The SUNY system named former Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. as its new chancellor, replacing interim Deborah Stanley.
C • Small World
As the World Cup entices the entire World, Syracuse is no exception, with students and citizens alike getting excited for soccer’s biggest stage.
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S • First time ever?
The Orange will make their second College Cup appearance, looking to win the title for the first time in program history.
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Syracuse head coach Dino Babers showed up to Monday’s press conference in his Yan kees’ pinstripes.
“You can tell by the attire that we’re a little fired up about this,” Babers said to open the press conference, pointing at the name Judge on his back after he left the podium.
new CNY semiconductor manufacturing plant.
“Later on that night, I had an email from the senior recruiter for North America with Micron and he was saying, ‘Hey, I saw your resume and we want to have a conversation,’” Pollard said. “Four days after that email, I had an interview, and then a week after that I was signing my offer letter.”
By Stephanie Wright asst. news editorWhen Vice Chancellor Michael Haynie asked Savion Pollard for a copy of his resume at a dinner for veterans stu dents, Pollard didn’t realize the request would lead him to become the first intern for Micron’s
The new plant, which the company announced in October, is set to be built in Clay, New York, about 15 miles north of Syracuse. The plant is projected to bring around 9,000 jobs with Micron directly, as well as another 50,000 jobs to the surrounding central New York area. Pollard, a veteran as well as a second-year electrical engineering and com puter science student at Syracuse University, said the internship opportunity feels “unreal” and that he hopes to not only develop his own career, but also give back to others through his role.
It was announced less than 24 hours ago that Syracuse’s first bowl appearance since 2018 would be at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 29, 2022, against Minnesota at Yankee Stadium. The Orange have made two appearances at the Pinstripe Bowl, in 2010 and 2012, winning both matchups. Now, what hap pened during Syracuse’s up-anddown regular season doesn’t matter. Syracuse has a chance to go 0-1 or 1-0, Babers said.
“Season ended at 7-5 and now this gives us the opportunity to be in a Bowl and end 1-0,” Babers said. “I’m glad these young men get an opportunity to play one more time.”
Here’s what else Babers, Marlowe Wax and Garrett Shrader had to say a day after the announcement:
Babers remembered the impact of redshirts in SU’s 2018 Camp
Savion Pollard aims to be a role model as the new Micron plant’s first internSavion Pollard, “big brother” mentor at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Onondaga County, is the first intern Micron hired for their new plant in central New York. courtesy of savion pollard
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The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.
“It’s really important for these kids to have that guidance in their life, and have someone that they can rely on and someone that they can look up to and be a model for them.” - Savion Pollard Page 1
“The game is a really good way to remind us of our culture and the pride in our culture,” Kimberlyn Herrera, MSA President Page 5
“As college students face continuous academic, social or internal challenges, they develop a stagnant mentality for change, impairing the potential of success.”- Hannah Karlin, columnist Page 8
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“These next three weeks we really get to shape who we want to be going into next season” - Garrett Shrader Page 12
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The State University of New York system named former United States Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. as its next chan cellor Monday morning.
“Public education quite literally saved my life when I lost both of my parents at a young age,” King wrote in a SUNY press release. “I have dedicated my professional career ever since to ensuring that every student has access to the academic opportunities that they need and deserve.”
King will replace Deborah Stanley, who worked as the system’s interim chancellor after former-Chancellor Jim Malatras resigned. Mala tras mocked a staffer who accused former-Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual assault. Since the announce ment, education officials and politicians across New York state welcomed King into the SUNY system, which is the U.S.’s largest public univer sity system.
In an email to The Daily Orange, SUNY ESF President Joanie Mahoney wrote that the school’s community is “hon ored” to welcome King.
“His commitment to excellence and equity within education will continue to elevate SUNY’s mission to ensure everyone has access
city
to education that is highquality (sic) and affordable,” Mahoney wrote.
In the press release announc ing his hiring, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called King “just what SUNY needs.”
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who fellow Democrats nominated to be House minor ity leader on Wednesday, sat on SUNY’s search committee that eventually chose King. As a SUNY Binghamton alumni, Jef fries called the job an honor.
“As a child of New York, prod uct of our public schools and educator and public servant, John King has the vision, intel lect, experience and expertise needed to lead the system into the future,” Jeffries said.
From 2011 to 2014, King served as New York state’s education commissioner. During his tenure, the New York State United Teachers issued a vote of “no confi dence,” claiming he rushed the implementation of the national education standards within Common Core, Chalk beat New York reported.
King is currently the presi dent of The Education Trust, a nonprofit organization advocat ing for the “academic achieve ment of all students — particu larly those of color or living in poverty,” according to the orga nization’s website.
King most recently ran in Maryland’s gubernatorial race,
coming in 5th place with 3.71% of the vote in the Democratic 2022 Gubernatorial Primary. Jefferies said King’s previous experience will inform his future work as the chancellor of SUNY.
“While serving as Secre tary of Education, we had the chance to partner to expand college affordability, increase financial aid as well as invest in student success and comple tion,” Jeffries wrote in the SUNY press release. “I know he will carry this work forward in his new work and congratu late John on his appointment.”
Two education unions, New York State United Teachers and United University Professors, said they looked forward to working with King but empha sized the importance of a fullyfunded SUNY system.
