March 18, 2021 by The Daily Orange

free

THURSDAY

march 18, 2021 high 43°, low 21°

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 • Debt relief

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pushing President Joe Biden to use executive power to forgive $50,000 in student loan debt for every student borrower. Page 3

dailyorange.com

C • Shot of hope

The New York State Fairgrounds has transitioned from a summer hotspot into a vaccination site that draws people from all around the state. Page 7

S • Best season yet

Emily Engstler had an aggressive workout routine when she was home for the summer. Her heightened focus has helped push her to her best season yet. Page 12

on campus

Residents fight against vaccine inequality

Trustees look to diversify faculty By Sarah Alessandrini asst. news editor

QUONITRA BULLOCK said her fears about the COVID-19 vaccine’s potential side effects were outweighed by the “civic responsibility” she felt as a frontline health care worker to get vaccinated. elizabeth billman senior staff photographer

Only 7% of vaccine doses in the county have gone to Black community members By Gillian Follett staff writer

s New York state continues its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, more people are becoming eligible to receive it. But in Onondaga County, like many places across the country, vaccine distribution hasn’t been racially equitable — and several local organizations are working to change that. During a Feb. 22 press briefing, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced that almost 85,000 county residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine. An overwhelming majority of these doses — 84%— have gone to

white residents, while the county’s Black population has received only about 7% of the vaccines, he said. McMahon acknowledged during the briefing that the current rate of vaccine distribution to Black communities is falling short. “Certainly, we’ve got a little bit of work to do,” he said. Denise Welch, the associate program manager for the Syracuse branch of the National Black Leadership Commission on Health, has been addressing racial disparities since the pandemic first hit the city last March. Welch and Marlo Judge, the organization’s senior outreach specialist, shifted the organization’s focus to ensuring that Black residents had access see vaccine page 4

to essential COVID-19 supplies, such as masks, hand sanitizer and informational brochures about the virus. “Our goal at first was to get to the underprivileged areas to provide them with COVID materials,” Judge said. “Outreach is very important. We’re going to where they are, instead of them having them try to reach us.” When vaccine doses started reaching the county, Welch knew it would be important to ensure the Black community in Syracuse felt comfortable getting it. She noticed that many people were wary of the vaccine, whether due to fear that the vaccine was developed too quickly or distrust stemming from systemic medical abuses against people

Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees in early March released its plan for increasing faculty diversity, which includes investing $50 million in faculty hiring and retention initiatives over the next 10 years. The Board of Trustees visited SU’s campus in February 2020 and met with 17 groups of students, faculty and staff, according to the report. During these visits, the board said it observed a lack of diversity within SU’s faculty. As part of the board’s strategic plan on faculty diversity hiring, SU will hire at least 70 additional faculty and 100 postdoctoral scholars from underrepresented backgrounds. The university will also spend $5 million on programs designed to retain faculty of underrepresented backgrounds and to help transform the culture at the school. Faculty of color at SU have said they would like to see the university do more to make the school a viable long-term workplace. The university will fund $40 million of the $50 million and will fundraise for the additional $10 million. In accordance with state, local and federal law, the funding will provide incentives for search committees, deans and department chairs to recruit a diverse candidate pool, rather than directly hire faculty of underrepresented groups. SU will evenly split the funding between search committees within its schools and colleges for three years. Departments will be able to hire faculty for about 15 new positions every three years, which will total to around 50 hires in the department over 10 years, according to the report. Deans and department chairs will likely use this funding to fill vacant faculty positions, according to the plan. Replacing vacant spots with faculty of underrepresented backgrounds will more rapidly increase faculty diversity, the board said in its plans. Last year, the university launched the Diversity Opportunity Hires Initiative to support its efforts to hire teaching and research faculty from diverse backgrounds through its Cluster see diversity page 4

2 march 18, 2021

about

INSIDE

The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.

NEWS 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 Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com Opinion@dailyorange.com Culture@dailyorange.com Sports@dailyorange.com Digital@dailyorange.com Design@dailyorange.com ADVERTISING 315-443-9794 BUSINESS 315-443-2315 EDITORIAL 315-443-9798 GENERAL FAX 315-443-3689

The Daily Orange is an independent, nonprofit newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which started in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — is entirely run by Syracuse University students. The D.O., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is editorially and financially independent from SU, and the paper receives no funding from the university. Instead, The D.O. relies on advertising revenue and donations to sustain operations. This spring, the paper will be published Monday and Thursday when SU classes are in session. Special inserts are published on Thursdays before home football and basketball games. The D.O.’s online coverage is 24/7, including while SU is on break. To show your support to The D.O.’s independent journalism, please visit dailyorange.com/donate. Donations are tax deductible.

“I have not fully been able to embrace my family in a little over a year.” - Quonitra Bullock, registered nurse at Upstate University Hospital Page 1

OPINION “I don’t understand how so many of us in society are not only capable of but also okay with ignoring such atrocities that take place in the penitentiary.” columnist Henry Holifield Page 5

CULTURE “I’m a visionary. God gave me the ability to do, so when it comes to me, I draw it and put it into place.” - Curtis Levy, owner Our Vegan Corner Page 8

SPORTS “If COVID didn’t happen, she never would’ve had that time to learn and do what she did. If it didn’t happen, I don’t even know if she would be the way she is now.” - Danielle Engstler on her sister Emily Engstler Page 12

how to join us If you are a Syracuse University or SUNY-ESF student interested in contributing to The D.O. on either its advertising or editorial teams, please email editor@dailyorange.com.

COMING UP

corrections policy The D.O. strives to be as accurate in our reporting as possible. Please email editor@dailyorange.com to report a correction.

Noteworthy events this week.

WHAT: Open Skate WHEN: Today, 12:30-3:45 p.m. WHERE: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion

letter to the editor policy The D.O. prides itself as an outlet for community discussion. To learn more about our submission guidelines, please email opinion@dailyorange. com with your full name and affiliation within the Syracuse community. Please note letters should not include any personal information pertaining to other people unless it is relevant to the topic at hand. All letters will be edited for style and grammar.

WHAT: Orange After Dark Late Night Movie: “Parasite” WHEN: Friday, 8-10 p.m. The D.O. is published weekdays during the Syracuse University academic year by The Daily Orange Corp., 230 Euclid Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210. All contents Copyright 2021 by The Daily Orange Corp. and may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of the editor-in-chief. The Daily Orange is in no way a subsidy or associated with Syracuse University. All contents © 2021 The Daily Orange Corporation

TIRESTIRESTIRESTIRESTIRESTIRESTIRES

4 Quality Tires BIG TIRE

WHERE: Goldstein Student Center, 201ABC, Virtual WHAT: Virtual Game Night WHEN: Friday,9-10:15 p.m. WHERE: Zoom

SKYTOP Wine and Liquor

Bleeding Orange and Blue since 1982

Next to Manley Field House

Simply cut out or take a picture of coupons to redeem

$20.99

OR CHECK US OUT AT WWW.BIG4TIRE.COM

10% off

$18.99

Jose Cuervo (1 L)

New Amsterdam Vodka (1.75 L)

expires 3/31/21 • excludes other sales or discounts

$5 off

Wine purchases of $15 or more

any purchase of $50 or more

expires 3/31/21 • excludes other sales or discounts

Low prices!

TIRESTIRESTIRESTIRESTIRESTIRESTIRES

Conveniently located in Tops Plaza

Shop Online or call 315-446-6710 to place your order

149 Midler Park Drive Syracuse, NY 13206 (315) 437-0329

230 Old Bridge Street E. Syracuse, NY 13057 (315) 432-4444

(315) 446-6710 SkytopLiquors.com

Touchless Curbside Pickup Available!

and Services VISIT US AT

608 Nottingham Rd, Syracuse, NY

expires 3/31/21 • excludes

other sales or discounts

Download our app: Peter’s Skytop Liquors Huge inventory!

