NY Renews, a coalition dedicated to environmental concerns, announced a new package raising awareness about the state’s recent climate legislation.
N • Jobs & justice Page 3
C • Fashion forward
Fashion and Design Society’s upcoming show, “Facade,” centers on the image of a “perfect” reality, drawing inspiration from sci-fi movies. Page 4
S • Small but mighty
Former Syracuse players Kamal Miller and Tajon Buchanan will become the first former SU players to play in a World Cup. Page 12
By Stephanie Wright asst. news editor
After a New York State Supreme Court judge temporarily halted progress on the state Depart ment of Transportation’s plan to tear down and reconstruct the Interstate 81 highway in Syracuse on Nov. 10, local offi cials say they hope the project will be able to continue as planned.
State Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri granted the ruling in favor of “Renew 81 For All,” the advocacy group that filed the
lawsuit against the New York State Depart ment of Transportation in September. The decision has stopped all progress on the project, including awarding contracts and construction, which was slated to start as early as this fall.
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange that the proj ect’s delay is “unnecessary.” Now, he said the city is working with the state DOT and other partners to ensure the plan for the community grid alternative moves forward.
“It risks a setback to local people who
Following Sunday’s shooting at the University of Virginia, Biko Gray, an assistant professor of religion at Syracuse University, said his stu dents feel terrified and hopeless.
Suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. allegedly shot and killed three UVA students and injured two others on their way home from a field trip Sunday evening. Gray addressed the tragedy at Wednes day’s University Senate meet ing, discussing the university’s
response to the shooting. Senators also reviewed the latest timeline for the Academic Strategic Plan.
Gray asked how SU’s leader ship would protect the university’s campus if SU experienced a simi lar situation to the shooting. Fol lowing the shooting, UVA ordered
students to shelter in place for 12 hours until Jones was in custody.
Jones currently faces charges for three counts of second-degree murder and five additional charges for the alleged use of a handgun in the commission of a felony as well as malicious wounding. Jones is
set to appear in court on Dec. 8.
In response, Chancellor Kent Syverud said SU is working to train university staff on active shooter situations and threat assessments.
“I am just hoping that given whatever complexities this insti
the independent student newspaper of syracuse, new york | dailyorange.com“negative environmental impacts.” malcolm taylorcontributing photographer
Local officials hope the community grid stays on schedule after lawsuit
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The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.
“The decision was made, we’re tearing down 81 and (building) a community grid through the city. To just keep extending it makes no sense to me.”Jimmy Monto, Syracuse common councilor Page 1
“It’s a productive discomfort. What makes the fashion industry interesting is people expressing themselves in contrast to everyone else.” - Surya Vaidy, president of FADS Page 4
“SU needs to make clear what its safety plan is if there were to be an active shooter on campus. Students should not have to be on lockdown for 12 hours like the students at UVA were.” - The Daily Orange Editorial Board Page 8
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“(Buchanan) always knew he was gonna go far. This is what he wanted. This is what he wants to do.” - Adnan Bakalovic, former Syracuse forward Page 12
Noteworthy events this week.
WHAT: Allyship 101
WHEN: Nov. 17, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Barnes Center at The Arch 309
WHAT: International Thanksgiving Dinner
WHEN: Nov, 17, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Schine Student Center, Goldstein Auditorium
WHAT: Orange After Dark: Special Screening“The Black Phone” WHEN: Nov. 18, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Huntington Beard Crouse Hall, Gifford Auditorium
Environmental justice activists announced the NY Renews coalition’s new campaign — The Climate, Jobs and Justice Package — at a conference in downtown Syracuse Wednesday.
Representatives from the Alliance for a Green Economy, Climate Change Aware ness & Action and other organizations announced the campaign. Amber Ruther, the organizing director of Alliance for a Green Economy, outlined the organiza tion’s three main initiatives — funding and implementing legislation, creating environ mentally friendly union jobs while building accessible renewable energy infrastructure and holding the rich, specifically fossil fuel companies, financially responsible for the transition to renewable energy.
According to a press release, NY Renews is raising awareness about the state’s Cli mate Leadership and Community Protec tion Act (CLCPA), which aims to reduce New York’s carbon footprint.
“Climate, Jobs and Justice’s mission
need the jobs and opportunity that the $2 billion-plus infrastructure investment will create,” he said.
The community grid project entails tearing down the viaduct that passes over Almond Street and replacing it with a business loop. The community grid itself will disperse traffic traveling north-south and east-west to exist ing roads and redistribute high-speed traffic to portions of Interstates 481 and 690 set to be reconstructed, according to the DOT.
In the case, the Renew 81 group argues that potential negative environmental impacts of the community grid plan on Syracuse’s majority-Black Southside neigh borhood amount to environmental racism. In its suit, the organization said the envi ronmental impacts would exacerbate rather than resolve issues related to environmental racism that the highway already causes.
from page 1
tution might have, it might be pushed up the chain to address this so that we are not in a position where we’re canceling classes because a student did something that is absolutely heinous,” Gray said.
Gray also urged Syverud to use the uni versity’s lobbying capabilities to push for changes that would work toward ending gun violence. Unlike most nonprofits, nonprofit universities like SU are able to lobby on issues that affect the university community according to particular guidelines.
“We have this issue at both the state and the federal level,” Syverud said. “We are
isn’t solely about reducing emissions, but also about ensuring that every New York er is thriving, warm, housed, healthy and has a good, family-sustaining career,” Ruther said.
In addition to funding and implement ing the CLCPA, Ruther said the package will ease the transition to other important pieces of state legislation, including the Gas Transition and Affordable Energy Act and the Build Public Renewables Act.
Ruther added it’s important that this leg islation has the support of public officials. Though New York State Senator Rachel May was unable to attend this conference, Eric van der Vort, May’s legislative director, spoke on her behalf.
New York state voters passed the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environ mental Bond Act on Nov. 8, which will create local jobs and support actions to “preserve, enhance and restore” the natural resources of the state, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. Van der Vort said May recog nized that its passing shows the importance New Yorkers place on climate action.
Yvonne Chu, the president of local
Walsh added that the reconstruction project has undergone a “rigorous multi-year review,” and pointed to the federal Record of Decision which authorized it in May.
“It should continue to move ahead,” Walsh said. “I look forward to the State’s response to the judge’s ruling.”
Former Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler leads Renew 81 along with Onondaga County Legislator Charles Garland, who owns a funeral home near the I-81 overpass, and a series of other community members. The group also represents the towns of Salina, Tully and DeWitt.
In an April 2019 statement, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud publicly endorsed the community grid as the universi ty’s preferred option for the replacement of I-81.
“It is my view that the Community Grid option most strongly aligns with the attri butes and outcomes that Syracuse Univer sity previously endorsed as central to any I-81 replacement option,” Syverud wrote in
fortunate not to be a state that has gone all the way to concealed carry on-campus, as some states have done.”
