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Redhouse Arts Center plans to welcome live audiences back by the end of the year for the start of its four show 2021-2022 theater season. Page 7
A new art installation will be set up at SU in the near future to honor the Onondaga Nation and fulfill promises made by the university to Indigenous students. Page 3
Federal marijuana ban leaves medical users in the dark
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Chris Snow opens up about his fight with ALS and the friendships he still has with writers from The Daily Orange whom he worked alongside 20 years ago. Page 12
coronavirus
Students from India react to outbreak By Francis Tang staff writer
CANDICE BINA is a junior at SU who has used marijuana since she was 18 to treat the pain caused by her Tourette syndrome. Bina wishes that SU provided more information about their continued ban on marijuana. emily steinberger photo editor
Despite state-wide marijuana legalization, students who use the drug medically are unsure what to do By Michael Sessa news editor
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hen New York legalized recreational marijuana use on March 30, it expanded a gray area at Syracuse University that exists for students on many college campuses across the U.S. It is now legal to use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes state-wide, but many colleges and universities receiving federal money still prohibit the use of marijuana on campus. Some schools cite the continued federal prohibition of marijuana as reason for their bans, and others claim that — should they allow the drug on campus — they risk losing federal funding. Because federal law doesn’t differentiate between recreational and medical use of marijuana, universities often don’t differentiate between the two in their own policies, an approach that leaves students who need marijuana to treat pain and other medical conditions in the dark. Candice Bina, a junior television, radio and film major at SU, has been using marijuana since she was 18 to treat pain that accompanies Tourette syndrome. The neurological disorder causes body tics
and spasms that can lead to back pain and swelling, she said. “If I get high, I’ll be relaxed and not moving as much,” Bina said. Chronic pain is the most common reason cited for using cannabis medically, said Dr. Jessica Knox, co-founder of the American Cannabinoid Clinics, in an email. People also commonly use the drug to manage or treat anxiety, depression, insomnia and a variety of other conditions. The federal government currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, which asserts it has high potential for abuse and no accepted medical purpose. “In reality, marijuana — like hemp — is a medicinal plant that has many known medical uses and a low potential abuse, especially when used in an informed manner and/or under medical guidance,” Knox said. Knox said the classification also contradicts the federal government’s 2003 patent, which cites several therapeutic uses for the cannabis plant’s cannabinoids, compounds found in the plant. Despite the science, colleges and universities are still hesitant to allow marijuana on campus, even when use is approved by a doctor. On April 12, Marianne Thomson, SU’s associate vice president and dean of students, announced that the university’s Code of Student
see marijuana page 4
Since the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic began sweeping through India, Setu Desai has been concerned about his family thousands of miles away. Desai, a Syracuse University graduate student studying computer engineering, went back home to Ahmedabad, India, for the winter break. But now, the distance from campus to home seems farther than ever. “It is not something out of nowhere,” Desai said. “People were not very cautious about it, things like social distancing in public spaces.” During the second wave, both Desai’s mother and grandmother tested positive for coronavirus. Although Desai’s mother received the first dose of the Indian-made Covishield vaccine, she still tested positive. Desai was fully vaccinated in the United States by late April. Although most of his family have received one dose of the vaccine, none of them could receive the second because of the shortage of vaccine supplies and medical facilities. “People are losing their loved ones due to lack of ventilators and oxygen. The government is blindsiding these issues and conducting elections and gathering people for rallies,” Desai said. “This is very serious and the negligence is creating chaos.” Tanushri Majumdar, an SU graduate student studying international relations at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has family members who tested positive for COVID-19 around mid-April. “(My parents) called me one day, and they were like, we all tested positive. We all got COVID and your dad has a 103 fever,” Majumdar said. Although Majumdar’s family recovered, some lasting effects still remain. She was shocked when she finally saw her father, who lost weight due to COVID-19, on video. “My aunt’s cousin lost both her husband and her son in two days. My friend’s father is on a ventilator right now, but she can’t go home and see him,” Majumdar said. “It’s been really, really stressful. Everyone I know has lost someone to COVID. The news said it’s bad, but it’s so much worse.” The dense population and low vaccine rate in India has made the more transmittable variant, known as B.1.617, sweep through the country, said Christopher P. Morley, professor and chair of the Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University, see india page 4
2 may 13, 2021
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“Cannabis legalization is seen as exclusively a criminal justice and business conversation rather than giving the impact of the war on drugs the respect it deserves as a comprehensive destroyer of communities.” - Jason Ortiz, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Page 3
OPINION “While students cheered the reopening of SU dining centers, COVID-19 cases in India surged.” -Columnist Harrison Vogt Page 5
CULTURE “The magic of theater is in the empty space between the audience and the actor.” Temar Underwood, the director of Redhouse’s adaptation of “Macbeth.” Page 7
SPORTS “When you say those three letters: A-L-S, the way that people look at you, they can’t hear anything after those three letters because nobody has ever associated the disease with hope.” -Kelsie Snow, Chris Snow’s wife Page 12
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PAG E 3
may 13, 2021
on campus
state
SU works toward Indigenous student demands Cuomo extends utility grace period By Kyle Chouinard staff writer
An art installation, which will be designed by artist and muralist Brandon Lazore of the Onondaga Nation, is part of the university’s response to Indigenous students’ concerns about the visibility of Indigenous people on campus. emily steinberger photo editor By Chris Hippensteel asst. digital editor
Syracuse University students and officials, who are spearheading the construction of a new art installation on campus to honor the Onondaga Nation, expect to finalize the project’s design and location in the next few months. The art installation, which will be designed by artist and muralist Brandon Lazore of the Onondaga Nation, is part of the university’s response to Indigenous students’ concerns about the visibility of Indigenous people on campus. SU was built on land belonging to the Onondaga Nation. As of now, the working group is primarily considering the green space in front of the Shaffer Art Building for the installation’s final site, said Maris Jacobs. Jacobs, an SU graduate and former president of Indigenous Students at Syracuse, is on the working group leading the art installation. “The area we’re looking at is in front of Shaffer, on the way to the
Quad from the Life Sciences building,” Jacobs said. “There’s a little bit of a green space there, and we really wanted it to have a central location, somewhere with high traffic, where it could be seen from afar.” Jacobs said she is satisfied with the progress SU has made toward breaking ground on the project, and the group expects the final size, design, location and construction timeline for the installation to be settled this summer. The group is still working with Lazore, who did not respond to a request for comment, to confirm its final design and dimension, Jacobs said. “The project is exciting and getting closer to completion,” said Regina Jones, assistant director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Native Student Program, in an email to The Daily Orange. The art installation is part of SU’s response to a series of concerns and demands Indigenous students submitted in fall 2019 following a series of hate crimes and bias incidents on and near campus. Of the seven commitments to
Indigenous students listed on SU’s website, four are marked as substantially complete. Those remaining in progress include better acknowledging SU’s presence on Onondaga Nation land, expanding Native American and Indigenous curriculum and hiring Indigenous faculty and staff. In February, SU posted job openings for a new faculty position in Native American and Indigenous Studies as part of a cluster hire initiative centering around energy and the environment. SU’s Cluster Hires Initiative recruits groups of faculty from different disciplines and research backgrounds to work in “clusters” centered around a specific topic. SU’s Campus Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion website states that the Barnes Center at The Arch has hired an Indigenousidentifying counselor at the Barnes Center. SU also posted an opening in February for a 12-month, parttime Indigenous healer to work at the Barnes Center supporting students’ “mental, physical,
emotional, and spiritual health through the use of traditional healing practices.” Ionah Scully, a doctoral student in SU’s School of Education, and Cree Métis of the Michel First Nation, said it is unclear how close SU is to filling these positions. “We do know there are two candidates that the search committee likes,” Scully said. “We just don’t know if the university is committed to hiring them.” As for the art installation, Maris said the group wants Lazore’s artwork to be the focus of the project. They are also considering adding a seating area around the final product. The group also wants the installation to be large in scale and visible from a distance, with a plaque that explains its meaning and purpose. “It’s going to be something that’s eye-catching,” Jacobs said. “I think it’s going to be a staple. It sounds to me like something iconic that will be on the Quad for a long time, hopefully forever.” cjhippen@syr.edu
