free
THURSDAY
dec. 9, 2021 high 33°, low 29°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • First Year Seminar
dailyorange.com
S • NIL’s impact
C • Study abroad
Syracuse University students expressed dissatisfaction about the course content of the newly established first-year student course FYS 101. Page 3
Buddy Boeheim, Sean Tucker and others have used new NIL laws to team up with local businesses in the Syracuse area and grow their brands. Page 12
LGBTQ students may encounter negative experiences while studying abroad. Researching prospective countries could aid in finding the best location. Page 7
on campus
Restoring a community
Syracuse searches for new DPS chief By Kyle Chouinard asst. news editor
illustration by nabeeha anwar illustration editor
By Richard Perrins asst. news editor
W
With I-81 being replaced by a community grid, Blueprint 15 is looking to protect current residents of the East Adams community from being displaced
hile Blueprint 15 has drawn wide support from institutions in and around Syracuse, some have concerns about specific elements of the plan. Blueprint 15 is a Syracuse nonprofit aiming to revitalize East Adams, an area formerly occupied by part of the 15th Ward. The construction of Interstate 81 in the mid20th century devastated the predominantly Black neighborhood. The state plans to replace the aging viaduct with a community grid that would redirect traffic onto city streets. Blueprint 15 aims to prevent the further displacement of the area’s residents. The 15th Ward was a historically diverse and thriving neighborhood, said Maggie Sardino, a Syracuse University student and research assistant at City Scripts public forum. But the construction of Pioneer Homes, one of the nation’s oldest public housing projects, began decades of displacement. Over 480 families were displaced by Pioneer Homes’ construction, about a third of which were Black, Sardino said, while only about 2% of the city’s population was Black at the time. When I-81 was constructed in the mid-20th century, nearly 1,300 residents were displaced, and Pioneer Homes was bisected, further segregating the area, Sardino said. Blueprint 15 will collaborate with Purpose Built Com-
munities, which works with community revitalization across the country. One of the concerns Sardino had about Blueprint 15 was the criteria for the selection of tenants in public housing, specifically the one-to-one replacement, which ensures that the area will have the same amount of apartments as it did before the revitalization. She said that this may not be ideal for all residents. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mandates new housing complexes to replace existing residences with one that houses the same amount of people. Under this law, if an apartment has three bedrooms but only one resident, it could be replaced with a single-bedroom apartment. Sardino said this could prevent families from moving into or staying in the area. “That’s obviously catering to a different type of demographic,” Sardino said. “We’re not dealing with families anymore.” Raquan Pride-Green became executive director of Blueprint 15 in August. He confirmed that one-to-one replacement is not based on apartment size, but the size of the household. Pride-Green said although Blueprint 15 is not necessarily responsible for tenant selection, the program will still focus on ensuring current tenants have the first right of refusal to maintain residence in the area. “Many low income residents or entire homes will still have the same option to live in all these developments,” see blueprint
15 page 4
Syracuse University is in the process of selecting a new chief of the Department of Public Safety following the retirement of Bobby Maldonado, who currently holds the position. In a statement to the University Senate on Nov. 17, SU Chancellor Kent Syverud said that the position of associate vice president and chief of campus safety and emergency management services would likely not be filled by Maldonado’s retirement at the end of December. Allen Groves, the senior vice president for the student experience at SU, chairs the search committee looking for the new DPS chief. The committee has narrowed down the search to six candidates, Groves said. Interviews with the candidates are set to take place over Zoom this week. If the committee continues to feel confident with a candidate following the Zoom interview, the candidate will be invited for further interviewing on campus. Groves said the on-campus interviews, which includes some people outside of the initial search committee, will likely take place in January. Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch released an independent review of DPS in February, which outlines 23 recommendations for improving the department. Groves said the report will shape the questions candidates are asked. “Some questions will be very directed at this candidate’s view of policing,” Groves said. “How they think modern policing on a university campus should be done, where they see the opportunities to do things differently than maybe the traditional policing model.” Following in-person interviews, the search committee will select the names of two to four candidates they believe would be good for the position, Groves said. On the eleven-member committee, which includes Groves as chair, there are three SU students: Mazaher Kaila, the executive president of the Student Bar Association; Yousr Dhaouadi, the president of the Graduate Student Organization and David Bruen, the president of the Student Association. Bruen said he’s been pleased with see dps
chief page 4