In June, the Supreme Court struck down a New York state gun control law from 1911 in a 6-3 decision, which required state residents looking to carry a handgun in public to present a “special need” to defend themselves.
Gov. Kathy Hochul later announced new concealed carry laws as a result of the deci sion made in New York State Rifle & Pis tol Association Inc. v. Bruen, with the new regulations prohibiting firearms, rifles, and shotguns in colleges and universities.
“I just want to assure you we aren’t com placent about this,” Syverud said. “It’s con
organization Climate Change Aware ness & Action, said much of central New York’s unique features are at risk due to climate change.
“We’re here because we did not take strong enough action in the past to do some thing about climate change,” Chu said.
But the Climate, Jobs and Justice Pack age is an opportunity to create a sustainable future, she said. The package will ensure that public agencies are prepared to imple ment the CLCPA in a “fast, effective and just” way.
Ruther said that the climate crisis dispro portionately affects communities of color, and inequality and justice regarding the climate crisis go hand-in-hand. She added that solutions that don’t put these communi ties at the forefront are not solutions. Those closest to the effects of the problems are closest to the solutions, she said.
Heather Deans, who represented the Syr acuse University and SUNY ESF chapters of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said there must be more account ability on the part of the fossil fuel industry. Deans explained that the industry damages
the statement.
On Wednesday, SU added to the 2019 statement that it “remains committed to and affirms that position.”
“The Community Grid is best positioned to drive meaningful transformation across our community, and in the heart of our City,” Syverud wrote in 2019.
Patrick Hogan, a common councilor rep resenting Syracuse’s second district, said he thinks the concerns about increased traffic and environmental impacts haven’t been properly addressed in the I-81 reconstruc tion project’s plans.
Hogan also said the neighborhood around the elementary school and the rest of the highway could be broken up by tearing down I-81, causing further displacement.
The viaduct’s original construction in the late 1950s and early 1960s began after the city of Syracuse petitioned for and received funding from the Federal Highway Administration. Construction
sumed a lot of time and a lot of us this week … and all I can say is people are aware and working on it.”
Members of the University Senate also discussed the ASP in Wednesday’s meeting, culminating several months of university engagement opportunities.
Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, pro vost and chief academic officer, said that as of Wednesday’s meeting more than 1,600 students, faculty and staff contrib uted to the ASP through public discus sions, campus engagement sessions and forums since September.
“I can’t stress enough how important your engagement has been to this whole pro cess,” Ritter said. “As I said from the begin
the environment, yet the cost of fixing its damages falls on the American people rather than the companies themselves.
Deans said the net income for oil and natural gas producers is expected to double over the next year to $4 trillion, accord ing to the International Energy Agency. She called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to include the Climate Change Superfund Act in the execu tive budget, which would force firms most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions to pay $30 billion over the next 10 years.
Each speaker emphasized that the pack age and other climate justice legislation is coming at a critical time in the climate cri sis. Deans said New York is in jeopardy of not meeting its 2030 climate benchmarks, which include the state reaching 70% renewable energy.
“We only have eight years left to meet the 2030 emission reduction targets of the CLCPA and stave off the worst of the climate crisis to maintain a livable planet,” Ruther said. “I fear that our legislators in Albany are moving at a snail’s pace.”
@madlehead emilyrosesteinberger@gmail.com
resulted in the tearing down of and dis placement of residents from the 15th ward, an economically successful neighborhood with a largely-Black population.
As a result of racist housing laws, displaced residents were forced into air pollution-afflicted housing near the via duct and subjected to health issues and structural segregation.
While the project is currently halted, stopSyracuse City Common Councilor Jimmy Monto said he feels I-81’s halt is unnecessary and a waste of time. He added that, despite the delay, there’s no reason the project shouldn’t continue.
“The decision was made, we’re tearing down 81 and (building) a community grid through the city,” Monto said. “To just keep extending it makes no sense to me.”
News Editor Kyle Chouinard also contrib uted to reporting for this article.
spwright@syr.edu @stephaniwri_
ning, my goal here is that we (the university) create an academic strategic plan that is col lectively created, owned and implemented.”
Ritter said the ASP will begin its shift to the next stage of its development process over the holiday break, when SU will begin work on a draft report to be posted on the Academic Affairs website in January 2023. SU expects to finalize the ASP in March 2023.
“Our university communities have been engaged in a robust and intensive exercise to reimagine and redefine academic excellence at Syracuse,” Ritter said. “It will be really impor tant to circulate this to get people’s thoughts and feedback on whether or not we got it right.”
Each semester, The Fashion and Design Society at Syra cuse University chooses an abstract theme for their biannual fashion show that strives to leave their audience asking them selves, “What did I just see?”
Last year, FADS dissected the idea of human impact on the eco system in the fall show, Biotic Won ders, and in the spring they focused on what the Earth would be like without humans in the Abiotic Wanderers show. This semester, FADS’ show revolves around one word: Facade.
Surya Vaidy, the president of FADS and a senior geography and photography dual major, wanted to continue the tradition of choosing a theme that would leave viewers feeling uncom fortable. To contrast last year’s shows, which largely focused on earth tones and metallic neu trals, Vaidy wanted to incorpo rate bright and colorful clothing that evoked a deep meaning.
“‘Facade’ is all about how soci ety perceives each other,” he said. “The idea that everything can be great, but when you get to the heart of someone, everything is not okay.”
The FADS team pulled inspiration from the show “Black Mirror,” the nuclear family and sci-fi movies that portray a dystopian reality. The show
will feel bizarre and perturbed, Vaidy said.
Instead of the clothing or a cer tain style driving the show, Vaidy, along with the FADS editorial board, wanted it to be tied to a theme with a deeper meaning that inspired ques tions and conversation.
“I wanted to choose a non-tradi tional approach to the fashion show,” Vaidy said. “Instead of choosing a stylistic theme, I want the clothing to revolve around our idea, instead of the other way around.”
The editorial board didn’t give designers specific materials and colors to work with, they wanted each person to interpret the theme without guidelines so the show has an element of surprise when it comes together.
This year’s theme also carries poetic undertones, said Caitlin Smith, the head of photography and videography at FADS. She said the concept behind the designs speaks to a larger theme of online presences and how people superficially craft their images on the internet.
“It’s something that some of us can relate to in a certain way,” Smith said. “I feel like we kind of have this facade through social media, or have encountered it in a certain way.”
Bella Young, a junior design studies major and the fashion director this semester, is most excited about seeing the set and designs come
Before he was a bestselling author, George Saunders was an engineer. Now, 11 books later, Saunders said he’s seen his background in geo physics in his writing, and leans into it as he writes his characters.
“I was trained as an engineer,
and it’s really gotten into my writ ing in the sense that we can maybe foreground our actual reaction to a thing,” Saunders said. “You might have an idea about an experiment, but you have to see what the data tells you. In a story, it’s very similar.”