on campus
Virtual event discusses anti-Asian racism By Kailey Norusis asst. digital editor
Frank H. Wu, president of Queens College, City University of New York, said building bridges between minority groups and realizing shared ideals are two ways to fight anti-Asian racism. Wu spoke about fighting antiAsian racism and the necessity of an accurate worldview during a virtual event on Wednesday night, “Confronting Anti-Asian Racism.” The conversation was sponsored by the
Center for International Services, Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Office of Multicultural Affairs. “People ask me all the time, ‘How do Asian Americans fit in? Why aren’t we part of the conversation?’” Wu said. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, anti-Asian racism and violence has increased in the public eye. In addition to Wu, students and faculty panelists also explained their own experiences with anti-Asian racism and vocalized that this has been something
the community experienced long before the pandemic. “Sometimes it’s the way I was looked at. Sometimes it’s the way I’m excluded from conversations,” said Kimberly Ng, a Syracuse University senior. “More often than not, it’s the way I’m repeatedly asked about where I’m from, where my parents are from and where my grandparents are from. A question I cannot satisfy until my answers prove I’m an other — that I don’t actually belong here.” In Wu’s presentation “Asian
American at a Cross Road,” he explained the important presence of Asian Americans throughout American history. Wu said that, for instance, Life Magazine featured an image of Yuri Kochiyama — a Japanese American woman and close confidant of Malcolm X — holding Malcolm X’s head while he died. Wu also spoke about Asian Americans fighting in the Civil War. About 90 to 95% of workers who built the transcontinental railroad were Chinese laborers, see lecture page 4
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that would continue to prohibit utility companies — providers that supply and maintain electricity, water, gas, telephone, broadband and cable access — from disconnecting their services for customers who cannot afford them during the COVID19 pandemic. The extended moratorium will expire either 180 days after New York state lifts the COVID-19 state of emergency or 180 days after Dec. 31, whichever date comes first, according to the press release. The legislation will not eliminate the payments for customers. The moratorium requires utility services to offer a “deferred payment agreement,” which contains no extra charges due to late payments, according to the press release. The bill helps support New York families as the state moves toward the end of the pandemic, Cuomo said in the release. On May 4, Gov. Cuomo extended New York state’s moratorium that prohibits evictions for tenants and business owners until Aug. 31. Cable and broadband internet are included in the services protected, expanding on the previous iteration of the moratorium. New York state was the first in the nation to enact a statewide moratorium prohibiting utility services from shutting off their customers’ services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo said. “Utility companies provide essential services, and we need to make sure they continue to provide them in every situation, especially to those individuals who have suffered the most from COVID and are struggling to make ends meet,” Cuomo said in the press release. The bill was passed in the New York State Senate on March 30 and passed in the state assembly the next day. The moratorium was sponsored by Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), and Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse), was one of eight co-sponsors. “Many have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own and consequently cannot pay their utility bills,” Parker said in the press release. “This utility moratorium protects them as we rebuild the economy and put people back to work.” In the New York State Assembly, Assemblywoman Diana Richardson (D-Brooklyn), sponsored the bill. Crystal People-Stokes, Amy Paulin, Richard Gottfried, and Vivian Cook co-sponsored the bill in the assembly along with 21 others. “At a time when people are focused on health and safety, maintaining and expanding the existing utility shut off moratorium is essential to helping New Yorkers avoid increased hardship, and ensuring they are able to maintain their quality of life,” Richardson said in the release. kschouin@syr.edu
4 may 13, 2021
from page 1
marijuana Conduct will continue to consider use, possession, purchase, distribution, manufacture or sale of marijuana or drug paraphernalia as violations of the code. The restrictions apply even if a student has a medical marijuana registry ID card, Thomson said in the campuswide email. Bina said she thought the email was “obnoxious.” To show that SU is invested in students’ well-being, SU should have provided more information about the decision to continue the campus ban and direction for students who need marijuana for medical reasons, Bina said. “Based on my experiences as a disabled student on campus, that email just felt very nonchalantly dismissive, and I wish they would have elaborated.” Bina said. Questions that students like Bina have about how and where to use marijuana do not have easy answers, said George Hildebrandt, a criminal defense attorney based in Syracuse. SU currently sanctions the use or possession of marijuana with disciplinary warnings and educational activities — such as program referrals, community involvement, or community service — for students’ first and second offenses. On students’ third warning, SU suspends them. “I would say, for the most part, if you’re relatively discrete about it, you probably have a low risk of being sanctioned by (universities),” Hildebrandt said. “It’s not a great answer, but we’re in a kind of gray area where attitudes at the local and state level are certainly changing faster than under federal law.” When Bina was a freshman living in university housing, her resident director told her that marijuana use is always prohibited on campus, even if it is for medical purposes. After explaining her conditions, officials offered to waive Bina’s two-year on-campus housing requirement so she could live off campus, but Bina was concerned that off-campus housing wouldn’t be as accessible, so she decided to live on campus. Bina said she could have made a more
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informed decision about where to live and how to access resources if SU made more information available about how the university can work with students who use marijuana for medical reasons. SU does not offer adjustments to policies about marijuana use, medical or otherwise, said Sarah Scalese, associate vice president for university communications, in an email. The university is bound by federal law when it comes to the use, possession or distribution of marijuana on campus and by students, but it does offer reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities through its Center for Disability Resources, she added. “The university will continue to support students and address their medical needs but must do so in compliance with the law,” Scalese said. Some activists and legal experts have questioned whether universities need to comply with the federal prohibition on marijuana to maintain their federal funding streams. Jason Ortiz, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said he doubts the concerns universities commonly cite are even warranted. “I don’t think there’s been a single time when the federal government pulled funding for a university based on their cannabis policy,” Ortiz said. An official with the Department of Education did not respond in time for publication to questions about whether universities can lose funding for permitting marijuana use, medical or recreational. Several colleges and universities already teach classes on cannabis cultivation and business, and Ortiz said it would be appropriate if their disciplinary policies were similarly progressive. Starting in June, SU’s University College will offer non-credit programs focusing on cannabis law, business, agriculture and medicine. The university is creating the program in partnership with Green Flower, a Californiabased cannabis education company. Even with the risks associated with the federal prohibition looming, states can do more to guide educational institutions in address-
SU currently bans marijuana on its campus. For students, on their third warning, they are suspended from the university. daily orange file photo
ing students’ needs with respect to marijuana, Ortiz said. “When legalization campaigns move forward, they are, unfortunately, incredibly narrow in what they tell the state to do,” Ortiz said. “Because they do not specifically outline the process educational institutions need to take post-legalization, what essentially happens is nothing.” The lack of information the government provides to schools means schools often have little information to offer to students. And the narrow political discussion about marijuana legalization exacerbates that lack of information, Ortiz said. “Cannabis legalization is seen as exclusively a criminal justice and business conversation rather than giving the impact of the war on drugs the respect it deserves as a comprehensive destroyer of communities,” he said. For the most part, marijuana regulations and policies continue to be made from a place of fear and stigma rooted in cannabis prohibition and the war on drugs, Knox said. “Governments and institutions need to handle medical cannabis the same way they
handle any other medical substance that might be used in their jurisdictions,” she said. “With a science-based approach, we’ll be able to move more expeditiously toward regulations and policies that make sense and better serve cannabis patients and consumers alike.” Bina said she wishes SU would take a more hands-on approach to discussions about marijuana on campus, even if SU can’t stray from federal law. She suggested the university provide resources for students who use marijuana for medical purposes, explaining the university’s rationale and informing students of their options for accommodations and support. Ortiz said he hopes federal law will change. In the meantime, universities can do more to encourage conversations on legal drug use rather than crafting policies and statements that perpetuate the destructive fallout of the war on drugs. “There needs to be a commitment that the purpose of our educational institutions is to enrich students and make them smarter, healthier, and more effective members of society, even if they choose to use drugs,” Ortiz said.
