August 27, 2020 by The Daily Orange

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C • Paused performance

N • Fighting on

During COVID-19, central New York musicians miss the social connection of live performances and don’t know when their next gig will be. Page 9

Long after it concluded 40 consecutive days of protests, Last Chance for Change continues to advocate for systemic change in the city of Syracuse. Page 3

S • Broken bubble

Syracuse football built a bubble during training camp for the whole summer. But it can’t leave now and claim amateurism, argues Anthony Dabbundo. Page 24

Health experts predict campus won’t close early if second wave avoids county

illustration by sarah allam illustration editor

A second wave of COVID-19 infections will likely occur this fall

By Sarah Alessandrini asst. news editor

yracuse University could remain open through the fall semester if a second wave of coronavirus’ infections remains controlled in surrounding areas, according to public health experts. A second wave of COVID-19 infections in the United States will likely occur as transmission of the virus increases in the fall, public health professors and epidemiologists told The Daily Orange. Whether in-person instruction at SU outlasts that second wave depends on how central New York is impacted, they said. “All the pieces are in place for (SU) to come out (with) an adequate response,” said Brooks Gump, a public health professor at Falk College. “If there is an outbreak, it

see experts page 4

coronavirus

SU reports 10 active cases among SU students, employees Chris Hippensteel news editor

Syracuse University has confirmed since Monday seven coronavirus cases among students in central New York. Two days after the official start of residential classes, the number of active cases among students, staff and faculty in central New York has increased to nine, the university’s COVID-19 dashboard shows. A total

of 26 students are now in quarantine, an increase of 14 since Monday. Not all students in quarantine are staying in SU’s quarantine housing at the Sheraton Hotel, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications. Students can quarantine either off-campus or in the Sheraton. SU has now confirmed 33 total COVID-19 cases among students and employees both in and outside of cen-

tral New York since reporting began Aug. 2. Of those who have contracted the virus, 23 have recovered. Only one SU employee has tested positive for the virus since reporting began. The university has also administered a total of 21,043 tests on campus, conducting 17,885 in the last 10 days. The increase in cases comes after SU conducted COVID-19 screenings beginning Aug. 19 for students living off-campus. The univer-

sity required all students to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test before accessing campus facilities. SU’s has tested its students for COVID-19 more frequently than universities that have since moved courses online either permanently or temporarily. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did not test students before or after they arrived. UNC cancelled residential instruction for the fall semester on Aug. 17 and

reported 135 positive cases the day before closing. The University of Notre Dame required students to submit a negative test result before coming to campus but did not conduct testing once students arrived. The university announced less than a day after UNC that it would move classes online for at least two weeks and reported that 146 students and one employee had tested positive for the virus. cjhippen@syr.edu

2 aug. 27, 2020

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NEWS

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PAG E 3

aug. 27, 2020

state

Biden endorses Balter for Congress By Sarah Alessandrini asst. news editor

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee and a Syracuse University College of Law alumnus, endorsed Dana Balter’s congressional election bid. Balter, a candidate for New York’s 24th Congressional District, announced the endorsement on social media Wednesday. In the announcement she cited Biden’s work on the Affordable Care Act, a comprehensive health care reform law passed while Biden was serving as vice president under President Obama.

Last Chance for Change came together in June following nationwide protests about the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police The group hopes to create a lasting legacy in Syracuse with systemic and structural change. emma folts managing editor

city

Protest group hopes to spur change in city By Marnie Muñoz staff writer

First they grieved. Then they marched. More than a month after their protests in Syracuse concluded, Last Chance for Change organizers are trying to help the local community heal. The organization –– which formed in the wake of George Floyd’s alleged murder by Minneapolis police and went on to lead 40 days of protests in the city of Syracuse –– has shifted its efforts to supporting the local community, all while continuing to push for systemic change. The group now cleans the city and brings meals to people experiencing homelessness in Syracuse, said Nathaniel Flagg, a Syracuse native and a founder of Last Chance for Change. “We’re doing this because we actually care about the community and we want to help,” Flagg said. “We want to bring the joy and smiles back to people’s faces. Joy has been literally stripped from this community.” Last Chance for Change

