said. The smaller population will allow Smith to get to know the faculty and students around him, he said. Half of his job will be external facing, including professional development and helping to advance the university. The other half will be internal: mentoring and interacting with students. “It’s the perfect balance,” he said. Smith’s appointment marked the end of a monthslong search to find a permanent replacement for former Dean Teresa Dahlberg, who stepped down to become vice chancellor and provost at Texas Christian University. His transition to SU has been busy, see smith page 4

on campus

SU surpasses fundraising record By Gabe Stern

asst. news editor

Fiscal year 2019 was Syracuse University’s largest fundraising year in its history, the university announced Wednesday. SU raised more than $163 million in the fiscal year, an increase of nearly 9% from the previous fiscal year. The university raised about $150 million in the 2018 fiscal year. The fundraising includes gifts and pledges, as well as goods and services donated as gifts from individuals and organizations. SU will use the fundraising to support financial aid opportunities, Chancellor Kent Syverud said

in July 2018. This includes a scholarship program for high school valedictorians and salutatorians. SU also created a $3,300 tuition premium for freshmen who enrolled in fall 2018, raising the total tuition estimate to $50,230. About 75% of SU students received some form of financial aid, totaling more than $390 million. More than half of this fiscal year’s fundraising came from alumni. The university attracted more than 60,000 new donors, a 16% increase from the previous fiscal year. There was also a 50% increase in gifts of over $500,000 during the 2019 fiscal year and a 3.5% increase in gifts of more than $1 million.

SU is more than two years into its Invest Syracuse initiative, a plan to raise $100 million to improve university academics, student life and financial aid opportunities. As part of the initiative, the university sought $40 million in fundraising to support scholarships. The university has already raised $54 million. SU raised $1.76 million from the 2018 Boost the ‘Cuse initiative, according to the release. The university is about to launch its largest campaign since the school’s inception. SU said in the release it will have a “historic announcement” related to fundraising in early November. gkstern@syr.edu

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Year in review State Sen. Rachel May discusses her first year in political office. May previously worked at SU. See Monday’s paper

NEWS

Evictions study Syracuse tenant activists and SU researchers detail their work on a study of tenant evictions. See Monday’s paper

Political chaos Students in SU Abroad’s Chile program are experiencing violent protests in the city of Santiago. See Monday’s paper

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university senate

Syverud pressed on free speech By Sam Ogozalek

special projects editor

Cultural awareness The Muslim Chaplaincy at Syracuse University hosted a panel in Bird Library meant to improve understanding of Islam and engage community members in dialogue. Wednesday’s talk was titled “Insight into the Gender Jihad,” the fifth of seven sessions introducing different aspects of Islam. Muslim Chaplain Amir Durcic has facilitated the series. tommy wu contributing photographer

on campus

SU adds personal pronoun feature on MySlice By Gillian Follett asst. copy editor

When khristian kemp-delisser became director of the LGBT Resource Center last spring, they knew that Syracuse University had room to improve how it reflected diversity in gender identities. As of earlier this month, SU students can now indicate their pronouns on their MySlice profile. The service was developed by the university’s Pronoun, Gender and Preferred Name Advisory Council to allow gender-nonconforming students to identify themselves more accurately and feel more included

on campus, kemp-delisser said. As the assistant dean and director of LGBTQ initiatives at Colgate University, kemp-delisser oversaw the creation of a feature that allowed people to specify their pronouns across different platforms. The feature helped to increase the visibility of gender on campus, and its success inspired kemp-delisser to introduce a similar service at SU. “I want every student to feel like they are seen and heard from,” they said. In addition to kemp-delisser’s experience, the pronoun feature was based on a 2016 directive from Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Work-

group on Diversity and Inclusion. kemp-delisser serves as co-chair of the pronoun advisory council. They also compared SU’s practices to recommendations by the Campus Pride Index, an online tool that provides information about the experiences of LGBTQ students. The feature expands on MySlice’s preferred name option, introduced in 2017. That option enables students to identify themselves by a name that differs from the one on their official records. Pronouns are equally important in terms of an individual’s identity as their name, kemp-delisser said. Giving students the option to indicate

their pronouns was a necessary addition for true inclusivity, they said. The council asked for student input while creating the pronoun feature, said Aley O’Mara, a doctoral student and council member. Many gender-nonconforming students were frustrated by the need to constantly restate their pronouns in academic settings, they said. “Now, people can be called what they want to be called — by their name — and have their pronouns front and center, ideally, to cut down on some of that emotional labor of having to introduce themselves over and over and over see pronouns page 4

national

Experts weigh in on proposed Title IX changes By Gabe Stern

asst. news editor

Proposed changes to Title IX sparked concerns from campus leaders last November. Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud publicly condemned two provisions in the proposal, and Student Association criticized the changes as a whole. Nearly a year later, those changes have yet to be implemented. Several experts told The Daily Orange they expect to see Title IX changed at some point, but they don’t know when it will happen. “To this day there are a lot of questions,” said Andrew Miltenberg, a New York-based lawyer specializing in Title IX due process cases. “Not a lot of answers.” The U.S. Department of Education’s proposal would shift the

definition of sexual harassment to unwanted conduct on the basis of sex that is “so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity.” Currently, sexual harassment is defined by federal standards as “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature.” The definition would give increased clarity on what is acceptable under the law, said Casey Johnson, an associate attorney at the Syracuse branch of law firm Bousquet Holstein PLLC. But for victims, he would want a system where they can get support while continuing their education in a safe environment. “Making sure that it’s a fair system for everyone involved, that’s really hard,” said John-

