May 6, 2021 by The Daily Orange

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N • Preserving history

S • Making the jump

The New Central New York Libraries Resource Council awarded a pair of grants to SU’s libraries to digitally support various records and artifacts. Page 3

After Furman cut its men’s lacrosse program, Cole Horan transferred to SU. But years before the starting defender arrived in Syracuse, he was an undersized and overlooked recruit. Page 12

‘Profound problem’

jordan schechter contributing illustrator By Richard Perrins and Sarah Alessandrini the daily orange

bout a year ago, Stephen Kuusisto said “hello” to a professor in an elevator in a Syracuse University building. The professor didn’t acknowledge Kuusisto’s greeting. Kuusisto, who is blind, said “hello” a second time, and the professor still didn’t respond. But when some students stepped onto the elevator, the professor went on to talk to them. Kuusisto confronted the professor outside the elevator, where the professor said they didn’t have to talk to people they didn’t want to. “From my perspective, that was outright ableism,” said Kuusisto, director of interdisciplinary programs and outreach at the

Faculty at SU reported that they experience discrimination at SU, and some say the administration should be doing more to change campus culture

Burton Blatt Institute. When Kuusisto shared his experience with some SU administrators, he said they were dismissive. “If I’m a woman of color, if I’m a queer faculty member, if I’m Indigenous, I’m going to bet you that these things happen to them also,” Kuusisto said. The university released a survey in April in which faculty and staff reported facing discrimination at SU. A similar report released in January from the university ombuds also listed racism, sexism and retaliation as concerns among SU staff. The office provides a confidential and neutral space for SU employees to discuss conflicts. Neal Powless, who serves as university ombuds, said the January report points to places where the campus can improve, although progress may be slow. see discrimination page 4

city

Candidates talk economic recovery City officials discuss safer policing at panel By Nick Robertson senior staff writer

The pandemic has put extreme financial pressure on both the city of Syracuse and its residents. The Daily Orange spoke to the five Syracuse mayoral candidates about their economic priorities for the city post-pandemic.

COVID-19 and the economy

Syracuse cut $18 million from the city budget due to revenue losses,

mostly sales tax. In total, Mayor Ben Walsh estimated $40 million in lost revenues in 2020 and 2021. Federal funding has healed some of the city’s financial woes. Syracuse is on track to receive $126 million in federal funds in 2021, one of the largest cash injections in city history. Some of those funds have already been used to give back to local businesses, with an estimated $100,000 being given back to local bars, restaurants and theaters. But the question

of where the funds will go remains.

What are your top priorities for where the federal funding will go? What are the keys to financial success postCOVID-19 for businesses and citizens?

Tom Babilon (R): “One of the best things that the city can do with regards to helping economic development is just get out of the way. In Syracuse, compared to see mayor page 6

By Kailey Norusis asst. digital editor

City officials discussed Syracuse’s Smart City initiative and its effects on policing during a panel Wednesday. The Smart Cities and Policing panel, hosted by Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, featured Mayor Ben Walsh, Syracuse

Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner and Amanda Darcangelo, a data engineer for the city. Martha Garcie-Murillo, senior associate dean of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility initiatives in the iSchool, moderated the panel. Walsh’s Smart City Initiative, which aims to improve the city see policing page 6

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“It’s a very old, structural meritocracy, white-bred system. And that system has to change, and we’re starting to do the hard work in this generation of making those changes.” - Professor Stephen Kuusisto Page 1

OPINION “For students with privilege, does the understanding and care for inclusivity go beyond just complaining about the university’s efforts?” columnist Polina Plitchenko Page 5

CULTURE “There are climate activists who write like 10-page essays, but Ecothot strives to impact in non-traditional ways.” - Donnie Monk, head of community organizing Page 7

SPORTS “If I was a betting man, I probably would’ve bet a lot on Cole. It’s pretty simple if you look at what he’s done.” - Andrew Athens, former Furman defensive coordinator on SU’s Cole Horan Page 12

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may 6, 2021

on campus

SU Libraries recieve grant to digitize records Falk to establish Weissman scholarship By Mira Berenbaum asst. news editor

The grants, awarded by the Central New York Libraries Resource Council, come as SU Libraries faces its own battle to preserve rare materials in its Special Collections Research Center. micaela warren staff photographer By Chris Hippensteel asst. digital editor

A pair of state grants will enable Syracuse University professors and staff to digitize valuable records pertaining to Oakwood Cemetery and Syracuse’s Latino community. The grants, awarded by the Central New York Libraries Resource Council, will support two projects: converting decades-old death and burial records for Oakwood Cemetery into a searchable database and expanding digital access to cultural artifacts in the La Casita Cultural Center’s archives. Déirdre Joyce, head of the digital library program at Bird Library, said the grants are relatively small but will help fund digitization efforts that SU Libraries doesn’t immediately have the capacity to support. “It was a good way to facilitate what they needed without having the internal resources to do it,” Joyce said. “That investment is what helps ensure these materials are maintained in the long-term.” The Oakwood Cemetery project, which received $5,000 in grant funding, will convert handwritten notes in books from the cemetery into a digital format. The project will consist of two phases, according to Meg Craig, an adjunct professor of magazine, news and digital journal-

ism and one of the project’s leads. The first phase, which involves scanning the pages into virtual documents, will be the responsibility of the resource council and will only take a few months. The second and more time-consuming phase will require student interns to translate the records on the scanned pages into a searchable database. The grant will cover their wages. “(These records) have sort of just been mouldering in the storage room for who knows how long, probably since they were written,” Craig said. Journalism professor Jodi Upton, who spearheaded the project, is looking to get the data out into the world, Craig said. The information in the Oakwood Cemetery records won’t just be valuable to central New York residents searching for long-lost ancestors, Craig said. It will also help researchers in a variety of fields, like sociology and epidemiology, who may seek to identify trends in how and why people in the past died. The data could point to patterns of disease or malnutrition that may unravel mysteries for current or future academics. Understanding how people died can shine a light on the time period they lived in, she said. This project will preserve that knowledge before the aging materials deteriorate beyond use.

“These books are kind of literally falling apart. They’re extremely old, going back 150 years or more,” Craig said. “It’s still data — just data the way it used to be, which is written into a physical book.” La Casita Cultural Center also received $1,000 in grant funding from the resource council. It will use the grant to make its Cultural Memory Archive accessible and searchable online through the New York Heritage Digital Collection and SU Libraries. The Cultural Memory Archives contains hundreds of pieces of art and research done by, or that are relevant to, Syracuse’s Latino community or Latino students at SU. “The Cultural Memory Archive project at La Casita has the potential to grow and contribute immensely to the much-needed documentation of historical and cultural records representing Latinx/Hispanic communities in Central and Upstate NY,” said Teresita Paniagua, executive director of La Casita, in an email. La Casita’s digital collections have been stored on an SU server with access restricted to La Casita staff until now, said Dragana Drobnjak, La Casita’s librarian and archivist. The items in the collection are gifted to the cultural center or are given on a loan basis, she said. The resource council grant will

allow La Casita to make the items in its collection accessible and searchable for researchers beyond SU. “This process is extremely important because portals like New York Heritage do not contain collections specific to Latinx communities,” said Drobnjak. “It is important to include these pieces and these items in the collective memory of our society.” The grants come as SU Libraries faces its own battle to preserve rare materials in its Special Collections Research Center. Valuable materials in the special collections — including historical photos and pieces of writing worth millions of dollars — have been decaying while SU has stalled construction of a facility that could save them. University officials have announced plans to install a climatecontrolled storage unit to hold the materials until a final preservation facility can be built. Digitization of artifacts plays a key role in SU’s preservation efforts, since creating digital copies of valuable materials means the original versions will be handled less by researchers, Joyce said. “These grants were really about digitization for access,” Joyce said. “But digitization for preservation, that’s really the business that we’re in.” cjhippen@syr.edu @chrishipp15_

on campus

County to offer COVID-19 tests for graduation By Maggie Hicks asst. news editor

Onondaga County will offer testing sites for people attending Syracuse University’s commencement ceremonies, the university announced Wednesday. Commencement ceremonies will take place on May 22 and May 23. Visitors will be able to receive free testing by appointment at Syracuse’s Oncenter complex on May 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on May 23 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. People tested at the Oncenter will receive a wristband and an email confirming their test results later that day.