marched across the city peacefully for 40 days, including on Syracuse University’s campus and past the home of Chancellor Kent Syverud. The activist organization was also one of 15 to sign the People’s Agenda for Police Reform, a series of demands to reform the Syracuse Police Department that Mayor Ben Walsh partially agreed to in July. About a month after the marches concluded, Last Chance for Change’s 10 core organizers still gather to address the conditions — including police brutality, systemic racism and the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Black people and people of color — that sparked a wave of protests across the country this summer. Protesting with Last Chance for Change was a cathartic experience, said Zahabu Gentille Rukera, a Syracuse native and a senior at SU who joined the organizers early on. “This is my home and that’s why I was protesting,” Rukera said. “My initial reasoning for going was that I knew that (police brutality) was happening in Syracuse as well.” Protesters began to see each other as family as the marches

wore on, Rukera said. As the protests became part of her daily routine, she began looking forward to seeing old and new faces each day. Rukera was excited to be part of the movement, but sometimes felt she wasn’t doing enough. Reports of more Black Americans dying in police custody have helped organizers, including herself, realize the importance of their work, which she said came at a personal cost to many

I, personally, am sick of burying my friends and my family Nathaniel Flagg

last chance for change orga-

Last Chance for Change members. Several protesters gave up their jobs to march with Last Chance for Change, she said. Rukera gave up an internship to do the same. “I had moments where I was frustrated because I had sacrificed a lot,” she said. “But I also know they

was necessary, and I had to be there and it was like my true calling. And it didn’t feel right if I had given up.” Flagg decided to help create Last Chance for Change because he had seen the damage that violence, racism and police brutality had done to his community. “I, personally, am sick of burying my friends and my family,” Flagg said. “It’s sickening. I have said goodbye more than I have said hello to anybody. And I’m tired.” Dramar Felton, a Last Chance for Chance organizer from Syracuse, said the protests also transformed his life. In the past, Felton had perpetrated violence in the city as a gang member and drug dealer, he said. Felton stood before the protesters at each march. His presence on the protest’s front lines was a way of showing the community that everyone can change, he said. “I’m able to give back to the community that I took from,” Felton said. “I was able to show my strength of what Syracuse built me into to give to Last Chance for Change and say, ‘Hey, listen, I’m not only respected in a see change page 4

on campus

Forever Orange campaign raises $884 million By Maggie Hicks asst. news editor

Syracuse University’s Forever Orange Campaign has raised $884 million to date, an increase of $40 million since the end of January. Launched in November, the campaign aims to increase the university’s endowment through private donations. The university set a goal to raise $1.5 billion from 125,000 unique donors and have 20% of SU alumni actively engaged with the university. The $884 million comes from 83,538 unique donors, said Matt Ter

Molen, chief advancement officer and senior vice president. The campaign raised about $846 million from 81,763 unique donors as of Jan. 31. In November, 9% of the university’s alumni had engaged with the campaign. The amount of engagement has since increased to 12%. Several alumni have participated virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ter Molen said. “Given all the challenges of COVID, one bright spot is that all the alumni are really interested in all the digital programming that we’re offering,” Ter Molen said. While donations to the cam-

paign slowed due to COVID-19, Ter Molen understands the decrease given the economic impacts of the pandemic. The campaign is still on track to meet its goals by the end of its five-year public phase. The university launched the Syracuse Responds fund in April to generate funding for financial aid programs, the Deans Fund and the South Campus Food Pantry. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign also shifted its focus following a wave of national protests against systemic racism and police brutality, Ter Molen said. The campaign has been pushing

to receive more support for scholarships that aid underrepresented communities and to fulfill fundraising goals the university committed to following the #NotAgainSU movement, Ter Molen said. #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, protested the university’s response to a series of racist incidents reported on campus last academic year. “We haven’t just been focused on COVID but also the campus commitments and following up on racial justice and how we support all of our students here,” he said. mehicks@syr.edu