from page 1
travel issues for international students. Banning travel from just one country is ineffective, Morley said. Although the travel ban may slow down the spread of the new variant to the U.S., it is unlikely to prevent it in the long term. Morley fears the new variant identified in India will eventually spread in the U.S. as it has in other countries, including Canada. Most vaccines – including those we have available in the U.S. – appear to be effective in limiting the severity and reducing transmission of all of the variants currently identified, Morley said. Morley said continued vigilance and prevention strategies towards the pandemic are important. “This is not a vaccine failure. It is more a failure to get vaccines administered in a timely fashion, and a failure to continue to rely upon non-pharmaceutical interventions like masking and distancing,” Morley said. Majumdar said the blame for the crisis should lie with the government. “I think just politically, foreign governments have to hold our government accountable,” she said. “Because India is going through something, and that’s the government’s fault.”
india
in a statement to The Daily Orange. “Simple evolutionary pressure is driving all of the variant emergence,” Morley added. “Viruses, like all living organisms, continually evolve. However, the more a virus reproduces, the more opportunity it has to evolve; uncontrolled infections lead to greater opportunity to evolve.” The Indian government’s negligence is responsible for the deteriorating situation, Desai and Majumdar said. Election rallies are still in place across India without social distancing, according to BBC News. Millions of people gathered for Kumbh Mela, a traditional Hindu festival, earlier in April, which has caused massive infections of the disease, BBC News reported. “I think the whole situation just amplifies a lot of existing political problems,” said Vasundhra Aggarwal, an SU senior architecture student from Delhi, India. “I don’t think the government can instate another full lockdown without riots and stuff like that, because the working class cannot afford not to go to work.” On April 30, the Biden Administration announced to restrict most travels between the U.S. and India effective May 4, creating from page 3
lecture Wu said. But during a celebration in Utah to unite the two railroad lines, Chinese Americans were excluded from photographs, he said. “It turns out that Asian Americans have always been around much longer than people realize, and they have been allies,” he said. Wu said that the model minority myth — a concept that disregards Asian American racism because the community is viewed as more successful than other minorities — is not a compliment. “The dominant image is the model minority — that Asian Americans are whiz kid rocket scientists, they’re overachievers and super successful,” Wu said. “I applaud and credit anyone who is an overachiever. Good for them. That’s wonderful. This racial generalization, however, is not as positive as it seems.” The model minority myth is misrepresen-
msessa@syr.edu @MichaelSessa3
btang05@syr.edu @francis_towne
tative, as it ignores income inequality among Asian Americans, Wu said. In many industries, Asian Americans are overrepresented in entry level positions, but not in high-level positions, he said. Wu said that after watching the Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd, Wu’s father told him that the actions of the police were wrong and ridiculous. The large amount of support towards the Black Lives Matter movement has given him hope, Wu said. This amount of support is what the Asian American community needs, he said. “My job here is not to persuade you to think as I do,” Wu said. “It’s to provoke you to take action, to write the script of your own life, to break out of stereotypes. That ultimately is what America offers us, the opportunity to be who each one of us says we are. Not who somebody else says we are but who we truly are.” kmnorusi@syr.edu @KNorusis
OPINION
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PAG E 5
may 13, 2021
column
personal essay
Scattered lessons from junior year COVID-19 reveals SU students’ privilege By Harrison Vogt columnist
T
After a year of unprecedented events, reflecting on my junior year at SU has led me to learn important personal and societal lessons. christopher scarglato asst. culture editor By Issac Ryu columnist
I
t’s a unique time to be a college student. The conditions we’ve grown accustomed to are ones we never could have imagined. As a junior, I’ve had time to reflect on the past three years at Syracuse University and have realized that I, like other SU juniors and seniors, have seen a lot — one or two years before COVID-19 hit and another few dominated by a pandemic and filled with uncertainty. Despite the years we’ve shared, it’s needless to say that our experiences vary immensely. While some people have found new ways to persevere during the pandemic, we should not forget the growing number of people who have had their lives drastically altered due to COVID-19. This time of unprecedented change has given me the space to reflect on the past, present and future. Here are a few scattered lessons I learned from my junior year (as well as a song that captures the “vibe”).
Complacency can be devastating
This is America by Childish Gambino It isn’t enough to simply acknowledge that there is racism in the U.S. From the murder of George Floyd and other Black people to the countless cases of anti-Asian hate, it has become even more clear than before that systemic racism is everpresent in America. Some people are passive and complacent in how they approach racism in the U.S., which is frightening to me. And it should be for you, too. It isn’t enough to sit back and view the shootings, hate crimes and racism that occur almost daily. That being said, action takes many forms. You don’t need to pro-
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
test to make a difference, although attending rallies and marches is one way to take action. Sending letters to local politicians, having uncomfortable conversations or even attending a seminar about racism makes a difference. Being active and intentional is part of what matters. Social media has become an integral part of modern activism, and many people use social media to raise awareness on certain issues. However, going back to being active and intentional, it is important to not post mindlessly. Posting or reposting information that you’ve researched, factchecked and verified is the best way to spread awareness while preventing the spread of misinformation. The fast-paced, farreaching nature of social media is what can make social media either extremely beneficial or extremely detrimental.