son, who advises both plaintiffs and defendants. After the proposed changes went public, the DOE received about 100,000 comments during its public comment period, which ended just before February, NPR reported. Syverud sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on behalf of the university. Syverud’s letter condemned two recommended provisions: changing the definition of sexual harassment and requiring universities that allow students accused of sexual assault to cross-examine their accusers. “Syracuse University strongly believes that the adjudication procedures in the (proposed rules) would harm students and deter the filing of sexual assault and harassment complaints,” Syverud said in the letter, which

he forwarded in a campus-wide email last January. Several lawyers who advise students in Title IX hearings at SU are unsure of what type of weight the public’s input will hold — or whether the public at large or lobbyist groups have the most say. “It’s the legislators that write the language, and it’s hard to say what’s going to influence them,” said Gerald Raymond, a defense attorney who has advised cases across central New York, including ones for SU. Enacted in 1972, Title IX is a part of federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex. Obama-era guidelines, presented in a 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, gave the federal government more control over how colleges judge see title

ix page 4

Chancellor Kent Syverud is getting used to fielding questions about his thoughts on free speech. Of his two Q&A sessions before the University Senate this semester, he has spent most of his time discussing the subject. Syverud has listened to Syracuse University faculty express a wide range of concerns about a vague address he gave last month about the exchange of opinions on campus. At Wednesday’s USen meeting, he was asked to provide specifics about what a newly created “Free Speech Working Group” will do at SU. Three members of the university’s Board of Trustees are on the working group, including former chair Richard Thompson. “This strikes me very much as similar to other top-down kinds of initiatives that we’ve seen at this university in the last few years,” Senator Mark Rupert told Syverud. “It strikes me as unusual to have trustees on this kind of committee.” Syverud first brought up the topic of free speech during the Senate’s Sept. 18 meeting.

I wanted a group of people to look at it, if nothing else to raise our consciousness of it, so that way we can talk about what our norms are Kent Syverud su chancellor

“If our students are going to learn or going to seek knowledge and to grow, I think they need to be exposed to a true range of views,” the chancellor said. “Not a rigidly enforced and homogenous orthodoxy.” “That exposure is very difficult to achieve at a university or in a department where the faculty are too ideologically uniform,” he said. At the time, Syverud only said that he wanted to talk about the matter. But the university announced Monday that the Free Speech Working Group is made up of faculty, administrators, students and Board of Trustees members. The group has been charged with reviewing SU’s free speech and civil discourse policies. The group is also tasked with “suggesting revisions to further enhance a culture of open dialogue and diversity of thought on campus.” That announcement, and Syverud’s earlier comments, dominated the Senate’s second administrator Q&A session of the year, which was held on Wednesday. Senator Crystal Bartolovich told the chancellor she was confused see usen page 4

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from page 1

smith guided by two main focuses. The university is adding faculty through its Cluster Hires Initiative, made of multidisciplinary groups that combine people with similar research interests. These hires are an immediate focus of his. “It matters deeply whom we hire right now,” Smith said. “And it matters with whom we collaborate across campus.” The transition’s other focus is the college culture, he said. Many people hear “engineering” or “computer science” and think of cybersecurity, video games or programming, he said. While Smith does not want to quash this image completely, he also wants to broaden it to a larger reach. People need to see the college’s sciences as vehicles that can provide solutions for the rest of the world, Smith said. Emphasizing the college’s ability to solve problems that others may not have considered yet will draw more people to the school, he said. “There’s no better way to recruit a broad set of people than by saying ‘you can help your fellow person out there,’” Smith said. Anand Gramopadhye, dean of Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, recruited Smith as department chair. Smith’s dedication to students stood out, he said. Under Smith’s leadership, the Department from page 1

tech

support technology start-ups and develop a workforce for the city’s technology sector, Syracuse.com reported. Details of the hub’s location have not been finalized. The company will support up to four community fellowships for students, Edelstein said. The student fellows would be researchers working with data collected from the city. “Syracuse University has a long-standing relationship with Microsoft,” he said. “In a lot of ways, they brought us this opportunity to engage in this partnership.” The public works committee examined the three institutions’ agreement at the committee meeting on Wednesday. The collaboration has a local focus, said Councilor Latoya Allen, of the 4th District. Because of this, the fellowships should be accessible to students at Le Moyne College, Onondaga Community College and other institutions besides SU, she said. Councilor Joe Driscoll, of the 5th district, agreed with Allen. He also voiced concerns about the scope of the municipal data collection process. Driscoll questioned Microsoft’s motivation in the collaboration because of the company’s potential financial gain. from page 3

usen

about why SU formed the working group. A similar committee in 2015 recommended changes to SU’s free speech policies, she said. “It may well be, in my view, that those are all the right policies and procedures, and no changes are necessary, and all that’s necessary is education about what they are, going into another election year,” Syverud replied. “I wanted a group of people to look at it, if nothing else to raise our consciousness of it, so that we can talk about what our norms are, perhaps just educating us about what the committee did in 2015,” he said. Bartolovich, president of SU’s chapter of from page 3

pronouns again,” O’Mara said. Pronouns currently only appear on MySlice, but the council plans to expand the feature to connected platforms such as Blackboard, said Jenny Gluck, associate chief information officer for academic services and co-chair of the advisory council. The council hopes to work with Information Technology Services to create a system for students to indicate which websites they want their pronouns shared on. Doing so will help to prevent students from having their gender identity revealed to certain people without their permission, she said. “We want to be very careful about how

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of Industrial Engineering ranking increased from the mid-30s to No. 24 nationally. Smith made the jump possible by supporting the right talent, recruiting and mentoring faculty members and making sure students left the program as successful graduates, Gramopadhye said. The department’s undergraduate population also grew by 50% over four years while Smith was there. “We were very much focused on increasing our research productivity, but there was absolutely no way that we were going to sacrifice our relationship with our student body at that expense,” said Kevin Taaffe, a professor of industrial engineering at Clemson. Prior to his appointment as associate provost at Clemson, Smith led the university’s Department of Industrial Engineering. He has also worked at the University of Florida and the University of Arizona. Improving research capabilities involves understanding faculty priorities, Smith said. The college can support faculty throughout the research proposal process — finding the opportunity for proposals, writing those proposals and getting feedback, he said. Support also includes encouraging people to try “really big” ideas that might fail. Even if a proposal is denied, it is still helping the college’s overall proposal efforts, he said. For engineering and computer science students, Smith wants to make sure the college is paying attention to a wide variety of concerns.