To attend any graduation ceremony, guests must provide proof that they have either been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days or have received a negative COVID-19 test. Guests providing a negative test can either receive a PCR test within 72 hours or an antigen test within six hours of the commencement’s start time. The Oncenter will provide antigen tests on both days. Before attending the ceremony, visitors must go to a pre-screening compliance station, where they will present their proof of a vaccine or negative test. Once they’re checked in, they will receive a pass that allows them to enter commencement ceremony sites.

Students, faculty and staff can visit the station on May 20 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. as well as on May 21 and 22 from either 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Guests can visit the sites on May 20, 21 or 22 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone who does not visit the prescreening compliance station will have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test at the ceremony. Visitors can park for free on May 22 and 23 at the Henry, Raynor and Standart lots, the Irving Garage, the University Avenue garage and the University Avenue lot. Shuttles will run from each of the garages and lots and will drop guests off at the

Dome’s Gate A entrance. Guests will be assigned a specific gate and entry time to arrive at the ceremony to maintain social distancing. During the ceremony, students will sit in three-person pods on the field, while guests will sit in two-person pods in the audience. New York state guidelines require 6 feet of distance between all guests or family pods in the stadium and will only allow the Dome to operate at 10% capacity. Each graduate will be allowed to invite up to two guests to the ceremony, and tickets will become available Thursday. mehicks@syr.edu @maggie_hickss

Syracuse University’s Falk College will establish a memorial fund in honor of late professor Evan Weissman, the university announced Wednesday. The Evan Weissman Scholarship Fund will support graduate students in the food studies program, according to an SU News release. Weissman, who was an associate professor of nutrition and food studies, died unexpectedly on April 9, 2020. Weissman’s family established the fund, and those who wish to contribute can do so online. “We know how much Evan loved his students: he was so delighted to see them not only learning in the classroom but also learning in and from the community,” said Marsha Weissman, Weissman’s mother, in the release. “In creating this scholarship, we are keeping Evan’s spirit alive.”

In creating this scholarship, we are keeping Evan’s spirit alive Marsha Weissman evan weissman’s mother

Weissman came to Falk College in 2012 and helped facilitate the launch of the food studies bachelor’s degree program in 2014. Shortly before his death, he was awarded the Lender Faculty Fellowship — which SU professor Jonnell Robinson has overseen since he died. The project focuses on creating a local food system prioritizing access and sustainability. As a professor at Falk College, Weissman taught both introductory and upper-level food studies courses and focused his research on addressing food inequality in urban America. He specialized in food system inequality, urban agriculture and food deserts, among other topics. Weissman was a part of several local food sustainability groups throughout his life, including Syracuse Grows, the Onondaga County Agricultural Council and the Syracuse Hunger Project. He also worked to launch the Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance, a program that works to bring a more sustainable food system to the central New York region. The scholarship will support current and future students in continuing his commitment to food justice and using food as a mechanism for social change, according to the release. “By bringing students out of the classroom and into the world, professor Weissman’s students became active change-makers for social justice, learning values and skills that will serve them well as leaders of tomorrow,” said Diane Lyden Murphy, dean of Falk College, in the release. “The Evan Weissman Scholarship Fund honors Evan’s legacy and his deep commitment to his students.” mlberenb@syr.edu @BerenbaumMira

4 may 6, 2021

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on campus

LaVonda Reed to become dean of Georgia State law school By Sarah Alessandrini asst. news editor

LaVonda Reed, a Syracuse University law professor and associate provost for faculty affairs, will become the first Black dean of Georgia State University’s College of Law. Reed, who came to SU in 2006 and has held her current role since 2015, will assume her role at Georgia State on July 1. Her teaching has focused on wills and trusts, property law and communications, and regulatory law and policy, according to an SU News release. “When other universities recognize the leadership talent developed at Syracuse University, there is a sense of pride,” Chancelfrom page 1

discrimination “Does a train that moves at 100 miles an hour move fast enough for everyone on the train? Sometimes, it doesn’t,” Powless said. “But it’s moving, and that’s the key. It’s progress. It’s movement forward.” Biko Gray, an assistant professor of religion, said he has been called derogatory terms while walking on the street past Bird Library. “This happens,” Gray said. “These kinds of things constantly occur. It’s part of the game.” Gray acknowledged that some discrimination on campus may be unintentional, but implicit bias within the community and the faculty is an issue. The university has a “profound problem” of neglecting to address the root causes of racist and sexist violence on campus, he said. Some curriculums at SU don’t provide students with the critical lens they need to understand social issues, Gray said. Students across SU’s schools and colleges should be required to take the same core classes, such as those in women and gender studies, LGBTQ studies, African American studies and religion, he said.

lor Kent Syverud said in the release. “As a former law dean, I can say confidently that Georgia State is making a great investment in her leadership.” During her time at SU, Reed conducted a comprehensive review of faculty salaries to ensure female faculty were receiving equal pay to their male counterparts, according to the release. She also served on several committees in the University Senate. She has been responsible for the oversight of the Lender Center for Social Justice, according to a Georgia State University press release. The center, housed in SU’s School of Education, hosts events and provides fellowships that promote interdisciplinary “Because (students) aren’t taking these courses, they aren’t exposed to the critical lenses that they need to have in order to make sense of their own political positions, whether that be conservative, liberal or otherwise,” Gray said. In December 2019, nearly 150 faculty signed a statement calling on the university to integrate more university-wide diversity courses into its core curriculum. No faculty from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the School of Information Studies or the College of Engineering and Computer Science signed the letter. SU will implement a new first-year seminar course this fall, FYS 101, in place of SEM 100, which faced criticism for not adequately equipping students to talk about issues of race and identity. Incoming first-year students will also be required to choose from a list of courses related to identity, diversity, equity and accessibility sometime during their four years at SU. Gray also said that faculty face challenges in SU’s tenure process, which requires professors to conduct a significant amount of research. Faculty of marginalized backgrounds often spend a substantial amount of time helping other marginalized students in addition to con-

When other universities recognize the leadership talent developed at Syracuse University, there is a sense of pride, Kent Syverud chancellor

ducting their own research, Gray said. Students will come to Gray with incidents such as being singled out in class because of their race or identity. He’s more than happy to console those students, but the university should be responsible for responding to and preventing these incidents. “I am happy to do that work, but that does not contribute at all to my promotion or to my tenure case,” Gray said. “There is no institutional mechanism to recognize that kind of service, so I have to do double-duty when I am on campus.” In the ombuds’ report, marginalized faculty listed fear of retaliation as one of their concerns when reporting incidents of discrimination or harrassment. Both Kuusisto and Gray said that SU officials have sometimes been dismissive of their concerns. The university’s Orange SUccess software, which faculty use to report student’s grades, is inaccessible to people who are blind. But when Kuusisito told some administrators this, they assured him that the software was fine. “The way in which I was patronized for telling them they had made a terrible accessibility mistake, that builds into an implicit bias — that you, the person from a historically

approaches to issues related to social justice, equity and inclusion at SU. She has also been part of initiatives at SU to help recruit and retain faculty of underrepresented backgrounds. Reed helped establish the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and create both the Diversity Opportunity Hire and Future Professors programs. She was also involved with the Women in Science and Engineering and the NSF-Advance team at SU. “I am grateful for the opportunities I have had at Syracuse University, which have prepared me for this exciting opportunity,” Reed said in the release. scalessa@syr.edu @sarahalessan marginalized position, can’t possibly know what you’re talking about,” Kuusisto said. The university should be doing more to address the root causes of discrimination, but many of the issues faculty face are integral to the higher education system, which can make them difficult to fix, Kuusisto said. For Powless, this could mean tearing down existing, problematic structures to make way for new ideas. “You don’t go from seed to flower,” Powless said. “There’s a whole lot of growth in transition that happens. And sometimes it’s uncomfortable.” Bigotry is an issue that’s persistent across the country and is deep-rooted in American culture, especially in higher education, Kuusisto said. SU’s administration didn’t create this culture, but it can do the work to fix it, he said. “It’s a very old, structural meritocracy, white-bred system,” Kuusisto said. “And that system has to change, and we’re starting to do the hard work in this generation of making those changes. But we have to acknowledge that these things do exist. We have to say, ‘enough.’” scalessa@syr.edu rcperrin@syr.edu

“I Came to Myself in a Dark Wood:” Celebrating 700 Years of Dante May 3, 2021 – May 14, 2021 EDT 340 HB Crouse, Third Floor + Online

SU Celebrates 700 Years of Dante’s Legacy

Members of the SU community have created works of art, poetry, music and other projects inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy on the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death. These works are being featured in an exhibition in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (340 HB Crouse) during the weeks of May 3-14, and online on the Dante at SU website: https://thedantesymposium.weebly.com/.