NEWS

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

PAG E 3

march 18, 2021

on campus

SU finds COVID-19 clusters in 3 dorms By Maggie Hicks asst. news editor

Signs of Five Guys Signs have gone up at The Marshall for a new Five Guys restaurant. Although it is unclear when the burger chain is set to open, it will be joined by Kung Fu Tea, which has already opened a location in The Marshall. Five Guys currently has locations in Fairmount and DeWitt, both nearly a 15-minute drive from campus. emily steinberger photo editor

state

Schumer calls for Biden to cancel student debt By Mira Berenbaum asst. news editor

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pushing the federal government to forgive $50,000 in student loan debt for every student. Schumer’s proposal would urge President Joe Biden and Miguel Cardona, the secretary of education, to forgive federal or federally-backed loans with executive power. “I know how hard we are working to keep education affordable, to keep education high quality so that when people get out of college they can have a good future,” Schumer said in a press conference with college students Wednesday.

“For far too many students and too so many graduates many years out of school, federal student loans and student loans in general are becoming a forever burden.” Schumer said that 2.4 million New York residents owe about $90 billion in federal student loans. About 93% of all student loans are federal or federally-backed, giving the federal government the power to forgive them, he said. Student loans also disproportionately affect people of color. About one-third of Latino borrowers and half of Black borrowers default on student loans, he said. About 28% of the wealth gap between Black and white students is caused by student debt, he said. “It’s across the country. It’s

across our state. And it particularly affects communities of color,” he said. “This is a racial justice issue as well as a fairness issue.” Black and Latino students are also more likely to borrow money to go to college compared to their white peers, he said. Biden has said he will consider the plan, Schumer said. While federal officials have delayed student loan payments amid the pandemic, the loans have not been forgiven. “Once the pandemic is over, that debt is going to pile up,” he said. The plan could also allow for economic relief if borrowers use the money that would have gone to repaying loans to support local businesses, Schumer said. Colleges and universities across

the state received a total of $2.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan, a recently passed federal economic stimulus package. Syracuse University received $15.4 million from this bill, which will directly support student aid. If Schumer’s plan goes into effect, the Senate would not have to vote for it to pass, as the proposal is a resolution, not a law. Biden and Cardona’s executive power is enough to forgive the debt, he said. Schumer also noted that student debt is a larger problem now than it has been in the past. “It wasn’t this way 10 or 15 years ago,” he said. “It totally discombobulates people’s lives.” mlberenb@syr.edu @Berenbaum

city

Mayoral candidates share environmental platforms By Kyle Chouinard contributing writer

Democrats Khalid Bey and Michael Greene, who are both vying for mayor of Syracuse, have unique approaches to environmental policy. Greene, who has already received the Democratic nomination, and Bey are challenging Mayor Ben Walsh, who is running for reelection as an independent. Republicans Janet Burman and Thomas Babilon are also running for the spot. During Walsh’s time in office, the mayor has implemented multiple environmental initiatives, most notably the replacing of city street lights with LED smart lights. The project, when completed, will save the city 10.8 million kWh and 3 million dollars per year in operating costs. Both Greene and Bey said that while Walsh hasn’t done anything wrong in terms of his pro-environmental efforts, he also hasn’t done enough.

“No one is doing enough about it. I have certainly increased the focus on environmental issues.” Walsh said. “Clearly more needs to be done, and we’ll continue to focus on it.” For Greene, a common councilor at-large, the most pressing environmental issue facing the city is rising carbon emissions. He believes the city can play a role in solving that problem. Greene is looking into the city’s potential to not just create environmental change themselves but better educate the public on how they can get involved themselves. “Another thing that’s not in my plan that I’ve been studying is whether or not the city should take a more active role in green infrastructure projects in buildings and homes,” Greene said. “The city could be a key gateway for information for that.” Bey, also a common councilor at-large, said the city has difficulty making environmental changes since state and federal governments

typically deal with environmental policy. But that hasn’t stopped him from trying, he said. Bey said that the impact of the planned replacement of the Interstate 81 viaduct is an important issue within the city. The highway — which has faced intense criticism for demolishing and later polluting predominantly Black neighborhoods in Syracuse — has been a prime example of what both Democratic candidates said was environmental racism. Along with the destruction of neighborhoods, the respiratory health of those who live around I-81 viaduct has been greatly impacted. Bey has a personal connection to the issue. “I’m one of those young kids who grew up near the viaduct who now has respiratory issues,” he said. Pollution may have been a key factor in his adult respiratory allergies, despite the fact that he does not drink or smoke, he said. Peter Wilcoxen, a Syracuse Uni-

versity professor of public administration and international affairs, said that pollutants can cause issues in areas surrounding highways. “In a lot of areas, there is lead contamination from back when lead was in gasoline. It can be in the soils near highways,” he said. Both Democratic candidates agree that a community grid should replace I-81. Based on renderings from the New York State Department of Transportation, this new construction plan would consist of tearing down a piece of the elevated highway and adding additional green space. This option, which would “disperse traffic throughout the city grid,” would take approximately five years and cost $1.9 billion. While Bey and Greene agree on what needs to be done with I-81, they each have unique plans for addressing the city’s environmental footprint and its effects. Greene’s policy platform, ”A City for All of Us,” reiterates the value of

see candidates page 4

Syracuse University has implemented several temporary safety measures in response to a cluster of COVID-19 cases in residence halls. The university is tracking the current cluster emerging in Main Campus residence halls, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie announced Wednesday. He encouraged students living in DellPlain, Shaw and Booth halls to exercise “enhanced vigilance.” “It is critically important that we act quickly and decisively to undercut further spread of the virus within our residence halls, and more broadly across our campus community,” Haynie said. Students living in those halls and employees working there must adhere to a double-masking policy, Haynie said. Access to public lounges in each building is also suspended. All in-person dining halls and centers on campus, including at the Schine Student Center, have transitioned to grab-and-go service only, Haynie said. Students living in Main Campus residence halls will now be required to receive a COVID-19 test twice a week. All students are currently required to get tested at least once a week. Under SU’s new COVID-19 testing schedule, residents in Day, Flint, Brewster, Boland, Brockway, Shaw, Haven, Lyons and Walnut halls must get tested on Thursday and again on Monday. Those living in Booth, DellPlain, Marion, Lawrinson, Sadler, Watson, Kimmel, Ernie Davis and Washington Arms halls are required to get tested on Friday and Tuesday. Colleges and universities in New York state are required to move all classes online and limit on-campus activities if the campus’s positivity rate exceeds 5%. For SU — which has an on-campus population of about 17,600 students, faculty and staff — 880 positive cases within two weeks would require the university to go on pause. But university officials have said that SU would take action to prevent the spread of the virus far before that threshold. Previously, the state required the university to move all classes online and limit on-campus activities if it reached 100 cases within a fixed two week reporting period. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the change shortly after the start of the spring semester. In the fall, the university suspended operations twice to comply with the state’s requirement. The university limited inperson activities in early October after a cluster of cases broke out after one SU student traveled to Binghamton, which New York state had deemed a coronavirus hotspot at the time. The infected student or students brought the virus back to SU, where it spread

see cluster page 4

4 march 18, 2021

from page 1

vaccine of color, she said. To try to relieve these fears and restore people’s trust in the vaccine, Welch’s organization collaborated with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh to host a virtual town hall. Several local doctors spoke about the vaccine and dispelled rumors and misinformation surrounding its rollout. Residents had so many questions that the organization decided to schedule a follow-up town hall in early March, Welch said. Answering questions and educating residents about the vaccine is the first step in getting more Black residents vaccinated, she said. “The numbers are very low right now for our African American population here in Syracuse,” she said. “A lot of (getting people vaccinated) is going to come from education dispelling myths and misconceptions about the vaccine.” Supporting Syracuse’s Black population and educating residents about the COVID19 vaccine has also been the mission of from page 1

diversity Hires Initiative, which places scholars with similar research interests into multidisciplinary groups, or clusters. The university will now cover 70% of the salary and benefits for these new hires — a 20% increase — with schools and colleges covering the rest of the costs. The board expects that about 17 of the 69 positions allocated under the Cluster Hires Initiative will be from underrepresented groups. Salaries for the new hiring program and the second round of Cluster Hires Initiative will be 15% higher than budgeted for the first round of Cluster Hires and for SU’s Signature Hires Initiative, a plan the university announced in 2019 to hire 100 new faculty over the course of five years. The board also plans to fund 10 postdoctoral scholars on campus by the second year of its postdoctoral scholarship program. The