Time Doesn’t Wait for you
Summer of ‘69 by Bryan Adams I am by no means old. I’m currently 20 years young. But when I think about my freshman self going to Sadler to eat dinner with my friends, it feels like ages ago. While I do feel like time is accelerating and the end of college is rapidly approaching, I’ve started to find comfort in the small moments. Knowing that I may never get those moments again, I try to record, enjoy and savor these fleeting interactions. With the little time I have left at SU, I am trying to be proactive in spending time with people and even taking time to enjoy that $70,000 sunset that we often take for granted.
Five Guys
Wannabe by Spice Girls Besides the fact that it’s overrated, there are surprisingly only so many times one can eat Five Guys.
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
Friends
Old Friends (Extended Version) by Howard Shore People often ask “what’s something you would tell your younger self?” Well, I would tell young Isaac to explore more. When coming to SU, my impression was that there wouldn’t be any Asian students. So once I arrived at SU, I befriended as many Asian students as I could to be surrounded by familiarity. But I ended up limiting myself to friends who were like me. I think that was one of the bigger mistakes I’ve made in college. This year I’ve had the privilege of meeting some amazing people, people I would have never imagined myself talking to as a freshman or a sophomore.
Unique Tea House Better be Here in 10 years
Sunflower by Post Malone Kung Fu Tea moved into The Marshall this past year, and while it is good on occasion, it can’t take away from the draw of the oldest of the three boba shops. Unique Tea House. Shabby interior, creaky stairs and the kindest people. Maybe the boba isn’t the best but the experience is what has earned it prime real estate in my junior year tour.
his past school year has taught me more about perspective than academics. The phrase “students do not live in the real world,” which was coined by tone-deaf college dropouts, came true. The disparities between students who attend an expensive university and those living below the poverty line highlight the immense privilege students have had within the past year. While millions across the globe struggled due to COVID-19, students at Syracuse University and other institutions struggled to get through two semesters without partying. Many students faced a different reality than the rest of the world. While the one of the biggest problems for most students seemed to be the uncertainty of an in-person semester, other communities faced bigger issues. Evidently, this juxtaposition has played itself repeatedly through this school year. While a return to “normal” is talked about more and more, the virus is still prevalent across the globe. While students cheered the reopening of SU dining centers, COVID-19 cases in India surged. This year has allowed me to recognize the amount of resources an in-person year requires and appreciate the opportunity to study at SU. However, taking note of my privilege does not solve the issues facing other communities. Attending college during a pandemic is a vastly different experience than what much of the world is experiencing. During the pandemic, opportunities like those offered at SU and other universities are largely inaccessible elsewhere. While millions struggled to gain access to COVID-19 tests to work, students had access to a supply of tests to keep
an in-person year viable. Some students repeatedly put the in-person semester at risk of going remote. Some students traveled outside Central New York or partied in off-campus housing, threatening students’ chances of remaining in person. Fortunately, SU had protocols in place to help contain the spread of such outbreaks. Students have had access to vaccines for nearly a month. Comparatively, other nations still lack the ability to vaccinate their most vulnerable populations. This is a theme: wealthier regions of the globe have opportunities that others do not. Nonetheless, this resort must be addressed. Understanding the different experiences faced during the pandemic clearly shows the disparities that wealth, or a lack thereof, causes. Experts point to poverty as being an indicator for lack of access to healthcare in the US. Such unequal access resulted in disproportionate consequences of COVID-19 outbreaks within the same communities. Clearly, the pandemic has presented the same issues our nation faces with higher consequences: attending an in-person university this year has been a casestudy into such inequities. The sheltered experiences that my peers and I have had through the pandemic only highlight the work needed to be done to create a more equitable future. This school year has presented opportunities for students to reflect upon the state of society. Understanding the freedoms that attending a top university allows for is a step towards advocating for the same treatment for others. Harrison Vogt is a sophomore environment sustainability policy and communication and rhetorical studies dual major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at hevogt@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @VogtHarrison.
scribble
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Any Song that Annoys You I learned that I dislike hearing “SHEESHHHH.” My friends say it just to antagonize me. It sucks. Thus concludes my list of junior year lessons. There are many things we can learn from this past year, and no matter if they are personal lessons or societal lessons, there’s always room for growth. Cheers to the future.
Isaac Ryu is a junior broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at iryu01@syr.edu.
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PAG E 7
may 13, 2021
Curtains up
SAMARA HANNAH, executive director of Redhouse Arts Center, is eager for live audiences to return to the theater. She hopes “Sister Act” is a welcoming performance for when that time comes. anya wijeweera asst. photo editor
Redhouse theater is preparing to welcome audiences back to performances this December for the 2021-22 season By Siron Thomas
F staff writer
or Samara Hannah and theatergoers, every show conveys a different tone from the last. Once COVID-19 hit, theatergoers could no longer experience the emotions of a live show. After months of being unable to perform due to COVID-19 restrictions, Hannah, the executive director of Redhouse Arts Center, and the rest of her staff are preparing a return to performances with live audiences this December. The theater company is planning to showcase “Sister Act” Dec. 3-19 as its first live production in 14 months. Three additional shows are planned for the
There’s nothing like live theatre. It’s just different to be able to feed off the energy of the live audience in front of you. Samara Hannah redhouse executive director
upcoming 2021-22 season, including “Macbeth” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” both slated for 2022. The Redhouse staff chose “Sister Act,” based on the 1992 film of the same name starring Whoopi Goldberg, as its first show because of its family values and familiarity among audiences. The theater hopes that the comfort of the show will help welcome audiences back to live performances. “I think that the messages in it are just so uplifting and happy,” Hannah said. “It was just a great way to remind people of why theater is important and really just encourage people.” When deciding on a time to reopen for this year’s theater season, Redhouse considered the previous trends of COVID-19 cases and weighed
see redhouse page 8
beyond the hill
Local film company wants to grow CNY film industry By Samuel Rivo
contributing writer
Will Phelps and his staff at American High, a Syracuse-based film production company, realized in 2015 there was a lack of comingof-age movies in the film industry. So Phelps and his co-founder, Jeremy Garelick, paved their own path. They spent two years gathering scripts, and they created a film studio out of a run-down high school in Liverpool. “We had all these scripts under our belt, and we started shooting them,” Phelps said. “So it’s always
been the game plan.” American High has been working hand-in-hand with the Visit Syracuse Film Office, which specializes as a point of contact for film productions within central New York to grow the local film industry. Although neither organization expects to see an influx of major film production in Syracuse, both want to improve local production facilities to attract more filmmakers. “Whatever needs to be filmed in Syracuse, we try to be a one stop shop for production and resources,” said Eric Vinal, the
vice president of film, television and entertainment for the Visit Syracuse Film Office. Because of the Syracuse area’s diverse landscape, film productions can use downtown as a placeholder for a major city setting or travel a few minutes out of town to a rural landscape, Phelps said, which is another reason for the rise of filmmaking in the area. Phelps and Garelick created American High with the intention of bringing to screen coming-of-age stories from filmmakers who previously haven’t had the chance to do so. Since 2017, the studio has pro-