“We will work with Chan cellor King to ensure that our campuses and the educators serving on them receive the critical funding and support they deserve as we continue to push toward a common goal: Making sure every New Yorker has access to an affordable and exceptional public education,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta wrote in the organization’s press release.
Frederick Kowal, the presi dent of UUP, said the organiza tion hopes that King will act as a strong advocate for SUNY.
“UUP shares Dr. King’s com
mitment to equity and excel lence for all students and mak ing a college education afford able and accessible,” Kowal wrote in a UUP press release.
“These are attributes we believe SUNY’s new chancellor must have to be effective.”
Malatras, SUNY’s previ ous chancellor, resigned in early December 2021. Two weeks prior, New York Attor ney General Letitia James released text messages from Malatras mocking Lindsey Boylan, who in 2021 accused then-Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment.
In a 2019 group chat with fellow Cuomo aides, Malatras wrote “Malatras to Boylan: Go f*ck yourself.” He also called to release “some of her cray emails!” after a colleague said she was taking drugs, Inside Higher Ed reported. Following Malatras’ resig nation, Stanley served as interim chancellor while the SUNY committee sought a permanent replacement.
Looking ahead, King said he is honored to help advance Gov. Kathy Hochul’s vision for the SUNY system.
“I look forward to working with all members of our campus communities, lawmakers and stakeholders to bring SUNY to new heights and maximize its potential,” he wrote.
kschouin@syr.edu @Kyle_ChouinardThe Syracuse Common Coun cil unanimously approved a law Monday that will make it easier for the city of Syracuse to enforce New York state’s current licensing requirement for cannabis sales.
The law authorizes the Syracuse Department of Law, which provides legal counsel to city officials and represents the city in court, to take necessary legal action to enforce the provisions of the 2021 Marijuana Regu lation and Taxation Act on behalf of the city of Syracuse. The bill is meant to address
the “surge” in the retail sale of cannabis among vendors before they receive a license, or “gray markets.”
“The illegal sale of can nabis and cannabis products outside the confines of the Cannabis Law poses a danger to the communities, the public at large, and the individuals purchasing and consuming said cannabis and/or cannabis products,” the bill states.
New York state’s Cannabis Law allows adults 21 and older to possess up to three ounces of cannabis and up to 24 grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use. Weeks before it was signed into law in March 2021, markets to sell mari
juana sprouted across the city of Syracuse.
The Cannabis Law also out lines that no person can distrib ute or sell cannabis to consum ers in New York without a prop er license or permit. In October, a Syracuse University-area shop was closed due to illegally selling marijuana on the “gray market,” and New York state has not issued any licenses to legally sell marijuana.
In November, New York state’s Cannabis Control Board voted to award licenses to legally sell marijuana to 28 individuals who have been con victed of marijuana-related offenses and eight nonprofits which assist individuals with
prior cannabis-related arrests. The licenses are part of the state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries applica tion program, which aims to ensure the first distributed licenses would go to individu als impacted by the “dispro portionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition.”
Aaron Ghitelman, a spokes person for New York state’s Office of Cannabis Management, said licenses are critical in the effort to establish a legal market to sell and distribute marijuana.
“There cannot be a legal, regulated market operating side-by-side with an illegal mar ket — it undercuts the goals of the
A Syracuse University employee reported racist graffiti on a bath room wall in Slocum Hall on Wednesday, according to SU’s Department of Public Safety Bias Incident Reports website.
After DPS received the report, an officer met with the employee and found the graffiti in the men’s bath room had been covered up with mark er, the report read. The employee took a photo of the markings before they were covered up, according to the report.
Craig Stone, DPS chief and associ ate vice president of Campus Safety and Emergency Management servic es, said in the report that cases like this one can be difficult to pursue in an investigation because of the lack of evidence.
“Because this happened in a rest room, there is no video footage or direct witness accounts we can rely on,” Stone said. “Nevertheless, we are doing everything we can to identify the individual or individuals responsible.”
This is the second bias incident reported in the month of Novem ber. On Nov. 10, the department announced that a SUNY ESF student reported antisemitic graffiti on a desk in Watson Theater.
DPS has reported 13 bias incidents since the beginning of 2022, and 14 over the course of 2021. Six bias inci dent reports have been published over the course of the fall 2022 semester.
DPS is only using images of the writing before it was covered up as evidence and is asking anyone with available information to contact them immediately.
DPS wrote that students with infor mation can contact the department at 315-443-2224. Students can also send tips through the Silent Witness tool or the Orange Safe mobile app. DPS recommended a series of resources on its website for if a student has been impacted by a bias incident. Students can access support services through the Barnes Center at the Arch at (315) 443-8000. DPS also recommended the Stop Bias program, which can be con tacted through its website as well as via the email stopbias@syr.edu
from
Pollard, who is originally from Queens, New York, said his interest in electrical engineering started when he took an aptitude test upon joining the United States Navy at age 21. Pollard attended college before enlisting and didn’t finish his degree, but after eight years in the Navy, he said his experience guided his decision to enroll in SU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.
“When I (transitioned) out of the military, I was just thinking about what experience I had, and that was what I had been doing for the last eight years, so I just decided to go with electrical engineering,” Pollard said.
Pollard was also drawn to SU’s veterans resources and programs, which he said led him to the Micron internship. He emphasized the value of being able to meet other veteran students through the Student Veteran Organization at SU, where he now serves as treasurer.