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

Dr. Sharon Brangman, a professor and chair of the geriatrics department at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Over the past several weeks, she has reached out to organizations in the Black community — including the People’s AME Zion Church and the 100 Black Men of Syracuse — to hold virtual events where she addresses people’s questions and concerns surrounding the vaccine. Like Welch, she has found that misinformation and conspiracy theories about the vaccine’s quick development, as well as long-standing medical neglect of Black people across the U.S., have made many Black Syracuse residents apprehensive. Black Americans have long experienced trauma at the hands of medical professionals in the past, including experimentation on enslaved Africans, eugenics and sterilization. Between 1932 and 1972, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a psychological experiment, known as the Tuskegee Syphilis study, which resulted in the death of 128

participants, who were all Black. “Everybody likes to talk about the Tuskegee study — which was horrible — but I run into people all the time who have real-time issues that are valid and concerning with the health care system,” Brangman said. This distrust of the vaccine even extends to some health care workers in Syracuse. The Syracuse chapter of the American Heart Association held a virtual Q&A panel where four Black women who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 shared their experience with the vaccine. All four women, including two nurses at Upstate University Hospital, said they were hesitant to receive the vaccine because of systemic anti-Black racism in American medicine and rapid development of the vaccine. Quonitra Bullock, a registered nurse at Upstate University Hospital, said she spent several sleepless nights debating whether to get vaccinated. But her fears about the vaccine’s potential side effects were outweighed by the “civic responsi-

bility” she felt as a frontline health care worker to get vaccinated, as well as her desire to reduce the threat of spreading the virus to her family, she said. “I have not fully been able to embrace my family in a little over a year,” Bullock said. “I want to one day be able to hug my family members … I have a responsibility to them to do whatever is necessary to keep everyone healthy.” In recent weeks, Onondaga County has been working to vaccinate more of the county’s Black population through outreach efforts, like “pop-up” clinics at community organizations. But continued public education is essential to actually get those vaccines into the arms of Black people, Brangman said. “We have to counter all those conspiracies and bad information that’s so ubiquitous on social media,” she said. “When people get information from a trusted source, the majority of people I’ve interacted with make the decision to get the vaccine.” gifollet@syr.edu

program will provide opportunities for scholars to become tenure-track faculty. Scholars will be required to teach one course each year in their area of expertise, which will meet students’ calls for a population of instructors that better represents the campus population, the board said. This program will cost $1.8 million each year to operate, with $70,000 stipends and $5,000 of professional development funds for each scholar per year. Under this hiring program, funding will also go toward travel conferences, summer salaries and other one-time research needs for faculty. “The university can and should be prepared to make adjustments within the faculty diversity hiring program to better meet the needs of the university’s commitments on diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility during the first ten years and beyond,” the board said. scalessa@syr.edu @sarahalessan

illustration by nabeeha anwar illustration editor from page 3

cluster during at least one party at an apartment complex on Walnut Avenue. After the first outbreak, the university also canceled all in-person activities, excluding classes and athletics. It also amended its public health guidelines to limit gatherings from a maximum of 25 students to five or fewer and closed the Barnes Center at The Arch and SU’s satellite gyms. About a month later, SU moved all classes online nearly two weeks before the end of the semester. The university confirmed over 280 coronavirus cases as a result of the second outfrom page 3

candidates what he calls urbanism. The policy platform says that the best option for the city’s mass transit is Bus Rapid Transport. In this program, the busing system implements programs such as transit signal priority and level boarding platforms. While the policies aren’t directly related to the environment, they have positive environmental effects, he said. “A lot of my policies are urbanism-type policies that encourage mass transit and walkability, so they don’t feel directly like environmental policies but they have the impact,” he said. Bey hopes to work on environmental poli-

break, as cases across the county began to surge. Haynie said he is optimistic that new guidelines will curb the spread of the virus, but that the university may take further action if cases continue to spike. As soon as the cluster appears to be under control, Haynie said the university will lift the temporary regulations. “Please hold yourself and those around you accountable,” Haynie said. “We cannot stress enough the importance of compliance with public health guidelines.” mehicks@syr.edu @maggie_hickss

cies related to melting snow, capturing rain and converting government buildings to steamgenerated power, which could cut energy usage. There are even possibilities that would have residents paid for their snow to be used in energy creation, he said. “If people knew they could make money from snow, you would return home in January, February, and you would see grass,” he said. Bey said he takes pride in the innovation and ideas that come along with his experience as a political figure in Syracuse. “I don’t do cut-and-paste legislation,” Bey said. “I can appreciate a great idea, but again I can give credit to where the idea came from.” kschouin@syr.edu

LIVE COMEDY IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME THIS SUNDAY @ 8 PM. ONLY ON ORANGE TELEVISION NETWORK AND YOUTUBE. Shaw Hall is one of three SU dorms where the university has implemented enhanced COVID-19 protocols. damon kasberg contributing photographer

OPINION

dailyorange.com opinion@dailyorange.com

PAG E 5

march 18, 2021

absence of light

Stop looking away from atrocities inside American prisons Editor’s Note: Absence of Light is a project created in collaboration with incarcerated people at Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn, New York. By Henry Holifield columnist

would like to recite a story that was recently told to me about a turtle and a snake. One hot day, a turtle was making its way along the side of the road, when it came upon an injured snake. “Help me, please,” the snake says in a weakened voice. “Of course,” the turtle says, helping the injured snake onto its shell. While the snake rested on the turtle’s shell, the turtle made several stops. Once at a stream to gather water for the snake, another to gather food for the snake and, lastly, to gather medicinal herbs for the snake. The more time the snake and turtle spent with each other, the more they got to know each other. They talked, laughed and learned so much about what they had in common. Like how they both were coldblooded, how they both enjoyed lying in the warm sun, how they both enjoyed chocolate covered insects and how they both had families. After a while, the snake professed that its health was restored and that it was time for the snake to head home. The turtle was happy to see the snake healthy again. When the turtle opened its arms to hug

the snake goodbye, the snake bit the turtle. Shocked, confused and wounded, the turtle asked the snake why it would commit such a hurtful act. The snake answered nonchalantly, “Because I am a snake. It is one of the many things that I do.” This story blew my mind. But I understand, I think. There are so many scenarios that have taken place — and still take place — in the penitentiary that warrant a shocked, confused and wounded inquiry from all its occupants. And so easily the reality of situations are accepted or chalked up as just “one of the many things that we do.” I understand that, I think. I understand what we all are capable of. I understand that people, places and things can bring about the most disturbing of actions. I understand the process we go through to cope with such actions. I even understand the effects those disturbing decisions can have on us. But, to be honest, I don’t fully understand. For starters, it’s 2021. I don’t fully understand how we can go from simply recording history by drawing pictures on the walls of caves to blatant and consistent oppression. I don’t fully understand how we can go forward and backward at the same time. And that is precisely what is going on in the penitentiary. The going forward aspect is employing penitentiary staff and the rehabilitation of those occupying the penitentiary. The backward aspect is the

Inspired by the actions of a fictional snake and turtle, columnist Henry Holified argues that the atrocities occurring inside prisons cannot be ignored. gabe stern enterprise editor

“many things that we just do.” Not just capable of, but actively do. I don’t understand how so many of us in society are not only capable of but also okay with ignoring such atrocities that take place in the penitentiary. But, let me not be selfish. So many of us are okay with so much of the atrocities that go on around the world. Period. If it does not affect us directly, then we tend to look away. I understand, I think. I understand that we as humans

are becoming more and more drained. The constant toxic actions of people are compelling us more and more to stay away from the unknown. There was a time when we humans looked forward to taking “calculated risks.” Not anymore. There was a time when helping someone outside of your “bubble” was a staple. Not anymore. When putting women and children first was a staple. Not anymore. When treating others as you would like to be treated

was a staple. Not anymore. Why? Why would we not want someone, even a total stranger, to extend a hand to us when in need? What’s going on around us will not adhere to adolescent bully rules. Meaning, what we don’t like will not go away just because we ignore it. I understand this, I think.