I look forward to partnering with (Biden) to continue expanding health care coverage for everyone Dana Balter democratic candidate for ny- 24

“Because of the Vice President’s work on the ACA, 20 more million Americans have health insurance today,” Balter said in the statement. Balter launched her 2020 campaign in April 2019, after narrowly losing her first campaign to threetime incumbent Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) last November. She will again try to unseat Katko in this year’s election. Balter is a former professor in SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The 24th Congressional District includes Onondaga County, as well as all of Cayuga and Wayne Counties and some of Oswego County. Biden’s endorsement of Balter follows a series of television ads from Katko claiming that Balter’s views on health care were too liberal for Biden, Syracuse.com reported. Balter came within about 5 percentage points of beating Katko in 2018. “New Yorkers face a choice between Balter – an advocate for working families – and Rep. John Katko, who supports President Trump’s attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act,” Biden said in a statement. In the statement, shared on Balter’s Instagram and Twitter, Biden also said that he “strongly endorses” Balter for Congress because she understands the current struggles of working families in central and western New York. Last fall, Balter expressed solidarity with #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students that has protested SU’s response to a series of racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic incidents. She visited protesters at the Barnes Center at The Arch in November, where the movement held an eight-day sit-in. “I look forward to partnering with (Biden) to continue expanding health care coverage for everyone,” Balter said. scalessa@syr.edu @sarahalessan

4 aug. 27, 2020

from page 1

experts SU started its fall semester Monday, inviting students back to campus for a mix of in-person and online instruction. The university has said it will pause in-person classes and restrict students to their dorms if more than 100 students contract COVID-19 and SU loses confidence in its ability to trace additional cases. Several infections have cropped up at SU since students returned to campus, with nine current active cases among SU students in the central New York area. There are 26 students currently in quarantine. The university expected the cases, as it presumed students would arrive on campus with infections, said Dave Larsen, an associate professor and environmental epidemiologist at SU. Larsen served on SU’s Public Health and Emergency Management Subcommittee, the group tasked with advising administrators about the health implications of reopening. To prevent infected students from spreading the virus upon arrival, the university decided to conduct two rounds of testing on students before the semester even began. Students underwent a pre-arrival test before from page 3

change negative way.’” Last Chance for Chance is now focusing on organizing community events. The group most recently held an event for children in the Eastside on Aug. 21. Rukera is invested in the group’s mission to improve Syracuse from within, but everyone in the city shares that responsibility, she said. “One thing that I want people to know is that Last Chance for Change is strong and we will prevail in any struggles that we encounter,” Rukera said. “The work that we’re doing is beyond any of us and is beyond all of us combined.” The changes Last Chance for Change organizers want to see in Syracuse may not be immediate, Rukera and Flagg said. But Flagg hopes Last Chance for Change will leave a

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traveling to campus and took another test once they arrived. The back-to-back testing set SU apart from other universities that saw outbreaks after reopening, Larsen said. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame both moved to online instruction about a week after bringing students back to campus. Notre Dame sent testing kits to students in mid-July but did not test students upon their arrival to campus. UNC did not require students to get tested before coming to campus and did not test them when they arrived. The biggest factor in UNC and Notre Dame’s inability to reopen successfully was the high presence of the COVID-19 in their respective communities beyond campus, Larsen and Gump said. Neither university should have reopened given the high COVID19 positivity rates in their states, they said. Indiana, where Notre Dame is located, had a 7-day positivity rate of 7.8% on Aug. 18 when the university moved classes online, according to WNDU-TV. North Carolina reported a similar positivity rate of 7% when UNC closed Aug. 17. New York state’s daily positivity rate recently fell below 1%. meaningful legacy in Syracuse. “We chant and shout the names of people who died all over that was Black, white, male, female, who lost their lives to police brutality,” Flagg said. “Their lives matter just as much as ours. But we have to make sure that our city is straight before we worry about what’s going on in somebody else’s city.” Flagg hopes to march again in the future. Rukera wants to organize another protest for Jacob Blake, a Black man who police shot in the back multiple times in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday. Ultimately, Flagg wants the city to know that Last Chance for Change organizers are just trying to make a difference, he said. “None of us are angry Black men,” he said. “None of us are angry Black women. We’re all humble, broken people building each other up as we build up our community.” ammunozc@syr.edu