“From meeting them in the very beginning, and just all the support that they showed from the get-go, was really encouraging and really made me confident in my decision to choose Syracuse,” Pollard said.
Before Micron recruited him, Pollard worked as a summer intern in project management for Michels Power, an international utilities and construction contractor, which has a branch in Syracuse.
When he officially received the internship position, Pollard said it felt “unreal.”
“I feel really blessed to be in this situation,” he said. “I’m really excited to be working with Micron.”
Pollard said he hopes to use his internship with Micron to be a role model. Since April, he’s been a volunteer with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Onon-
daga County, a non-profit that facilitates mentor relationships between adults and children.
Latasha Wilson, senior manager of BBBS in Syracuse, said Pollard stood out to her team, which led them to assign him as a “big brother” mentor to two “little brothers,” twins Kenorie and Kenare. Pollard was originally set to be a mentor to one of the brothers, but when the other’s separate BBBS mentor left his volunteering role, Wilson said Pollard stepped up.
“Savion has been with us for a short amount of time, but he’s been an astronomical asset to the brothers,” Wilson said. “(He’s) basically compelled us to allow him to be big brother for both brothers.”
She said that even though Pollard has a lot on his plate, he recognized the need for mentorship and made time to help others.
“It’s really important for these kids to have that guidance in their life and have someone that they can rely on and someone that they can look up to and be a model for them,” Pollard said.
Pollard also regularly tells people he meets about BBBS and encourages them to get involved, especially because of the shortage of mentors in the Syracuse area, Wilson said.
“He’s referred people to me, and he’s still advocating for other people, especially men of color, to get involved because that’s something that we’re lacking in this program,” Wilson said.
With construction for the Clay plant not set to begin until 2024, Pollard’s work with Micron will start this summer onsite in Manassas, Virginia, where he said he’ll work as an equipment engineer.
As he prepares to begin his internship, Pollard said he hopes he can help other SU students to make use of available resources and get comfortable asking for help.
“Some people sell themselves short,
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state’s Cannabis Law to protect public health and build an equitable market that works to undo the harms caused by the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis prohibition,” Ghitelman said in a statement.
Judge Gary L. Sharpe, United States District Judge from the Northern District of New York, temporarily barred New York state from awarding retail licenses for recreational cannabis in five di erent regions, including central New York.
The pending lawsuit blocks 63 of 175 total licenses that New York state planned to issue.
Moving forward, the new law passed by the Common Council will give the Department of Law the authority to shut down or fine businesses for illegal marijuana sales.
The Common Council unanimously voted to authorize the 2022-2023 Downtown Parks Improvement Project, which sets out to repair various parks across the city and in the down-
town area, including Clinton Square and the Onondaga Creekwalk. The councilors approved a bond ordinance, which authorizes the sale of up to $150,000 worth of bonds for the city to cover the project’s cost.
and I did for a long time,” Pollard said. “Now, I’m kind of just breaking out of that and figuring out what’s possible for myself, so I just want to be that model for
spwright@syr.edu @stephaniwri_
The city of Syracuse sold 19 properties for $2,869 to the Greater Syracuse Property Development Corporation, a land bank with the goal of improving underutilized properties.
dcchiapp@syr.edu @DominicChiappo2
other people to just try things and figure out what’s possible for them.”
There cannot be a legal, regulated market operating side-by-side with an illegal market
Aaron Ghitelman
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGEMENT FOR NY STATEPollard emphasized the value of connecting with other student veterans at SU via the Student Veteran Organization. courtesy of savion pollard
At Wolff’s Biergarten, a central loca tion for many soccer fans’ World Cup celebrations, the chanting caught the attention of anybody within a few streets from the crowded bar.
“Those are some of the things that have been really cool to see and being able to go into a room where it’s not like you’re rooting for one team or the other, we’re all rooting for the USA,” Alaina Losito, a Syracuse University graduate student, said about the surpris ing eruption of energy in the atmosphere.
Throughout the Syracuse community and the world, the World Cup is much more than just the game of soccer, but also an event of immense cross-cultural significance and unity. Bars across the city opened their doors to fans of all countries to revel in the successes and disappointment that come with the tournament.
At the Landmark Theatre, fans hung up their coats to enjoy the United States play Iran over beer, soda, popcorn and pretzels. USA-themed balloons, banners and stars hung around the guests. Some visitors’ eyes were quietly glued to the game, while others were loudly chatting with their loved ones and screaming at the players.
“There’s an energy that’s just palpable when
from the studio
In a small cafe in Framingham, Massachusetts, open mic nights inspired Padma Mynampaty’s love of music. Every time Centre Music House, a local music school, would partner with B Sisters Cafe to host the mic night, Padma would make an effort to go.
“It’s such a cool environment to be surrounded by other artists, because that’s something I’ve just haven’t been exposed to for a lot of my life,” Padma said.
Mynampaty, who goes by the artist name Padma, has stepped into the campus music scene in her first semester at SU. As a fresh man in the Bandier Program, she uses the skills she learns in class and lectures to write and produce her own music. Since she began making music during the pandemic, Padma’s embraced the indie pop genre and released sev eral singles, and is releasing an EP, “Daisy,” next week.