Henry Holifield is a Syracuse resident currently incarcerated at Auburn Correctional Facility. He is serving a life sentence.

finance

Be proactive and get ahead of your taxes before May 17 By Andrea Lan columnist

on’t be one of those people who hire an accountant when their taxes could be done for free. Unfortunately, more than a third of taxpayers making less than $50,000 annually do the former. Tax Day is traditionally some time in mid-April, but it’s been pushed back one month, so you have plenty of time to file. Here’s a guide to filing your taxes ahead of the May 17 deadline and, most importantly, how to do it on your own. Let’s first figure out if you need to file a tax return. Students: if you’re single, under the age of 65 and have a gross income of at least $12,400, you must file a tax return. That number rises to $24,800 if you are under age 65 and married. To understand this, you need to first understand what gross income is. Gross income is defined as all of the income you received in the form of money, goods, property and services that aren’t exempt from tax. This does not include scholarships or grants used to pay for tuition and fees.

News Editor Michael Sessa Editorial Editor Cori Dill Culture Editor Sydney Bergan Sports Editor Roshan Fernandez Presentation Director Shannon Kirkpatrick Photo Editor Emily Steinberger Video Editor Rose Skylstad Podcast Editor Moriah Humiston Illustration Editor Nabeeha Anwar Enterprise Editor Gabe Stern Asst. News Editor Sarah Alessandrini Asst. News Editor Mira Berenbaum

If you are still unsure if you are legally required to file taxes, take this quick quiz from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an international student, you are required to file a tax return regardless of your income amount. But, even if you aren’t required to file your tax return, it’s still a good idea to consider filing! Oftentimes, taxes will automatically be withheld from your paychecks (that includes on-campus jobs). Check with your employer to see whether this is the case for you. By filing a tax return, you will be able to receive that withheld money. Signing up for direct deposit will allow you to receive your refund faster than through a check in the mail. The IRS issues nine out of 10 refunds within 21 days of acceptance if you use direct deposit, according to TurboTax. Typically, tax preparation software will guide you through this process. Additionally, the American Opportunity Tax Credit allows you to get up to $2,500 back if you are paying for the first four years of higher education, and it also applies to the student’s parent or guardian if

Asst. News Editor Maggie Hicks Asst. Editorial Editor Megan Cooper Asst. Editorial Editor Hamere Debebe Asst. Culture Editor Louis Platt Asst. Culture Editor Chris Scarglato Asst. Sports Editor Allie Kaylor Asst. Sports Editor Skyler Rivera Design Editor Maya Goosmann Design Editor Yiwei He Design Editor Talley Schroeder Design Editor Sarah Jimenez Miles Asst. Photo Editor Annabelle Gordon

the student is still a dependent. If you qualify, you or your parents should submit the information on Form 1098-T. This is what you use to support your educational credit claim by reporting the eligible educational expenses you’ve incurred for that year. Eligible educational expenses include tuition and fees required to enroll at the institution, as well as course materials such as textbooks, equipment, and supplies that are explicitly required of all students in the course. Another benefit to filing your tax return is that you are able to establish an earning record. Why establish an earning record? Your earning record is important because it is used to determine how much social security you will receive when you retire. You are working hard for your money, so you want it to count! Jim Borland, acting deputy commissioner for communications at the U.S. Social Security Administration, warned that just one year of inaccurate reporting of earnings could cause your future benefit payments to be $100 less per month than is accurate, which could leave you without tens of thousands of dollars in entitled benefits.

All of this may sound scary and overwhelming, but fear not. The Office of Financial Literacy is offering 30-minute tax sessions for students, faculty and staff to file their taxes free of charge through TaxSlayer, an electronic filing software. Participants must pre-register for the tax sessions, which started March 1 and will run through April 15th. The sessions are offered Mondays, Wednesdays and

Casey Darnell

Emma Folts

KJ Edelman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Asst. Photo Editor Sarah Lee Asst. Photo Editor Lucy Messineo-Witt Asst. Photo Editor Anya Wijeweera Asst. Video Editor Maya Pow Asst. Video Editor Maddy Kramer Executive Producer Adam Garrity Executive Producer Luca Serio Podcast Host Marnie Muñoz Podcast Host Sarah Slavin Sportscast Host Thomas Shults Asst. Digital Editor Gavi Azoff Asst. Digital Editor Chris Hippensteel

Asst. Digital Editor Kailey Norusis Asst. Digital Editor Ella Plowman Asst. Digital Editor Anish Vasudevan Asst. Digital Editor Abby Weiss Asst. Copy Editor Louis Platt Asst. Copy Editor Anthony Alandt Asst. Copy Editor Hannah Gonzalez Asst. Copy Editor Jordan Greene Asst. Copy Editor Richard Perrins Asst. Copy Editor Abby Presson Asst. Copy Editor Connor Smith Asst. Illustration Editor Cassiane Cavallaro

illustration by sarah allam senior staff illustrator

Thursdays, with one from 11:30 a.m. to noon and another from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. You can register here. For any questions, please reach out to the Office of Financial Literacy (finlit@syr.edu) or Kelsey Woodford (kgwoodfo@syr.edu). Andrea Lan is a junior finance major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at alan01@g. syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @AndreasLandBlog.

Asst. Illustration Editor Senior Web Developer General Manager Fundraising Coordinator Business Asst. Circulation Manager Student Delivery Agent

Katelyn Marcy Kevin Camelo Mike Dooling Haley Robertson Tim Bennett Steve Schultz Dan Brownell

Syracuse Menus

6 march 18, 2021

dailyorange.com

Help our local restaurants hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic!

Beer Belly Deli 510 Westcott St. Syracuse, New York 13210 315-299-7533 BeerBellyWestcott.com

Blaze Pizza DeWitt - Marshalls Plaza 5743 Widewaters Parkway DeWitt, NY 13214 (315) 660-2229 blazepizza.com

CoreLife Now in Schine Student Center! www.corelifeeatery.com

Press Room Pub Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center Restaurant

## # #

BLENDED BLENDED TO FUEL TO FUEL BLENDED YOUR YOUR TO FUEL PASSION. BLENDED PASSION. YOUR TO FUEL PASSION. YOUR PASSION.

220 Herald Place Syracuse, NY 13202 315-569-4345 pressroompub.com Join us for March Madness!

5743 5743 Widewater Widewater Pkwy Pkwy 5743 Widewater Pkwy 5743 Widewater Pkwy

• Student favorite • Everything is made to order • Only restaurant on campus • Seasonal menu along with daily specials • Take out only - order through Grubhub

315.443.3102

Vito’s 320 East 1st St. Syracuse, NY 13210 315-378-4984 vitos-syracuse.com

## # #

BLENDED BLENDED TO FUEL TO FUEL BLENDED YOUR YOUR TO FUEL PASSION. BLENDED PASSION. YOUR TO FUEL PASSION. YOUR PASSION.

“A Stellar Stay in Syracuse” 1060 E Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210 Enjoy the romantic atmosphere of Salt Restaurant and Bar. Call 315-476-4212 to book one of our packages.

Visit www.dailyorange. com/menus to see the full selection of menus for these local restaurants!

CULTURE

dailyorange.com culture@dailyorange.com

PAG E 7

march 18, 2021

slice of life

UN fellow aids artists of color By Christopher Scarglato asst. culture editor

TROY WAFFNER, Director of the New York State Fair, described the transformation of the fairgrounds into a vaccination site a “monumental effort.” gavi azoff asst. digital editor

From Ferris wheel to Pfizer How the state fairgrounds became the second largest vaccination site in the U.S.