“We wouldn’t try this if we were in the same situation as UNC and Notre Dame,” Larsen said. The U.S. as a whole still remains at risk for a second wave of COVID-19 infections, said Kathryn Anderson, an expert in infectious diseases and global health at Upstate Medical University. Anderson’s concerned that transmission of the virus will increase during the cold weather months as people spend time indoors. But she’s hopeful that central New York is prepared to control and slow the spread of cases if transmission does begin to rise again. “What we as a community should be doing to prepare is take a step back and look at the larger picture for our community,” Anderson said. “If our priorities are, ‘we want our neighbors to get back to work and our kids to get back to school,’ we cannot go into the fall and be frivolous with our adherence to these measures.” Larsen expects transmission rates to start rising in mid-September and anticipates that many universities in the country will transition to online instruction at that point, particularly those in hotspot states. SU students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break and will instead take their final exams virtually. This measure will

prevent students who are returning home to hotspot states from bringing the virus back to central New York, Larsen said. Overall, SU should be able to remain open until the end of the fall semester so long as it can quickly control infections when they arise, Larsen said. “If we’re still seeing (numbers) rise, that’ll be a concern, but I’m optimistic,” Larsen said. Bringing SU students back to campus does not pose a risk to the greater Syracuse community “in the way that it was done,” Gump said. Anderson is hopeful that central New York will maintain a low, stable transmission rate going into the spring. “It’s just going to be dependent on how the community can keep up these measures,” she said. Larsen was pleased with the way SU listened to science and public health experts when establishing its guidelines. If central New York can prevent a serious outbreak of the virus, so can SU, he said. “I do not think that it’s inevitable that we will see a spike here in Onondaga County, or here in New York,” Larsen said. “I think it’s a challenge, and I hope we rise to that challenge, but it’s not inevitable.”

The group marched for 40 days, crossing various parts of the city including the Syracuse University campus. emma folts managing editor

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OPINION

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PAG E 5

aug. 27, 2020

finance

A guide to dorming COVID-19 style

Reusable masks are an eco-friendly alternative

elcome incoming freshmen! You must be filled with excitement for all that you’ll experience in your dorms and classrooms this fall. Now that classes have begun, here’s a brief guide to help you save money throughout your first semester at Syracuse University. As someone who was once an anxious and excited incoming freshman at SU, I know how easy over-preparing and overcrowding your room can be. Unnecessary knick-knacks, the entire snack aisle at Costco, four cases of water — I’ve seen it all. But your dorm is small. Like, very small. Despite how spacious your room may seem when you first walk in, once you’ve dragged in five buckets of stuff, it suddenly doesn’t look as spacious. Don’t forget: you also have to be able to comfortably live in your dorm, especially this semester. I anticipate that much of our time will now be spent in our residence halls. That being said, have a “COVID corner!” Dedicate one shelf to all things pandemic-related. You could get a hook for your masks and a shelf for your hand sanitizer, gloves and Clorox wipes. I’ve noticed many places selling bulk-size

