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THURSDAY
april 27, 2017 high 81°, low 55°
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
PUBLIC
CONSENSUS How Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud is viewed 3 years into his tenure By Michael Burke news editor
T
empers were flaring one afternoon last May as Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud began to address the faculty and administrators gathered in a Newhouse classroom. In a moment that would come to capture the core elements of his leadership style, Syverud was tasked with defusing what has become a regular occurrence at SU: faculty sparring with administrators. In this case, they were at odds over plans to construct a promenade along University Place. To the faculty, the decision to construct the promenade lacked proper governance and communication from university leadership. The $6 million cost only added to their frustration. Syverud needed just a few minutes to ease the room’s mood. He said everything faculty seemingly wanted to hear: The university wasn’t transparent enough about plans for the promenade. More SU community members could have been consulted. It was possible there was a better way to allocate resources. “I need to think harder about this,” he said at the time. But almost as quickly as Syverud said he would consider faculty concerns, construction of the promenade began as scheduled the following week. It was a fitting end to a sequence of events that, in the eyes of many on campus, has exemplified Syverud’s tenure as chancellor. That tenure now stretches more than three years, and the decisions Syverud has made and actions he’s taken during that time have been met with bleak evaluations from many of his constituents. Based on interviews over the past eight months with more than 50 faculty, staff and administrators, see syverud page 9
KENT SYVERUD is just over three years into his tenure as SU chancellor and president. In that time, he has made progress on a number of initiatives, but faculty have become concerned with his communication tactics, among other things. Syverud is pictured here at the 2016 Toner Prize ceremony. moriah ratner staff photographer
city
Mayoral candidate plans sweeping reforms if elected Mayoral candidate Raymond Blackwell wants to change what it means to be a politician and an elected official. “Myself as mayor, I’m not going to be like ‘I have this vision, now I have to pass a budget that follows my vision,’ no,” Blackwell said in a recent interview. “I am going to relinquish my power and involve everyone in the community so that when our vision is
built, we can say that was our vision and not Ray Blackwell’s vision.” Blackwell, who is running as a Democrat, is the ninth candidate to enter Syracuse’s crowded 2017 mayoral race. Blackwell, 27, is a lifelong resident of Syracuse. He grew up on the city’s North Side, attending the Syracuse City School District’s George Fowler High School. He left Syracuse to attend Long Island University in 2010, eventually graduating with
N • Last go around
O • Bundles of joy
By Sam Ogozalek asst. news editor
The Syracuse University Senate met inside Maxwell Auditorium for the final time of the 201617 academic school year on Wednesday afternoon. Page 3
Gender and Sexuality columnist Kelsey Thompson commends a recent New York state order to guarantee infertility treatment coverage to LGBTQ individuals. Page 5
a bachelor’s degree in history. He returned to the city though partly, he said, because of the different issues Syracuse faced. Blackwell said he wants to make a difference. “My vision and my goal as mayor is to have multiple mayors, and multiple avenues for people to really have authority,” he said. Blackwell, like mayoral candidates Alfonso Davis and Chris Fowler, among others, has no previous experience as an elected official. He unsuc-
S • Air Gait
Tenth-year Syracuse women’s lacrosse coach and former SU legend Gary Gait hopes to deliver on a promise he made: lead SU to its first national championship. Page 20
cessfully ran for the SCSD’s board in 2015 and, that same year, graduated from Syracuse University with a master’s degree in cultural foundations and education. Blackwell is currently a stay-at-home dad, raising his 10-month-old daughter, Catalina. He’s a community organizer and education reformist who works with groups including Syracuse’s chapter of the National Action Network and Parents for Public Schools. “The reason I’m here right now is
P • Who is Syracuse?
Winnie Greenberg built a fashion empire in Syracuse and is a benefactor for Syracuse arts. Deynaba Farrah devotes her life to helping Syracuse-based refugees. Pages 10-11
not because I come from a political dynasty,” said Blackwell, who formerly performed as a rapper in Syracuse under the name “RayWellz.” Blackwell said he hasn’t performed as RayWellz since releasing an album in 2009 called “Everything’s Good.” Blackwell said, currently, he has not “cemented” any policy goals to pursue if he is elected mayor because he wants to learn more from Syracuse community members about the
see blackwell page 4