By Gavi Azoff

Asst. digital editor

he last time a pandemic hit Syracuse, during the Spanish flu of 1918, the New York State Fairgrounds were used as a temporary training camp for soldiers during World War I. In 2021, it’s being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site. “There’s a bit of sort of poetic bookending there that I, as a historian, really, really appreciate that sort of stuff,” said Robert Searing, the curator of history at the Onondaga Historical Association. “This is going to be a major talking point for the community for the foreseeable future.” The site opened Jan. 14 in the fairground’s 110,000 square-foot Exposition Center and has provided over 160,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, said Troy Waffner, director of the New York State Fair. Transforming the fairgrounds

into the city’s vaccination site took what Waffner described as a “monumental effort” from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, the State Department of Health and other state agencies. But in some ways, running the vaccination site isn’t much different than the annual fair, Waffner said, as the day-to-day management and operations of the site are the same as what staff do during the fair. “In some ways, it’s just another event,” Waffner said. “It’s an event with a huge societal impact.” Preparing the Exposition Center to be a vaccination site was relatively easy because the room is just wideopen space, so there weren’t any obstacles to work around, said Dave Bullard, the spokesperson for the state fair. What made setting up the vaccination site different from preparing for other events is that it involved more components, including cold storage facilities for the vaccine. The building is split into three

pieces –– the registration area, the shot administration area and the recovery area–– and different lines organize people by first or second dose, Bullard said. There are 70 desks where people receive the vaccine, each one staffed by a nurse and a person who enters data. Workers and markers on the floor ensure that everyone is maintaining proper social distancing guidelines. While a significant number of vaccine recipients at the fairgrounds are from central New York, residents from all across the state come to the fairgrounds when appointments open up. Many people come from Rochester and Buffalo, said Waffner, and he has met people who came from as far as Long Island and New York City. Stephanie Foulis came to the fairgrounds from Buffalo, as Syracuse is the only place where her son was able to get her an appointment. Ithaca resident Randy Hausner, who got both doses of the vaccine at the fairgrounds,

see fairgrounds page 8

In some ways, it’s just another event. It’s an event with a huge societal impact. Roy Waffner

director of the new york state fair

Before Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham could jump into a Q&A about art and museums, the United Nations Human Rights fellow had more to share. Even though her organization Museum Hue — which aids creatives of color — has worked with different museum professionals, art academia wasn’t always on her radar. But after guest lecturing at different universities and hearing from students about their own interests, JohnsonCunningham found it to be a critical part of her field. Johnson-Cunningham and moderator Andrew Saluti, the museum studies graduate program coordinator at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, spoke about Museum Hue, culturally responsive museums and the impact of deaccessioning on Wednesday night over Zoom. Her keynote was a part of VPA’s two-day symposium “Deaccessioning After 2020.” For Johnson-Cunningham, deaccessioning, or removing and selling pieces of art to raise funds, isn’t just about using the money to buy other works. It’s also a way for institutions to use the funds for operational support, such as a museum paying their staff during the pandemic. Johnson-Cunningham said art mainly leaves museums’ collections in two ways, either through sale or through certain pieces of art finding their way back to their countries of origin. Despite museums disposing of or deaccessing work to make room for pieces created by artists of color, Johnson-Cunningham said they’re still not addressing the underlying issue of racial inequity within the arts. “To be honest, there are a lot of people struggling to bring the issue of race to the forefront of museums,” she said. A key part of the lecture was also spent on museum relevance and impact. As a museum professional,Johnson-Cunningham sees museums as meeting places to foster dialogue and spark ideas. “Museums are very much relevant,” she said. However, Johnson-Cunningham pointed to an online survey that asked about 1,000 Americans their thoughts on museums. Despite the majority of participants deeming the institutions necessary, they weren’t sure if museums were relevant to someone’s experiences in politics and social justice. Johnson-Cunningham and her organization partnered with the Museum Association of New York to promote museums that are addressing the necessity of work that relates to housing, mental health and food insecurities. She referenced the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, which hosted an exhibition called “Group Therapy” that touched upon topics see musuems page 8

8 march 18, 2021

dailyorange.com culture@dailyorange.com

slice of life

Freshman leads initiative to aid impoverished in Syracuse By Julia Walker staff writer

A Syracuse University freshman is leading the Helpful and Ethical Leadership Project, an initiative that aims to provide direct and indirect aid to homeless and impoverished people. In addition to helping individual homeless people, the organization plans to address systemic issues that contribute to homelessness. Lucio Maffei said that in the next four years, HELP hopes to work with city and state legislators to increase substance abuse and mental health resources to help people stay healthy and avoid homelessness in the first place. “(Homelessness is) not just poverty, not just mental health, not just veteran relationships,” Maffei said. “It’s everything combined. It’s race, it’s ethnicity, it’s income. It’s not something you

can just throw money at. You need to have a very specific approach, a very specific mission.” HELP has 80 members split into marketing, fundraising and aid committees. The committees aim to raise money and volunteer with local nonprofit soup kitchens and shelters, host coat drives and raise awareness for safe places homeless people can receive shelter and food. General members started meeting on Zoom twice a month in February, once to brainstorm ideas with individual committees and once to review what has been accomplished each month. In addition to working with nonprofit organizations off campus, the club plans to create advertising and video campaigns this semester to combat the stigmas of homelessness, secretary Maya Fuller said. Fuller herself has had friends and fam-

ily members affected by homelessness. While the common misconception is that homeless people or those living in poverty are lazy, that’s not the case, she said.

The majority of people I know who lived below the poverty line have been the hardest working people I’ve ever met Maya Fuller help secretary

“The majority of people I know who lived below the poverty line have been the hardest

working people I’ve ever met,” Fuller said. “And their circumstance put them in a place that they can’t really escape from.” Because HELP launched at the beginning of his second semester, Maffei felt surprised by the high amount of interest. It’s easy for students to feel distant from current social issues while living on a college campus, but HELP members hope to educate other students on homelessness. David Sobel, an ethics and political philosophy professor at SU and the faculty adviser for HELP, expressed that the first step is education. “It’s a mistake to think that a good education isolates you from the world around you,” Sobel said. “A good education should arm you to better understand how to make the world a better place.” juwalker@syr.edu

from the kitchen

Armory Square restaurant brings twist to vegan cuisine By Nick Robertson senior staff writer

For Curtis Levy, the key to good vegan soul food starts with a great family recipe. His family is from Wilmington, North Carolina — a region of the country known for barbeque. In the space of a former Subway in Armory Square, his grandmother’s recipe black bean soup steamed from a metal container. The restaurant opened on March 5 and features vegan takes on a variety of classic soul food dishes like ribs, fried chicken and mac and cheese. There are also some Mexican options like vegan nachos and tacos. Levy substitutes meat with plant-based proteins such as seitan, which is made of wheat gluten, among other alternatives. Levy’s restaurant also serves vegan ice

cream and Italian ice. He began running his Italian ice cart, Razzle Dazzle Italian Ices, at downtown events in 2016 and moved that business into Destiny USA in 2018. In 2019, he opened a bakery called Our Neighborhood Chef next door to Razzle Dazzle. Monajsia Adams has worked with Levy at both of his Destiny USA businesses since December, but started working at Our Vegan Corner this month. “It’s been very busy in here, and everyone loves the Italian ice,” Adams said. “It was perfect for the warm weather we had earlier.” Levy is a reverend and started his businesses to help fund his nonprofit, Last House on the Block Ministries, which provides temporary housing for people returning from incarceration and those dealing with substance abuse or homelessness.

NOW DEWITT, NY OPEN! #RULE THE DAY 5743 Widewater Pkwy

BLENDED TO FUEL YOUR PASSION.

He moved to Syracuse in 2010 and decided to found Last House on the Block Ministries in 2012 after working with a similar for-profit transitional housing business in Wilmington. “Coming to the city, I couldn’t get funding, so as a reverend I just had to find a way to make sure what I was doing would work,” Levy said. “I’m a visionary, God gave me the ability to do (this), so when it comes to me, I draw it and put it into place.” The pandemic closed many restaurants around Syracuse, but opened up the real estate for Levy’s new restaurant. After he temporarily closed his Destiny USA businesses due to COVID19, Levy and some friends built a food truck out of a U-Haul serving Italian ice and vegan soul food, a preview of Our Vegan Corner’s menu. The restaurant brings new variety to Syracuse’s vegan options. Customer Leslie Barnett said that Levy’s nachos have entered his pan-

demic takeout rotation. “There’s only so many options for meatless foods, and the nachos are really worth going out of your way for,” Barnett said. “I’ve always supported (Levy’s) businesses and I’m happy to see him expand.” But Our Vegan Corner appeals to a wider customer base than just vegans. To Levy, the key to attracting the sometimestentative non-vegan audience is with smiles and lots of free samples. People are always amazed when they taste his fan-favorite ribs and find out that they’re meatless, he said. Eating vegan isn’t all about taste, but health, too. “I try to educate people on the healthy parts of (eating vegan),” Levy said. “It changes some people’s lives, but it also helps people look at things differently.” nickrobertson@dailyorange.com