Right now, the diversity and representation of the college doesn’t match the population of New York state or the country. The college is missing diverse role models for students, but it’s also missing creative ideas and different perspectives, Smith said. The college has been proactive in trying to create a better environment, but it is up to Smith to make sure there is continued followthrough on those efforts, he said. He wants to get involved with organizations that promote underrepresented scholars and provide pathways for those scholars, he said. When Di Nguyen, a Clemson doctoral student, was an undergraduate, she was part of a group that worked to improve the quality of the Department of Industrial Engineering. The group was just a bunch of undergraduate students, but Smith was happy to meet with them — sometimes at 7 a.m., she said. Even after moving to Syracuse, Smith still serves as her doctoral advisor. Though he’s more than 850 miles away, Nguyen said it’s almost like he’s still at Clemson. Smith, a Clemson alumnus, does continue to return to his old home. His family still lives there, and one visit back found Smith in the front section of a busy restaurant with his wife and youngest daughter. The opportunity for leadership at SU was something he couldn’t pass up, but he hated leaving the people at Clemson. While at the

restaurant, so many people who passed him called out his name that his daughter must have thought he was a rock star, Smith said. Smith is intentional when interacting with others, said Mary Beth Kurz, associate department chair of Clemson’s Department of Industrial Engineering. Kurz has known Smith for about 20 years. When she was a faculty member at Clemson, before Smith worked there, he and his family went to a Clemson football game. He invited Kurz along, who he first met at a conference. It was the first time Kurz had ever been to a Clemson tailgate, she said. Now at SU, Smith wants students to know they belong at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, he said. Students should stop Smith in the hallway and introduce themselves or say hello when they see him out and about, he said. Looking three, four, five years into the future, Smith has a vision of what the college could be: He looks forward to seeing the school grow. To improving the quality of life for faculty and staff. To promoting the college’s social impact. “When I see a student that has a career opportunity that maybe she or he never would have had four years ago because of something that my team and I developed,” Smith said, “you can’t help but smile.” irmiragl@syr.edu | @IndyRow

Microsoft’s current participation is based on principle, and not necessarily profit, said Jason Melton, a Microsoft representative at the meeting. At this stage, it would be difficult to predict what a mutually-beneficial financial relationship would look like in the future, he said. “We have certainly recognized that there is something particularly unique happening in Syracuse,” he said. “You have a clear regional plan that you want to achieve. It aligns very well with Microsoft’s strategy of empowering everybody to achieve more.” The memorandum for the agreement would not legally-binding. It’s passage, however, would formalize the commitment by reinforcing the principles each partner set out with, said Jennifer Tifft, the city’s deputy commissioner of neighborhood and business development. During the meeting, Tifft also outlined other achievements recently seen through the Surge initiative. The city has successfully installed more than 50% of its network of smart-technology street lights. A 5G network from Verizon is also expected to be completed within approximately the next five years. JMA Wireless, a mobile wireless systems company, pledged a $25 million investment into a 120,000-square-foot facility on Cortland Avenue that will manufacture electronic components for 5G mobile communications

networks, Syracuse.com reported. The city developments are part of the larger goal that the Surge initiative — now backed with the additional support of SU and Microsoft — hopes to achieve, Tifft said.

“At the end of the day, if there is this agreement, I think it does give us a mechanism to hold each other accountable to a shared vision and a shared set of goals,” she said.

the American Association of University Professors, also said she was upset that Syverud didn’t respond to a letter that the AAUP chapter sent him in September regarding his comments on free speech. Later in the meeting, Bartolovich got up from her chair, walked to the Senate’s podium and gave Syverud a copy of the letter. Senator Matthew Huber, the AAUP chapter’s secretary, asked Syverud if he could justify having three faculty members on the working group. “We’re the ones in the classroom. We’re the ones producing research and ideas,” Huber said. “I count as many Board of Trustees members as faculty members.” Syverud told Huber he thinks the working group will operate transparently, includ-

ing with the Senate. “The board does have oversight responsibility for the university and, particularly, has oversight for ... if they’re concerned about protecting the key values of the university, which I think they believe this is one of them,” he said. Trustees on the group include Thompson, the former chair, and David Edelstein and Reinaldo Pascual. Thompson is also a current advisory board member at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech and an associate professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, is a member of the group. So is Gladys McCormick, an associate professor of history in the Maxwell School of Citizenship

and Public Affairs, and Marcelle Haddix, chair of reading and language arts and dean’s professor at the School of Education. Rupert, the senator, had the final comment on the matter Wednesday. He said he was puzzled as to why Syverud didn’t push to create a new ad-hoc Senate committee to address free speech issues on campus. “Especially if the goal is ultimately to foster broad discussion and consciousness-raising among ourselves,” Rupert told the chancellor. A number of senators applauded after Rupert finished his remarks. “I hear the concern, is all I can say, and will take it into account,” Syverud said, before walking back to his seat.

we use this information,” Gluck said. “We don’t want to inadvertently make a student’s life worse.” The inclusion of pronouns in student demographic information will improve the LGBT Resource Center’s ability to assess the needs of the SU community, kemp-delisser said. The pronoun feature is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to build a community at SU that is welcoming and inclusive for students of all gender identities, O’Mara said. “The way I look at it is if you can change the system, you can change the people in the system,” they said. “You can create more opportunities for allyship and demonstrations of advocacy campus.” gifollet@syr.edu