Since attending the open mic nights, she’s made an effort to seek out and develop that same community of musicians and art ists while at Syracuse University. Between her studies in the Bandier Program and the concerts she per forms with her band, Mynampaty now has more exposure to that artistic environment.
When she decided she wanted to take the stage as a performer, Padma knew she would need to decide on a stage name. For her, though, the question didn’t require much thought.
“I thought it’d be cool to just go by one name, be one of those art ists, like a Beyoncé or Cher kind of thing,” Padma said.
Before writing and perform ing her own music, Padma started out like many other musicians by playing covers. She often turned to Coldplay tracks, and “Vienna” by Billy Joel, a song that her father first introduced to her.
Soccer fans across Syracuse forged common ground while watching the World Cup
Swells of harmonious violins play in unison as the lights rise at the Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater. The show hasn’t started yet but just the overture is enough for the audience to be trans ported to a Christmas party in Germany. Soon they’ll be watching Clara dance with her nutcracker and be transported to the mystical Land of the Sweets. The Syracuse Ballet Company is about to perform their annual production of “The Nutcracker,” a worldwide holiday tradition.
“My husband always says that you can always (tell) when it’s Nutcracker season — it’s long weeks and long rehearsals, but it’s all really worth it when it comes together,” said Claire Solis, who dances the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen in the Syracuse Ballet’s production.
This past weekend, the Syracuse Ballet Company performed its annual production of the Tchaikovsky ballet at the Oncen ter Crouse Hinds Theater, holding true to the nostalgia of the traditional production while also reimagining its dramatic vision. This year’s production is the first full-scale ballet since the beginning of the pandemic.
For a production this scale, the magic doesn’t happen overnight, Sheridan said. Even though the Syracuse Ballet has been active for 25 years, and performing “the Nutcracker” for 15, this large of a pro duction demands rigorous, meticulous rehearsal to perfect each detail because of the precise style of ballet, Sheridan said.
Every year, the process begins with Sheridan listening to Tchaikovsky’s score and envisioning how she wants to choreo graph the ballet. Using the score as a com pass, Sheridan said she allows the nuanced melodies to guide the storytelling she will convey through her dancers. The rehearsal process begins a whole two months before the curtain rises on opening night.
“We normally rehearse it piece by piece, one number at a time. We’ll do the Waltz of the Flowers one day, the Pas de Deux
another, (we do it) all separately,” Sheridan said. “Then, maybe two weeks before the show, we bring it all together. And that’s usually pretty chaotic and fun.”
Though this rehearsal process is strenu ous, Sheridan emphasized how important it is, both for the production quality and for the cast to bond as a team. When the cast becomes a family, Sheridan said that a ballet can go from good to great, since ballet is inherently collaborative and requires trust.
“We have a week of theater rehearsals where we’re here basically from 3:30 to 9 at night everyday,” Sheridan said. “We all get really close that way, we spend a lot of time together.”
As a seasoned “Nutcracker” veteran, this hectic schedule is the norm for Solis. Like many of the company’s dancers, she plays several roles in the ballet, which she explained is customary for “The Nutcrack er,” to allow several cast members the chance to share their talent with an audience.
“We have lots of talented dancers, who all are strong enough to carry the show,” Solis said. “Some of us stay the same, but we like to give people the opportunity to be on stage and give the character their own perspective.”
The Syracuse Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” also hosts open-call auditions to youth dancers in order to give them the oppor tunity to dance alongside professionals.
During last year’s production, coronavi rus restrictions were still in place, and the production was only able to cast 30 chil dren who had to be over the age of 12 and vaccinated, said Elizabeth Naughton, the executive director of the Syracuse Ballet.
This year, “The Nutcracker’s” creative team loosened these restrictions and cast around 80 youth dancers to be in the show. One youth actor, Daniel Reyes, who plays a soldier, is taking the stage alongside his twin brother Benjamin and described his experience as “awesome.”
“The hardest part about doing it is prob ably doing the cartwheels. You have to know when to do them (cartwheels) and how to go offstage,” Reyes said. “We need a little bit of help, but that’s okay. Because when the big show comes, I know we can do it.”
For most professional ballet compa nies, a holiday production of “The Nut cracker” is an annual tradition, Solis said. Even though the plotline and music are constants in all of these productions, each
company and city finds their own unique perspective to offer their audiences a fresh take on the classic tradition, she said.
“Nutcracker is something that happens every year, but it’s so different, and so many people grow in so many different ways, as dancers, as people,” Solis said. “You know, there’s a little girl here that started as Clara and one day she might be the Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker.”
For many, going to see a production of “The Nutcracker” could be their very first time being exposed to ballet, or even live dance at all, Solis said. She said she approaches every single production of the Nutcracker with a sense of duty and respon sibility to represent her craft and inspire the next generation of ballet dancers.
“It can be life changing for people,” Scal ise said. “It’s this big responsibility we have as dancers, to give them the best show that they can see and to have their introduction to ballet be as important as it is to us.” culture@dailyorange.com
1. Eight of the members of the flower corp who dance the Waltz of the Flowers are part of the group of youth dancers who received roles in The Nutcracker.
2. Stéphano Candreva and Lucy Hamilton dance the roles of the Snow King and Queen. Clara was met by the snowflakes as she began her journey through the Land of Sweets.