from page 7

Pfizer vaccine, as the State Department of Health hired a mostly local contract staff, Waffner said. About 150 workers are needed every day to work in the building. The vaccination site also provides workers with three free meals a day during their shifts. All of the meals are from locally owned restaurants, Waffner said, which is a way of helping them since being hit hard by the pandemic. From a historian’s perspective, Searing sees the fairgrounds’ vaccination site as appropriate due to the location’s history, but he hopes the fairgrounds will soon be home to the fair once again. Foulis, who had never been to Syracuse before, said she would love to come check out the fair one year after visiting the fairgrounds for her vaccine. “It’s nice to know that the space is being used to help make New Yorkers healthier and hopefully getting us back to some normalcy,” Searing said. “So that the next time people are at the fairgrounds they can get a Gianelli sausage and some cotton candy.” gavi@dailyorange.com @gavi_azoff

fairgrounds feels the vaccination site is helping not only Syracuse but also the whole region. Earlier in March, the fairgrounds received a limited number of doses of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine to test run, which they provided during overnight appointments. The fairgrounds also offers the Pfizer vaccine. Those who have received one or both doses of the vaccine are excited to get their shots and get back to their life, said Bullard. While working at the Exposition Center, people have come up to him and his colleagues to say how happy they are to be there. The state fair is a service organization, but running a large COVID-19 vaccination site is not something that they ever prepared for, Bullard said. To be back and caring for the community is a great thing, Bullard said. “To be able to help the community has been one of the great accomplishments of our year,” Bullard said. The vaccination site is also helping the central New York area beyond providing the from page 7

museums of mental health like psychotherapy and wellness, she said. “Back to the word ‘relevancy,’ we really have to think critically about how these institutions affect our lives,” Johnson-Cunningham said. “How are we holding these institutions up?” Helping museums gain relevancy isn’t the only thing her organization has done. Besides being a hub for knowledge and networking, Museum Hue’s primary focus is to bring the topic of race to the forefront of the field. Johnson-Cunningham co-founded the organization back in 2015 to be more reflective of society and challenge the mainstream museum. A way the organization has been doing this is through helping culturally specific museums. Johnson-Cunningham said these institutions are the leaders of communitycentered approaches rather than collection-

centered ones. Johnson-Cunningham said culturally specific museums also not only provide a platform to showcase visual art, but also strengthen cultural ties. Two examples she gave were the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center and Native American museums such as the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center. “Culturally specific museums provide the best lessons in equity,” JohnsonCunningham said. “They were created to counter historical omissions, combat misconceptions and problematic depictions highlighting artistic practices and cultural contributions often absent from mainstream museum narratives.” In 2020, Johnson-Cunningham created an online database featuring over 100 culturally responsive museums across the country. She said the list is still growing. cscargla@syr.edu @chrisscargs

dailyorange.com

march 18, 2021 9

10 march 18, 2021

from page 12

engstler team in rebounds per game (9.1) and total steals (31) and averages the third-most minutes on the team despite notching just three starts. Jess Villaplana, Engstler’s mentor and AAU coach, said that WNBA coaches and scouts were in North Carolina’s Greensboro Coliseum watching Engstler’s ACC Tournament performance. ESPN reporter Holly Rowe posted on her Instagram story after the tournament saying she was “obsessed” with the junior guard, Villaplana said. Her new physique, combined with her natural athletic abilities and the maturity she’s developed with age, has reshaped Engstler into the player she’s becoming for SU. “If COVID didn’t happen, she never would’ve had that time to learn and do what she did,” Danielle said. “If it didn’t happen, I don’t even know if she would be the way she is now.” New York City was on full lockdown when Engstler returned home, and the city took down rims on basketball courts throughout the city. With limited opportunities to play basketball and nothing open, Engstler couldn’t hang out with friends in the neighborhood — her mom definitely wasn’t allowing from page 12

alexander full season at SU, in 2019, and has notched 27 career goals in 28 games. “To play one season in five years, it’s just devastating,” Alexander said. “It’s almost hard to wrap your mind around sometimes, so I said to myself, ‘I have the opportunity to come back. I’m definitely going to come back and prove to myself (that I) have the strength to do it again.’” Alexander’s first post on @morganalexandermindset was a November 2020 introduction where she announced plans to post videos of her workouts, inspirational quotes and the meals she was eating. Soon, she posted a workout with Kacy Small, who runs the Shake School, a program that teaches lacrosse-specific one-on-one skills. Alexander’s page and the Shake School aren’t exclusively for injury prevention and recovery, but it’s a prominent aspect of both. Small’s drills help players who’ve injured their knees — like Alexander — readjust to specific lacrosse movements, such as sharp cuts and dodges. They help prevent future injuries, too. Even for Alexander, who’s familiar with the recovery process, the drills still weren’t straightforward. Small said she made progress from page 12

hiltz

Hiltz doesn’t like to draw attention to himself and is always very humble when talking about his talent, Posner said. But the No. 2 class of 2020 recruit has made an immediate impact at Syracuse using his natural lacrosse IQ and skills he learned playing box lacrosse in Peterborough, Ontario. After decommitting from Denver and signing at SU partially due to Pat March’s revamped offense, ESPN lacrosse analyst Paul Carcaterra called him Syracuse’s most talented attack recruit since Michael Powell in 2002. Hiltz played on the second midfield line against Army, out of his typical position, but shifted back to the first attack line for the next game against Virginia — his first career start. He’s tied with Tucker Dordevic for the team lead in goals (12) and plays at attack alongside from page 12

martin three strikeouts — she takes time to “go back and review and reflect,” using time in between games to think about areas to improve. That attitude allowed her to not get too high or too low during games, her high school coach Jim Brown said, which radiated to the rest of the lineup. If she struck out looking, she reacted the same way she would if she had just hit a home run. But Martin’s impact on the field wasn’t immediate. While she played softball for the majority of her childhood, she didn’t really “catch fire” until her second middle school season. Then, Martin’s frame began to fill out, and her power followed.

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

that, either, Villaplana said. Danielle, who’s five-and-a-half years older than Engstler, developed an interest in fitness training when she was in college and has continued doing plyometrics since. She had just adapted her workouts for the cold weather when Engstler told her sister she really wanted to work out with her and build muscle. But before that was possible, Danielle told her she needed to lose weight first. It showed in her game. She didn’t get down to the other end quick enough, and at times her play was a little “lethargic,” Danielle said. Before Syracuse had Kamilla Cardoso, it relied on Engstler to be under the basket to rebound. “It’s more important that she has endurance and energy rather than muscle mass itself,” Danielle said of the two’s initial goals. “To get her season-ready, we had to focus more on cardio and losing the weight.” Engstler’s sister pushed alternatives. Yogurt with berries replaced ice cream because of the natural sugars in fruit, seltzers and water replaced soda, and though Engstler was always a salad eater, she got into them even more. “I sacrificed a lot,” Engstler said after tying her then-season-high 18 points in SU’s Feb. 25 win over Boston College. Engstler ate full meals so she didn’t crave

snacks, and after two weeks, she got past the “withdrawal” phase, her sister said. During those initial steps, they did a lot of circuits with bodyweight exercises, such as jumping jacks, pushups, bicep dips and ab exercises. Danielle did them, too — five or six exercises, 30 seconds each, for four rounds. Once Engstler started losing weight, they began lifting. Mondays were back and biceps, Tuesdays were legs, Wednesdays were chest and triceps, and so on. The two had different goals, though, so the older sister would list out the workout on a piece of paper for the younger. Engstler also went on daily runs, something she previously hated. Danielle said Engstler’s previous mindset regarding running was “If she didn’t have to do it, she wouldn’t.” “Now in Syracuse, Em’s on the court, there’s a different energy,” Danielle said. “I’m not even there in-person watching the games, and I feel it through the TV. It’s a different energy.” This summer, Engstler sat down alongside her family members and ate her mom’s cooking for dinner everyday — which also made it easier to eat healthy because her mom cooked to fit her diet. She developed a routine where she doesn’t eat dinner past a certain hour, Villaplana said, one that she’s stuck with in Syracuse. Engstler had to learn how to make those

healthy meals herself when she came to campus. Her mom sent grocery lists to help guide what to buy, along with recipes. Once she settled into the routine, things were easier.Engstler’s new physique allows her to get up and down the floor quicker than before. Her increased fitness paid dividends for her defensively, said head coach Quentin Hillsman, who called her a “quick-twitch athlete” who can break on the ball and make up ground. Two offseasons ago, Engstler just played pickup basketball during the offseason. She’d tell Villaplana that it was enough. This year, with the NCAA Tournament approaching on Sunday against No. 9 seed South Dakota State, Engstler’s focus remains on this season. But she’s also been talking with Villaplana since November about the upcoming offseason and how she’s going to gain more muscle. How she’s going to improve her shot. How she’s going to improve her game enough to go pro in two years. “After everything she’s learned and she’s done, I think that next year’s probably going to even be (better),” Danielle said. “There’s definitely a lot more to expect from her.”