At the virtual Dante Fair on May 7 at 1pm,

winners of the Art Contest will be announced, recitations of the Comedy will be performed in several languages, and students will present their work. To volunteer to recite a passage of the Comedy, please email aleone@syr.edu.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PIECE:

OPINION

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may 6, 2021

column

Students with privilege must work to improve campus culture By Polina Plitchenko columnist

yracuse University releases updates on its progress in implementing the Campus Commitments to Diversity and Inclusion to inform us of how it’s working to foster a diverse and inclusive campus community. SU should take more action against racism and bias on campus, but there’s more that students of privileged identities can do to make our campus more inclusive and welcoming, too. For students with privilege, does the understanding and care for inclusivity go beyond just complaining about the university’s efforts? To truly understand the global issues that affect people of marginalized identities, students with privilege should focus on better educating themselves. Anti-Asian hate crimes, Islamophobia and racism won’t go away with one discussion, but starting conversations about these issues is an important first step, especially at a predominantly white institution such as SU. University officials can’t change the campus culture if the student body doesn’t also play an active role in combating all forms of hate.

Students of privileged identities must do a better job of seeking out information to further their understanding of global issues independently. Doing this is the only way to root out bias and ignorance as central causes of hate. Of course, students must also avoid practicing performative activism, which is using social media activism just to fit in with the crowd. Undoubtedly, the university should do more to educate students on diversity and inclusion, but students with privilege must educate themselves, too. Classes at SU encourage critical thinking so that students learn to think for themselves and consider perspectives and experiences outside their own. But if a classroom setting is the only place where students of privileged identities consider issues they aren’t affected by, that won’t be enough to address the discrimination and hate that people of marginalized identities experience within and outside of the classroom. Issues of anti-Asian hate, racism and Islamophobia require us to engage in long and hard conversations. We need students who don’t wait for SU officials to implement change on campus and vaguely

SU should take more action against racism and bias, but students of privileged identities can do more to make our campus more inclusive and welcoming. alex malanoski contributing photographer

inform them of these issues in statements and emails. SU’s campus commitments won’t fully solve ignorance and hate on campus. Ignorance and hate is

another pandemic we have to battle with. There is no way we will be able to create a truly diverse and inclusive environment on campus if students of privilege identities don’t

take up this work, too.

Polina Plitchenko is a junior psychology major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at pplitche@syr.edu.

column

Students are burnt out. We needed a spring break this semester. By Melanie Wilder columnist

tudents are more burnt out this semester than ever before. The spring semester at Syracuse University offered no spring break and only two wellness days. A year into a pandemic, which has caused isolation and a deterioration in people’s mental health, a semester without any breaks was the last thing SU students needed. SU administrators were pushed to give students two wellness days, which is better than nothing. But it is still extremely tiring to work for months with only two weekdays off from classes. SU decided to give us a random Tuesday and Wednesday as a break instead of an actual weeklong break that we need for our mental and physical wellbeing. Finals loom ahead for students, and after a particularly exhausting semester, SU should provide its students with additional resources and opportunities to recharge and take care of their mental health so they may finish the semester on a high note. Taking breaks throughout the semester can improve memory, give people more energy, reduce stress, improve health and boost performance and creativity, according to psychologists. All of

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

these factors are essential to a student’s education. While many professors are understanding of situations where students struggling with the effects of the pandemic need to take time off or have extra days to complete coursework, there is only so much leeway they can give students. Not only is a semester without a spring break stressful and tiring for students, but it’s also difficult for most faculty. Professors could use spring break to take care of themselves or spend time with their families. SU has not provided them with any similar reprieve. Considering SU’s perspective, it makes sense that the university cancelled spring break. For public health reasons, it’s wise to keep students from traveling, especially as COVID-19 cases surged in late January. But students have traveled regardless, and spikes in cases have come and gone. Though the decision to not have a spring break makes sense from SU’s point of view, the university could have allocated five wellness days and spread them throughout the semester. There is no going back to the start of the semester to make SU give us more time off. But there are things people can do to improve their mental health ahead of finals. You can workout, reduce the

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

This semester should be the first and last that we trade in a weeklong break for wellness days at Syracuse University. emily steinberger photo editor

amount of coffee you drink and spend time with friends, even if it’s just studying together. You can also call your family, try your best not to procrastinate and take breaks. While these things may seem silly and overused, they can actually improve your wellbeing. Even

reaching out and scheduling an appointment with a counselor at the Barnes Center at The Arch could be a step in the right direction. SU needs to take the feedback from both students and faculty about this semester seriously, with an understanding of how important

it is to have a weeklong break each semester. Students, faculty and staff needed a break.

Casey Darnell

Emma Folts

KJ Edelman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

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Melanie Wilder is a freshman information management and technology major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at mewilder@syr.edu.

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6 may 6, 2021

from page 1

mayor other municipalities, it’s so much more difficult to open and run a business in the city than it is in many of the suburbs. What we need to do is level the playing field.” Khalid Bey (D): “If we are smart about it, we have to spend the money where it provides a return on investment. Our housing stock is very important. When we spend one-time anywhere, we are in the same predicament a year or two from now needing money. We have to shore up our tax base. We have to improve our housing stock.” Janet Burman (R): “First, you have to recognize the role of city government in public safety and in providing basic city services. Our water system has been woefully neglected. Our response to the problems within the aging system are entirely reactive. I think this boost of federal funds should be used first to restore the necessary funding for police and fire, and secondly to address our infrastructure issues with water.”

Michael Greene (D):

“We need to recognize that a lot of the ways people work are going to be changing over from page 1

policing which aims to improve the city through the use of technology, is a strategy for “inclusive growth” in an economy predominantly composed of big data companies, Walsh said. It’s important that Syracuse is competitive in the data industry, he said. “We are committed to open data and transparency. We are committed to privacy and data security,” Walsh said. “As I mentioned, we’re committed to inclusion.” The city is implementing several initiatives to support the efforts of Syracuse Surge — an economic growth project that intends to use technology to revitalize Syracuse —

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the coming years. And COVID has shown that there’s an appetite for remote work, and Syracuse is really well positioned to take advantage of that because we have relatively inexpensive real estate and a lot of good quality life factors for people that used to work in New York City or Boston.” Ben Walsh (I): “Without the federal funding that is coming through the American Recovery Act, (we) would be in trouble. That funding is a lifeline for us. It not only helps to make up for lost revenue from the pandemic, it helps put us back on that path toward fiscal sustainability and helps get us there faster. As we look to deploy those resources, we want to make sure that we have sufficient resources to balance our budget, to deliver services effectively and efficiently to fairly compensate our staff, but beyond that we have an opportunity to make transformational investments and really help us move the needle on some of the biggest challenges that have been holding our community back.”

success, with the expansion of the Tech Garden downtown and the JMA Wireless facility on the South Side, but critics say that it may be a poor use of city resources. Has Syracuse Surge been successful? What are the next steps to entice economic investment in the city? Thomas Babilon (R): “I haven’t seen the success that (Walsh has) been looking for. I think it’s a great goal to get any kind of new business to the city, including high-tech business. We need high-tech business here, but I wouldn’t place a preference over other industries. We could have manufacturing, we could have warehouse facilities here, any kind of economic development that we can get into the city is good for the city and one part of that is just making it easier for (businesses) to be here in the first place.”

for sustaining a single household and ultimately sustaining neighborhoods and communities.” Janet Burman (R): “I would take all the resources that are currently directed at bringing new businesses into the area and redeploy them in helping existing businesses. I’m concerned that (Walsh) has focused on (Syracuse Surge) to the detriment of other issues that should be a priority for the city.” Michael Greene (D): “I don’t think (Syracuse Surge has) been successful. I think, fundamentally, the way we look at development going forward needs to be a worker-focused economic development. I think we need to be making Syracuse a good place to live. And then when people want to live here, companies will come.”