Saunders, who has taught in Syracuse University’s creative
writing department since 1997, was the focus of Wednesday eve ning’s Arts and Sciences Alumni Academy webinar. Hosted by Pro vost Gretchen Ritter, the virtual conversation centered on Saun ders’ life and career, as well as his process as a writer.
The talk started with a discus sion about Saunders’ 2021 work, “A
Swim in a Pond in the Rain,” which was the literary form of his MFA class about Russian literature that he teaches at SU. The book dissects the works of Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Gogol through seven essays, arriving at the ultimate message of using fiction as a moral ethical tool, Ritter said.
To Saunders, the Russian litera
ture class and discussing its short stories allows him to explore the themes of some of life’s greatest mysteries. Compared to an Ameri can short stories class Saunders taught, he said the Russian short stories class has messages he responds better to.
“I respond to their basic credo: see george saunders
Ahead of their fall semester show “Facade,” FADS describes their creative process and their goals
Symmetrical Defiance
Start Thanksgiving break strong by heading to the Lost Horizon, where After Dark and Mosh Retirement will present Symmetrical Defiance. Comprised of vocalist Joshua Franchi, guitarist Rexx McGee, bassist Jon Herrala and drummer Evan Da Gray, Symmetrical Defiance looks to break the boundaries of the metal genre. Attendees must be 16 or older.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. PRICE: $17.45
The Frank White Experience and A Kid Called Danger
By Gillian Follett the outcrowd
Last January, Rufus Sivaroshan trav eled over 9,200 miles to the U.S. to begin their first semester at Syracuse University, leaving behind the only life they had ever known in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The only constant they held onto during this enormous transition was their burgeoning music career — which, incidentally, was the primary motivation pushing Sivaroshan to pack up their life and cross the globe.
That’s one of the downsides with virality. No one prepares you for it, so that when you’re dealing with it, it’s a clusterf*ck of emotions, basically
Rufus Sivaroshan su musicianSivaroshan began producing music under the stage name a kid named rufus in 2019, releasing a handful of pensive singles on Spotify in the first two years of their music career, followed by their first EP, “gradu ation,” in 2021. Now, they’re planning to move their career into the next phase by
releasing their first full-length album, “whatever works,” inspired by the drastic changes they’ve experienced in their life since moving to the U.S., including a journey of self-discovery and struggles they’ve faced in their transition to adulthood.
“‘Whatever works’ talks about everything from being a broke college student, to trying weed for the first time, to hook up culture. Queerness, anxiety, being in relationships, breaking up with someone — everything that I’ve experienced, you get little glimpses of it,” Sivaroshan said. “Everything’s been differ ent, and I have to sort through that, so there’s been a lot to write about.”
After graduating from high school in 2020, Sivaroshan deferred their admission to SU by a semester, choosing instead to devote time to writing and producing music. Music had fascinated them from a young age — an interest encouraged by their mother, who urged them to participate in traditional Indian music performances to practice their half-Indian culture.
Sivaroshan spent much of their early childhood singing, winning several com petitions, and at 14 began to expand their musical talent by learning acoustic guitar and teaching themself to produce music. Sivaroshan initially toyed around with acoustic textures in a more mainstream context, inspired by Ed Sheeran and his use of a loop station that allowed him to record a short guitar instrumental and have it repeat in the background while he sang or played other instrumental parts. But Sivaroshan then moved away from mimicking Sheeran’s stripped, acoustic style and embraced a pop style that soon melted into soft indie pop.
In March 2019, while Sivaroshan was a sophomore in high school, they decided to release their first song on Spotify, “Fine,”
which delivers an uplifting message about overcoming obstacles through floaty, melodic vocals and a driving beat.
But it wasn’t until a few months later, in July, when they would have their first major success with their second single, “useless.” The song — which details an unhealthy, crum bling romantic relationship, the melancholy lyrics conflicting with an upbeat instrumental track — exploded in popularity on Spotify only a week after its release. It was also added to two Spotify playlists — “Lorem,” a popular playlist designed to cater to a younger, quirky audience, and “Fresh Finds,” which spotlights up-and-coming independent artists.
At only 16, Sivaroshan found themself thrust into the music industry. The number of daily streams of “useless” ballooned from roughly 200 to over 20,000.
“People in Malaysia weren’t [the ones] streaming my music,” Sivaroshan said. “It was people in the U.S. and Canada and the U.K. that became my biggest markets in a week, at the snap of your fingers.”
They quickly became overwhelmed by their sudden success as music labels, manag ers and other artists began reaching out to them, asking to work with them or collabo rate on music.
“That’s one of the downsides with viral ity. No one prepares you for it, so that when you’re dealing with it, it’s a clusterf*ck of emotions, basically,” they said. “You have to figure out everything on the fly, and you don’t know in the moment if what you’re making is a good or bad decision. You just go off your gut and the limited amount of knowledge that you [have].”
Following their breakthrough single, Sivaroshan made the decision to study at SU in the Bandier Program. Their determina
Get groovy the night before Thanksgiving at Funk ‘N Waffles with The Frank White Experience and local hip-hop band A Kid Called Danger. A “hip-hop tribute band,” The Frank White Experience features vocalists Skribe Da God and Danielle Mitchell, drummer and vocalist Emanuel Washington, percussionist Benjamin Terry, bassist Mike Spadaro, guitarist Jay Lock and DJ Bizzness on turntables and special effects. Attendees must be 18 or older.
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. PRICE: $13.07
Wild Pink
Whether you stayed on campus over break or you’re just returning, head to Funk ‘N Waffles on Saturday for a performance from indie rock band Wild Pink. The group will be supported by Trace Mountains and Alocasia, two alternative bands. Attendees must be 16 or older.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. PRICE: $22.60
Daryl Hall
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Daryl Hall will perform at the Oncenter this weekend. The American rock, R&B and soul singer comes to Syracuse as part of his “BeforeAfter” tour. Attendees must adhere to the Oncenter’s clear bag policy.
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. PRICE: Starting at $58
together. She said the vision for “Facade” would be “immersive” and inspired by ideas not seen in a traditional fashion show.
“Right now, one person has this full anatomical outfit that is like representing the inside of a human,” Young said of one of the looks.
This year, the show will take place Sat urday, Dec. 3 in Dineen Hall. This is the first time FADS has ever hosted a show in this location, and the team looks forward to see ing the space come to life, Young said.
Vaidy hopes the people at the show feel inspired to authentically express themselves.
“It’s a productive discomfort,” Vaidy said. “What makes the fashion industry inter
from
we’re writing and reading stories with a cer tain moral urgency,” he said. “We’re writing about immortality and death and love and betrayal, and all of the big things. And they wear all that stuff on their sleeves.”
Unpacking Tolstoy was another ques tion Ritter had for Saunders — he unpacks his feelings about the writer as both a person and creative in his book. He spoke about Tolstoy as an example of how “a per son is really many people,” and how an individual is made up of fragments that can be both lovely and not.