between her first and most recent training, in early December and late January, respectively. She started out stiff and uncomfortable but gained more confidence over time. Small likened the process of regaining confidence in a previously injured knee to regaining trust in an unfaithful partner. To trust a knee that has been surgically repaired twice and regain the muscle memory of lacrosse movements is an accomplishment that Small gives Alexander credit for. “I don’t think it’s easy (to put yourself) on camera doing drills that she clearly was struggling through at first, and put that out there for people to judge or view or see her in her weaker points,” Small said. “I did think that that was pretty commendable.” Beyond the Instagram account, which has become inactive since the season began, Alexander has shared her story in various other forums and guest speaker panels. That’s how she met Dr. Arman Taghizadeh, a former NCAA D-I wrestler and current sports psychiatrist and host of a podcast called “The Mindset Experience.” Taghizadeh invited Alexander onto his podcast in January, and was impressed by how open and vulnerable Alexander was — the attack shared stories of how she would call her mom crying every day when she was sidelined.

He noted that her openness was not only an inspiration to his listeners but also a sign of true toughness. “What she’s done is she’s taken this concept of vulnerability and turned it into an incredible strength,” Taghizadeh said. After the podcast aired, Taghizadeh said high school athletes and coaches reached out to him because they were inspired by Alexander’s story. The coaches told him they shared the podcast with their players as inspiration. Those athletes have reached out to Alexander, too. Even before she launched the Instagram page, she was involved in the injury recovery community. Now, she’s connected with about about 30 people and has spoken with them about their ACL recovery journeys. “Some of the messages I’ve received on there will literally bring you to tears,” Alexander said. Alexander is there for her teammate and close friend Emily Hawryschuk, too. The All-American tore her ACL after Syracuse’s season-opener and announced she’d be out for the season. Alexander said that Hawryschuk always looks at her and says, “If you can do five surgeries, I can do one.” Years after her first knee injury, Alexander’s father, Mike, remembers the moments when he thought his daughter’s lacrosse career

would be over. He’s since watched her use injuries to reframe her mindset and inspire others. “I’m really impressed with what she’s done,” Mike said. “How she’s taken a negative and spun it positive for not only herself but for the university and for kids across the country.” Just a year after tearing her ACL for a second time and only a month after being cleared to play again, Alexander suited up for Syracuse’s home opener against Stony Brook. With just six minutes remaining in the first half, Alexander flashed to the top of the 8-meter arc. With her back to goal, she received a low ball from Maddy Baxter, spun right and fired a low shot that flew past the Seawolves goalie and into the bottom right corner of the net. Alexander threw her stick down and hugged her teammates in celebration. It was her first goal in a year, and once again, she was back. She knew the feeling, the mindset and the journey that it took to get to that point. And she’s trying to share all of that with athletes like her. “People ask me all the time, ‘Oh, do you wish never got hurt?’” Alexander said. “No, I do not wish for a second I never got hurt … because the lessons I have learned from this injury, I’ll take on with me for the rest of my life, and that is the greatest blessing.”

fifth-year senior Stephen Rehfuss and Loyola transfer Chase Scanlan. He’s one of the most deadly shots in the game, Carcaterra said. With a 30-second shot clock in box lacrosse, compared to the 80-second one in NCAA men’s lacrosse, Hiltz grew up mastering a quick release. Goalies struggle to react quick enough, head coach John Desko said. While many players cradle or wind up before firing a shot, Hiltz can shoot almost the instant he receives a pass. “The next-level players, whether it’s Mikey Powell or Owen Hiltz, the stick is almost an extension of their body,” Carcaterra said. While Hiltz always had natural talent, Posner said, his box lacrosse skills didn’t translate right away. He didn’t play on a regular lacrosse field until he went to Culver, and his talent didn’t really show at the beginning his freshman year. Hiltz was a “high risk, high reward” player his freshman year, and it took him a while to

adjust to the American defensive tendencies. Still, even from the beginning, Posner called him “one of the best players I have ever seen.” But at the end of his first year, he’d gathered enough confidence to direct teammates midgame about where to go on the field. Hiltz could see plays form on the field before they happen, Carcaterra said, and that allowed Hiltz to tell his teammates where they should position themselves to take advantage of defenses and score. It paid off — Culver was named the best team in the country by US Lacrosse Magazine in 2019, Hiltz’s junior year. He came to Culver as a quiet kid who didn’t know anyone and was unfamiliar with field lacrosse, but he developed into a captain and one of the top high school players in the U.S. by his senior year. “He was seeing the game and coming into huddles and telling me what the defenses were doing, and he had adjustments in his mind,”

Posner said. “I let him lead the way that a senior should be leading, and at a level I had never seen before.” At Syracuse, there’s no shyness about him anymore, Posner said. He transitioned smoothly into one of the top attack lines in the country. Playing with upperclassmen in an unfamiliar setting doesn’t scare him anymore. “If he tells you to go to a spot, more times than not, it’s probably the right one to go to,” junior Brendan Curry said. And that’s just through four games. After the Stony Brook win, Desko said that Hiltz’s confidence is improving every week. As he gets more comfortable, more confident, more used to the attention, he’ll have the chance to live up to his No. 2 overall recruiting ranking. “He’s going to be one of the most elite lacrosse players to ever play the game,” Posner said.

“She just kind of continually kept growing and getting big and getting stronger, could always run pretty well,” Brown said. “Her strength kind of caught up with her size.” During a large tournament in high school, Martin hit a ball that Brown said was one of the two or three hardest-hit softballs he’s ever seen in a fastpitch girls’ softball game. In a game at Grain Valley High School, Martin planted her front foot and drove the ball over the center field wall. Brown said the softball landed far past a treeline 15 feet behind the fence. But in between home runs, Martin would do whatever was necessary to help the team. She didn’t have to hit a double in the gap every at bat to contribute, and she knew that. Martin currently leads the Orange with two sacrifice hits through 11 games, and had six such plate

appearances through her first four seasons with Syracuse. “When there was a situation that maybe called for her to hit behind runners, she always would,” Brown said. “If we needed a fly ball, maybe to get a kid over, you can count on her to get that fly ball.” In her third year under Doepking, Martin is retaking the role of leader that she possessed her final two years as a captain in high school. Doepking has overhauled the roster the last two years in search of the winning culture that wasn’t present during Martin’s junior season. However, Martin isn’t the vocal kind. She’s a quiet leader who leads by example, Brown said. “At times, she would speak up and speak her mind, but for the most part just kind of let her

actions speak for her,” Brown said. Her dad said she’s always planned out her goals, on and off the field. What she wanted to accomplish in a season, where she wants to travel and how she’d like to fare academically. But after the onset of the pandemic, she’s switched to a “the time is now, let’s go for it now” attitude. In her final season with SU, she hasn’t hesitated to get her batting hot. In conference play, she leads the team in seven statistical categories, continuing to lead by example as a captain on a team with seven freshmen. “(Her teammates) are going to get pitched to because they don’t want to walk anybody with a kid like that coming up,” Brown said.

rferna04@syr.edu @roshan_f16

gshetty@syr.edu

aekaylor@syr.edu @cincinnallie

aalandt@syr.edu @anthonyalandt

CLASSIFIEDS

dailyorange.com

march 18, 2021 11

Affordable Off-Campus Housing All Energy Star Homes Best Values on The Hill Prices Start at $325 / Bedroom Euclid, Sumner, Madison, Westcott and many other areas

Free installation of Fresh-Aire UV germicidal system for air and surface disinfection of SARS!