Bringing high-tech jobs has been a priority of Walsh during his first term. He began the Syracuse Surge initiative, incentivizing the growth of both technology start-ups and manufacturing in the city. It has seen some

Khalid Bey (D): “You have to put people back to work and in person. Eighty percent of government revenue is generated from the working individual. So anytime you have, as we have right now, greater than 7.7% unemployment, which is over 15,000 able-bodied people out of work, then you’re going to have a suffering local economy. You have to have a method for getting them their jobs is No. 1

Ben Walsh (I): “Syracuse Surge is our strategy for inclusive growth in the new economy. How can we position Syracuse and central New York to be competitive for jobs, whether it be unmanned aerial systems, artificial intelligence, quantum computing? These are the jobs that are driving the new economy, even high-tech manufacturing. And when you look at where we’ve seen successes, we have been very proud of the progress.” njrobert@syr.edu

and the Smart City Initiative. At least 17,000 street lights have been changed to LED technology, which saves $3 million per year in energy and maintenance costs, Walsh said. Other efforts include beginning construction of a science, technology, engineering, art and math high school in the city this year, he said. “In addition to getting some validation from our local business community, we’re getting validation from global corporations that I think appreciate the investments we’re making but also the intentional way in which we are deploying this strategy,” Walsh said. The police department is a data-driven organization and that data analysis is essen-

tial because broad-brushing communities doesn’t work, Buckner said. “You unintentionally harm more people who have nothing to do with the crime than you do apprehending the individuals who are responsible for the plight of known communities, which is why the data is so important,” he said. SPD has access to 500 cameras in the city, Buckner said. The department uses 220 body cameras, license plate readers and Tasers. SPD is also in the process of implementing dash cameras and is in the early stages of a drone program. “We have had some limited use when we have had large crowd sizes to be able to provide kind of an overview aerial perspec-

tive of what goes on in the crowd to be sure we will be able to protect the people who are participating,” Buckner said. SPD has started to use social media, and the department currently has more than 30,000 followers on Facebook, he said. The growth of smart technology allows for better decision-making and greater transparency for residents of the city, Darcangelo said. A data warehouse being built for the city will allow for the consolidation of information across departments within the city’s government, she said. “We don’t want to be collecting information that just sits in a data warehouse and doesn’t have a use,” Darcangelo said. kmnorusi@syr.edu

Attracting businesses and job creation

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CULTURE

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PAG E 7

may 3, 2021

Changing directions

ANTHONY TRINGALE started the Instagram account Eat Local CNY in 2016 to promote locally owned restaurants, but now his marketing company Eat Local New York promotes restaurants all over the state. meghan hendricks staff photographer

Marketing company based in Syracuse looks to promote restaurants around the state By Louis Platt

asst. culture editor

t Heritage Academy in Kentucky, Anthony Tringale’s baseball coach would call him in to pitch when his team neared getting mercy ruled. Nevertheless, Tringale had the optimistic mentality that he could change the direction of the game. Like on the diamond, Tringale has learned through his business Eat Local New York that he can’t change the direction of a restaurant, but he can help them learn what they can do better. The marketing company works for companies and campaigns, but mostly food businesses such as the Market Diner, Willow Rock Brewing Company and Carmelita’s Mexican Restaurant. It also works with over 145 restaurants in New York state that are a part of their Eat Local NY coupon program — customers who spend $25 or more at

participating restaurants and have an Eat Local NY card get $5 off their purchase. “When it comes to some of our marketing clients now, as a lot of these people are coming to us in their desperation, we don’t help turn things around for them,” Tringale said. “But we help them hopefully learn something or get more customers in there.” Tringale grew up influenced by the hospitality industry. His father had worked just about every job in the industry he could think of: chef, manager and owner, and as the director of food and beverage for Holiday Inns in the Northeast region. At home, Tringale’s dad embodies a giving quality through food. He always makes about double the amount of food — including prime rib steak and fettuccine alfredo — on Christmas than is needed for the 13 or so family members that celebrate together. “Growing up, my mom and dad were always in the

hospitality and hosting people and stuff like that,” Tringale said. “And so we were kind of raised with the same ethic of making people feel comfortable.” He originally started an Instagram account in 2016 named Eat Local CNY to highlight the restaurant community in the region, but he now has his eyes set on the entire Empire State. Tringale said he started the Instagram account just to promote locally owned businesses. Tringale works in the restaurant industry for Gerharz Restaurant Equipment & Supplies — which supplies restaurant equipment such as stoves and refrigerators — as its marketing director. Through Gerharz, Tringale started to form relationships with restaurant owners and chefs, learning about what they needed for marketing along the way. Part of what makes Tringale’s work for Eat Local NY so impactful is that he puts his heart and soul into his clients’ companies, said Zach Cavallo, see eat

local page 8

from the stage

Graduating seniors share performance talents with industry By Shaun Collins staff writer

Once Jaelle Laguerre let go of the idea that she only had two takes to film her senior showcase, the Syracuse University senior stepped into Archbold Theater feeling a sense of relief. It was her first opportunity to perform on a stage in months. “The world is still upside down, a gleam of light has started to emerge for theater, and things are starting

to weirdly and oddly open back up,” said Laguerre, a musical theater major. “It’s just in time for me and my classmates.” The SU Lewis Hecker Drama Showcase is an annual presentation where graduating senior performance majors in the Department of Drama introduce themselves to the industry. Produced by SU Drama alumni Ben Holtzman and Sammy Lopez, students prepared songs, monologues, scenes and dance numbers showcased

to an audience of industry professionals such as agents, casting directors and producers. The showcase is usually performed live in New York City, but SU Drama moved to a recorded showcase due to the pandemic. Directed by Katherine McGerr, filming for the senior showcase took place during December and January. This year, for the first time, participation expanded to all senior performance majors. Material selection began in Octo-

ber. Students were given the opportunity to film three minutes, which could be pooled with other students. Laguerre found it challenging to fit all her strengths into that small of a time frame. She also had to consider what is happening in the industry today and tailor pieces to meet those demands. “The key was picking something that you really love to do, rather than picking something you think is expected of you, or you feel you need to show out,” Laguerre said. “If you

pick two pieces or three pieces that you genuinely love … That’ll show.” David Lowenstein, director of the musical segments in the senior showcase, worked with students on their interpretation of the works they chose to perform, specifically aiding students who chose to sing for their segment. He believed his job was to help students feel confident about their work so that they could deliver strong performances. see showcase page 8

8 may 3, 2021

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humor column

Why I want to drop out of SU moments before graduating By Eliot Fish

humor columnist

This will be my last column, and the title should explain to you why. In exactly three weeks from the time I write this, May 23, I will officially be done with college. That sentence is purposefully deceiving: when many people hear “done with college,” they assume that means graduated. How small minded of you all. Assuming is only a viable strategy if you’re right 100% of the time. In exactly three weeks from the time I write this, I will not be a college graduate. I will be a college dropout.