He broadened his discussion on Tolstoy into the idea of how individuals train them selves in certain activities, from art to sci ence and more, as a way to cultivate these
tion to leave home and move halfway around the world for university was only natural.
“My parents specifically raised me and my sister to leave Malaysia,” they said. “They were always like, ‘You’re going to find a better qual ity of life elsewhere.’ That’s why I’m here.”
Sivaroshan never intends to move back to Malaysia. The country’s government is infamously conservative, with Penal Code 377 criminalizing gay sex and Sharia law, the Islamic legal system, forbidding any type of gender nonconformity that contradicts the sex assigned to a person at birth. According to OutRight International, a LGBTQIA+ human rights organization, “(LGBTQIA+) Malay sians are subject to arbitrary arrests, assault, extortion, and violations of their privacy by police and public officials,” as well as conver sion therapy and censorship.
Although Sivaroshan never received any exposure to the small pockets of LGBTQ communities in Malaysia, they knew before moving to the U.S. that they were queer. They never fit in with their male classmates, preferring to participate in tradition ally “feminine” activities like music and art when their classmates were pressuring them into sports like football or basketball. However, it wasn’t until their first year at SU that they became truly pained by the
esting is people expressing themselves in contrast to everyone else.”
One of Vaidy’s goals for the semester was balancing the organizational and managerial role that comes with being president while taking a step back and trusting that everyone will do their job to the best of their ability.
“(I) attempt to be the backbone of this organization so that everyone else can flour ish. (So) that our designers can design, that our stylists can style, our photographers and videographers can go out and produce these shoots,” Vaidy said.
Smith values the variation in leader ship FADS has seen in the past years, including students from the fashion design program, engineering students and those studying in Newhouse or VPA.
“fragments” into something more perfect. He said that Tolstoy is an example of an imperfect human who made beautiful state ments, much like many other people.
“Any worthwhile activity, we train in those in the hope that we might flare up for a couple of minutes,” Saunders said. “That’s, to me, a more hopeful way than to say only a perfect person could create a perfect work of art.”
Outside of discussing literature and his work as a professor, Saunders also reviewed his process as a writer. He said his natural instinct when writing is to be a “Hemingway-esque realist,” but often that turns into a subversion of expectation when he sets stories in locations that lend themselves to comedy, like a theme park.
In this way, Saunders said he tells his students not to model their writing
idea of identifying as male after witnessing the toxic masculinity inherent among their male classmates at the university, which led them to begin to identify as nonbinary.
“Even in my time in Malaysia, which was overtly homophobic, I had never seen those kinds of [bigoted] responses to anything. Those kinds of stigmas,” Sivaroshan said of the behavior they witnessed from male students at SU. “That was kind of my tipping point. I definitely did not see myself as male, because it literally broke me inside to be associated with [that] and I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Sivaroshan came out as nonbinary to their close friends in October, and a few months later told their classmates in the Bandier Pro gram. Their friends and classmates quickly embraced their identity, but officially coming out and officially switching their pronouns to they/them was still slightly nerve-wracking for Sivaroshan, who had never met anyone who was nonbinary until moving to the U.S. They also knew that any gender identity that deviated from the male-female binary could be punished in Malaysia with assault and imprisonment.
Since coming out, Sivaroshan has felt more liberated to experiment with their appearance, learning from their friends how to apply eyeshadow and other makeup, buying clothes from the women’s section at thrift stores and growing out their hair to the longest it’s ever been.
Gender identity and sexuality is a central
The diverse range of opinions produced the forward-thinking direction FADS has grown into, she said.
to her growth as a creative, but to the organi zation as a whole, Smith said.
“The biggest thing for me are the people that are in FADS, the diverse set of creatives that I encountered throughout my years,” Smith said. “I feel like no one is the same. Everyone pretty much has a different way of thinking and a different perspective.”
Instead of micromanaging and having an active role in every part of the process, Vaidy ultimately sees himself as support for the organization, so that everyone can do their very best work for the upcoming show, he said.
“I try to give people a space to be creative, be artists and be a part of the fashion commu nity on campus,” Vaidy said. “Knowing that I am helping someone achieve something in the creative realm is what makes me proud.”
That change has not only been rewarding
styles after great writers who have come before them, and rather to make their work live by infusing parts of themselves into it. His example of the theme park as a literary setting stemmed from when he went to Six Flags Over Texas for the first time as a kid, he said.
Even though Saunders leans toward modeling his writing after Earnest Heming way’s, his lived experience influences his work, rooting him in a distinct literary tradi tion of his own, he said. Instead of imitating the style of great writers, Saunders said, he encourages his students to find what literary tradition is easiest for them to “make live.”
“I think what we’re concentrating on is getting to that first moment when you feel someone in your work that is both you and surprising you,” Saunders said. “That first moment when you crossover from a kind of
theme on “whatever works,” along with the impacts of several other significant changes in their life since leaving Malaysia. Moving to the U.S. and navigating the immigration pro cess alone thrust them abruptly into adult hood, requiring them to secure a Social Secu rity number and establish a bank account.
Over the past several months, they’ve trudged through the lengthy process of extending their Visa to stay in the U.S. after finishing their studies while simultaneous ly deciding to make music their full-time career and signing with a record label — not to mention juggling the responsibilities of being a junior in college.
Choosing to formally dedicate themselves to their music career made them especially anxious, after being raised in a culture where “pursuing anything that’s avant-garde, espe cially the music business or being an artist, is super weird. Everyone’s very concerned about [job] security and stability.”
But the success of “graduation” coupled with the knowledge of the music industry they’ve gained from their major, spurred Siv aroshan to commit themselves to their music career and officially work with a record label.
Now, four years after releasing their first single, they spend several weekends per semester traveling around the U.S., espe cially to Los Angeles, to produce promotion al content and work on “whatever works” while also learning about the industry at SU
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studied professionalism — ‘I’m doing it right’ into ‘whoa, what am I doing? Is this right?’ But in your heart, you feel that more of you is coming on to the page than ever before.”
In broadview, Saunders’ webinar focused on the way that life experience and writing are intrinsically tied. This theme came back at the end of the night when a 50-year-old MFA student asked the closing question, prompting Saunders to give advice on how life and writing are tied.
“Your craft becomes working against your life experience in some ways, but it’s a good problem to have, because you’ve lived,” Saunders said. “What seems true to you probably is true, and what seems important and relevant to you probably is important and relevant to readers as well.”
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“Everything that we’re learning in class [is] happening to me in real time,” they said.
Sivaroshan is extremely proud of the work they’ve accomplished with “what ever works.” The album represents a tran sitional period in their life, both in terms of approaching age 20 and leaving their ado lescence behind and adopting a new musical style more in-line with experimental alter native sounds rather than indie pop.
