free
MONDAY
nov. 15, 2021 high 42°, low 34°
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 • Ombuds report
Office of the University Ombuds revealed in its annual report that workplace racial and gender bias and bullying exist on campus. Page 3
dailyorange.com
C • Homecoming
Natasha Alford returned to Syracuse to talk about storytelling and increasing diversity in the media. She left with a week named in her honor. Page 7
S • Oh what a night Felisha Legette-Jack’s No. 33 was raised into the rafters on Sunday. Here’s how fans, Legette-Jack’s family and players reacted to the history number retirement. Page 12
city
How Biden’s federal “Our ultimate goal is to enact bill impacts Syracuse
transformational change”
“ We know that our culture of creativity, independence and decentralization can be both our greatest strength and a significant challenge” “ In these recommendations ... is the belief that our success can be enhanced by a more collaborative and disciplined DEIA process”
“ Black students were 4.61 times ... more likely than white students to report having experienced discrimination” Syracuse University’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility five-year draft plan was released on Oct. 18, and its review period ends on Monday By Hannah Ferrera, Karoline Leonard, Kyle Chouinard and Shantel Guzman the daily orange
Graphic by Megan Thompson
T
design editor
he review period for Syracuse University’s five-year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility plan will conclude on Monday. In the plan, the university provided goals for addressing a variety of issues on campus. But some of the suggested revisions did not lay out how they would remove biases from campus. The review period allows students and faculty to express comments and concerns with the DEIA plan, which was
released on Oct. 18 by a task force created in the wake of the #NotAgainSU protests. The task force said in the plan that the university held external and internal reviews to better gauge their commitment to DEIA, which led to the five-year DEIA plan. On Nov. 10, SU’s Student Association held a town hall to discuss the DEIA plan, which many members and students said was not adequate to address the real diversity and inclusion problems at SU. The plan acknowledged how the #NotAgainSU protest and the murder of George Floyd showed how not enough is being done on campus and in society to support diversity and inclusion. The task force noted the plan will not see diversity page 4
be accomplished within five years but provides a starting place for improving DEIA on campus. The task force outlined five key goals for the plan: · Enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all · Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff · Advance institutional infrastructure-related DEIA learning, professional development and civic innovation · Elevate DEIA across the academic institution, transforming the university’s approach to scholarship, research, pedagogy, curriculum, programs and services · Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility.
By Francis Tang asst. copy editor
After being passed recently by Congress, President Joe Biden’s bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill will directly contribute to the physical infrastructure in the city of Syracuse and central New York. The bill was passed by the House in a 228-206 vote on Nov. 5 and was sent to the president’s desk on Nov. 8, with 13 Republicans voting across the party line. The White House announced Biden will sign the bill into law during a ceremony on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described the bill as a “once-in-a-generation” investment in New York’s infrastructure, which includes mass transit, passenger rail, highways, airports, water, electric vehicles and high-speed internet. The bill includes $25 billion funding to airports nationwide, with $937 million set aside for New York state. Of the $937 million, $27.3 million is specifically for Syracuse Hancock International Airport. “Airport funding has been lagging well behind what is needed to cover present and future infrastructure needs at our nation’s airports,” said Jason Terreri, executive director of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, in a press release from the office of Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus. “This investment will help address this funding gap, and help SRAA meet the growing commercial passenger and cargo transportation needs of the region.” Syracuse’s public transportation will also be affected from the passage of the infrastructure bill. After Centro suffered from driver shortage and a reduced bus schedule around the Syracuse University campus and in the city, the company will receive approximately $74 million over the next five years — $55.8 million will go to Syracuse and $18.2 million will go to Utica and Rome. The bill will provide $89.9 billion in total through new investments and reauthorization to guarantee funding for nationwide public transit in the next five years. Katko, one of the 13 House Republicans who voted in favor of the bill, wrote a guest opinion in syracuse.com that he supports the bill because it specifically focuses on physical infrastructures that “will generate longterm economic growth.” “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes meaningful and see bill page 4