If Bill Gates hadn’t dropped out of college, he’d be some irrelevant billionaire who barely had to work for any of his billions upon billions of net worth Eliot Fish

humor columnist

I am indeed a senior, I have the credits necessary to graduate, and I’m not in danger of failing anything other than my New Year’s resolution of giving up Twitter on June 1 (I wanted time to adjust). If I were a dumber, worse person, I would simply graduate and that would be that. But I’m no chump. I can’t be fooled by the hollow promises of a diploma and a degree. I refuse to let myself buy into the Trojan horse of “job stability and a higher average starting salary.” Unlike the moronic people of Troy, I am well aware there are Greeks waiting to pounce if I let from page 7

eat local a chef in the Syracuse area and co-host of Eat Local NY’s YouTube show Hoagies Heros. The friends started Hoagies Heros to find the best options for certain foods in central New York, like cannolis and tacos, and hopefully present their content to a large audience. The show tries to emulate Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy’s “One Bite Pizza Review” style of ranking food, but they don’t try to pull punches at places they think are bad, Cavallo said. Despite not being able to take videos of them trying the food on location because of the pandemic, they hope that at some point — hopefully over the summer — they can meet with chefs and owners for the videos, too. Cavallo believes that will give their reviews more credibility. He added that Hoagies Heros is still evolving and finding its final format, but the end goal is to have a show that people watch and want to go visit that local restaurant. “It’ll be huge when we hear for the first from page 7

showcase McGerr used Zoom to her advantage by playing and testing out camera angles when working on scenes with students. Zoom made scheduling more flexible and allowed students who were not on campus to rehearse and present material for the showcase from home, like SU seniors Jueun Kang in South Korea and Mackenzie Rohan in California. Laguerre believes her training at the Department of Drama prepared her in every way possible for the showcase. Her sophomore year scene study class was pivotal because she learned why it was important to break down a scene beat by beat in order to fully immerse herself into the given circumstances. Laguerre’s voice teacher at SU, Kathleen Wrinn, helped her navigate the technical aspects of the challenging songs she chose to showcase, so she knew where the notes sat in her voice and so that she could sing them with ease. While watching the students’ showcase videos, McGerr hopes parents, friends and prospective students see the Department of

For his final column, Eliot Fish reflects on the benefits of leaving college without actually graduating. katelyn marcy asst. illustration editor

your parents and be the best damn cashier Target has ever seen). I always say go big or live at home. Dropping out after having essentially finished college is a fantastic motivator. It allows me to get the full education that comes with attending a four-year university, without any of the pesky expectations that come with being a college graduate. People will expect me to fail because after dealing with the stress, doing the homework and learning that professors with doctoral degrees don’t appreciate being called “Teach.” That not entirely unfounded expectation will, much like a junk food spill while eating in bed, put a chip on my shoulder. In the interest of making the future biopic about my life, “Why Would He Do That: The Eliot Fish Story,” as dramatic as possible, I’ll be unenrolling from Syracuse University literally seconds before I graduate. I will click the big red button on MySlice that says “Drop Out - Do NOT Touch.” I want to be clear: this isn’t a pass at SU. In fact, I suggest that anybody, at any college, at any level (graduate school, Ph.D., etc.) drop out at the last possible moment before walking that stage. Or, if you’re in a Zoom graduation, before clicking that “raise hand” reaction. Sometimes, you have to live life in pursuit of a great story, even if it means sacrificing a lot to do it. Luckily, in this case, all you’re sacrificing is a college degree, which is one of the most useless paper documents you can have in this day and age, right up there with a “free drink” ticket from DJs. So please, join me in dropping out mere moments before your graduation. You may make less money on average, be judged by everyone in your life and make your family furious. But, you won’t regret it. ebfish@syr.edu

my guard down. Never look a gift — Bachelor of Science — in the mouth. I’m not crazy, either. I may have done four years of work to end with nothing, but I’m NOT crazy. I have plenty of reasons for dropping out. We’ve all heard of a great, tear-jerking, against-all-odds success story, sometimes accompanied by a movie adaptation or, for the less successful success stories, a charming little graphic novel. But let me ask you, have you ever heard of such a story from someone who has taken the beaten path? Someone who has complied with the brainwashing rhetoric of a four-year university? I certainly haven’t. There’s a reason you

don’t hear about people who graduated from college being massively successful. It’s because they’re not. And, on those rare occasions when they are, nobody cares. If I’ve learned one thing from reading about the stories of the uber-successful, it’s that all you need in life is a dream, some college credits, and a garage in which you’ll start your perfect, soon-to-be Forbes 500 company. If Bill Gates hadn’t dropped out of college, he’d be some irrelevant billionaire who barely had to work for any of his billions upon billions of net worth. Would you rather be an unknown rich person, or have a 3% chance to hit it big and be famous? (And, a 97% chance to move in with

time from a restaurant that somebody was like, ‘Hey, we came here because we saw you on Hoagies Heros,’” Cavallo said. “That’s kind of like what we’re going for is to be able to help these places.” Eat Local NY doesn’t try to recruit restaurants from its card program to do their marketing, but the company will reach out to restaurants on their card program to see if they need any marketing assistance too. Amanda Miles, Eat Local NY’s community manager, reaches out to member restaurant’s regularly through social media, email and phone to assist with marketing and promotions. She said that even reaching out to say “Hey, we are thinking of you,” can go a long way. “90% of this business, especially when you’re in food services, is relationships, especially when you’re kind of in the local community,” Tringale said. “It’s about knowing the person, knowing their restaurant, knowing their struggles, talking to them about new ideas all the time.” louis@dailyorange.com @jbl__98

Eat Local NY’s coupon program includes over 145 participating restaurants throughout New York state. meghan hendricks staff photographer

Drama’s values manifested in the seniors’ work — smart, well-rounded, complex storytelling and strong individuality. “I hope they can get to see how much talent, but also self-knowledge our students have collected in their time.” McGerr said. Lowenstein impresses upon the students that the senior showcase is not the be-all and end-all of their careers. Instead, it is an opportunity to be seen by some industry professionals. Since the showcase can seem like a “behemoth,” he hopes this mindset can take some pressure off of students. Laguerre hopes audience members take away the importance of putting oneself out there. It’s also the same lesson she takes away from her showcase experience, with the abrupt shift of doing her classwork virtually and self-taping more frequently. “All types of people from all types of backgrounds are going to watch this, so we were given no choice but to be vulnerable,” Laguerre said. “Some people are going to like it, some people are going to not … Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter as long as you loved it and you put your best out there.” shcollin@syr.edu

JAELLE LAGUERRE is a senior musical theater major who is presenting for the Syracuse University Lewis Hecker Drama Showcase. courtesy of jaelle laguerre

may 3, 2021 9

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from page 12

north carolina would be to put together a full 60 minutes on both sides of the ball against North Carolina. Yet Sunday, Syracuse couldn’t do that. The defense showed up in the first half, holding a red-hot Tar Heels offense at bay. But the offense could not create enough scoring opportunities as they turned the ball over 16 times, the second-most all season. “You go from scoring 19 goals against a very good BC team, to scoring four,” Gait said. “They’re just young, and they haven’t been put in this position before. We’ve always had other players in those roles.” The young players on Syracuse’s offense appeared to start the game well. After finding a plethora of space in the middle against Boston College on Friday, freshman Emma Ward flipped the ball to Emily Ehle to start Sunday’s game. Ehle took one step and gave SU a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game. Then the offense went cold. SU turned to its motion setup, and Ward rolled in and flipped the ball to Sam Swart. Swart continued past Ward and fired the ball into the net, but referees whistled the play dead after an offensive foul on Ward. Minutes later, Meaghan Tyrrell tried to get the offense going as she curled into the area, drawing a free position play after taking a hard check. Tyrrell crouched down and readied for the shot but chose to pass instead as the whistle blew. Ehle made a backdoor cut and quickly grabbed Meaghan’s pass, dishing to a wide-open Emma Tyrrell in front of goal. The sophomore midfielder was fouled, and then got fouled once more, much to the chagrin of the UNC fans. On the third attempt, she drove to the net and could only ring a shot off the crossbar as three defenders closed her down. Later, Ward isolated herself against a from page 12

mets

Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or their single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Unvaccinated fans can take a PCR test 72 hours before first pitch or a rapid antigen test within six hours of the game. Onondaga County and the Mets will provide free testing for fans in NBT Bank Stadium’s parking lot in the days leading up to Opening Day. As of now, nearly 100 fans have already signed up to get tested before Opening Day, Smorol said. The procedures will be enforced at a desfrom page 12

defense recorded four caused turnovers, and it was 18-of-20 on clears. When Syracuse and North Carolina faced each other in the regular season, the Orange allowed 17 goals, their most during the regular season. The Orange had tried to play a highpressure zone defense, with defenders trying to faceguard the Tar Heels attacks as soon as they stepped into the offensive zone. The team got rid of this strategy in Sunday’s game, which is what led to SU’s defensive success, Gait said. “The last time we were pressing them out. Whenever they got the ball, they would spread us out,” Gait said. “Today, we packed it in.” Instead, Syracuse elected to stick to its regular zone defense, only pressuring North Carolina when it was inside the 8-meter. This method succeeded early on against the Tar from page 12