duced eight films, all made in the Syracuse area. On several of these projects, the studio worked with established actors like Pete Davidson and Vince Vaughn. The studio’s focus on coming-ofage films is based on the co-founders’ appreciation for growing up and their hope of providing these stories to viewers. “When you are a teenager coming of age, everything has level 10 stakes to it, whether it’s asking someone you like to a dance or trying to cover up the fact you crashed your parents’ car,” Phelps said. “It delivers a heightened movie, and
that is what we like about comingof-age movies.” As one of the top employers of film crews within the region, American High actively tries to work with local companies and values strong relationships with the community. The production company hires vendors and businesses in the area to help with shoots and trains local crews through Syracuse Studios. Beyond working with local companies, the studio also provides opportunities for Syracuse University students. Phelps and Garelick see american
high page 8
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slice of life
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SU junior’s audio app takes pressure off of looking perfect By Doménica Orellana Gallardo contributing writer
As a middle schooler at Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan, Alex Don recognized self-esteem issues arising among his peers and himself due to trying to create “idealized images” for social media. The Syracuse University junior, who is double-majoring in marketing and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, wants to create a social media app that removes the pressure of always looking perfect. He hopes to accomplish this through his startup, CIRUS, a social media app that lets users share audio content lasting up to 90 seconds. “The best way to show your true self is through your voice rather than creating an idealized self-image,” Don said. In January 2021, Don began work on CIRUS. To better understand CIRUS’ market, he asked friends and other people questions that would help him recognize the problem he wanted to solve. Figuring out his target audience and how often it uses social media allowed Don to from page 7
redhouse
reopening against the potential for another rise in cases. Due to factors like revenue and the health of both its employees and audience members, the arts center didn’t want to risk starting the season too soon and having to postpone. Currently, Redhouse does not plan to regularly broadcast or record plays during the 2021-22 season. Out of all the shows it has planned for the season, Redhouse would only be able to stream “Macbeth,” since Shakespeare is public domain. The theater’s board of directors settled on starting the season in December with the hope more people would be able to get vaccinated, providing an additional layer of safety for the audience and staff. “We’re just trying to predict through our crystal ball, which doesn’t exist and doesn’t work, what the best option would be,” Hannah said. To prepare for the upcoming season, Redhouse is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to provide a safe viewing experience for its audience. Along with buying masks and hand sanitizer, the theater has also made plans to rope off every other row to adhere to social distancing measures. With these measures, the theater hopes to not only protect audience members but actors as well. Redhouse has encountered little resistance to the new safety measures, Hannah said. While Redhouse performed two virtual productions, “Waiting for the Host” and “Still Waiting,” over Zoom last season, the theater staff has noticed the differences between live and virtual shows. from page 7
american high make an effort to get students exposure to film sets by hiring them as production assistants and offering other jobs to recent graduates.
Whatever needs Syracuse, we try to be a one stop and resources Eric Vinal the vice president of film, television and entertainment for the syracuse film office
“American High really put us on the map. They have brought in crews, and they really exploded this kind of film scene to where it is,” Vinal said. “They helped build this infra-
begin crafting an app best suited for them. He wanted to figure out which social media apps they used the most, how often they posted on their social media pages and which metrics, such as followers and likes, they followed the most. “Entrepreneurship is all about solving a problem,” Don said. “If there is no problem, then you are basically just a business.” After Don realized that he wanted to pursue the audio-based social media idea, he started recruiting talent that could help him create the company. But that wasn’t easy to do. Don said he realized that he needed to find “people passionate about this idea like him,” so he made a job post on LinkedIn titled “CIRUS Software Engineer + Co-Founder.” “First day, there were over 100 applicants,” Don said. “I realized I made a mistake because everyone applying was much older than me and were looking for real jobs and getting paid.” He then posted a new job listing, “CIRUS Software Engineer Intern,” which attracted college-aged students and allowed him to find the software engineers who are now working for CIRUS. Daria Derkach, a software engineering “There’s nothing like live theater,” said Marguerite Mitchell, the director of education at Redhouse. “It’s just different to be able to feed off the energy of the live audience in front of you.” The theater hopes to give audiences a glimpse of normal life again after missing last year’s theater season, even if things look different with masks and social distancing protocols in place. “One of the hidden side effects of COVID is the loss of socializing with people,” Hannah said. “Knowing that we’re part of that antidote, we’re very, very anxious to bring people back together.” Redhouse isn’t only focused on its return to the stage, but it is also preparing for the shows scheduled later in the season. Temar Underwood, the director of Redhouse’s April run of “Macbeth,” has already thought of ideas to adjust the show for a modern and younger audience who might be confused by Shakespeare. Although Underwood said he won’t change the language of the play, Redhouse will create visual and storytelling parallels that compliment the language and are relevant to today. For example, in Underwood’s adaptation of “Othello,” the actors used prop guns instead of prop swords. Underwood is just as excited as other actors and theatergoers to finally see live performances come back, along with the atmosphere that can only be found at live shows — even with masks and social distancing. “The magic of theater is in the empty space between the audience and the actor,” Underwood said. “Theater’s about sharing what it is to be a human being with another human being in a shared space, and you can’t replicatew that over Zoom.” sthoma10@syr.edu
structure to where it needs to be to attract more projects.” But there still remains a lack of filmmakers who do their post-production work in the area. One reason for this is that post-production work has become remote since the pandemic started. But American High plans to expand to conduct all post-production in Syracuse, Vinal said. Though a variety of tax credits are available for productions that film in the upstate and central New York regions, the Syracuse area just recently became able to hold multiple major filming productions, Vinal added. In 2019, Onondaga County saw almost $30 million spent on film productions, which brought more than $20 million to the community. Though the Visit Syracuse Film Office plans to develop new facilities, there are currently only two public facilities available for use. The Visit Syracuse Film Office is focused on growing its post in the community. “It’s about job creation. It’s about getting people into hotels, having them invest in local businesses and homes here and it really just attracting more economic impact for our region and community,” Vinal said. shrivo@syr.edu
manager at Western Digital, is a mentor for CIRUS and leads the software development team. Derkach and Don met this year through Y Combinator, an American seed money startup accelerator. As a busy parent, Derkach is tired of being dependent on visuals for all social media apps, she said. “Since the very beginning, I fell in love with the idea,” Derkach said. “I can go for a walk, grab the stroller with my kids and don’t have to get distracted by being on my phone to engage with content.” Different from the invitation-only social media audio app Clubhouse, CIRUS will offer consistently available content instead of audio that can only be heard live. Don believes this will make the app more inclusive of marginalized communities, including people who are blind. CIRUS users will be able to share their thoughts, start conversations, sing or play music, as well as post in an audio-based comment section. There will also be the option to use voice filters so that users can alter their voice. Don wanted users to feel comfortable sharing original messages on the app without being judged.