3. Darwin Black and Abigail Stewart dance the leads in the Hot Chocolate Divertissement movement.
4. Clara, danced by Penelope Lane, holds up her nutcracker which she receives from Godfather Drosselmeyer. The nutcracker was the main prop Clara danced with throughout Act I.
5. The Christmas tree grows in height while Clara shrinks to the size of the toy nutcracker and other soldiers.
6. The Christmas tree grows in height while Clara shrinks to the size of the toy nutcracker and other soldiers.
7. After everyone goes to bed, Clara dances around the living room with her nutcracker. Only the light from the Christmas tree illuminated Clara and her beloved present from her godfather.
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you get this many people cheering for a common goal,” said Steve Halley, Presi dent of the American Outlaws Soccer Club Syracuse division.
The American Outlaws used the theater as their overflow location for the event, offering a free space to watch the game, as well as an opportunity to support local nonprofit organizations. The group offered merchandise, including scarves, T-shirts and pint glasses.
During the United States’ final round, Salt City Market was decorated with flags hung for each country’s team and overflowed with people of all ages who enjoyed the game while eating, drinking and working.
In predominantly white institutions, there’s not a lot of SU sponsored events that instigate this sort of cultural experience and so the game is a really good way to remind us of our culture and the pride in our culture.
Kimberlyn Herrera mexican student association presidentWhile thousands of Syracuse residents celebrated around the city, the scene was just as vibrant on Syracuse University’s campus. Fans crowded in the Schine Stu dent Center each day rooting for whoever played on the big screen.
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During her freshman year of high school, Padma decided it was time to try her hand at writing her own music. Using her guitar, which she’d been learning to play since she was eight years old, Padma set to work on her discography.
“I’ve kind of been performing my whole life, and always writing poems or little phras es down since as long as I can remember,” Padma said. “I was just like, ‘I might as well try this out because I’ve been performing other people’s songs.’”
When quarantine left Padma with an influx of free time, she took it upon herself to learn the production side of music. She downloaded Logic Pro, a music recording and production software, and began pro ducing her tracks. By combining her lyrics and guitar with bass, ukulele and piano, she mixed and mastered parts of her catalog to
After celebrating Mexico’s first World Cup games with their families, Mexican students were excited to root for their country on campus.
“In predominantly white institutions, there’s not a lot of SU sponsored events that instigate this sort of cultural experience and so the game is a really good way to remind us of our culture and the pride in our culture,” said Kimberlyn Herrera, president of the Mexican Student Association.
Many Asian students also bonded over the World Cup by rooting for all partici pating Asian teams and not just their own countries, said Yen-Chen Lai, President of Asian Festival and Religion.
“We really have a lot of religions and a lot of different viewpoints, but this is one time where everybody puts down their differ ences and just come together,” Lai said.
Political turmoil has framed the World Cup for many countries as well.
In reaction to the protests in Iran sur rounding women’s rights, the Iranian Student Association decided not to hold the grand watch parties they had during previous World Cups, and instead rally and bring awareness to the political situ ation in their country.
ISA President Mehdi Nejatbakhsh also mentioned that many Iranians were either explicitly supporting the U.S. to beat Iran or were split between who they wanted to win. Though they like soccer and their coun try, many don’t want to support the team because of its lack of expressed support towards the protests, he said.
While players engaged in some outward support of the protests that have spread across Iran in the past few months, includ ing refusing to sing the national anthem before Iran’s opening game against Eng land, officials allegedly pressured players to ignore the protests.
“Inside Iran, after the game was finished and the U.S. won, people went to the streets and celebrated the loss of the national team,” Nejatbakhsh said.
In Brazil, classes and work either ended early or got canceled during game days. The
get them ready for release.
Since then, Padma has started per forming concerts and house shows in the campus area. She reached out to friends and other students in the Bandier Pro gram and found four musicians to form the rest of her band.
Padma’s listeners — both live and lis tening to recordings — comment on her lyricism. For Romy Van Almen, a fresh man in the Bandier Program and the bass player in Padma’s band, a strength of Padma’s music is the depth and storytell ing ability in each song.
“She’s such a great writer, and she can create such a beautiful song based off of some random thing that happened to her,” Van Almen said.
When Padma was looking for a drummer, she was referred to Giulianna Iapalucci, a sophomore sound recording technol ogy student. After the two started talking, Iapalucci began drumming in Padma’s band
Biergarten was filled to the brim as the United States played the Netherlands in the round of 16. cassandra roshu staff photographer
Brazilian Student Association showcased their country’s spirit for the game and con fidence in Brazil’s winning chances through loud cheering, singing, glitter face paint and festive apparel. No matter if the game was a win or loss, they continued their celebration with after parties where they would con tinue to talk about their feelings towards the games and rewatch the best moments.
“Brazil has such a big culture of soccer inside it and people are always against each other because of soccer,” sad BRASA Presi dent Maria Cardoso. “For this one time each four years, we all get together.”
Cardoso mentions that the event is nec essary for the sake of Brazil’s internal unity after the most recent and very polarizing elections. Fans can go to a pub and bond with one another over the game, no matter their political stance. This World Cup is also a time of reclaiming Brazil’s iconic yellow jersey, which became a political symbol of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during
for local shows. Similar to Padma, Iapalucci is grateful for the opportunity to perform in a fun and accepting environment.