315-422-0709 rentals@universityhill.com www.universityhill.com

-New Energy Star Stainless Steel Refrigerator, Stove, Dishwasher -Energy Star Furnace, 92% Efficient -Energy Star Washer & Dryers -Basement Glass Block Windows -New Energy Star Windows -LED Lighting -Granite Kitchen Counter Tops -Free Parking -No Extra Fees/Charges -Zoned Heating in Single Family Homes -Exterior Security Lighting -Separate Washer/Dryer for Each Apartment

Spacious 3BR apt. Livingston Ave, HW floors, completely renovated, new appliances, new windows, dining and living rooms, laundry, parking, extra storage, spacious. ONE MONTH FREE! Call/Text 718-679-3434. Email amararentals@gmail.com

All Saints Catholic Church Where All Are Welcome!

1342 Lancaster Ave Syracuse, NY 13210 Weekend Masses (currently celebrated in our parking lot): Saturday – 4:00pm ~ (Traditional Music) Sunday – 9:00am Daily Liturgy: ~ (Gospel Choir) 11:30am (in church – sign-in, masks & AND 11:30am ~ safe-distancing required) (Contemporary Music) Sacrament of Reconciliation by appointment: please call Fr. Fred at 315-5308995

Copper Beech Commons

Skyler Commons

300 University Avenue

908 Harrison Street

2, 3, & 4 Bedroom

Fully Furnished Studio Apartments 12 Month Leases

Fully Furnished Units

Now Leasing for 2021-22!

10 & 12 month leases

Check us out at:

Rates starting at $800

HousingSYR.com -

All-Inclusive Private Tenant Shuttle

info@housingSYR.com Call: 315-565-7555 - T ext: 315-466-8253

AUDI/VW (used) 7 Days Sales - 40 Years *Good/Bad Credit!! Service 315-789-2200 SelectEuroCars.com

For information call our Office M-Th, 9am to 2pm: 315-472-9934

Affordable Off-Campus Housing

Free installation of Fresh-Aire UV germicidal system for air and surface disinfection of SARS!

All Energy Star Homes Best Values on The Hill Prices Start at $325 / Bedroom Euclid, Sumner, Madison, Westcott and many other areas 315-422-0709 rentals@universityhill.com www.universityhill.com

SPORTS

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

PAG E 12

march 18, 2021

Engstler’s offseason transformation sparks best season yet

women’s lacrosse

Alexander influences in ACL recovery By Gaurav Shetty staff writer

EMILY ENGSTLER’S rigorous offseason workouts — where she did cardio, weight lifting and followed a strict diet — helped her lose 40 pounds and led to her best season yet. courtesy of dennis nett syracuse.com

Junior guard Emily Engstler’s used the extended offseason to refine her game By Roshan Fernandez sports editor

anielle Engstler didn’t expect her sister to continue her rigorous dieting and summer workout routine when the Syracuse guard returned to central New York. Emily Engstler’s work in the 2020 offseason was already a drastic improvement from that of past offseasons — she previously “took a break from routine” when she returned to her family’s apartment on Roosevelt Island, in New York City, her sister said. Engstler had a new mindset last offseason, though. When she got home in March due to the pandemic, she started a routine with her sister’s guidance. It began with bodyweight exercises and cardio but expanded to weight lifting when Danielle purchased dumbbells and kettlebells. Engstler had a strict diet that cut out

junk food. What originally stemmed from “boredom” during quarantine developed into a routine that Engstler followed closely for four months while at home. The junior guard lost nearly 40 pounds between returning home last March and coming back to campus in July. Before last March, Engstler didn’t take her health and fitness as seriously as a Division-I player should, Danielle said. Engstler’s sister pushed her at home but was unsure whether four months of progress would be undone if Engstler let up after returning to SU. But it was the tangible results that kept her on track — seeing the before and after photos, the improvements in her game, the praise she got from teammates and coaches. “It became a mentality because we did it everyday. She really got into the habit of it,” Danielle said. “When she got to Syracuse, she kept it up, and she continued to lose even more weight, which I was not expecting … It’s really a daily thing for her now.” Now, heading into the NCAA Tournament with No. 8 seed Syracuse (14-8, 9-7 Atlantic Coast), Engstler’s big year was made possible by her offseason work. The ACC Co-Sixth Player of the Year is coming off a seasonhigh 21-point performance against Louisville in the conference tournament semifinals and an All-ACC Tournament Second Team selection. She leads the

see alexander page 10

men’s lacrosse

Hiltz is Syracuse’s freshman phenom

see engstler page 10

By Allie Kaylor

softball

asst. sports editor

How Toni Martin emerged as SU’s top power hitter By Anthony Alandt asst. copy editor

Toni Martin stepped up to the plate in the fourth inning with runners on first and second after a walk. The game was scoreless, and Martin was looking to put the Orange on the board for the first time in 2021. She rocketed a pitch from Notre Dame’s Alexis Holloway over the center field wall at Anderson Softball Stadium. When she rounded third, Jamie Gregg, Neli CasaresMaher and Calista Almer waited around home plate. Martin’s left foot hit home, and the group slapped her helmet one by one.

For Morgan Alexander, whose collegiate career has been overshadowed by four knee injuries and five surgeries, starting the Instagram account @morganalexandermindset seemed like the right thing to do. The first time she tore her ACL was during her redshirt freshman year in 2017. She wished there was someone she could talk with who had experienced an injury — and a setback — as severe as hers. So, she started the social media page to share her story. Beyond her Instagram page, Alexander has become a prominent voice in a community of athletes nationwide who’ve experienced similar injuries. She’s spoken on podcasts, received messages from strangers asking for advice and served as a role model to young athletes by publicly documenting her journey back from serious injuries. “I realized, ‘Oh wow, I have been through a lot, and I have come out on top.’ So I was like, ‘How can I inspire others?’” Alexander said. “If I can walk away from this university and have inspired just one person, that’s the ultimate win.” Now in her sixth year at Syracuse, the attack returns for the Orange after suffering yet another season-ending injury in 2020. The Instagram bio of the account lists her injury and recovery resume: two ACL tears, one microfracture surgery, two MCL tears, four torn meniscuses and one fake kneecap. Alexander has appeared in just one

After a slow offensive start to the season, Martin — now in her fifth year with Syracuse (6-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) — leads the team in home runs (3) and RBIs (6) through the first 11 games. Martin, who ranks seventh all time at Syracuse in triples, has never been the team’s biggest power hitter and normally uses her speed to snag an extra base on doubles. But with SU’s former home run leader AJ Kaiser transferring to San Diego, Martin has stepped up as the Orange’s top power hitter in her final year. Martin’s RBI and double totals increased exponentially in her first three seasons. But in the 2020

season that was cut short due to the pandemic, her stats dropped. Her OPS dropped from a teamleading .929 in 2019 to .777 over the 20-game 2020 season, and she only hit two home runs. Martin’s 6-foot frame allows head coach Shannon Doepking to place her in the meat of the lineup. She’s hit third in five games, and fourth and fifth in three games each. In high school, however, Martin typically hit fifth or sixth and starred in the varsity starting lineup her freshman year. At Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) high school, Martin ended her career as one of the Panthers’ most deco-

rated softball players. She finished her senior year batting .386, driving in 14 runs and with an on-base percentage of .456. Over four years, she totaled 119 hits, 77 RBIs and 25 doubles. Her “steading influence” in the middle of the lineup led the Panthers to two consecutive district championships and a runnerup finish in 2015. “Finally, that light clicked inside her, and she really became a good softball player,” said her father Sean. Sean said that she carries a perfectionist attitude with her. After hitless games — like Syracuse’s Feb. 21 loss to UNC, where she went 0-for-3 with see martin page 10

Owen Hiltz was late for practice after leaving his home in Ontario at 2 a.m. and driving nine hours to Culver, Indiana. It was his first v isit t o C ulver Academy, a prep school that was recruiting him. After head coach Jon Posner helped him put his gear on, a Culver defender smashed Hiltz’s hand in the first d rill. P osner a sked if Hiltz was okay. He said yes and continued playing for the rest of the two-and-a-half-hour practice. “He takes off h is g love a nd i t’s just full of blood, and his finger was, you could tell it was broken,” Posner said. “He didn’t complain once about it, never took his glove off to wipe the blood off, and played incredible that day and didn’t show one sign of pain.” see hiltz page 10