“The message you’re sharing would still be yours, which is important,” Don said. “Being able to share your ideas without being judged.” Luka Nikabadze, a junior majoring in computer science at Brooklyn College, is one of the software engineers at CIRUS. Nikabadze said that in the future, users will be able to create customizable emojis that will imitate emotions like happiness or sadness once they have recorded their voice. The next steps for CIRUS are to develop a minimum viable product — in this case, an app with enough features to attract early-adopter users. The app is still in employee beta testing and will go through at least one more round of testing before additional users can test it. The app has already garnered funding interest from venture capitalists, and Don is excited about the future for CIRUS and his team, he said. “Everyone in the team understands their role in the team, and everyone on that team has the same goal of winning the championship,” Don said. “We’re at the stage where we think we can win a championship. And we all have to put in the hours put in and be a team.” dporella@syr.edu
For Samara Hannah, the emotions and overall experience of a Zoom show aren’t the same as a live one. anya wijeweera asst. photo editor
Since 2017, the film production company American High has produced eight coming-ofage films in the Syracuse area. lucy messineo-witt asst. photo editor
may 13, 2021 9
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softball
Romero walks career-high 9 batters in season-ending loss By Anthony Alandt asst. copy editor
Mallorie Black watched as the fourth straight ball from Alexa Romero missed the strike zone. Syracuse was already down 1-0, and Romero’s walk — her ninth of the afternoon, a career-high — loaded the bases. She had already walked Jin Sileo and Kennedy Cowden on full counts, and head coach Shannon Doepking signaled for the infield to shade in, hoping to prevent a second run from scoring. But Breanna Roper then roped a single past a diving Calista Almer at first and into right field. Both runners, who had advanced to second and third on a wild pitch during Roper’s at-bat, scored. Romero stood on the mound and tried to shake it off. She found herself ahead of Emma Kauf — a .356 hitter. Then Kauf lined a triple down the left field line, scoring both baserunners and extending the Georgia Tech lead to 5-0. In Syracuse’s (21-23, 12-20 Atlantic Coast) first round ACC Tournament matchup against No. 9-seed Georgia Tech (20-25, 11-19), Romero walked nine batters and only struck out four in SU’s season-ending 6-0 loss. Romero opted to return to central New York for her graduate season instead of accepting a coaching position with Loyola Marymount. She had already moved to third all-time at Syracuse with 43 career wins and had solidified herself as one of the best in the pitcher’s circle behind Jenna Caira. Despite the fact that she hadn’t been on an SU team above .500 since her sophomore year, Romero said she always knew she’d come back. “I’ve wanted this dream and I’m finishing it the way I want to finish it,” Romero told The Daily Orange last April. Her final season with Syracuse featured ups and downs. It featured games such as her onehit complete game win over Virginia on April 23 and a 12-strikeout, eight-inning win over Boston College on April 9. But it also featured a 7-3 loss to Florida State on April 17 in which the
Seminoles tagged Romero for five home runs. On Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky, Romero’s command led her astray. The hardthrowing lefty began the game giving up a solo home run to Roper just three pitches into the game. She then proceeded to walk two of the next three batters, forcing assistant coach Michael Steuerwald to pause play and talk with Romero and catcher Geana Torres. Doepking has gone back-and-forth between allowing Torres to call the game and having pitches signaled into the midseason transfer from the dugout. Wednesday, Makena Fidler and Steuerwald worked to find the best approach to a Yellow Jackets’ lineup that ranks fifth in the ACC in batting average. While Romero got out of the first inning without any further damage, it wasn’t before she walked the bases loaded. But continuously walking batters inevitably led to an increased pitch count. Romero had only amassed 120 pitches in an outing three times this season prior to Wednesday’s start. She went 2-1 in those games, but her two wins were complete-game shutouts. Against GT, her 135 pitches — the most since the 2019 season-finale loss to NC State — spanned across 5 1/3 innings. Romero ended the season with 62 total walks over 124 2/3 innings. It’s the secondmost free bases she’s allowed, behind a 2019 season that featured 89 walks. But in her final year with the Orange, Romero developed a changeup, something Steuerwald told her was a necessity prior to the 2020 season. When the pandemic cut that season short after just 14 appearances and 63 innings pitched, Romero returned to Aurora, Colorado, to work on her first-ever offspeed pitch, one that would go on to compliment her rise ball and upper-60s fastball. Location and trust became the most difficult part of mastering her new pitch. “You’d rather (the pitch) be at knee level to lower, instead of belt high where it’s easy for hitters to time it up and … probably hit it out of the park,” Romero said. The leadoff home run was belt high, and
ALEXA ROMERO walked nine batters in Syracuse’s 6-0 loss to Georgia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament. courtesy of jermaine bibb louisville athletics
when Romero lost batters and got into pitching jams, such as during the fifth inning, it was clear her sharp command had dulled. To lead off, Roper worked a full count, but Romero’s attempt to come back and hit the outside corner failed, sending the utility player to first. A double play saved Romero, but she countered the stellar defensive effort by walking Cameron Stanford on four straight balls and allowing a single up the middle. “All the walks (are) something that we gotta get better at if we want a chance at doing something this program hasn’t done,” Doepking said following Sunday’s 19-2 loss to Clemson. The third-year coach’s words were a grim prediction for Wednesday’s game. Romero lost
her final game in a Syracuse uniform, walking nine and allowing six runs on five hits. Freshman Lindsey Hendrix, who Doepking brought in to relieve Romero, walked another three in her 1 2/3 innings of work. SU’s duo in the circle walked at least one batter in five of the seven innings, and after pinch hitter Alex Acevedo watched strike three whizz past her, the realization of another tournament loss set in. Acevedo quietly walked back to the bench. Romero calmly sat in the dugout, looking at a collegiate field as a player for one last time after walking the most batters she ever had in her career. aalandt@syr.edu @anthonyalandt
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Students on this campus voted to support a NYPIRG chapter. Like other clubs and organizations on campus, NYPIRG is funded through the mandatory student activity fee. Unlike any other club or organization, NYPIRG offers a refund of the portion of the student activity fee earmarked for NYPIRG in case any student does not wish to contribute. The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is New York State's largest student-directed non-partisan research and advocacy organization. Students involved with NYPIRG’s 16 college campus chapters across New York State become educated and energized participants on campus and in their surrounding communities. NYPIRG students learn event planning, problem solving, debate skills, research, and writing by organizing and engaging in meaningful issue based campaigns. NYPIRG provides an arena for students to actively engage in civics while learning how to make a difference. To request a refund or for further information please contact: Ethan Gormley Syracuse University/ESF NYPIRG Chapter 732 South Crouse Avenue, Floor 2 (315) 476-8381, egormley@nypirg.org Refund Amount: three dollars per student for the fall semester :ast day to request a refund for the fall semester: November 24th, 2020
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softball
Syracuse no-hit by Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament loss By Alex Cirino
asst. copy editor
At the bottom of the seventh inning, Syracuse was down 6-0 with only one out left in the game. Shannon Doepking made a lineup change, bringing senior Alex Acevedo in to pinch hit for freshman Angel Jasso. Acevedo hadn’t recorded a hit since she recorded three hits against the Yellow Jackets on April 27, 2019. In just her tenth at-bat of the season, Acevedo did not swing at the first four pitches, resulting in a 2-2 count. With Neleman one strike away from no-hitting SU, Acevedo called time, stepping out of the batter’s box before resetting her stance to face her fifth pitch. Neleman’s offspeed pitch caught the outside corner of the strike zone and the Orange’s season came to an end. No. 8-seed Syracuse (20-24, 12-21 Atlantic Coast) extended its six-game winless streak from page 12