“It’s not like other bands, where I walk in and it feels like work, work work,” Lapalucci said. “I walk in, and it’s fun, but we still are productive. We just all get each other and share ideas and Padma’s always willing to hear them and work with them.”
Padma’s first performance was at a recital in September, but since then, she’s performed at venues like the Westcott The atre and The Garden. Padma also took to the screen, taping performances for Loud and Clear, a student-run video production group through Orange Television Network.
Beyond the newfound opportunities to perform, though, the band has allowed Padma to perform in a fun and comfort able environment alongside good friends. The most special thing for Padma about performing, though, is the audience. Seeing how her music is able to impact and move an
the elections, said Isabella Loschiavo, copresident of BRASA.
“If you see someone with the Brazil yel low jersey, you think, ‘Oh, they voted for that person’,” Loschiavo said. “With the World Cup, I can reclaim this jersey because it’s for Brazil. It’s my country and I can wear that too, with no shame.”
For some fans, the World Cup offered a chance to momentarily escape differences in their countries. South Korea’s win against Portugal during their last group round sparked an abundance of emotion among fans and support from the entire Asian com munity, Lai said.
“We all collectively have a common pride,” Lai said. “Maybe in real life, our countries may not be so well off interna tionally but we will put down our differ ences and be like, okay, your South Kore an, your Asian, so we’re going to support you no matter what.”
cmroshu@syr.edu
audience shows her that her music means something to others, like it does to her.
“I had the show before break at The Garden, and people were singing every lyric to one of my songs, not even just the hook but all the verses and everything,” Padma said. “That was super super sweet, just hearing other people sing words that I wrote in my bedroom back in (Massachusetts).”
To Padma, the most significant part of her music is how she can use it to reflect on and chronicle her life. Her songs and lyrics are a way for her to look back on her own experiences and share them with others who could have something in common.
“It’s everything to me because I can put how I’m feeling in a three minute song, and then maybe someone else has felt the same way,” Padma said. “So they listen to it, and that becomes part of their life as well.”
By Hannah Karlin columnist
With finals approach ing, the idea of learned helplessness is most prevalent among college students. This phenomena occurs when “an individual continuously faces a negative, uncontrollable situation and stops trying to change their circumstances, even when they have the ability to do so.” As college students face continuous academ ic, social or internal challenges, they develop a stagnant mentality for change, impairing the potential of success.
Learned helplessness damages students’ self-confidence because overwhelming feelings are com ing from all aspects of a person’s life. Students may feel like suc cess is unattainable. Raquelle Rodriquez, a sophomore at Syra cuse University, said she tends to spiral when she gets low grades in a class, and struggles to hope for improvement.
It’s especially difficult to rise above such internal nega tivity when you may not have a solid support system on campus. According to SU, the student population represents all 50 U.S. states and 126 countries. It’s difficult to cope with challenges when away from family, especial ly if they reside across the nation or world.
Freshman Sophia Zaninovich moved across the country from California to attend SU. She said living at a school so far away is a mental challenge, especially when she’s homesick, because of the money and time it would take to return home.
During finals, feelings of help
lessness have detrimental effects. Stress levels heighten and stu dent well-being tends to decline. Within this time of high stress, it is essential to prioritize one’s mental health and realize that adversity can be redefined as the beginning of a positive shift.
Recurrent poor grades, rejec tion from peers and uncontrol lable anxiety do not necessarily correlate to incapability. Rather, the power to change one’s out
comes remains on the individual. Students often forget that they are in control and focus on the negatives instead.
Remaining optimistic lies in the person. While the past may seem daunting, the flexibility of the future should create a motivation.
In order to challenge one’s learned helplessness, especially during finals, students can chase a sense of accomplishment by per forming physical activity. These
breaks allow for students to apply perspective to their adversity.
As it’s the first school year without impending COVID-19 restrictions, students can use campus resources to relieve stress. Whether it’s the Barnes Center’s rock wall or on-site counselors, students can gain the strength to overcome their obstacles.
Overall, students must keep in mind that their possibilities are endless. Restraints are com
monly self-created and the ability to move past adversity just takes strength and the utilization of one’s resources. While learned helplessness hurts students’ well being, it can also be overcome, especially as SU has an abundance of resources accessible to students.
Hannah Karlin is a Sophomore Magazine, News and Digital Journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at hekarlin@syr.edu.
started unranked, and Ian McIntyre said something to the tune of, ‘if you told me we’d be this good, I wouldn’t have believed you.’ The Orange went unbeaten in the first eight games of the year and never looked back. Their only two losses came against Virginia, who scored in the 85th minute after Syracuse had been a man down for over an hour, and Cornell, who scored on an own goal and a penalty kick — two “soft goals,” according to McIntyre. The closest thing to a lull for Syracuse was its back-toback draws to close out the regular season against Boston College and NC State, two teams who finished with just one confer ence win. Once Johnson scored the 85thminute winner to beat UNC in the ACC quarterfinals, the Orange were back in form.
