Feb. 17, 2022

Page 1

free

thursday

feb. 17, 2022 high 52°, low 23°

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 |

dailyorange.com

N • High ranking

C • Home-cooked

S • Laced up

Online programs at SU have achieved high positions in their second year of eligibility in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Online rankings. Page 3

SU students can order traditional Senegalese inspired dishes through SU senior Mame Fatima Ndiaye’s online food service Made by Mame. Page 6

Joe Girard III’s love for shoes began when he was five years old and began playing organized basketball. Now, he says his collection is the best on Syracuse’s team. Page 12

photo illustration by meghan hendricks photo editor

RAs voiced their concerns regarding compensation and additional duties brought on by the pandemic By Katie McClellan

asst. copy editor

A

lex Gill isn’t sure if he will be able to afford his medication in the coming months. For Gill, a resident adviser in Brewster Hall at Syracuse University, his mental health and ability to perform well in his courses depends on his access to medication. But his small salary as a main desk assistant, an additional job offered to RAs, means he can barely afford it. “(RAs) are promised very, very immaterial things, things that are not tangible, that you cannot say ‘I have this’ without it being taken away at the end of the semester,” Gill said. In an online survey conducted by The Daily Orange of RAs at SU, 28 of the 49 respondents indicated they are either unsatisfied or extremely

unsatisfied with their compensation. Another 13 respondents said they were neutral about their level of compensation. An RA in Flint Hall was one of the unsatisfied respondents. They work eight hours per week outside of being an RA, in addition to being a student. “We work a lot of hours and keep getting additional responsibilities added to our role with no additional compensation,” the Flint Hall RA said in the survey. “I should not have to work a second job on top of my RA position to keep going to this school. Especially because RAs are supposed to be available at any given moment and students are allowed to contact us 24/7.” RAs at Syracuse University are compensated with complimentary meal plans and room-and-board, but many RAs on campus feel this is not enough with the increasing number of duties their job entails. see compensation page 4

state

As SUNY ends withholding transcript policy, SU continues By Kyle Chouinard asst. news editor

State University of New York’s Board of Trustees ended the practice of withholding transcripts from SUNY students with outstanding balances on Jan. 25, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in her 2022 State of the State address. “Thousands of New Yorkers are unable to obtain their transcripts from higher education institutions across the state, because they owe small amounts of money, such as tuition fees, library fines, or parking tickets,” Hochul said. SUNY-ESF President Joanie

Mahoney is happy to see the change come to the SUNY system. Removing the hurdle, Mahoney said, will bring equity to economically disadvantaged students. “ESF students make many sacrifices to reach their academic goals, and to have their progress stalled by unpaid fees is counterproductive to launching their careers or continuing their education,” Mahoney said in a statement to The Daily Orange. According to Syracuse University’s Office of the Registrar, the university implements financial holds. Holds are placed by the university’s bursar. The website directs students to SU Bursar’s Office’s website to resolve the holds.

“Transcripts are not released for students or alumni with outstanding financial or student conduct obligations,” said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications. Separate financial holds can be applied by the university’s bookstore, the Office of Student Debt Management, Syracuse University Libraries as well as Parking and Transportation Services. Some of SU’s peer institutions also have financial holds, such as Cornell University, Washington University in St. Louis and George Washington University. Hochul said the state must pass

legislation to end transcript withholding, which she called an unjust practice, outside of SUNY schools throughout the state. Legislation proposed by New York State Senator Kevin Thomas would prohibit higher education institutions in the state from withholding a transcript from students who owe a debt. Thomas said the practice is sometimes called transcript ransoming. “Each withheld transcript represents a student who was denied the opportunity to pursue a chosen career path, denied access to social and economic mobility through higher education, and ultimately denied access to the American

Dream,” the legislation reads. SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah Stanley said people enter the SUNY system for an affordable college education. Being held back by fees alone, she said, is unfair to students. Hochul called transcript withholding a punitive barrier against helping New Yorkers succeed in her statement regarding the change in SUNY policy. “This is a matter of common sense,” she said. “New Yorkers will not be able to climb the ladder of success and get out of debt if their financial challenges prevent them from accessing those opportunities.” kschouin@syr.edu @Kyle_Chouinard


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Feb. 17, 2022 by The Daily Orange - Issuu