snow
started a viral trick shot campaign that helped raise over $157,000 for ALS research. “We knew that we wanted to be public and use this story for good,” Chris said. But perhaps an unintended effect has come to those close to them. The ones who might know Chris best at the institution where he first made his name, where he went from a shy Boston kid to a beloved sports reporter at Syracuse University — the type of person you reveal in a wedding video to other friends and family that you aspire to be like. Alongside the bylines and the long road trips at The Daily Orange were the writers and editors who became his lifelong friends. Their entire journey, from prognosis to how Chris told everyone, made them each reevaluate their relationships and how much they prioritized the bonds they’ve forged. Those stick forever, but college doesn’t. Life happens. A person marries. Families grow. Locations change. You might even move to Canada. Group chats eventually go silent. Phone calls aren’t always returned. Correspondence turns into occasional birthday messages. Then you find out your friend has ALS. Dave Levinthal first heard when Chris and Kelsie didn’t have many answers. A quick text in late June 2019 turned into a long conservation and questions for Levinthal’s wife, who’s an immunologist. It ended with Chris asking if Levinthal, who’s two years older than him and the godfather to his son, would be able to tell others they knew from college about the diagnosis. Levinthal recalled Chris stressing to “make sure they don’t freak out.” Levinthal phoned his close friend and former classmate Dave Curtis to watch out for a call from Chris, who’d explain the situation again to him. Curtis’ memory is still blurred, but he remembers the rain hitting his parked car during their 45-minute conversation. “You don’t hear about people coming out the other side of ALS all better,” Curtis thought then. Levinthal mapped out four hours to just get the conversations over with. Like the Snow family, he would, for a small period of time, have to relive that moment through each message. His old editor Jeff Passan got the call at the airport. Snow’s college roommate, Dan Bosch, was in France when he got the email. Chris and Kelsie slowly told their two children, Cohen and Willa. They worried what going public would do for their kids. “What if a friend at school says something insensitive?” Chris thought. The conversations between Chris and some of his closest, oldest friends also had to happen in stages. “One of the things you realize is you feel really comfortable around certain people you’ve known for a long time,” Chris said. “Because they look at you like you aren’t different, that you’ve changed, that you lost things physically.” Bosch, who lived near Chris on the ninth floor of Brewster Hall in 1999, recalled how motivated Snow was even before his first class at SU. When Chris first stepped into The D.O., Passan remembers how obvious his talent was. And more than that, how obvious he cared about the work.
in the ACC Tournament as the Orange fell 6-0 to No.9-seed Georgia Tech (20-25, 12-19). Syracuse conceded its second no-hitter of the season, SU’s first being an 8-0 defeat to Virginia Tech on April 30th. The Yellow Jackets were an error and a hit by pitch away from conceding a perfect game. Neleman did not walk any of Syracuse’s batters, striking out nine. After the Virginia Tech no-hitter on April 30, Doepking believed that Syracuse would become more comfortable when facing the conference’s top-tier pitchers later in the season. “We need to trust that the more we see a really talented pitcher, the better we’re going to get,” Doepking said. But on Wednesday, Syracuse faced a pitcher in Neleman who relies on her high rising pitches, seeking to attack the upper corners of the strike zone. This left Syracuse’s batters swinging more often early in the count. All of
Neleman’s strikeouts came with her ahead or even in her respective counts. On the first at-bat of the game, Nelemen struckout Paris Woods, which provided a glimpse of SU’s struggles for the rest of the afternoon. Woods had already taken a mix of low and high pitches that left her count at 2-2. Then, Woods made a large hack at the fifth pitch which went too high and outside of the zone. If Woods had let that ball go by her, she would have faced a full-count which Syracuse had only faced once all game. On the very next at-bat, Lailoni Mayfield flew a strike out into deep center that would’ve surely advanced Woods to second. But with Neleman consistently forcing Syracuse to swing, she continued to find herself ahead in the count. The only time she trailed was with 3-1 count in the fourth inning, which resulted in the Orange’s Gabby Teran hitting a ground ball to third baseman Mallorie Black who bobbled it,
allowing the senior to safely reach first. Despite committing her eighth error of the season, Black was Georgia Tech’s best fielder Wednesday afternoon, securing three of the Yellow Jackets’ eight flyouts. Just before the error, Neli Casares-Maher drilled a line drive that forced Black to make an alert leap for the innings leadoff out. But the no-hitter could have been stumped early in the seventh inning as Syracuse was able to get strikes off. Casares-Maher, the leadoff batter in the inning, drove a ball straight to Black, nearly identical to the fourth inning line out. One at-bat later, Teran mirrored CasaresMaher’s hit directly towards Black’s glove, giving Neleman two outs to work before Acevedo’s at-bat. Whether it was Black’s fielding or Neleman’s pitching, Syracuse never found offensive success. @alexcirino19 cirinoalex19@gmail.com
Instead of sticking him on a secondary beat that freshmen traditionally receive, the editors at the time tasked Chris with profiling players that weren’t necessarily connected to SU. It shouldn’t have stuck, but Chris had a knack for opening people up, said Michael Rothstein. They don’t remember who chose a name for those types of stories, but eventually it was called “the Snowbeat.” Two decades later, they’re still given biweekly to younger writers at The D.O. (including me a couple years ago). “There’s a certain irony,” Levinthal said. “That Chris has become the story right now.” These days, the group of 40-year-olds rarely talk about their work. They look back on the nights leaving production at The D.O. to go kick field goals at Hookway. The weekends spent in the Flanagan Gymnasium playing pickup basketball, sometimes racquetball. Talking trash while playing golf at Drumlins Country Club, and one time rolling down the hill of the final hole of the course. He’s still the kid who showed up to every party in the same white polo with one gray and black stripe, Passan said. The one who was known in the sports office for long tangents. Many say Chris has a certain way of bringing people together. And in May 2020, the hope was that a dozen of them would go up to see him and the family in Calgary, Alberta. Greg Bishop, a former D.O. sports editor, texted Kelsie at some point, “Would this be something Chris would be up for?” The answer was yes. Some friends couldn’t remember how many years it’d been since a couple of them reunited. The last time a couple of them were together was in Boston for a Flames-Bruins game a few weeks before COVID-19 shut down the season. Chris walked through the press level as some stopped him to say hello. He’d text people, then do an interview. Curtis and another SU alumnus, Chris Wojcik, were at the game. “He was making the rounds around TD Garden,” Wojcik recalled. “He may as well have been the mayor of Boston.” After a 5-2 Flames victory, they’d go to a nearby sports bar. Chris told stories of his kids getting bigger, the support he felt from the franchise and from the city of Calgary. Writers often came up to talk to the infamous Red Sox writer turned NHL executive, a path so wild it landed him a 2007 profile in Esquire magazine. Chris didn’t seem overwhelmed by the attention, Curtis recalled. Still, he was moving slower since the last time they had seen him. It was hard for him to take off his jacket or hold a drink and reach for food at the same time. Chris has often said to his closest friends since the diagnosis, “I don’t want to be treated like we are afraid to act like we did.” Earlier, fans on the concourse held up “Get well” signs at TD Garden. Chris took a picture with a #SnowyStrong banner. He and Kelsie appeared on SportsCenter a month before that game. Many follow his journey on Twitter, and thousands read Kelsie’s blog and listen to her podcast. “This is not the typical story that most people with ALS have,” Chris said. “The path I took is the one I did because I have a platform that (my relatives) didn’t have.” The pandemic foiled the group’s trip to Calgary. A gathering, a reunion of sorts, became more of a hope than a plan. Still, Rothstein checks border restrictions every month wait-
ing for entry into Canada to open and quarantine mandates to end. He’s told bosses that when that happens, he’ll drop everything. Like the others, Rothstein just wants to see Chris, his friend, after what the Snow family has endured the last two years.