Bambini: Ever since DeAndre Kerr left Syra cuse early to pursue a career in the MLS, the Orange needed to fill that void in the attack. So, McIntyre turned to the transfer portal, recruiting forwards Opoku and Johnson from Lindsey Wilson and Seattle, respec tively. The pair has combined for 50 points with 19 goals and 12 assists. Johnson scored the game-winning goal against Vermont just before halftime off an assist from Opoku, who crossed it low from the left side of the box. The duo will be key in Syracuse’s semi final match against Creighton and possibly beyond. Johnson is No. 1 in the country with seven game-winning goals this season, while Opoku has three. When Syracuse trailed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Penn, both Opoku and Johnson netted goals to complete an SU comeback win.
O’Brien: Kocevski. The combination of
Opoku and Johnson have been much more efficient than last year’s attacking duo of Kerr and Manel Busquets. But a constant through out both of those seasons has been Kocev ski’s ability to tackle, generate shots and send accurate passes up to the attacking line. That doesn’t mean he’s absent in scoring, though, serving as the Orange’s top PK taker. In Syra cuse’s first defeat of the season against Virgin ia, Kocevski was sent off after 20 minutes. His absence eventually led to a Cavalier winner in the final minutes. When he was suspended for two games after his second red card viola tion, the Orange barely beat a poor Bucknell team and drew with bottom-feeding NC State. Since that suspension, Kocevski hasn’t missed a match and Syracuse hasn’t lost. Seems pretty simple to me.
Pignatello: Since Cole discussed the attack and Henry discussed the midfield, I’ll talk about the defense. A group of three seniors, Abdi Salim, Christian Curti and Buster Sjoberg, has proven to be one the best backlines in the nation. Though Olu Oyegunle is just a sophomore, he started more than half of SU’s games in the 2021 spring season and last year’s fall campaign. Russell Shealy has emerged as SU’s sole goalie and one of the top keepers in the nation, taking home Second-Team All-ACC honors. Curti’s versatility has proved valu able in cases of injury, such as Sjoberg’s in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Curti has played outside back, center back and defensive midfielder. In addition to 12 clean sheets, the Orange have allowed two goals in a game only twice this season.
Why was this the year the Orange made it this far?
Bambini: To be honest, I’m not really sure. Syracuse was .500 or below the past two sea sons and last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019. It comes down to the several transfers
Syracuse has brought in. Besides Opoku and Johnson, Lorenzo Boselli, Curti, Biros and Sjoberg joined the team within the last two years. Early on in the season, you could tell McIntyre was testing some lineups and sub stitution combinations, but now there’s a set starting XI and the usual substitutions such as Curt Calov and Biros that provide relief.
O’Brien: Over his 13-year SU tenure, Ian McIntyre has tinkered with his formations. The Orange have run a 3-5-2 formation con sistently over the past few seasons. While there has been heavy turnover with the two attackers, the backline and midfield have stayed relatively the same since 2021 with only one departure. Both of those units have improved exponentially with this added experience. Curti has gotten better. Noah Singelmann’s crosses have gotten sharper. Sjoberg (when healthy) is a solid communi cator and ball distributor. Salim returned from his ACL tear and Calov has been a key piece in the tournament run.
Pignatello: Experience. Eight of Syra cuse’s starting XI for the NCAA Tourna ment are upperclassmen. Of the substitutes, Biros is a sixth-year and Camden Holbrook is a senior, but it’s not just that they’re older. Up top, Johnson is on his fourth school. In the middle of the field, Kocevski (a junior) and Sinclair (a senior) have started in most games since coming to Syracuse. The entire defense was new last year, but this year they’ve gelled enough to allow the fourth-fewest goals per game in the country.
Bambini: The Orange will need to play strong defensively against Creighton, which has scored a nation-best 63 goals. The Bluejays average 2.74 goals per game, second nationally, led by Duncan McGuire’s 22 goals. Syracuse will likely maintain its
backline of Salim, Curti and Oyegunle. If Syracuse can sustain a lead late in the game, expect Sjoberg to take the field. But to win the semifinal against Creighton and the championship, Syracuse needs to take advantage of counter-attacking opportuni ties. We saw it work against Cornell to get to the Elite Eight, and in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal against UNC. If Syracuse can continue to keep the ball in the attacking third, it will have a strong chance to win its first-ever national championship.
O’Brien: The Orange have never played an attack like Creighton’s. The Bluejays made quick work of Duke, who gave up just 10 goals all year, in a 3-0 victory. Syracuse will need to control the pace of the game, like it has done throughout the postseason. If the Bluejays get past a combination of Salim, Curti, Sjoberg and Oyegunle, it will come down to Shealy to make big saves. In SU’s quarterfinal win over Vermont, Shealy made clutch saves and stops in the second half to preserve a 2-1 lead.
Pignatello: Like Cole said, Syracuse has thrived on the counter all year. Expect more of the same versus Creighton. At the press conference ahead of the College Cup, both coaches acknowledged the opposition’s ability in attack. There should be “lots of fireworks,” as Creighton coach Johnny Tor res put it. Another important question for Syracuse will be Sjoberg, who has been deal ing with an injury and has only played in the final minutes of NCAA Tournament games with Syracuse protecting a lead. McIntyre compared this decision to using all of his pitchers in the World Series. While Syracuse has the least College Cup experience of any of the final four teams, it holds the highest seed by far. If the Orange can keep running the table and stay disciplined on defense, the title is within their grasp.
sports@dailyorange.com @DOsportsCamping World Bowl appearance against West Virginia, specifically from Abdul Adams and Trishton Jackson. Adams found the end zone twice in the first half while Jackson snagged three receptions for 27 yards, including a 14-yard back shoulder fade in the fourth quarter.