Members of the Syracuse Common Council discussed the city’s partnership with SU and Microsoft at meetings on Wednesday. marnie muñoz staff writer

from page 3

title ix sexual assault allegations. Other proposed changes to Title IX include mandatory live hearings in which the defendant’s lawyer can cross-examine the complainant. The proposal considers giving colleges the option to not be held liable for sexual harassment unless a formal complaint is submitted. The changes will strengthen their due process rights, Miltenberg said. He is known as a top due process lawyer for Title IX cases and almost exclusively represents men, The New York Times reported. “It’ll expand the investigative reach so that a greater amount of contextual evi-

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sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek

dence is considered,” he said. All schools that receive federal funding are subject to the law, and the government can withhold funding from universities who don’t comply. SU, as a private institution, has slightly more leeway than public institutions when interpreting the definition of sexual harassment, lawyers said. Johnson said he has never heard of a university going against Title IX to the extent that they get their federal funding pulled, but he doesn’t see a “clear-cut line” on how much room a university has to interpret. “That’s the risk,” Johnson said of SU’s compliance with federal Title IX standards. “How fast and loose they want to play with that, it’s up to them.” gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326

OPINION

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conservative

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editorial board

Diverse politics necessary in classes College athletes deserve compensation for image I ssues regarding diversity on college campuses have become increasingly prevalent recently. Just last March, President Trump signed an executive order that threatens to withhold federal research grants from schools that don’t support free speech. A Syracuse student stood next to him as he condemned colleges accused of suppressing speech. Chancellor Kent Syverud spoke about free speech at a September University Senate meeting. On Monday, he announced the members of the newly formed Free Speech Working Group, which will review policies governing free speech and civil discourse at the university and suggest revisions. If Syracuse wants to become known as a university that encourages free speech, the school must increase the visibility of varying viewpoints among professors, encourage more open debate among students and incentivize speakers of diverse political backgrounds. Seventy-nine percent of Republicans say professors bringing their political and social views into the classroom is a major reason why the higher education system is headed in the wrong direction while only 17% of Democrats say the same. A 2019 poll conducted by College Pulse, a group that measures college student public opinion, shows that 73% of students that consider themselves republican have hidden their political views in the classroom for fear of getting bad grades due to their teacher’s opposing opinions. Though colleges and universities might not intentionally hire liberal-identifying professors or promote liberal views, the preva-

SKYLAR SWART

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

lence of left-leaning faculty can indirectly limit more conservative students’ ability to comfortably speak out about their opinions in the classroom. Chancellor Kent Syverud noted in his Senate meeting speech that exposure to “a true range of views” can be “difficult to achieve at a university, or in a department where the faculty are too ideologically uniform.” Syverud said that in hiring new faculty, SU “needs to be more attentive to this issue, and more concerned.” Miriam Elman, an associate professor of political science at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs said the degree to which classrooms seem biased can depend on how open the professor is about their personal beliefs. “I think a lot depends on the professor teaching the class,” Elman said. “If the instructor makes it clear that viewpoint diversity is valued and models it in her own teaching, then a student with an unorthodox and unconventional view is more likely to feel empowered to speak her mind, even if her perspectives on the issues is a minority position on campus.” Unfortunately, problems arise when professors do not make it clear that other opinions are valued and encouraged. SU can do more to ensure that both sides of important political debates are represented in its classrooms. Although the university cannot hire professors solely based on political backgrounds or affiliations, they can consider options that might increase con-

servative representation among faculty. The University of Colorado Boulder launched a program in 2013 to bring conservative professors to what some called its ultraliberal campus. The school now hosts a “visiting scholar in conservative thought” each year. These sorts of hiring initiatives, in addition to articulating respect for conservative academics on campus, can create a more equitable political climate on campuses. Professors already working at SU can also encourage healthy controversial discussions by more readily opening up the floor for debate among students. Sophomore Dustin Hall, treasurer of The College Republicans at Syracuse University said these sorts of discussions can be more valuable than people often realize. “Open debate among students is one of the most important aspects to promoting free speech on campus. Even if one side is more widely represented, debate allows students to become tougher and learn something new from one another,” Hall said. “For open debate to have that effect though, both sides must be willing to keep an open mind and find middle ground.” By working towards a faculty with diverse political views and encouraging debate in and out of the classroom, we can ensure all students’ freedom to speak out, in a respectful manner, about their views and opinions. These ideas will not solve all of the problems regarding comfortably speaking up on campus, but they are a step in the right direction.

Skylar Swart is a freshman political science major. saswart@syr.edu | @SkylarSwart

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he NCAA Board of Governors unanimously voted Tuesday to start the process of changing rules to allow college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. The Daily Orange Editorial Board commends this decision as a step in the right direction, but the NCAA needs do more than gesture toward progress — they must amend their bylaws and policies in ways that show the organization is truly interested in supporting athletes. Several state legislatures have proposed bills that would allow college athletes to be compensated. California’s Fair Pay to Play Act was signed into law in September and allows college athletes in the state to profit from their likeness and hire agents. And a New York State Senator proposed a bill in September that would evenly distribute 15% of every athletic department’s annual revenue to college athletes. Representatives from the NCAA said the new rules would not follow the “California model” of a virtually unrestricted market. The NCAA, they said, would likely stay involved as the group in charge of regulating future endorsement deals. That answer, though it might finally send some players a paycheck as early as 2021, can be problematic. It’s a new way the organizations overseeing collegiate athletics get to call the shots about how players monetize and market their own reputation. College athletics has long functioned less as a nonprofit enterprise than a business exploiting its workers. Universities with top teams can make millions of dollars from sponsorships by companies like Nike or Adidas while the athletes whose talent attracts those financial relationships get nothing. Prominent college athletes are often worth a lot of money — they’re just not allowed to make it. Instead, coaches, schools, apparel companies and agents make that money. Men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim earned $2.6 million in total compensation in 2017. Football coach Dino Babers made $2.2 million. Syracuse’s athletic department saw a surplus of more than $19 million that same season. The athletic department’s top players — students who likely spent six days a week practicing, playing, studying and talking to the press — earned the school a lot but get nothing. Tuesday’s NCAA vote misses the mark when it comes to the work college athletes do. The proposal to craft new rules for compensation