bottles of hand sanitizer instead of travel size bottles, which may not be helpful for daily use. To save money, you can use the larger bottles to refill travel smaller ones to store in your backpack. Also, bring your own bags! New York state recently banned singleuse plastic bags, only allowing stores to offer produce bags and reusable plastic bags. If you plan on going grocery shopping, bring some reusable bags from home. You can also bring single-use bags from home to use as garbage bags in your dorm, which will save yourself from having to buy a box of them. And please, get rid of all the throw pillows. My roommate had five throw pillows placed perfectly on her bed on move-in day, and they lasted about just as long. For the remaining semester they lived on the ground or under her bed, collecting large amounts of dust and dirt. I witnessed the same tragic story in countless friends’ dorms. Instead, save yourself a couple of bucks. I find that about two pillows make for a functional and cozy environment without the hassle. Invest in a vacuum or a Swiffer sweeper depending on if your dorm is carpet or hardwood. I’ve found

that something similar to a Swivel Sweeper gets the job done best. Cleaning regularly, especially this fall, will be crucial to maintaining a clean and tidy living environment and helping you have a successful semester. If you’re an avid coffee drinker, consider purchasing a Keurig. You can get one for $60. If you can save money and avoid high-traffic areas, such as the Starbucks on Marshall Street, why not. If you live in Brewster, Boland, Brockway, Lawrinson and Sadler halls, you also have the convenience of the West Campus Starbucks, which accepts SUpercard money. If you want to learn more about strategic saving, budgeting, investing and student loans, check out SU’s Office of Financial Literacy. We offer one-on-one virtual coaching sessions with a Smart Money Coach, such as myself, who are trained to help students in various personal finance topics. You can even make an appointment through OrangeSUccess. Andrea Lan is a junior finance major. She is a Smart Money coach in the Office of Financial Literacy. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at alan01@g.syr.edu.

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“The University encourages individuals to properly dispose of damaged or discarded masks … in the trash.” This sentiment is exemplary of the fact a disposable mask cannot be recycled. Meanwhile, disposable masks are commonly made of materials such as polypropylene and polystyrene, two carbon-intensive materials that never biodegrade and release harmful toxins when incinerated. Disposable masks are a necessity in the hospital, not at school or a nonsterile public setting. Hospitals require disposable masks for their sterility and protection. For public use, the CDC notes that the primary use of a face covering is to protect those around the wearer. This means any dual-layered reusable mask serves the same purpose as disposable masks. The difference between disposable masks and reusable masks is not their function, as both protect others from the wearer, instead the environmental impact of disposables raises the ethical decision one must make when choosing a mask. As a student, wearing a mask is a responsibility. However, a disposable mask over a reusable mask is not the real responsible choice. SU students have been provided with reusable masks upon arrival to campus. Additionally, Weber commented that when in public, “Faculty, staff and students at the University… will be encouraged to use (reusable masks) in lieu of disposable masks.” Making reusable masks conveniently available for students can be a model for a national campaign on mask wearing and reusables. If wearing a mask is the responsible act, the environment must be considered when choosing a mask. Wearing a reusable mask at SU is the responsible alternative to disposables. Reusables should not be a matter of convenience. Just as campaigns against plastic pollution arose before the pandemic, people need to recognize how their choice of mask impacts the environment. Refusing disposable masks in favor of reusables is the minimum you can do to help save the environment and communities from unnecessary plastic pollution during the pandemic.

Harrison Vogt is a sophomore environment sustainability policy and communication and rhetorical studies dual major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at hevogt@ syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @VogtHarrison