“I’ve been trying to be more creative and make something I enjoy in the moment,” they said, scrolling through their recently-played artists on Spotify. Along with more mainstream indie artists such as Tame Impala and Dominic Fike, they highlighted NYC-based artist Sipper and Filipino singer-songwriter Eyedress.
Above all, for Sivaroshan, the most important aspect of “whatever works” is faithfully representing the different aspects of their identity — both their struggles and their personal growth — to help others going through similar changes feel represented.
“I have a unique story, and I want to be able to tell it in-depth, because I know that there are people like me – queer people, people that are non-citizens navigating this stuff, non-binary people, people suffering through mental health issues,” they said. “I want ‘whatever works’ to be a good example. I want to represent those communities as best as I can, and make it the best work I can.”
It’s a productive discomfort. What makes the fashion industry interesting is people expressing themselves in contrast to everyone else
Surya Vaidy president of fads
On Sunday, Nov. 13, a former University of Virginia foot ball player shot and killed three students, who were current members of the football team, and left two injured. The university ordered students to shelter in place for 12 hours while the University of Virginia Police Department detained the shooter.
The shooting at UVA is emotionally taxing on many SU
see gun violence page 8
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SU needs to learn from the fatal mistakes of UVA’s authorities and administration
Former President Donald Trump announced this past Tuesday, Nov. 15, his candidacy for reelection for the president of the United States. This will be his third time running for the position, having lost the 2020 presi dential election to current President Joe Biden. However, this is not your typical redemption story.
If I were to explain every reason why supporting Donald Trump during his 2024 campaign for president is a mistake, this would simply not be an editorial column. A lengthy book trilogy would even only scratch the surface of the risks he poses to the American public and our democracy.
The Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol perfectly encapsulates Trump’s former term as president. Back in July, members of the House of Rep resentatives’ Jan. 6 Committee publicly announced their conclusion that Trump intentionally violated his oath of office
students. The two institutions bear many similarities — they are both medium-sized universities with a high sense of school spirit. Both schools play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Two coaches on SU’s football team have previously coached UVA’s team: Jason Beck and Robert Anae. In a statement from SU Athletics, Offen sive Coordinator Anae relayed his “pro found sorrow” for the deaths of Virginia players Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry. He had a close relation ship with them throughout their collegiate football careers, from recruiting, develop ing and mentoring these young men.
College campuses are open fields for school shooters. There is nothing stopping anyone from walking onto campus or into a building with a gun. SU needs to make clear what its safety plan is if there were to be an active shooter on campus. Students should not have to be on lockdown for 12 hours like the students at UVA were, with little information or leadership on what to do. And UVA’s chief of police Tim Longo’s promise to “try to do better next time” is not enough. Those not near a shelter or a safe space should be informed by the uni versity on what to do in the instance of an active shooter.
The shooter shot his three fellow stu dents on a bus in the university’s parking garage after they had just returned from a field trip in Washington, DC for their drama class. The three victims did not expect to be killed that day — they were simply planning on enjoying a play for their class. To make matters worse, UVA was previously aware that the shooter was a threat after a student reported that he made a comment about
and deliberately did not do everything in his power to put an end to the riots.
His lack of action during an attack on one of our nation’s most crucial democratic processes proves he does not have the moral backbone required for an individual to hold office. Trump cannot be expected to make educated political decisions, given that his attitude toward how our democracy is meant to function is based on his own per sonal agenda, rather than the greater popu lation he had sworn to serve.
Trump’s blatant disregard for accept ing processes that protect our democra cy continued when he refused to testify during a scheduled deposition following a subpoena, which required him to turn in documentation that worked to invali date the 2020 election. Instead, he filed a 41-page lawsuit claiming the subpoena is invalid because it was “unnecessary and overly broad”.
His refusal to contribute to an inves tigation aiming to protect our demo cratic processes not only shows that Trump does not care for the system
possessing a gun.
The investigation revealed that the shooter had been convicted in 2021 of a mis demeanor concealed weapons violation, just one of several misdemeanor charges that he had been charged with over recent years. Although students are obligated to report a concealed weapons violation to UVA, the shooter did not. He then refused to cooper ate when officials questioned him about it and eventually went before a student judi ciary body on Oct. 27.
UVA should have suspended the shoot er from their institution immediately after knowing that he could be a threat to the safety of other students. Instead, they kept him on campus and allowed him to be around other students. Even though the university did not prove that the shooter had a gun prior to the shooting, he still should have been suspended until the case was closed.
Like UVA, SU’s policies also prohibit any possession or use of a firearm or other weapons, but both schools have little protocols in place to enforce said rules. The lack of immediate reaction and protocol for such an incident, even after the patterns of gun violence in our country and in schools, is alarming because violence is not a new occurrence for SU students. In the past, students have called attention to the continuous lack of safety protocols on campus.
On multiple occasions, international students have reported being robbed at gunpoint at the Aspen apartment com plex. Those living on South Campus have also reported a string of burglaries that are still occurring today. The Depart ment of Public Safety sends routine emails to students living on campus tell ing them to lock their doors and protect
our country was founded on, but also that he lacks responsibility for his own actions. Once again, his failure to com ply with a legal duty, even while out of office, reveals the true nature of his character. We absolutely cannot have an individual in office who refuses to look beyond himself for the better of the American public.
Therefore, any form of support for Donald Trump’s campaign is an act against our democracy as we know it. This is not about whether you lean right or left, but rather about needing to be aware of the dangers a certain individual brings to the political stage.
I do not mean to contribute to the already concerning political divide that has encap sulated our country. I also do not aim to encourage you to support one side over another, as both are flawed in their own right. Parties aside, Donald Trump is a haz ard to our democracy. I truly believe any effort to restore a sense of unity in the Unit ed States needs to start by removing him, and those like him, from politics altogether.
their belongings.
Given the rise in crime on and around SU’s campus, the university has failed to properly address the safety of its stu dents. This was evident during #Not AgainSU, when a student airdropped a manifesto written by the Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shooter to students in Bird Library. Afterward, students were left mostly in the dark about the inci dent and expected to go to classes the next day as if nothing had happened. SU’s administration then assessed and found nothing related to the incident, and DPS announced that there was no specific threat to the university, ignoring students’ fears.
Many students across the nation have personal stories of school or public shootings. Discussions around this topic now feel repetitive, and some have even become desensitized to this topic. Such an important conversation should not be going in this direction. We are stuck in a cycle of reports of sudden shootings and officials stating they will implement gun-control legislation. After a few days, there is the usual silence with no actions taken. We, as citizens, need to hold our officials accountable in their promise for change and call them out when they favor the gun industry over the people they’re meant to represent.
People who favor guns often refer to the ideology that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. But such mindsets seem to ignore the overall gun issue in our coun try. Compared to other wealthy countries, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide. This is a result of the U.S.’ weak or non-existent gun laws while having more guns—the U.S. has 393 million—than any comparable nation.