“You’re (finally) allowed to play these guys,” Babers said about redshirts and transfers.
Adams and Jackson made immediate contributions the following season too as Jackson was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Second Team and Adams tied for second on SU with three rushing touchdowns. Babers said the bowl game can “absolutely” be a preseason for next year, giving his staff an opportunity to figure out who could be big contributors for next year. Shrader said transfer Dan Villari, who is now listed as a tight end after arriving as a quarterback, could make a difference after zero appearances this year.
“These next three weeks we really get to shape who we want to be going into next season,” Shrader said.
For a lot of Syracuse’s roster it’s their first time in a bowl game, but Shrader has
talked to a few players who were on the team in 2018 — most notably then-redshirtfreshman Andre Szmyt won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker. The win back then capped off a 10-win campaign for SU, its first since 2001 and the seventh time in program history.
Like this year’s team, Syracuse was pro jected to finish last in the ACC in 2018 before the season started. But both the 2018 and 2022 squads surpassed expectations. The only question is if the Orange have the same luck as in their last bowl appearance.
Time has been hard to come by for the Orange. They’ve needed time to heal, time to make upgrades to the offensive scheme and time to recruit more depth ever since their bye week five games into the season.
“Anytime you give football players rest, it’s going to make them better,” Babers said.
If the bowl game had been earlier, like the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17, SU wouldn’t have had enough time to practice. They’re not going to practice during finals week, which runs from Dec. 12 to Dec. 16, but Babers is hopeful the Orange can have at least 15 practices before heading to New York City.
These next three weeks will be a sort of
“baby type spring,” Babers said, giving Syra cuse enough time to install new concepts and get some of the players who didn’t see a lot of time this season more reps.
The transfer portal also opened on Mon day with four ACC quarterbacks already announcing their departure. Shrader said he would finish his collegiate career at SU.
Babers added a lot of the injuries players sustained players who left early in the year, like Garrett Williams, required more of a 9-month, one-year recovery and they likely won’t be back for the bowl game. But other players recovering from smaller injuries, or even starters that played the back half of 85%, could get back to full strength.
“Those guys will get back to feeling as good as they felt probably in the last two months,” Babers said about the starters.
Wax said the team’s main contributors have some time to “relax” and not rush their bodies into the next game which is roughly three weeks away. But they need to stay “locked in” for the next few weeks.
“We have to win this game,” Wax said.
There’s some familiarity with Minnesota and Syracuse, most notably that Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle hired Babers as
SU’s football coach. That just means there’s less new names to learn, Babers said, though the game will be decided between the white lines by the players.
Shrader is more focused on catching up on some homework over the next few days, but Syracuse’s staff just finished the ini tial “breakdown” on Minnesota, he said. Shrader added the Gophers play like a typi cal, “physical,” Big Ten team, led by running back Mohamed Ibrahim.
Ibrahim was the “talk of the town” in the Baltimore area when Wax was a freshman in high school. Wax didn’t see the field much, but faced the-then senior once. Syracuse’s defense has struggled against the run and will have another tall task to stop Ibrahim, who recorded more than 100 rushing yards in 10 games this year.
Wax knows defensive coordinator Tony White will have a good plan to stop Ibrahim. Shrader said offensive coordinator Robert Anae is best at changing the offense to the person nel involved, which will be the biggest decider in the game with a multitude of new recruits, redshirts or transfers possibly in the offense.
“Be ready to celebrate,” Wax said about the outcome on Dec. 29th.
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Last Saturday, No. 3-seeded Syracuse defeated Vermont 2-1 to secure its spot in the College Cup for the second time in program history and the first since 2015. The Orange also won the Atlantic Coast Confer ence, in which they were originally projected to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division. After starting the season on a 8-game unbeaten streak, SU defeated Penn, Cornell and Vermont to earn its spot in the final four. The Orange will face Creighton on Friday for a spot in the national championship, where they would play the winner of Indiana and Pittsburgh.
Entering the College Cup, our beat writers answered questions about Syracuse’s historic season:
Cole Bambini: Following SU’s loss to Cornell, the Orange hosted then-No. 4 Wake Forest in arguably its toughest conference game. Syracuse dominated offensively, outshooting the Demon Deacons 18-10. Jeorgio Kocevski slot ted a penalty kick in the 12th minute and Syracuse got its second off a Wake Forest own-goal. That win kickstarted a four-game win streak and 12-game unbeaten streak.
Henry O’Brien: I’ll let Colin Biros dictate my answer. Syracuse started the season unranked following a .500 record in 2021. Expectations weren’t very high. Nathan Opoku and Levonte Johnson excelled offensively in the opening victory over Iona. Then, the Orange won two matches over ranked opponents Penn State and Notre Dame. But Biros said the team had an “identity crisis,” not knowing if SU were good, or if their opponents were bad. A road matchup against then-No. 1 Clemson answered that question as SU outplayed the Tigers in a 2-1 victory. Nearly two months later, Syracuse proved its victory over Clemson was no fluke in a dominant 2-0 win over the Tigers in the ACC championship.
Connor Pignatello: Syracuse did not believe it would be this good. It
Syracuse is vying for its first-ever NCAA title after qualifying for the College Cup