virginia tech moments when we had runners in scoring position to kind of change the dynamic of that game,” Doepking said. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Neli Casares-Maher lined a shot to right field, where Cana Davis tried to make the diving play. The ball popped out of her glove when she hit the ground and trickled toward the rightfield foul pole. Casares-Maher hadn’t stopped running, and when she saw the ball jar loose, she broke for third and easily glided in for her first triple of the season. It was the only ball that reached the wall and SU’s only extra-base hit of the afternoon. On the next pitch, Gabby Teran hit

defender as she started behind the net. She drove by the UNC player but got called for a charge. The freshman could only drop the ball to the ground next to the fallen defender and trudged back on defense. Ward scored later on the man-up in the final minute of the first half, but in total the Syracuse offense recorded just four shots on goal in the opening half. Still, Syracuse trailed by just two at halftime, a position where the Orange secured comeback wins over Notre Dame and Virginia earlier this season. But Sunday, to open the second half, Jamie Ortega made it 5-2. Meaghan skied a free position chance immediately after, and then picked out Emma streaking across the crease after SU regathered possession. But when the sophomore midfielder wound up to shoot, Emily Nalls stick-checked the ball and it rolled harmlessly to a UNC defender. Emma scored a few minutes later, when Ward found her cutting and the sophomore threw a highlight, backhanded shot past UNC’s goalie. But as the second half continued, the Orange offense still could not find any momentum. SU finished with scoring droughts of 24 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. Ward rifled home a low free-position shot midway through the second half, but that would be SU’s final goal as the freshman had a hand in all four Syracuse goals, scoring two and assisting two. “We’re down a couple players, and we’re counting on a true freshman to step up against the best team in the country and try and score a bunch of goals,” Gait said. “That’s a tough ask for a young lady like that. (Ward) played great this whole tournament, and we’re gonna need her to continue to play well.” Ward’s inexperience showed with her three turnovers, tied for the team-high with Emma, both of whom are playing their first full season with the Orange. UNC held Syracuse’s top point

North Carolina won its fifth-straight conference tournament after holding Syracuse four goals Sunday’s game. courtesy of the acc

scorer, Meaghan without a point, focusing its defensive attention on her because on the sidelines stood Syracuse top-two goal scorers, Emily Hawryschuk and Megan Carney. The final horn marked another ACC Championship win for UNC’s top two all-time scoring leaders, Hoeg and Ortega. The pair contributed over half of the Tar Heels goals in the victory and cemented UNC as national title favorites. Postgame, Gait likened the ACC Tournament to what the Orange should expect come

the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse will likely have to go through North Carolina — once again — to have a shot of winning its first national title. And without Hawryschuk and Carney, this iteration of the Orange will need to figure out a solution. “We didn’t get it done on the offensive end, I think we had enough opportunities,” Gait said. “We were just not efficient on our shots, and not putting the ball in the back of the net. We played with a lack of confidence.”

ignated entry screening area. Temperature checks and a contact tracing questionnaire will also be required at the screening checkpoint along with the proof of vaccination or a negative test result. NBT Bank Stadium is limited to 20% capacity, and fans in attendance will be scattered throughout the ballpark in “pods’’ that can seat up to six people. Each pod will be placed 6 feet apart. Although New York state is increasing outdoor capacity to 33% starting May 19, Smorol said the stadium is too small to accommodate that capacity with proper social distancing. “Our job is to get them in, keep them safe, entertain them, let everyone get back and

enjoy themselves,” Smorol said. Having fans on Opening Day wasn’t always a guarantee, Smorol said. The organization wasn’t sure they were even going to have a season — let alone one with fans — until January. Minor League Baseball on March 2 pushed back its Triple-A season from April to May. MLB used the extra month to create alternate training sites for minor league players and cut down on airline travel associated with the minor league season. While the Mets were disappointed with the season’s delay, COVID-19 cases have decreased and vaccination rates have increased within the county this month,

Tricarico said. In Onondaga County, over half the population has had at least one dose of a vaccine. In addition to the shortened season, the Mets will only face Northeast Division opponents. Each series consists of six straight games against the same opponent in the same venue, with series starting on Tuesdays, allowing Monday to be a travel day. The goal is to reduce travel and potential spread of COVID-19 for all teams during the season. “It’s time to start letting the community get back out, get a little bit back to normal and see a ton of old friends and faces,” Smorol said.

Heels star-studded attack, which features Katie Hoeg and Ortega. Hoeg and Ortega are North Carolina’s alltime leaders in points and goals, respectively, and they both are in the top three for points per game in the ACC this season. Throughout the game, Goldstock caused trouble for the duo, with four of her 11 saves coming against them. North Carolina’s offensive set-up operates behind the net, passing around until a cutter is open inside the 8-meter. Midway through the first half, the Tar Heels were able to run this to perfection as Ortega came slashing toward the goal. Hoeg found Ortega at the crease, and she bulleted a shot at Goldstock. But Goldstock saw Ortega cutting and was already focused on her by the time Ortega striked. Goldstock kept her stick high and punched Ortega’s attempt out of bounds for her fourth save of the afternoon. Goldstock’s only struggle was with guard-

ing free-position shots, which made up for a third of North Carolina’s scores. On every free-position opportunity, Goldstock anticipated low shots, the exact opposite of what the Tar Heels did. For each score, UNC hit the top corners of the net. Goldstock wasn’t the only one on SU’s defense who had a successful game. Kerry Defliese, who finished with three caused turnovers, repeatedly made key plays for the Orange inside the 8-meter. In Syracuse’s zone defense, Defliese fits the role of the backer, moving to wherever the ball is on the field. Against North Carolina, Defliese would spend the majority of UNC’s possession stationed at the edge of the net, containing whoever was behind it. Throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half, Defliese and the SU defense didn’t allow North Carolina any scores. But off the transition, the Tar Heels set up their offense

with a full head of steam. Hoeg positioned herself behind the net before noticing an open UNC player inside the 8-meter. But Defliese saw the opening as well, and she threw herself into the passing lane. Hoeg tried to pass, and with her stick raised above her head, Defliese deflected the ball to the ground. Goldstock picked up Defliese’s deflection, and the Orange moved in transition. Emma Ward delivered a pass out to Emma Tyrrell, who twisted her stick and shoveled an attempt without looking at the goal. Tyrrell’s strike found the back of the net, but that was one of the only times Syracuse was able to turn defense into offense. The Orange finished with 16 turnovers in the game. “(If) we have a couple players step up on the offensive end, we’re in that game,” Gait said.

a soft liner into right-center field, easily scoring Casares-Maher for the Orange’s second, and final, run of the weekend. Syracuse kept the game close until the fourth inning. The team recorded two leadoff hits, advancing the runner into scoring position each time. But after Darby Trull smacked a two-run home run in the top of the fourth to extend the Hokies’ lead to four, Syracuse left three runners on base. Rebecca Clyde was one of three Syracuse hitters in Doepking’s lineup who was hitting below .200. VT knew that, and it intentionally walked the batter before her, Geana Torres, with two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the fourth. Clyde hadn’t recorded a hit since April 23 against Virginia. She quickly went down 0-2, making mas-

sive, fruitless cuts with each swing. Clyde struck out swinging, put her head down and slowly walked back to the dugout. The SU bench went silent, knowing their best opportunity to score on the ACC’s fourth-best team was squandered. “I think the pitch selection you saw there was not good at all from Rebecca,” Doepking said. “I think that’s just a byproduct of a lot of emotions going.” The game started to slip away from Syracuse. Fagan hit a home run to extend the lead further in the bottom of the fifth, and VT added another three runs over the ensuing two innings. VT finished the game with Ivy Rosenberry, a freshman who hadn’t seen game action since April 23. Clyde led off the inning and swung so hard at an 0-1 pitch that her elbow

guard came off. She struck out on three pitches, contrary to the strategy Doepking tried to employ on Sunday. Rosenberry set down Paris Woods on a called third strike that barely caught the outside corner, bringing up Almer. The graduate student attempted to bunt to reach base for the second time. But instead, Fagan read the bunt easily and faded in. She gathered it and retired Almer at first, solidifying Virginia Tech’s sweep of Syracuse. “If I had answers … I would’ve shown you the answers in any of these games,” Doepking said. “I think, unfortunately, we didn’t find answers for Keely Rochard. We just did not find answers in four games against that kid.”