The American people must create a strong opposition to his 2024 campaign. We need to continue to educate ourselves and others on the reality of his previous term in office. We need to understand that Donald Trump is an individual who does not have the best interest of the American people in mind and that understanding such should not be regarded as a political stance. It is an act of aligning yourself on the side of morality.
As college students, 2024 will be the first opportunity for many of us to vote in a presidential election. It is imperative that we keep an eye on candidates as they are announced and educate ourselves on their beliefs and political backgrounds. Young people need to continue taking politics seriously if we want to ensure our futures are not dismantled by power hungry politi cians who do not have the best interests of our generation at heart.
Grace “Gray” Reed is a Sophomore magazine, news and digital journalism major. Their column appears bi-weekly. They can be reached at greed04@syr.edu.
The district that contains Syracuse recently elected pro-gun Republican Brandon Williams to Congress. He has publicly stated that he will fight against Congress’ efforts to pass gun reforms that limit access to firearms. Instead, Williams recommends a federal con cealed carry law, an action that favors and mimics the language of the gun indus try rather than the traumatized general public. As inhabitants of Syracuse and constituents, we must pay close attention to his movements in such dire times. Such pro-gun movements have proven to be a threat as the death toll by gun violence has increased. SU has a responsibility to this city and students to speak out against such rhetoric.
Following this lethal incident, SU must send out a statement to the com munity promising that they will protect their students and faculty, with tangible steps being drawn out. If there is a poten tial threat to students, even one that has not been proven, that person needs to be removed from campus immediately until the threat is proven to not be real. SU students deserve to know that their university will protect them from any possible shooters, especially given how common mass shootings have become in the U.S.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of stu dents to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse com munity. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members.
You can read more about the editorial board here. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss?
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the tournament’s best young player. In 25 international appearances, he’s notched five goals and six assists.
Canada reached first place in CONCACAF qualifying for the World Cup, securing an automatic bid to Qatar. Buchanan scored in wins over El Salvador, Panama and Jamaica.
The call from Herdman that he was named to the 26-man roster was a “dream come true,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan’s only been with the senior national team for just under two years. He had made four U23 youth national team appearances but was never part of previ ous youth national teams.
“I was overlooked,” Buchanan said. “I never got called or anything like that.”
Buchanan played under Chris Chrysan thou for the Mississauga Falcons, a Cana dian club team that won the 2014 U16 IMG Cup. But in 2015, Chrysanthou’s job forced
him to move to Colorado.
Buchanan moved to Colorado alone to get more looks. He was accepted to Real Colorado, a United States Developmental Academy team. But because his biological parents weren’t living with him, FIFA and the U.S Soccer Federation declared Buchan an ineligible to play. He couldn’t play in games for Real Colorado, nor could he play for Legacy for his junior year in 2015.
Since he could only train, Buchanan attended Syracuse’s Winter ID camp in 2016. Three weeks after that, Syracuse McIntyre invited him for an official visit and Buchanan committed to his “dream school.”
Before each season, Syracuse’s team captains held a practice in Manley Field House. Former Syracuse forward Adnan Bakalovic said Buchanan’s confidence stuck out right away as he took on more experienced players along the left side.
Buchanan, at the striker position, always attacked Miller, “one of the best” defenders in the country, Bakalovic said. Both players
would go back-and-forth, with Buchanan using speed and Miller using his strength. Bakalovic said players were often “shy” going against Miller, but Buchanan wasn’t.
When he was eligible to play at Legacy, teams strategized to foul him the whole game. They didn’t have another strategy to combat his talent.
Bakalovic said one of Buchanan’s best qualities was his dribbling. He was never a “flashy” player who would do something for a highlight reel. All his step overs and scissors were purposeful and effective, Bakalovic said.
“I used to think I was a very good dribbler back in the day, but Tajon always just oneupped me,” Bakalovic said. “Anything that I would do, he would just do it much better.”
Buchanan finished with 12 goals on 80 shots in addition to six assists in two seasons at SU. After earning a Generation Adidas contract, Buchanan then played for the New England Revolution in the MLS.
goals, earning an MLS All-Star team selection in 2021. New England later transferred him to Belgium First Divi sion A’s Club Brugge, where he made his debut in 2022.
“He always knew he was gonna go far,” Bakalovic said. “This is what he wanted. This is what he wants to do.”
Canada’s pace and skill on the attack is an area where it has a lot of success, Buchanan said, but he knows the team is playing much stronger competition with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco in its group.
Buchanan had an opportunity to go against higher competition with Club Brug ge, who recently qualified to the Round of 16 for the Champions League. He made four appearances and notched one assist in the tournament.
“A World Cup and a Champions League (appearance) — it doesn’t get any bigger than that,” McIntyre said.
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the importance of sticking to a schedule, Gheisar said.
He recorded 60 appearances with 10
er’s increased dedication to fitness and diet was obvious.
said Adnan Bakalovic, his former teammate.
Feliciano and Gheisar both said Miller’s physical tools got him far, but once he start ed playing above his age group, his lack of fit ness held him back from his true potential.
During his junior year of high school, SU head coach Ian McIntyre visited him frequently during the showcasing period in November, December and January. Miller worked on his fitness and his schoolwork to make sure he was academically eligible for his “dream school.”
Miller started immediately for Syracuse, but Gheisar remembers him cramping up in his second career game against Bucknell. Previously, he couldn’t execute an effective nutrition plan, but McIntyre provided support, Gheisar said. At Vaughan, it wasn’t a big deal if he was late to a training session because he had a long drive with traffic that could slow him down. But at Syracuse, he quickly learned
Miller improved tremendously in his freshman year, several teammates and his club coaches said. McIntyre repeatedly got on Miller about holding the ball too long in a match against BC during his freshman year, Bakalovic said.
Vaughan built play almost entirely through the back, which meant Miller was almost exclusively playing short passes instead of long ones. But when Vaughan scrimmaged Syracuse in the spring of Miller’s freshman year, Feliciano was in awe of Miller’s new skills. Miller boomed a 60-yard diagonal ball to switch the play, something he had never done at Vaughan.
Miller worked out twice a day all year, but teammates and coaches both said that his offseason work set him apart from others. He practiced with Vaughan over Christmas break in addition to playing in other tournaments with his friends. When he returned to Vaughan after Syracuse’s 2016 College Cup run, Feliciano said Mill
His improved fitness allowed him to do even more with the ball and maximize his natural abilities, Bakalovic said. He pro gressed with the ball better and even played outside back, which required much more running up and down the pitch.
Ahead of the MLS SuperDraft his senior year, Miller worked even more on his fitness, Leahy and Ricks said. Miller went to Manley and ran the stairs as well as the hurdles to improve his pace.
Miller slid into the second round of the MLS SuperDraft, where he was picked 29th by Orlando City SC. He began spending more time than ever on his fitness and diet. He started cooking for himself and even filmed a video during quarantine, called Cooking with K Millz, about making a day’s breakfast of a smoothie, omelet, and pancakes.