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 ac u s e , n e w yor k

Haley Robertson

Catherine Leffert

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

that reinforces a distinction between college and professional sports — one that frames college athletes as amateurs, as in-training — is an illusory practice. If colleges and universities are going to structure their athletic programs like those of professional sports teams, if they are going to happily accept the five and six figure revenues that come with doing so, they need to pay the players doing the work accordingly. An analysis by The Economist found that if college players were paid in proportion to the amount of revenue they bring to their schools, “the top 10 percent of football and 16 percent of basketball players would be paid around $400,000 and $250,000 a year respectively.”

$19 million The athletic department’s budget surplus for the 2016-17 season

The work top athletes put in has undeniable value, regardless of whether the system allows them to cash a paycheck. The call for compensating college players is not a call for some universal payout — it’s a call for the structural guarantee that the small percentage of players who produce revenues for their schools and the NCAA get a small share of the wealth their performance was used to create. Tuesday’s announcement wasn’t as promising for players as it could have been. Compensating athletes within the confines of a “collegiate model” all but ensures that the same restrictive systems that exist now get reproduced in the future. If players are ever going to get the money they deserve, the NCAA has to accept that college athletes are more than kids they can exploit.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@dailyorange.com.

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6 oct. 31, 2019

from page 12

flanagan play can either turn the season around — SU has won 49% of its CHA games, opposed to 33.5% non-conference — or confound its problems. That’s just on the ice. Other coaches in the CHA still leverage their facilities against Tennity in recruiting battles, coaches said. And while Syracuse’s athletic department applauded the NCAA berth, it hasn’t resulted in more money or resources directly for the program (in 2016, the university spent $2.4 million on the program, first in the CHA). Aside from the locker room, Tennity hasn’t been renovated in its 19-year history, 12 of which it’s housed Division I games. Currently, the university is continuing its $118 million campus framework plan that includes renovations to the Carrier Dome, a plan Flanagan said will have residual positives for the athletic department and ice hockey program. As of Wednesday evening, Syracuse’s athletic department did not respond to a request for comment regarding any future plans to renovate Tennity. One of 11 coaches in women’s college hockey’s 300-win club, Flanagan hears the critiques of his program, understands the limits, and doesn’t care. It’s his nature as a coach. The tropes of the profession — constantly-motivated, hypercompetitive — are ingrained in Flanagan, who’s known for speaking in axioms. He knew what he was getting into when accepted the Syracuse job, leaving a legacy position at his alma mater when SU had yet to build him an office. With the CHA tournament now the only chance at an NCAA bid, Flanagan and the Orange will once again have a chance to answer the concerns. During his first months at Syracuse, Flanagan guided recruits and their parents through Tennity and out a side door to a grove of oak trees. He’d point to a handful of stumps and showed them where the team’s locker room would be. To the side was an artist’s mock-up of the unit with a health center, weight room and coaches office. Like much of Flanagan’s early days on campus, his recruiting pitch was built on promise. Knight, then a head coach at Hamilton College, and other coaches took notice when Flanagan left St. Lawrence for SU. The sport seemed to be growing. A premier school in the Atlantic Coast Conference was starting a hockey program and secured a perennial Frozen Four contending coach at the helm. Rumors swirled in the coaching community about how much Syracuse paid to lure Flanagan. “I joke with him all the time about the money,” Knight said, “But it really was a big deal.” Flanagan graduated from St. Lawrence in 1980 as a team captain, joined the men’s coaching staff as an assistant in 1998 and took over the women’s team later that year. The Saints never slipped outside the top-eight during Flanagan’s tenure. His old boss, former St.

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Lawrence head coach Joe Marsh, was there for 26 years and “mentored” Flanagan, teaching him about longevity. Flanagan, 63, was 52 when he received two phone calls. One from Jamie Mullin, an SU senior associate athletics director, and the other from another smaller school’s athletic department. Syracuse’s academic standing and large campus appealed to Flanagan as recruiting tools even though he wasn’t sure if they had a rink on campus. In May 2008, he signed a five-year contract. It’d be a program built from scratch, but it’d be his. “(Syracuse) had no infrastructure. There was nothing,” Flanagan said regarding the facilities. “I knew I was going to take a huge step back.” When Flanagan arrived at Manley Field House for his first day, Flanagan found Mullin and asked where his office was. “We’re working on that,” Mullin responded jokingly. For his initial weeks on the job, Flanagan temporarily operated out of Mullin’s office with a phone and a directive: He had five months to build a team. Most new programs take a season to recruit and hire a staff, Flanagan said, but SU expedited the process. Before his first time hosting a group of recruits at Syracuse, Flanagan went to the Marshall St. Sheraton lobby and grabbed a map of campus. He still lived in Canton, two hours away, and didn’t know his way around. Acting as a tour guide, he learned his new environment with the recruits. The Orange rented a storage pod behind the arena for equipment in its first season. The team shared a locker room with the university’s men’s club hockey team. On Tuesday nights, the Division I program had to move its gear for intramural games. A trainer hauled a portable skate sharpener around underneath the bleachers. When Knight arrived at the facility in 2012, he didn’t know if they played half their games at the War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse. Syracuse won nine games in its first season. Though temporarily ranked in 2009, it settled in the CHA — a lower-tier conference. It hasn’t been ranked since. Flanagan knew that coaches were judged on wins, though he saw a bigger picture. His wife had settled in her new job, and they liked living in a bigger city. He believed in the on-ice progression. “We felt that we were doing the right things and sooner or later we’d break through,” Flanagan said. Weeks after returning from an NCAA tournament defeat to Wisconsin in March 2019, Flanagan was shoveling his driveway at his Fayetteville home when a neighbor up the street walked outside. All they’d ever do is wave and exchange small talk. Flanagan knew his name was Dave and he was a New York Rangers fan. But this time, Dave yelled from his doorway. “Hey,” Flanagan remembered hearing, “fabulous season!” Other Syracuse coaches have had similar interactions in the last few months, they said. Around the university, there seemed to be more interest in the NCAA tournament