thd y bir ay Virg p o ap

Letter to the Editor policy

illustration by sarah allam illustration editor

or months, health care professionals have pushed the idea that mask-wearing is a key to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in public places. In response, millions have donned masks as a collective fight against the spread of the virus. This is based on the simple notion that wearing a mask protects others from what the wearer may spread. Meanwhile, an astronomical increase in maskwearing has created unintended environmental consequences. Each month, it is estimated 129 billion disposable masks are used globally. This means an incomprehensible 1.5 trillion disposable masks will be used in the next year. Meanwhile, disposable masks aren’t really disposable, like their name implies. Instead, discarded masks are sent to landfills where they never biodegrade and contribute to environmental litter that, before the pandemic, was just beginning to be cleaned up. The United Nations estimates an increase in pollution from pandemic waste will cost $40 billion in damage to tourism and fisheries industries across the globe. Disposable masks serve the same purpose for the public as proper reusable masks but account for nearly all the pollution from masks. Outside the sterile environments of hospitals and food service, opting for a reusable mask over a disposable mask must be the solution. However, there is no large-scale incentive to encourage the public to do this. Reluctance to switch to reusable masks is rooted in the convenience of their single-use counterparts. Both protect others from the wearer. However, disposable masks are readily available whether someone has a reusable mask or not. At Syracuse University, a portion of the 3.4 million disposable masks the school acquired will be available for visitors. This means if a visitor forgets a mask, it would not matter: a disposable mask would be provided. This is a practice that is commonly found across the nation for the safety of people in public places. However, the widespread availability of disposable masks is too wasteful when the simple solution is to wear a reusable mask instead. In the public setting, a disposable mask puts an unnecessary burden on an already impacted environment. Christine Weber, public information and internal communications officer of the SU Campus Safety and Emergency Services department explained,

discretion of The D.O.’s editor-inchief and managing editor • Any links to third-party websites will also be published at the discretion of the editor-inchief and managing editor • All letters will be edited for style and grammar Thank you in advance for following these guidelines.

illustration by emily steinberger photo editor

6 aug. 27, 2020

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CULTURE

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PAG E 7

aug. 27, 2020

Musicians longing for live music

from the studio

Galleries resume in-person exhibits By Mandy Kraynak culture editor

Art galleries including Syracuse University Art Museum, Point of Contact Gallery and ArtRage Gallery are hosting some of their first in-person exhibitions after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ArtRage will open on Sept. 3 and is featuring an exhibition by local painter and editorial cartoonist Tim Atseff. Kimberley McCoy, the community engagement organizer at ArtRage, said the gallery has changed a lot to adapt to the pandemic. The gallery is open for reservation only, and about eight people are allowed into the gallery at once.

illustration by cassie cavallaro asst. illustration editor

Local musicians have lost gigs due to the pandemic and don’t know when they can perform again By Austin Lamb

asst. digital editor

hile playing a gig in downtown Syracuse about a decade ago, Colin Aberdeen met a woman named Diana, who had terminal cancer. Given a few months to live, she was there to check an item off her bucket list: see Aberdeen’s roots and blues band, Los Blancos, play Shifty’s Bar and Grill. She would returned several more times and became fast friends with Aberdeen, giving him a greater sense of

It is like being amputated from a form of unbelievably moving group therapy Colin Aberdeen los blancos band member

purpose in his band and an understanding of the community that live music creates. “When people think that playing music at a little local corner bar is insignificant or has no meaning, I would challenge that to the core of my being,” Aberdeen said. It’s moments like that, Aberdeen said, that have taught him the value of live music. And it’s the social connection of performing that musicians like Aberdeen have missed most since New York state prohibited live music performances in see music page 9

slice of life

Design student launches 2nd fashion collection By Mandy Kraynak culture editor

Yianni Biniaris created a bag out of scraps left over from his past year of design at Syracuse University. The Mikro Clutch bag, which sold out a few days ago, is one of the items in the second collection of Treeasun, a sustainable brand that Biniaris created. Treeasun started with just bags, then Biniaris expanded the business to include shirts as well. The new collection utilizes the element of repurposing scraps to make the bags. At first, Biniaris would post designs that he made for friends, but then people started wanting to buy