But at Orlando City, he faced a steep learn ing curve to adjust to Colombian head coach Óscar Pareja’s South American style of play. Pareja limited Miller’s potential, Ricks said.
Miller was left unprotected in the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft and was selected by Austin FC before being immediately traded to CF Montreal. At CF Montreal, he plays on the left side of a back three, just as he did at Syracuse.
Miller also faced obstacles trying to move up in the national team ranks. Gheisar had to practically beg Canada U20 head coach Rob Gale to give Miller a chance. Most of the players on the team went the traditional route of playing for a club team’s reserve side. Miller was looked down on because he played college soccer instead.
But his MLS performances made him hard to ignore. Since debuting for the national team in 2019, he has grown into a dependable starting center back. Both Ghei sar and Feliciano said European clubs will be watching his World Cup performance.
“His biggest issue probably back then was just his fitness,” Bakalovic said. “You look at him now, and that’s not the case anymore, it’s probably one of his biggest strengths.”
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@ColeBambiniwould act as a defender and rush Estep or set up cones, making Estep work on escaping the pocket. Shrader also taught Estep how to sell moves and have defensive ends guessing on every move he makes outside the pocket.
“The way (Shrader) plays the game is how I’m trying to imitate it now,” Estep said.
Estep and Shrader first started working out before Shrader left for Mississippi State. The two work out up to four times a week when Shrader is home during breaks and text each other daily. This year was the most they had worked together, Estep said. When Shrader was home during winter break, they worked out 3-4 times a week.
They watch each other’s games — Shrad er via a livestream online, Estep on what ever channel the Orange play on — and text each other “good game” afterwards.
Their workouts begin with a 15-minute
stretch, followed by 10 minutes of arm care, where they make sure their elbows and shoulders feel good. Shrader had a serious shoulder injury in high school, and hopes to protect Estep’s shoulder. After 15-20 min utes of warming up their arms, they’ll do 10 minutes of footwork drills. The final 30-45 minutes are spent on routes and feeling pocket pressure.
Some days are spent doing routes against man-to-man coverage, some against zone coverage, but the normal routine is “routes on air.” Shrader emphasizes foot movement in the pocket so Estep can complete accurate throws. Lastly, they’ll throw on the run or do other mobility-related work to prepare for in-game situations.
That’s the kind of work that has particular ly translated to Estep’s play, he said. They work on extending plays and completing passes downfield. Shrader has also shown Estep how to manipulate linebackers and safeties with a quick flinch so the receiver has a bigger hole to
sit in. All the work has helped elevate Charlotte Christian’s offense this season, Estep said. The Knights currently sit at 10-2.
and shift to a more appropriate play.
Estep’s come a long way from joking with Shrader on the sidelines after his highlight-worthy runs, and from when Shrader coached him at his middle school games. Shrader mentored Estep through his recruitment process, making it easier, Estep said. After Estep committed to Appalachian State, Shrader called him, saying he was proud of all the work he had put in.
After working out, they’ll get lunch at the “hole in the wall” Charlotte Cafe, talking about how to communicate on the field as the offense’s leader.
Jason remembers how Shrader called a game on his own by the end of his career. He’s seen similar things from Estep this season, with the quarterback able to read a defense
Coming out of Charlotte Christian, Shrader had 19 Football Bowl Subdivision offers. Estep had two. Shrader was a fouryear varsity starter, Estep just a two-year starter. They’re different quarterbacks (Shrader bigger and a better runner, in par ticular), but the roots, and the goal — being Division I quarterbacks — are the same.
“Completely different paths,” Jason said. “But they’re ending hopefully the same way.”
Cam Estep
The way (Shrader) plays the game is how I’m trying to imitate it now.”
charlotte christian quarterback
Paul Flanagan’s routine nowadays is pretty simple. He’ll work on some house projects and run some errands. And at 2:15 p.m., Flanagan will drive to Cicero-North Syra cuse High School to help coach the boys’ varsity hockey team.
Flanagan found it funny. His son knew that the newly-hired head coach was looking for assistants.
“My son said, ‘Call my dad. He’s not doing anything,’” Flanagan said. “And technically I wasn’t. But I did have some home improve ment things I never got to.”
In preparation for the Northstars’ upcom ing season, Flanagan will work with the team on dryland training. Afterwards, the team will skate. He’s still getting used to the concept of “open skates,” where any student can try out.
Flanagan loves that he has September and October off, and that the high school season ends in early February, something that was rare when he coached Syracuse. He retired last March after the Orange won their second-ever College Hockey America title. There wasn’t any sole reason for his decision. He just knew it was the right time.
Only Flanagan, his wife Sharon and asso ciate head coach Brendon Knight knew he was retiring on March 23. Syracuse was tak ing part in season-end activities when Flana gan called a team meeting in the locker room.
No one knew what to say, SU senior Abby Moloughney said. After the speech, some of SU’s fourth and fifth year players — Moloughney, Victoria Klimek, Jessica DiGi rolamo and Lauren Bellefontaine — all went to his office, talking and joking for hours.
In his first 10 seasons with the Orange, he signed successive five-year contracts to stay. But from 2019-22, Flanagan decided to sign three straight one-year contracts. He knew he had job security at SU. One of his colleagues, who just retired, gave him simple advice.
“He said, ‘You’ll know when it’s time,’” Flanagan said.
After two altered seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Flanagan wanted one
footballnormal year. The pandemic’s restrictions didn’t allow him to coach the way he knew, and Moloughney said she had a feeling Fla nagan would retire last season.
“There was just something about him that year,” she said.
Before Moloughney became the Orange’s top scorer with 17 goals and 32 points, she was a freshman getting accustomed to the new environment. Moloughney said she built trust up with Flanagan on the rink.
Moloughney would always be inclined to pass, scoring just twice in her first 11 games. She always skated with the puck down the sides of the rink and took a lane. Moloughney wasn’t doing anything wrong, but Flanagan knew she could score. He kept pushing Moloughney to shoot.
Last season, Flanagan gave the same advice to freshman forward Sarah March and, who had a “pass-first mentality.” Fla nagan always told Marchand, who now leads the Orange this season with five goals and 11 points, to trust herself.
“You miss the actual coaching and being around the kids,” Flanagan said.
Flanagan built programs from scratch at Syracuse and St. Lawrence. The Saints’ pro gram just moved to Division I in 1997, and the players didn’t get along with the head coach. So St. Lawrence administrators approached Flanagan, and he accepted the job in 1999.
By 2001, Flanagan brought the Saints to the national championship, where they fell to Minnesota-Duluth 4-2 in the first season women’s ice hockey was an NCAA sanctioned sport. Over the next six years, St. Lawrence made three more Frozen Four appearances.
In his ninth and final season with the Saints, Flanagan remembered losing to New Hampshire on a ricocheted overtime goal in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. If that goal didn’t happen, Flanagan said he may have never gone to Syracuse.