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roundtable easily been SU’s most consistent, and consistently productive play, all season. This works, generally, because it takes the onus off the offensive line and pass protection to hold up for more than a second or so. Tommy DeVito can comfortably get the ball to one of Trishton Jackson, Sean Riley, Taj Harris, Nykeim Johnson, Moe Neal or Abdul Adams, among others. That’s not going to win them any games on its own, but it can be the seed for offensive growth. Josh Schafer: Syracuse has had success with unconventional running plays. Against Pittsburgh, Clayton Welch came in for long runs in spurts. Against North Carolina State, Abdul Adams jumpstarted a drive out of the wildcat formation. Last week, Syracuse saw firsthand what happens when a team switches up how it attacks the ground game when Florida State running back Cam Akers carved up the Orange defense out of the wildcat. It’s clear at this point in the season that Syracuse has failed to establish a run game in the first half of games against Power 5 opponents. Before defenses have dropped back in coverage to defend large leads, the Orange rushing game hasn’t produced. SU is tied for 114th in rushing yards per game. So if Syracuse can trick opponents and steal yards, it could make a huge difference in the offense.

Is it time for Syracuse to look ahead and start preparing personnel for the 2020 season or should the Orange try to salvage their season? E.B.: Yes to both. Obviously it’s way too early

for SU to throw in the towel and give up on this year, even though it’s increasingly looking like a lost season. Syracuse can still win out or go 3-1 and make the season worth it. But its bowl game chances are slipping so why not start using younger personnel on both sides of the ball? At this point, if the Orange began using players like Courtney Jackson, Cameron Jordan or Mikel Jones more, their level of play wouldn’t slip as much as one would expect. A.G.: This weekend against Boston College is a bit of a bellwether for me on if Syracuse can salvage anything. Until the Orange can’t win six games, it seems a bit odd, at least, to say it’s not worth trying to make a bowl game. But that has to start with a win this weekend. Boston College presents a somewhat manageable matchup. But if they come out and can’t get any offense going, why should I think they’ll do it at Duke? Or at Louisville? Or against a ranked Wake Forest? I’ll say not yet, but Syracuse is running out of time before it should start looking to 2020. J.S.: Syracuse could still finish this season 7-5 and head to a bowl game. You told fans and members of the program two years ago that SU would finish 7-5 in 2019 I don’t think anyone would be all up in arms. Now, is it likely based

PAUL FLANAGAN started with the Syracuse ice hockey program in its first year. Last season, the Orange won their first CHA title. ally walsh staff photographer

appearance itself — not the rollercoaster season that preceded it. After starting 4-6-1, SU skid through 10 straight losses, a program record. The coaching staff wondered about their jobs. Then, the Orange defeated Robert Morris in overtime in the regular season to break the streak. On Mar. 6, they kickstarted an offensive run of 4.67 goals per contest in the CHA tournament, toppling RMU in the title game, 6-2. During the two-hour bus ride from Buffalo to campus, there wasn’t a moment of silence. Players sung and chanted, all gathering near the front of the bus. Former players buzzed Knerr, a member of two prior Orange teams who lost in the title game. Knight had 50 text messages, most of which came from coaches around the sport. Before Flanagan started thinking about the banners, he found himself in his seat, hearing the euphoria around him and started to reflect. Flanagan ranks seventh among active coaches with 394 career wins. He’s won international trophies, coached gold medalists and had just built a program from nothing into a champion. The bus rides are always the best part. Before a recent early morning practice, Flanagan parked his car behind Tennity and walked into the video room for a one-on-one meeting with a player. Despite the highs of last March, Flanagan is looking for answers. Mostly, it’s been a season of missed opportunities. SU’s veteran roster had scored three goals in its last three contests, before erupting for five against Union on Oct. 29. Coaches wondered if two early season losses to then-No. 3 Clarkson and No. 7 BC bounced into wins, could they be ranked? Flanagan has scarcely referenced the CHA title to his team, usually only bringing it up when he thinks there’s a lack of hustle. “We didn’t have anything tangible to fall back on,” Flanagan said. The CHA title victory also hasn’t changed the state of Syracuse’s facilities. Tennity is on what we’ve seen that Syracuse wins its final four regular season games? No. But that doesn’t mean the team should start training for next season yet. That’s the kind of thing you can do in perhaps the final game of the year if it’s meaningless, but it’s still hard to fully commit to that. If you’re going to start playing guys who are preparing for 2020, they’d presumably be playing over an upperclassmen who have waited for their moment. I’m not sure, particularly if the games are meaningless, if it’s worth taking the final moments of football away from seniors. If the older guys are better, they should play. The regular season isn’t training camp.

