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october 25, 2011
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
Face value An SU alumnus creates a fee-
Tweet, dude The Daily Orange Editorial
Boys will be boys A Syracuse Stage play
Spark plug Dorian Graham provided a boost
free ticket-sharing website. Page 3
Board applauds SU’s use of social media and urges students to also use it. Page 5
handles a sensitive subject matter through humor. Page 7
for Syracuse in its win Friday with a kickoff return for a touchdown and as a receiver. Page 16
Lost transition in
South Sudan faces obstacles after achieving independence in July By Micki Fahner
D
STAFF WRITER
arius Makuja will never forget July 9. It was the day the Republic of South Sudan became an independent country, and the day, as he tells it, that he became a free man. “It was awesome, overwhelming,” Makuja said. “I just could not believe I was a free man, completely.” It’s been three months since South Sudan separated from Sudan and became independent. While the separation has been acknowledged since 2005, a referendum made the independence official, according to a July 14 United Nations news release. More than anything, Makuja said, he believes the past three months have allowed the notion of freedom to sink in for the South Sudanese people, both in the country and in the city of Syracuse. “We are experiencing freedom for the fi rst time,” Makuja said. “People are very, very joyful that we are independent, but it comes with a lot of challenges.” Makuja, a professor at Le Moyne College, was born and raised in southern Sudan. He came to the United
States in 1996, pursuing graduate studies. While Makuja said he has enjoyed studying and teaching in the United States, South Sudan will always be his homeland. “That is where I belong, and that is where my family is,” Makuja said. On a trip back to South Sudan in June, Makuja said he could see the people yearning for the freedom to be their own country. “The Sudan independence is something we have longed for, for 50 years,” Makuja said. Makuja was in Syracuse the night South Sudan’s independence became official. He said he and other South Sudanese people in Syracuse celebrated until after midnight. “Everybody in Syracuse was excited,” Makuja said. “To see it all celebrated here and to be a part of it was so, so, so thrilling.” But in the past three months, the excitement has started to wear and the enormity of what lies ahead for the new country has started to sink in, Makuja said. “While we are independent, while SEE SOUTH SUDAN PAGE 6
katy beals | contributing photographer
Keep on occupyin’
More than a month later, Occupy Wall Street protestors can be seen in full force as shown here in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. The protest began Sept. 17 in Manhattan’s Financial District. Protestors speak out against corporate greed, social and economic inequality, and the influence of lobbyists on the government. Since the initial protests began, the Syracuse University community has engaged with the movement. More than 800 cities have joined in, including the city of Syracuse.
Community discusses safety procedures By Jon Harris ASST. NEWS EDITOR
More than 40 people congregated at Erwin First United Methodist Church on Monday night to talk about safety in light of a string of robberies in the East neighborhood. In September, Syracuse police announced that the same two men may have been responsible for 10 robberies in the East neighborhood dating back to July. In many of the robberies, the suspects had a gun when they sneaked up on their victims, who were mostly students. The robberies occurred anywhere from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., and Sept. 28 was the day of the last robbery, said Capt. John Brennan of the Syracuse Police Department. Although the meeting failed to attract Syracuse University students, city common councilors, several police officials and representatives from neighborhood watch groups attended the meeting, which lasted for an hour.
Residents issued concerns about neighborhood safety and asked police officials for advice. Before answering questions, Deputy Chief Joseph Cecile announced that SPD had arrested two individuals in connection with the Eastside robberies. They have not admitted to the robberies, but SPD is “fairly sure” the two individuals committed the crimes, he said. “As soon as we made that arrest, the robberies went to almost zero,” Cecile said. “This does not mean you shouldn’t be cautious, you should still be cautious out there because it’s clear that we have multiple people who are doing these robberies.” Cecile encouraged residents to make their homes a hard target for burglars by leaving lights on, locking doors and having a house alarm. Criminals look to break into homes with doors or windows open and would likely look for a different target if a home has certain safeguards, he said.
Several residents also said they haven’t noticed a heavy presence by SU’s Department of Public Safety in the neighborhood. Tony Callisto, chief of DPS, said his department typically has six officers working from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on certain days in the offcampus neighborhood, covering the area between Westcott, Thurber and East Genesee streets. In regards to Thornden Park, Callisto said SPD is responsible for that area, though DPS also patrols the park. “If our officers come across a felony in progress, they can actually make an arrest in that case regardless of whether it’s on campus or in the city, and they have in a couple of these cases,” Callisto said. Residents questioned police officials about how to defend themselves. Bruno Danielle, a SPD officer, told the audience that pepper spray was legal in certain amounts and residents should take caution in SEE SAFETY PAGE 6