He also may not have accepted the offer if he wasn’t in China, serving as an assis tant coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship. Flanagan said if he was back at St. Lawrence,
he might have still been with the Saints.
When he was in China, then-SU Athletic Director Daryl Gross offered Flanagan the job. In the few days he had to respond, Fla nagan talked about the offer with coaches he knew at the tournament before accepting.
Stefanie Marty, SU’s first Winter Olym pian, came to Syracuse’s new program after a “tough time” at New Hampshire, and said she appreciated how Flanagan trusted the players. When Marty had a bad game, Fla nagan acknowledged this and let her sit out.
“That’s also how I define a good coach now,” Marty said. “That he or she sees who is doing well, or who isn’t doing that well.”
Flanagan led Syracuse to its first win ning season in 2009-10, advancing to the CHA Championship game after Marty scored in a 5-3 victory over Niagara. It fell to Mercyhurst 3-1, setting up a decade where Syracuse made the title game five more times, but always fell short.
Still, Flanagan’s teams exuded a specific offensive style that became apparent to CHA opponents. Mercyhurst head coach Michael Sisti said Syracuse took more chances at the net than other teams, and Mercyhurst experienced this first hand at the CHA Championship.
In the 2021 CHA Championship, DiGi rolamo kept the attack alive and shot from her normal spot on the blue line. Sophomore forward Sarah Thompson scored off the rebound, sending the bench into a frenzy during the 3-2 win. Flanagan said he didn’t even see the puck go in, noting he told the team to just throw the puck on net.
Flanagan got a Gatorade bath as his skaters surrounded him. With “Sweet Caro line” playing in the background, Flanagan screamed “Give me that damn thing!” before he lifted the CHA trophy.
“He got to go out with a championship win and a league win,” Moloughney said. “I think that was enough for him.”
Flanagan doesn’t show up at Tennity Ice Pavilion too much anymore, but tells the players “he’s just down the road.” He’s been around Syracuse enough to know where the right coffee places and Irish pubs are. He and Sharon have always enjoyed exploring the outdoors in the surrounding area, and they’ll continue to do just that.
“We’re definitely not planning on going anywhere,” Sharon said. “We’re very happy here.”
henrywobrien1123@gmail.com @realhenryobrien
Cameron Estep recalled the time Garrett Shrader took off on a designed quarterback run, hurdled one player, spun by another and juked past a third before stepping out of bounds. Shrader’s run ended up on SportsCenter and House of Highlights, but after the drive was over, Shrader approached a young Estep, who was on the sideline. “I’d never let you jump over me like that,” Estep jokingly said to Shrader.
“That was just something I’ll always
remember because he blew up from that play and I was able to talk to him about it afterwards,” Estep said. “He was just always looking out for me.”
Estep is a senior quarterback at Charlotte Christian (N.C.) High School, where his dad Jason, who helped Shrader become a top recruit, is the coach. Estep and Shrader have developed a tight relationship over the years, from the days when Estep watched from the sidelines as Shrader led Charlotte Christian. Estep said he now tries to emulate many things Shrader does. Jason said Shrader deserves credit for helping Estep — who committed to
Appalachian State in July and also has an offer from NC State — become a Division I prospect.
Jason became Charlotte Christian’s head coach in 2007, coaching Shrader, who was a four-year starter and won two state cham pionships. Shrader developed into one of the best high school quarterbacks in the coun try at Charlotte Christian and “changed the program,” Estep said. Estep was always around the team when Shrader was there, standing on the sidelines or sitting in the locker room with the team.
Estep entered high school when Shrader was a senior, and was Charlotte Christian’s
JV quarterback that year. His next season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Estep won the starting varsity job as a junior. He broke his collarbone in his first game as a starter and missed the next four games, throwing for over 1,100 yards and 11 touch downs when he returned. He’s thrown for over 2,300 yards and 31 touchdowns this season while adding a running dimension, which he implemented from his work with Shrader.
Shrader taught Estep when to run, how to extend plays and how to make smart plays in the pocket. In their workouts, Shrader
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Tony Romano thought no other coach was even listening to his nomination speech as to why Tajon Buchanan should be Colorado State Player of the Year in 2016. They all already had Buchanan’s name down.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘this is a young man who will make a living playing soccer someday. Period.’ He’s that level, that caliber player and that has certainly proven to become true,” Romano said.
Buchanan plays for Belgian professional football team Club Brugge after competing at Syracuse from 2017-2018 and getting drafted ninth overall by the New England Revolution in the MLS SuperDraft. Next week, Buchanan and Kamal Miller will be the Orange’s first-ever players in program history to be at a FIFA World Cup as they were named to Canada’s 26-man roster for Qatar.
Miles Robinson, a defender for the United States men’s national team, likely also would’ve been selected for the World Cup if it wasn’t for an Achilles injury.
“If it wasn’t for Miles (Robinson’s) injury, the prospect of having Miles, Kamal Miller and Tajon Buchanan in a World Cup is still a little bit surreal,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said.
In January 2021, Canada manager John Herd man invited Buchanan to his first senior camp. Buchanan watched the mentality Herdman brought to the team, and said Herdman “brought a country together” because of the team’s success in qualifying.
Buchanan made his Canada senior national team debut in a 7-0 World Cup qualification match win over Aruba in June 2021. He scored his first goal in a 2-1 loss to Mexico at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he was named
By Connor Pignatello asst. sports copy editor
When Kamal Miller joined Vaughan SC as a teenager, he was strong and aggressive with phenomenal ball skills for a center back. But he was also raw, and had a softer body type. He barely drank water or knew about nutrition, his club coaches said.
“He didn’t look like an athlete,” said Jordan Feliciano, one of his Vaughan coaches. “He was shorter, stockier, and for a center back, those are the two worst character traits.”
But Patrice Gheisar, his other club coach, put it differently.
“If you didn’t know him, and me and you are walking the dog and we stop by a soccer field to watch a game, when he was in grade 11 we would say ‘damn, that kid can play’” Gheisar said. “But he had a little bit too much of a love affair with the ball, and
he was a bit out of shape.”
After landing at Syracuse, Miller continually improved his fitness and diet. He started every game but three in four years with the Orange. Now at MLS club CF Montreal, Miller started in the 2022 MLS All-Star game and is projected to start in Canada’s backline in the World Cup next week. Miller and former Syracuse teammate, Tajon Buchanan, who both play for Canada, are the first Syracuse players to reach a World Cup.
Buchanan left school early after signing a Gen eration Adidas contract, was picked in the top 10 of the MLS SuperDraft and signed a European deal.
But Miller stayed all four years at Syracuse, didn’t land in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft and wasn’t even protected by his club in the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft. His road to the World Cup was driv en by continual fitness improvements, which started at Syracuse and are now at “unimaginable” levels,
road to the World Cup was driven by fitness improvements, which started at SU