Are this season’s struggles a fluke or indicative of where SU’s football program is? E.B.: This is a tough question because of how

drastically different this season has been compared to last. With a 4-8 or 5-7 finish appearing very possible, if not likely right now, that’d be three out of four years under Dino Babers in which the Orange failed to make a bowl game. But there’s no reason that next year can’t be another eight, nine or 10-win season. In reality, SU’s football program likely lays in the middle of the pack of the ACC, The talent of the individual players on this year’s team adds up to more than a sub-.500 level team, but injuries and inexperience have prevented it from reaching its potential. During the next few seasons, barring anything unexpected, Syracuse should be

operated by SU’s Recreational Services. It features the hockey rink and a smaller figure skating rink near its entrance. A few years ago during the national anthem performances pregame, the smaller rink would be full of kids skating around — which could be seen on SU’s game film shared with other teams. On the recruiting trail, a facility’s quality can swing a commit. This makes the banners a recruiting tool, and the team spent months finalizing where they’d put them. Others, like the athletic department and recreational services, had their own ideas. Flanagan wanted the banners across the stands, so that fans, recruits and any broadcasts can catch sight of them. Last August, Flanagan’s old school, St. Lawrence, a D-I hockey program, initiated an $18 million arena renovation project. While Orange coaches consider their locker room one of the best in the conference, Flanagan met with a university architect last spring to address the rest of Tennity. The program’s wish list includes heat for the arena, individual seating and more parking in the soon-to-be 20-year-old venue. Currently, the program’s operating budget accounts for a $150 daily payment to Rec Services to rent out the ice. “We know where we stand in the hierarchy,” Flanagan said. “We get that, in terms of the athletic department. We get it as coaches, our kids get it. But when you feel like you’re part of an awesome athletic department and the university as a whole, it makes you feel good about what you’re doing. When your time comes, you relish it.” While prepping for Princeton earlier this season, Flanagan received an email about the men’s club hockey team’s upcoming hall of fame weekend. As part of the ceremonies, the email said the team plans to hoist a banner for the title they won last season. Flanagan doesn’t know where it will be raised. nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez

good for six to eight regular-season wins a year. A.G.: I think Syracuse football’s true happy spot is finishing the regular season with anywhere from nine to seven wins, being competitive in the ACC and making a bowl game. They over exceeded those expectations last year and are vastly underperforming to them this year. The 2018 season involved a bunch of former three-star and worse recruits becoming greater than the sum of their parts. This year is a slightly depleted roster, battered by injuries. Babers has been correct in assessing youth as a primary issue this season, but even as these players get older, the grass is only going to get so much greener. J.S.: It’s indicative of where the SU football stands as a whole because it’s hard to build a complete team in the ACC. Last year, Syracuse finished the year with outstanding offense and special teams, and a solid defense. That’s a rarity in the ACC — just look at the records across the conference this year. The main reason why Syracuse is even worse than the rest of the conference thus far is the Orange’s holes are in the worst places. If you can’t score points, you can’t win. If you can’t block, you can’t score points. That’s where SU sits right now, struggling to clear holes for runners and keep Tommy DeVito upright. In future years, Syracuse may not be a complete team again but if the weakness is at a different spot than the offensive line, bowl games will be more likely. sports@dailyorange.com

Thriller film Urban Video Project will screen “Knives and Skin” in Watson Hall Auditorium.

PULP

Historic renovation The Landmark Theatre recieved a $2 million grant to renovate its marquee and seating.

Musical connection Five Syracuse musicians will create a song on a guitar that’s been played on across the globe.

dailyorange.com @dailyorange oct. 31, 2019

PAG E 7

from the studio

Q&A with renowned steel drum player By Christopher Scarglato staff writer

Victor Provost is a renowned steel drum musician who incorporates methods of jazz in his music. Provost is coming to Syracuse to teach a master class and perform at La Casita Cultural Center on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. The Daily Orange spoke with Provost to discuss his music and his trip to Syracuse.

The Daily Orange: What was your first experience with music? Victor Provost: I first found

illustration by cassianne cavallaro asst. illustration editor

CNY Ghost Hunters has been investigating the paranormal across the country since 1997 By Allison Weis

asst. feature editor

amela Mossotti, the president of CNY Ghost Hunters, said the first thing she wanted to be as a child was a ghost hunter. While Mossotti said she always wanted to experience the paranormal, nothing happened until she was 38 years old. Mossotti was cleaning up from an event that was hosted in a “very old building.” She was one of four people left in the building, and they were sitting at a table together. “And all of a sudden upstairs, I heard this really loud jump and then boom-boomboom-boom footsteps, very clear,” Mossotti said. She asked the woman in front of her if her daughter was still here, to which she replied, “no, she left an hour ago.” Mossotti ran up the stairs, and nobody was there. She said she felt like her childhood dream of having a paranormal experience had come true. It was in late 2007 when Mossotti joined the CNY Ghost Hunters. The organization,

founded in 1997, investigates the paranormal while also raising funds for historical sites. Members present their evidence and offer groups to come along to ghost hunt, Mossotti said. She added that historical places get little funding, especially from New York state. “I think the charity events is probably the best thing we do. It’s part of the fundraising at Fort Ontario, which is pretty cool because this year it made (Fort Ontario) an extra $1,700,” Caroline Lamie, a member of CNY Ghost Hunters, said. Lamie works at Fort Ontario, a historic site where the ghost hunters do a majority of their events. She adds that the members are all history buffs. The group makes a connection with the person that owns or oversees the site. Mossotti will either call the owner, or other people who run the location, or will drive out to assess the location and decide how many members can come. Mossotti said it’s great when the whole group can go and everyone can experience see ghosts page 8

the site together. But the size of the site and the availability of members dictates who can go on different investigations. The group has 19 members and are looking to add more people. But the group is invite-only, she said. “We need to vet the people and make sure that they work within the group because honestly we’re a family,” Mossotti said. CNY Ghost Hunters have different specialties within the group. At investigations, Mossotti said some people are better at getting electronic voice phenomena, also known as EVP, while others focus on photography or videography. The members come from all over central New York. The group investigates local sites but also goes on trips across the country together. Mossotti said she’s always the one that plans group trips, and one of them was to Mary-Penn Bed and Breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Mary-Penn B&B, built in the 1700s, was once a plantation. Mossotti said the house is divided on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The former owner would keep slaves on the Maryland side of the house to avoid them from being freed on the Pennsylvania side. Mossotti said that she had gone to the location before the investigation to talk to the owner. But while she was there, she believes the ghosts did not like her. During the investigation, Mossotti was sitting in a chair with her back closest to the chains that were still hung on the wall. Soon,