gshetty@syr.edu

brbrush@syr.edu

asvasude@syr.edu @anish_vasu

aalandt@syr.edu @anthonyalandt

10 may 3, 2021

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softball

Alexa Romero allows 5 runs, 2 HRs against Virginia Tech By Connor Smith asst. copy editor

Alexa Romero had just walked Virginia Tech’s Mackenzie Lawter in the fourth inning. As catcher Geana Torres squatted behind the plate and put her fingers down for the first pitch to Darby Trull, Romero shook off a riseball outside, wanting to instead go inside. But Romero didn’t get the ball inside. Instead, she watched as Trull knocked her first home run of the season off the outfield netting in right field, putting the Hokies up 4-0. “If you don’t get the ball inside, it goes over the fence,” head coach Shannon Doepking said postgame. Romero entered Sunday as Syracuse’s leader in every notable pitching category and will graduate this spring firmly positioned in SU’s record book. She’s been Doepking’s go-to pitcher for multiple seasons, but against No. 20 Virginia Tech (32-12, 23-11 Atlantic Coast), Romero struggled, giving up five earned runs over just four innings in Sunday’s 8-1 loss — SU’s fourth straight. Trull’s two-run fourth-inning home run and Cameron Fagan’s solo homer the next inning gave the Hokies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, especially with ace Keely Rochard in the pitcher’s circle once again on Sunday. Rochard pitched 22 out of the 26 innings played over the four-game series, allowing just one run and seven hits. Her no-hitter on Friday was the first time Syracuse (1920, 11-17) had been no-hit since joining the ACC in 2013. Doepking said Saturday that the Orange knew they would have a better chance with Romero in the circle, and that showed in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, when Romero allowed just three runs over seven innings. On Sunday, Doepking opted to start the fifth-year in back-to-back games,

something she said Romero has to adjust to if SU wants a chance in the ACC Tournament in two weeks. “If we want any shot at the ACC Tournament, the kid’s going to have to go backto-back games,” Doepking said. “I think Lex understands the role she’s in right now, that we need her to throw.” With Syracuse outscored 22-1 in the first three games of the series and 85-15 against ranked ACC teams so far this season, Romero had little room for error Sunday. Virginia Tech was able to get on Romero early, though, with Kelsey Brown lining a single up the middle on the game’s very first pitch. Brown proceeded to easily steal second, and after two straight strikeouts, Romero hit Jayme Bailey near her elbow, putting two runners on base with two outs. Kelsey Bennett hit a single into shallow right field, which scored both runners after Angel Jasso was unable to make the diving catch. “There’s nothing you can do on that ball. I thought it was played fine,” Doepking said. “I think we positioned a little bit differently after that. We pushed Angel more (toward the) middle of the field than on the line. (But) I don’t think you can defend that ball, it just found the spot.” Fagan’s homer over the right-field fence in the top of the fifth knocked Romero out of the game, as Doepking brought in freshman Lindsey Hendrix in relief. By starting Torres behind the plate, Doepking said postgame that she hoped that Romero would get into “more of a groove” and would work quicker, which could create better results for the Orange. She said Torres needed to be more assertive when catching, particularly in situations where Romero shook off her pitch calls, such as on Trull’s home run. The lack of communication between Romero and Torres on Sunday could be attributed

ALEXA ROMERO struggled for the second straight game against Virginia Tech, allowing more home runs than she had strike outs. elizabeth billman senior staff photographer

to the minimal amount of innings that Torres has played with Romero this season, Doepking said. Before the two home runs on Sunday, Doepking said there should’ve been a timeout. Romero thought the ball should go outside, but Torres thought it should be inside, and the ball ended up over the plate and out of the park. Romero finished the day with just three strikeouts, giving up more hits than strikeouts for the second consecutive day. She also earned her eighth loss of the season, which moved her below .500. With her final season at SU ending, and with only four games against No. 13 Clemson remaining before the ACC Tournament, Romero will likely be expected to continue carrying the brunt of Syracuse’s

pitching load. She has struggled against top-25 ACC teams this season, allowing a combined nine runs in two starts against then-No. 9 Florida State, as well as 11 runs in 14 innings against Virginia Tech this weekend. But Doepking mostly attributed her struggles to the level of competition that the Orange have been facing. “At the end of the day, Virginia Tech’s just a better team than us,” Doepking said. “Unless we play really great softball, it’s gonna be tough where we’re at right now to keep up with a team like Virginia Tech. I think everybody saw that this weekend.” csmith49@syr.edu @csmith17_

rowing

SU women go winless against No. 4 Rutgers, Princeton By Cole Bambini staff writer

No. 9 Syracuse was swept in Sunday’s regatta against No. 4 Rutgers and unranked Princeton. SU’s varsity 8 finished last place (6:41.8), behind first-place Rutgers (6:28.3) and secondplace Princeton (6:32.0). SU’s varsity 4 (7:25.0) was narrowly edged out by Rutgers (7:23.4), with Princeton finishing second (7:24.2). SU best’s placement came from its 2nd varsity 8, which finished second (6:42.2). SU’s 2nd varsity 4 and 3rd varsity 4 finished third and fifth, respectively. The Orange entered this weekend’s regatta

ranked No. 9 in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) rankings. SU ranked No. 8 the week prior, the program’s highest ranking. Syracuse also recorded back-to-back top-10 rankings for the first time, too. Since the polls began in 2002, SU’s previous best ranking was 12th in the mid-May poll in 2017. Syracuse competed against Rutgers on April 4 in its first regatta of the season, which was also held at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey. SU won the varsity 4 event (7:16.3), edging out the Scarlet Knights (7:21.5) by just over five seconds. SU’s varsity 8 placed second (6:41.4) that day, and the Orange didn’t finish higher than second in the 2nd varsity 4,

2nd varsity 8 and 3rd varsity 8 events. Syracuse last competed against Princeton in 2019, where the then-No. 7 Tigers won four of five events, only dropping the 3rd varsity 8 race. Sunday’s regatta was Princeton’s second of the year after it swept Drexel in all three events on April 24. The Tigers competed against Temple later on Sunday afternoon to close out their regular season. In other regattas this season, SU (6:43.01) retained the Orange Challenge Cup for the fourth consecutive season after defeating Northeastern’s 1st varsity 8 (7:05.9) by approximately 22 seconds in Saratoga

Springs. The Orange also swept the Huskies in the remaining three events. At the Big Ten Invitational in Bethel, Ohio, SU’s varsity 4 finished first and defeated three top-20 crews, including Rutgers, Washington State and Indiana. SU’s next regatta will be the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship from May 14-15 at Clemson. In this week’s CRCA poll, Syracuse was the second-highest ranked ACC school, six spots behind No. 3 Virginia. Syracuse could advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held from May 28-30, if they qualify or receive an at-large bid. cabambin@syr.edu

women’s lacrosse

3 takeaways from Syracuse’s 9-4 loss to UNC in ACC title game By Anish Vasudevan asst. digital editor

No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 2 seed Syracuse’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game was a defensive showdown. Syracuse goalie Asa Goldstock finished with 11 saves, and the Orange caused four turnovers in the 9-4 loss. But SU didn’t have the firepower offensively with 16 turnovers and a shot percentage of 18.2%. Emma Ward was the most successful on the offensive end, finishing with points on all four goals. Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s (14-3, 8-2 ACC) ACC title loss to North Carolina (18-0, 9-0):

Defensive success

The Orange held the Tar Heels, who are second in the ACC with 16.11 goals per game, to four first-half scores. The main contributor for SU’s defensive success was Goldstock, who made six saves in the opening period. UNC sent a lot of cutters through the 8-meter, but Goldstock got her stick on most of the shots that the Tar Heels made. Midway through the frame, Katie

Hoeg found the ACC’s leading scorer in Jamie Ortega for a shot attempt at point-blank range, and Goldstock simply punched the ball over the net and out of bounds. North Carolina continued to find open shots in the first half, finding the back of the net on some attempts. Syracuse continued to cause issues for the Tar Heels, however, making slides on the UNC attempts. Kerry Defliese, who finished with three caused turnovers, repeatedly got her stick in the passing lane. In the second half, the Tar Heels attempted to extend their 5-2 lead. Hoeg made her way from behind the net, spotting an open UNC player inside the 8-meter. But Defliese collapsed on Hoeg, knocking the pass down. And the Orange turned that defensive stop into offense as Emma Tyrrell scored on a no-look shovel shot off the transition. Still, the Orange were unable to come out of Chapel Hill with a victory as Goldstock struggled to guard free position shots. The Tar Heels scored three times on free position opportunities by the end of the outing.

