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THURSDAY
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october 11, 2012
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
INSIDEPULP
INSIDESPORTS
The race is on Vice presidential candidates
Missing the message Syracuse University students
Day of pride The LGBT Resource Center and members of
On the defensive The Syracuse offense, fresh off a sluggish
prepare to face off in Thursday night’s debate. Page 3
took the two-day peace forum for granted. Page 5
the SU community celebrate National Coming Out Day. Page 11
performance against Pittsburgh, has a difficult task against a strong Rutgers defense on Saturday. Page 20
DOCUMENTING A LIFE
univ ersit y senat e
Committee addresses athletics
By Meredith Newman ASST. NEWS EDITOR
At the University Senate’s second meeting of the year, representatives from the Committee on Athletic Policy and the Committee on Computing Services discussed recent accomplishments and recommendations. The senate met Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. Don Siegel, chair of the Senate Committee on Athletic Policy, spoke to the senate about the accomplishments and changes the committee made during the previous academic school year. The committee specifically deals with aspects of the athletics department that affect students, Siegel said. Such responsibilities include informing the senate of potential issues, and
SEE USEN PAGE 9
luke rafferty | staff photographer Candles are lit at Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday morning in memory of Bassel Al Shahade, a film student who was killed by governmentled fire in Homs, Syria, in May. A memorial service, symposium and concert were held at SU throughout the day to honor his courage.
SU holds day of remembrance to honor film student killed in Syria By Jen Bundy STAFF WRITER
B
assel Al Shahade was a student of the world. A graduate film student looking to make an influence on the world through his craft. A man who died for his cause.
Al Shahade, a Fulbright scholar and student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was killed by government-led fire in Homs, Syria, in May, and was honored Wednesday through a day of remembrance. Originally from Damascus, Shahade returned to his homeland after just one semester at Syracuse University to document the violence in Syria. A symposium was held Wednesday afternoon to discuss the current
situation in Syria. The panel featured a discussion among Mohammed Alsiadi, a scholar and musician; Malek Jandali, a pianist, composer and human rights activist; Rami Khouri, an international journalist and James Steinberg, dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “Currently in Syria, oppression is excused as necessary,” Laila Audi, the event moderator, said during the
symposium. “The goal of the activists is to gain basic human rights, something that is taken for granted in the United States.” Panelists said the United States needs to be more proactive in its approach to dealing with the Syrian conflict. “It is clear that the United States needs to go beyond just wishing this movement well,” Steinberg said. “We need to work together in the interest of the United States and of the Syrian people.” For 18 months there has been constant violence between the civilian population and the Syrian government controlled by the dictatorial
Kennedy speaks on research, mental health By Alexandra Hitzler STAFF WRITER
regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The conservative estimate of the death toll is 30,000, with an additional 1.5 million people displaced by the violence, Audi said. There were more people killed in Syria this past July than in the entire year of 2011, Audi said. “How could a peaceful protest that began with civilians carrying roses down the streets lead up to this dark reality?” she said. This reality fueled Al Shahade’s drive to return to Syria, said Daniel Aguilera, a friend and fellow graduate film student. But Owen Shapiro, Al Shahade’s
Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy called on Syracuse University students to lead the transformation of mental health treatment in his speech in Goldstein Auditorium on Wednesday night. “You all are the ones that are going to tackle this problem,” Kennedy said. Syracuse University College Democrats, the National Alliance on Mental Illness at Syracuse University, University Union and the Psychology Club co-sponsored Kennedy’s visit to address SU students and faculty on the topics of reforming health care and de-stigmatizing psychiatric disorders.
SEE AL SHAHADE PAGE 6
SEE KENNEDY PAGE 9