We’re not experts, there are no experts in this field at all by any means. We don’t know what (the paranormal) are looking for and what they expect from us. member of cny ghost hunters

music when I was a very young child, maybe like 4 or 5 years old. My father is a kind of a Renaissance man and plays guitar and piano. He had random musical instruments around the house. I picked up whatever I wanted to play at the time. I remember being very young and him showing me note for note how to play little tunes like (Beethoven’s) “Für Elise” and (Doris Day’s) “Sentimental Journey” and showing these classical and jazz tunes. My father was my first teacher.

The D.O.: How would you best describe your own music? V.P.: My music is highly informed

by jazz, bebop and contemporary jazz. But rhythm-wise, all of those ideas come from the Caribbean and from Africa. I try to combine these two worlds. These are the two most intricate, highest levels of playing from black culture, like African rhythms, and the kind of harmonic and melodic music of bebop. Those are the two kinds of two types of music I primarily perform.

The D.O.: Why did you start playing steel pan? V.P.: My first experience with the

pan was when I was around 12 and I was supposed to be practicing for my piano lesson, but I heard this steel band play (in my school), so I went to go check them out instead, and it was just a room full of all my friends and the music was really high energy. Me practicing piano by myself in the basement was kind of boring. I just kind of did it since I liked the way it sounded and it was fun.

The D.O.: What was your favorite album to create and why? V.P.: My favorite album that I’ve

created to date was an album I created in 2017 called “Bright Eyes.” It’s inspired by my daughter, so when I found out I was having a little girl I started writing music and music for this record and finished it shortly after she was born, and then it came out a couple years later. I just had a really great time writing it, and I got to work with some amazing musicians on that album and some really good friends of mine helped me out see provost page 8

8 oct. 31, 2019

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native american heritage month 2019

SU welcomes students with Native American Outreach Day By Christopher Cicchiello asst. copy editor

Former Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor understood through her experiences in Illinois that indigenous peoples have a different perspective on life and are hospitable people, said Regina Jones, assistant director of the Native Student Program. For this reason, in 2006, Cantor helped initiate the Native Student Program and the Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship. “Throughout our history of broken promises, Chancellor Cantor wanted to create a promise that would not be broken,” Jones said. “She felt that we were on ancestral land and that we should have a better relationship.” Since the fall of 2006, Native American Outreach Day has been an integral tool in recruiting high school junior and senior indigenous students to attend SU, Jones said. Native American Outreach Day will be held Nov. 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Similar to SU’s prospective student days, high school students are given a tour, a luncheon and informational sessions. In addition, there will be

a college fair in which each school will be tabling for prospective students to talk with recruiters. Later on, the day culminates in a student panel and senior interviews. Typically, the turnout is about 50 to 75 students, said Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, admissions counselor and Native American liaison. Dana Isaacs, a sophomore selective studies major, said that as a panelist, she has noticed students resonate most with the panel since they can hear what it’s like to be an indigenous student on campus. Primarily the event attracts Haudenosaunee students, which as Jones explained, that are part of the confederacy of six nearby nations; however, the event is open to all indigenous students. Bluewolf-Kennedy said that in the past, she has traveled to New Mexico, Wisconsin, Canada and Colorado, among others, to speak to nations about SU and its programs for Native American students. During the day, students can gain insight into applying to SU and the indigenousspecific services and programs that will help students become successful. At SU, there is an estimated 320 self-identi-

fying Native American students, a figure that includes 70 graduate students, Bluewolf-Kennedy said. This number has been in flux over the years, with it reaching 350 students at one point. “It’s really nice that we work at an institution where they’re actively working towards increasing our native student population,” Bluewolf-Kennedy said. “But the thing we’re really doing, with the Promise and Honors scholarships, is nation building.” The Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship is geared toward students who reside on a nation territory and offers a full scholarship. While the Honor Scholarship does not require students to live on a nation territory and covers tuition, housing or meals are not included. Bluewolf-Kennedy explained that these scholarships provide opportunities for students that would not otherwise be able to afford college. In her findings, most of the students receiving the scholarships are firstgeneration college students. “We’re still dealing with guidance counselors who are telling our students, ‘You’ll never go to college, go learn a trade,’’’ Jones said. “They’re pushing our kids through school just

from page 7

provost

ghosts

on it a lot. The album is just a really honest expression of my love for my kid.

she would suddenly have terrible internal pain. “I felt like someone was literally reaching into my back, grabbing my kidneys and squeezing them,” Mossotti said. She said she didn’t think anything of it until she got back to her bed and breakfast. Within an hour and a half, she said she started to get very ill. She said she couldn’t stop throwing up all day. Almost 24 hours later, one of the members came into her room and raised her shirt. “I feel burning on my back and I’m like, ‘ow, what is that, it burns,’” Mossotti said. “They ‘go, um, it’s holy water.’ And I

The D.O.: Why are you performing at Syracuse? V.P.: I’ve known David Knapp (an assis-

tant music professor at Syracuse University) for years, and honestly for the better part of a decade now. David and I have known each other through a few different lives, like one point he was living and working in the Middle East when I was performing, and he has a unique connection to the steel pan.

cscargla@syr.edu | @scargs5

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