Ward delivers again

After having a career-high five goals in Syra-

cuse’s semifinal win over No. 3 seed Boston College, Ward was SU’s offensive catalyst again. For the Orange’s first score, they began their motion offense and Ward was able to flip the ball to Emily Ehle who found the back of the net. Later in the first period, Ward started to position behind the net, quarterbacking the SU attack. At the end of the first half, Ward started from the back of the net, passing the ball to the right side of the field before curling inside the 8-meter. She was left unmarked, and Ehle found her at the doorstep for a score. Ward continued to cause issues for North Carolina’s defense in the last period. On Emma Tyrrell’s no-look score, Ward was able to draw North Carolina’s defense towards her and create space inside the 8-meter. She passed high over one defender to Emma Tyrrell to cut North Carolina’s lead to two goals. Ward finished with two goals and two assists, but it wasn’t enough to stop North Carolina’s ACC dynasty.

Up and down at the free position

Heading into the ACC title matchup, Syrcause was 1-of-7 with free position shots in the entire tournament. Early on for the

Orange, this issue showed. Meaghan Tyrrell was the first SU player to earn a free position opportunity after she was fouled with 14 minutes left in the first half. Out of the opportunity, the Orange ran a set play as Meaghan passed to Ehle who curled from behind the net. Ehle passed to Emma Tyrrell who was fouled and took her turn at the top of the 8-meter. Emma Tyrrell elected to charge the cage, but before she was able to get a shot she was fouled again. On the third free position opportunity in one possession, the Orange left empty-handed, unable to close on UNC’s 3-1 lead. In the second half, however, Ward broke Syracuse’s misfortune at the free position. While on the other opportunities the Orange charged the cage or passed, Ward stayed at the top of the 8-meter and lasered a ball into the back of the net to cut UNC’s lead to two scores. The Orange tried their play again as Sam Swart passed to Ehle who curled from behind the net. But, Ehle was surrounded by North Carolina’s defense, and the ball was knocked out of her stick. Syracuse finished with one score on six free position opportunities. asvasude@syr.edu @anish_vasu

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SPORTS

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no .1

PAG E 12

may 3, 2021

NORTH CAROLINA 9, no.2 SYRACUSE 4

SU offense sputters in ACC title game

syracuse mets

Mets set to welcome 2,000 fans By Bryan Brush staff writer

MEAGHAN TYRRELL was held to zero points by UNC’s defense in Syracuse’s 9-4 loss to the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament final. SU lost to UNC earlier this season, too. courtesy of the acc

staff writer

HAPEL HILL, N.C. — Down three goals with just a quarter of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game remaining, Syracuse desperately needed to regain momentum. The Orange lined up for the draw control, in need of its first draw win in the second half. As the ball flew up into the air and bounced along the right side, Ella Simkins scrambled to collect it and scanned for a pass. With UNC keyed on Simkins, Sierra Cockerille made a run in behind the Tar Heels’ backline. Simkins spotted her

teammate and lobbed a long 20-yard skip pass to a wide-open Cockerille. The midfielder gathered the ball with no defender within five yards of her, and wound up for a shot that should’ve been destined for the back of the net. Instead, it flew harmlessly over the top. “I think (if) we have a couple players step up on the offensive end, we’re in that game,” head coach Gary Gait said. “We had the opportunities, we had a couple players that had some great looks, and they just were off today on the offensive end.” Sunday afternoon, No. 2-seed Syracuse (14-3, 8-2 ACC) fell 9-4 to No. 1-seed North Carolina (18-0, 9-0) in the ACC Tournament final. The defense and Asa see north

carolina page 9

Goldstock held the Tar Heels to a seasonlow nine goals, but SU’s offense managed just nine shots on goal as the unit sputtered out. Missed chances and offensive turnovers prevented Syracuse from overcoming the gap between itself and ACC powerhouse UNC, which sealed its inevitable fifth-straight ACC championship. “They are the best team in the country right now, and we’re gonna have to play a much better game to try and put it all together if we want another shot at them,” Gait said. This ACC Tournament, SU relied on its defense against Virginia Tech and the offense against Boston College. After both wins, Gait stressed how critical it

softball

Small ball strategy fails in Syracuse’s 8-1 loss to VT By Anthony Alandt asst. copy editor

Calista Almer popped the first pitch from Keely Rochard to shallow left field, which dropped for her second hit of the series. Head coach Shannon Doepking signaled Angel Jasso to lay down a sacrifice bunt. She successfully sent it down the third-base line, and Cameron Fagan retired the freshman as Almer moved to second base. Syracuse took until the fourth inning to reach scoring position in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. On Sunday, Doepking used

a new, small-ball approach in the series finale against No. 20 Virginia Tech. Syracuse’s next two batters ended the inning, but the Orange found more success reaching scoring position. The next inning, Lailoni Mayfield’s hit went over the head of first baseman Jayme Bailey and landed softly into right field for the second leadoff single of the day in as many innings. Toni Martin, who started the season hot offensively but hasn’t hit a home run since April 6, showed bunt. On her third attempt, she laid a successful sacrifice bunt that advanced Mayfield to second base.

Syracuse (19-20, 11-17 Atlantic Coast) played small-ball to manufacture runs in its 8-1 loss on Sunday afternoon, though the approach ended with the same result as its first three blowout losses to Virginia Tech (32-12, 23-11). Syracuse scored just two total runs in the four-game weekend series. SU’s been outscored 93-16 against ranked teams this season. “I thought it was our best chance,” Doepking said postgame. “If we were going to push something, it was going to have to be going to a bunt early and hoping that something kind of falls our way.”

SU currently lags behind teams such as Virginia Tech, Doepking’s said. She said the Orange’s hitters can’t handle the NCAA’s leader in strikeouts, Rochard. So she opted for an approach she thought would lead to more successful at-bats and more runs on the board. The approach worked in part. SU recorded five hits, as many as it had in the three previous games. But once runners found themselves on base, hitters struck out. “Unfortunately, when we had opportunities, we kind of reverted back to the strikeouts in the big see virginia

see mets page 9

women’s lacrosse

Despite holding No. 1 seed UNC to a season-low 9 goals, the Orange fell flat in a 5-goal loss By Gaurav Shetty

The Syracuse Mets will welcome 2,163 fans back into NBT Stadium on Tuesday for its home opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. The game will be the largest in-person gathering in Onondaga County since before the pandemic. The absence of Mets baseball in 2020 had implications on both staff within the organization and in the Onondaga County community, said Michael Tricarico, director of broadcasting and media relations for the Mets. Seasonal employees have gone without work, and interaction with fans has been significantly limited. “(We’re) ready to go do what we do, which is put on a great show and be here for the fans,” General Manager Jason Smorol said. Upon arrival, all fans will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test. Fans must be 14 days removed from their second dose of either the

tech page 9

Syracuse holds UNC to seasonlow 9 goals By Anish Vasudevan asst. digital editor

With two minutes left in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, North Carolina’s Jamie Ortega charged down the field in transition. Ortega, who scored on the Orange’s defense two minutes earlier, made her way to the top of the 8-meter. As Ortega traveled deeper into Syracuse’s defense, SU goalie Asa Goldstock followed her every movement. Goldstock shifted her body and positioned her stick in line with Ortega, anticipating a strike. Ortega rocketed the ball at Goldstock, and it came lower than she expected. But Goldstock deflected Ortega’s attempt away for her 11th save of the afternoon. “Our defense played an amazing game, they were tremendous today,” head coach Gary Gait said. “Asa Goldstock in goal kept us in it, kept giving us chances to try and crawl back.” But Goldstock and No. 2 seed Syracuse’s defensive success wasn’t enough, as it lost 9-4 to No. 1 seed North Carolina on Sunday. The Orange (14-3, 8-2 ACC) held the Tar Heels (18-0, 9-0) to a season-low in goals, and Goldstock finished with a 55% save percentage. Syracuse see defense page 9