when it came to meals. The four former D.O. editors rejuvenated a group chat in late 2019 after Chris’ condition went public. It became a hotbed of running jokes and screenshots of old emails. On one particular November day, they called up Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant in Calgary and ordered Snow one of everything on the menu. When the food arrived, Chris recalled how excited his kids were. There’s been deliveries of pizza, Italian food and $100 of pastries from the three since. Like most, the three of them haven’t been able to see the Snows. Some summers, Levinthal and Curtis met at Chris’ family lake house in New Hampshire. Visits like that reminded Wojcik, who made the trip for one day, how good of a father and husband Chris was. Levinthal got to spend quality time with his godson. It was just six weeks before when the thought crossed Levinthal’s mind that his best friend might have six months to live. But at some point — maybe when Chris drove the boat, or maybe when he tossed around the football — Levinthal realized Snow’s battle could have a stopping point.
Kelsie first prepared a letter about what the family would soon go through when she and Chris were in Miami. The two of them flew down after Chris went to half a dozen doctors, mostly nerve and muscle specialists, in Calgary that June two years ago. He knew what may be happening to him. Chris was about to finish college when his uncle was diagnosed with ALS. It seemed like an “anomaly” then, Bosch remembers Chris telling him. After his death, Chris’ dad, Bob, learned he’d have a good chance of developing the terminal disease through a test he would later regret taking. Years later, his cousin found out at 28 years old, the third in the family to be diagnosed. His condition declined “unbelievably fast,” Chris said. “The idea became agreed on that this could show up any day,” Chris said. “Not in 10 years or 20 years. Now.” Right before going to Miami, Chris took his kids to school each day, rode his bike and called a lawyer to work out his will. They still had a smidge of hope it would be something else. It was three, maybe four hours of tests, lunch, then the diagnosis. Amid the rain and the tears, Chris and Kelsie kept telling each other they needed a miracle. In the same breath after hearing the worst words he’s ever heard, Chris’ doctor pulled out his phone. There was a clinical gene therapy trial that seemed promising, and a little over a week later, Chris donned a hospital gown for the study that only 1% to 2% of patients qualify for based on genetic mutations, Kelsie said. Before, he had been told he had six to 18 months to live. And that prediction, along with the 33% chance that Chris was given a placebo, kept him up at night for months. When Bob became the fourth Snow to get diagnosed, it was his nature to not burden his kids. He told them two months before he passed. Living far away, there was no way to observe those changes, but Chris was there for the end, letting his father drive to Walmart right before he died. When it came to journalism endeavors, Chris’ first companion was his father. The first money Chris thought he earned as a reporter was actually Bob sneaking $80 a month in their mailbox. Chris wishes his dad told him about the diagnosis earlier, but Bob was always private about stuff like that. He told his son, “I’m good with this story I’ve written.” And, “If this ever happens to you, you’ll know what to do.” Chris believes he was part of that 66% in that first trial — the ones who got the treatment to limit their limitations. But ALS isn’t always predictable, and new struggles pop up. Near the end of last year, a feeding tube was inserted in Chris’ stomach. The days leading up to the surgery were some of the last times Chris could eat certain foods. “I’m always trying to make people aware, like, ‘No, this hasn’t been perfect for us,’” Kelsie said. “It’s been good, but it’s not been perfect.” Bishop, Passan and Rothstein recalled that Chris had a particularly tough Thanksgiving
For Chris, the best days are now when he’s on the ice, skating past five opposing players and shooting left-handed. They’re the Sunday mornings where he takes Cohen to baseball and the two lefties play catch. “My good days are when no one else can tell I have ALS,” he concludes. Then, there are the challenging days. Chris says there are two types. One is where he’s going through some sort of physical loss, but “nothing excruciating.” The medication isn’t fully working, he’ll think on those days. The other type is when the changes to his face become apparent. “The way my face and mouth are right now, I can’t articulate nearly as well,” he said. When Chris is talking and wants to interject with a quick joke, he doesn’t know if he can pull it off because he has to think of the word ahead of time. Those days, some might even call the worst moments, aren’t even that bad in Chris’ eyes. When his body isn’t functioning like it was, Chris reminds himself he’s still alive almost two years after his initial diagnosis. When he needs to lie down more than he wants or notices more changes to himself, Chris thinks of his family history, his treatment, his wife and kids. “If I had to choose what things to lose before and I got a whole menu, I would choose all the things I’ve lost and all the things I haven’t because I can still do basically everything I want to do,” Chris said. There are a lot more good days ahead. That didn’t always feel possible. Not just to Chris, but to those closest to him. To his friends who haven’t seen him since COVID-19 or even years before that, their next great days align with Chris’. Where conversations aren’t limited to cell towers and group chats. Where a group of guys tell the same inside jokes that cracked them up when they were 20-something. It’s the talks of marriage, and losing hair, and not being able to drink as much as they used to. “We weren’t super nostalgic for a long time,” Bishop said. “We are now.” kjedelma@syr.edu @KJEdelman
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may 13, 2021
All these years By KJ Edelman
digital managing editor
Photo illustration by Talia Trackim senior staff designer
T
he territory was already charted for the Snow family. An aggressive mutation of Lou Gehrig’s disease found itself in Chris’ body the same way it did for Bob Snow, Matt Snow, Brad Snow and David Snow — his dad, his cousin and both of his paternal uncles. Chris, his wife Kelsie, and those closest to them knew the possibility for years. The reality was confirmed two Junes ago. The conditions of Chris’ relatives who’d been diagnosed deteriorated years before the 39-year-old started struggling with tasks, which included losing strength in his right hand. He kept that hand in his pocket at work. Kelsie sometimes cut his food when he
Chris Snow, his ALS diagnosis and the friends who needed one another wasn’t looking. “I can relate to anyone that’s trying to hide something in their life,” Chris said. The family waited months to go public. A treatment that stabilized Chris’ condition would start working by then. Chris, the Calgary Flames’ assistant general manager, said he wanted the NHL season to end before revealing his condition. It felt impossible to update everyone one by one, and it still does. Not just because of the sheer number of people, but because of
how exhausting it became. “When you say those three letters: A-L-S,” Kelsie said, “the way that people look at you, they can’t hear anything after those three letters because nobody has ever associated the disease with hope.” Kelsie pivoted to email blasts because in-person conversations emotionally drained her. She admits Chris navigates those kinds of talks better — the type where Chris ends the conversation consoling you. But even then, each call is harder. They needed some sort of plan. Something with intention. A way to maximize reach for good, but also to grieve publicly and open up a forum of vulnerability. To have that conversation with everyone who needed to hear it. Kelsie wrote on her blog that “we are scared and we are hopeful,” and Chris told his story to the Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe. They see snow page 10