his designs, he said. Instead of throwing away extra zippers, chains and scraps of fabric, Biniaris uses these materials to create new bags. While the first line of shirts were basic fitness T-shirts, additional shirts made out of plastic bottles will be released next week, Biniaris said. The brand is also tracking its greenhouse gas and carbon footprint, Biniaris said. “It’s like being a cook. You don’t want to just throw out the excess ingredients, and you could be using that for something else,” said Alex Pugliese, Biniaris’ friend from high school who has known about the brand since Biniaris came up with

the name. Biniaris makes all the bags in the collection himself. He cuts and sews the fabric and paints his signature. Biniaris usually makes two or three bags a day, and each takes about 45 minutes to make. Biniaris realized being a sustainable brand is possible after working as a designer at two other brands in the past. “It’s doable. It helps you. It helps everyone. So why not?” he said. Treeasun’s manufacturer, Spectrum Design, is a nonprofit organization that employs children with autism. Biniaris chose Spectrum Design because it was close to his

hometown. He also supported the company’s cause, he said. Each bag that Biniaris makes is intentionally designed to be different from every other bag. “When you wear something that you know only you have, it brings out this kind of feeling that’s like, ‘Wow, this is cool. No one else in the world has this but me,’” he said. During quarantine, Biniaris ref lected on how he could improve his brand and decided to create a website. He now works with a team of four other ambassadors and hopes to add more to grow the brand. Biniaris said that see treeasun page 9

I’m not sure that we can necessarily convey the depths of their beauty all in just online Sarah Falice point of contact

Admission to the gallery is still free, but guests must sign up in advance. Guests are also required to wear masks and practice social distancing, and hand sanitizer is provided at the door. The biggest change ArtRage will implement is that it will not host community events or opening receptions. In the past, many community members would come in for reception events, McCoy said. ArtRage is also holding virtual exhibitions so people can experience the artwork without physically going into the gallery. The virtual exhibitions will use Google Slides and will take viewers through the works of art in the exhibition while giving them a 360 degree view of the gallery. The virtual exhibitions will also include the text that would be displayed on the wall in a physical exhibition. Point of Contact Gallery is also open to visitors who make appointments ahead, said director Sara Felice. Visitors can call, email or access a form to make an appointment. The gallery is currently installing an exhibition called “Rewriting History” from Haitian-American artist Fabiola Jean Louis. In today’s current moment, art can draw attention to calls for social change, Felice said. “I’m hoping that we’re seeing a lot more social change from this. There’s so much more going on right now than just COVID, and I think art has definitely paved the way for social movements,” Felice said. “And I think it’s important for museums or galleries to be

see galleries page 9

8 aug.27, 2020

from page 8

music March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although venues with liquor licenses can provide live music under phase four, they must reduce building capacity by half of the maximum and follow social distancing guidelines. The venues also cannot sell tickets to performances, leaving musicians uncertain of when live music will fully return. “It is like being amputated from a form of unbelievably moving group therapy,” Aberdeen said. “It’s way more than just the loss of gainful employment.” Byron Cage was shocked when he learned in March that performing would be suspended indefinitely. As a drummer for a variety of musicians and groups around central New York, Cage had been playing at least five nights a week and would sometimes tour overseas. But when the pandemic struck, months of performing were postponed or cancelled. With performances temporarily on hold, musicians now lack the ability to do what they’ve dedicated much of their lives to. When you want to perform every day, you miss it even when you take a week or weekend off, not to mention months, Cage said.

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“At first, it was really tough just imagining a world or time period where I’m not doing what I believe I’m made to do, what I’m built for. I am a musician. That’s me to the core,” he said. “So, for me to not be able to do that — it was really hurtful, man.” Musicians still found ways to express themselves virtually when they were unable to perform in person earlier in the pandemic. Aberdeen had always thought of cameras as a way to capture the world around him, not himself. But that changed when his neighbors asked him to play an online gig for them last spring over Facebook Live. Aberdeen said he wasn’t “hip to that,” and he was skeptical of playing online. “I would never think to set up my phone and blast myself out to the universe playing a gig prior,” he said. “I very much thought of that as kind of, maybe, slightly, overly narcissistic.” Without any other options, and reminded by a friend that the “hallmark of species that survive is adaptation,” Aberdeen gave it a try. He has since performed a weekly virtual show. He hasn’t gotten rich from it, and it’s not the same as playing in person, he said. But the performances allow him to stay afloat through PayPal and Venmo tips.

For singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Jess Novak, performing virtually has cultivated a new audience and kept her practicing. “Anyone who’s a musician knows you can’t just stop playing and then start back up in six months. It doesn’t work like that,” she said. “You have to keep working at it every day.” Novak, who leads the Jess Novak Band and also plays solo gigs, has been streaming solo shows on Twitch nearly every day. Compared to the “small market” in Syracuse and the limited reach of playing in the Northeast, her Twitch performances have attracted a larger audience, she said. And although the shows are free, she has a sponsorship from a company and receives donations. As New York state has continued to reopen, musicians have slowly picked up performing in person again. Novak, Aberdeen and other musicians have been playing small, socially distanced gigs outdoors with their bands. Although she’s had “some time of seminormalcy,” Novak said her weather-dependent gigs will likely end once it gets cold again, and she expects to be back on full unemployment. This summer, her busiest time of the year, the pandemic cut at least half of her income. Looking forward, many musicians are still unsure of when, or if, live music will return to

what it was before the pandemic. “I really have a hard time seeing 1,500 people being able to stand next to each other any time too soon,” said Charley Orlando, a singer-songwriter and talent buyer for Funk n’ Waffles. What venues can do in the meantime, though, is use streaming as a supplement to performances until they can return to full capacity, he said. If people want to engage in shows but can’t be there in person, venues need to stream the performances and sell tickets. Eventually, when all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted from live music, many musicians will be ready. Fred Kuepper is a guitarist and vocalist for Full Sail, an acoustic classic rock cover band that has played around central New York for 22 years. Performing isn’t his full time job, but he’s wary of how the lack of concerts could be devastating for full-time musicians. “As soon as they say it’s OK to go to bars or restaurants and listen to music and have dinner and have drinks again, I want to be the band that’s playing that week,” he said. “Could you imagine the crowds? Wow.”

from page 8

Art Museum also recently held a virtual “Art at Home” series in which artists gave talks about their work. An exhibit called “Being Human” is currently on view at the museum. Art exhibits foster dialogue and help people with mindfulness, Malloy said. “Art offers access to something that provides good mindfulness: introspection, thinking about bigger ideas and how they relate to yourself,” she said. “But I also think it offers an opportunity to come together with people that you might not otherwise in normal life be in the same classes with or work in the same building with.”

galleries able to show this work.” She added that viewing art virtually is not the same as viewing it in person. “I’m not sure that we can necessarily convey the depths of their beauty all in just online,” she said. The SU Art Museum opened on Tuesday for SU students, faculty and staff without appointment. It is also open to class visits that are booked in advance, said Vanja Malloy, the museum’s director and chief curator. Some classes have already made successful visits to the exhibition, said Malloy. The SU Displaying the exhibit “Being Human,” SU Art Museum opened for students, faculty and staff on Tuesday. courtesy of vanja malloy

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from page 8

treeasun everyone has a brand these days, but he would like to see more collaboration. The name Treeasun aims to reframe the negative word treason. The brand Treeasun is about standing out and not succumbing to a herd mentality. Pugliese met Biniaris in high school and has stayed close friends with him

austin@dailyorange.com

ackrayna@syr.edu

since. Pugliese said Biniaris is ambitious and sometimes does all the production for his brand himself. Pugliese has experience in e-commerce, so he helped Biniaris with his website and taught him how to use Shopify, he said. “I always hear from his customers, and they love the bags because he puts a lot of effort into them,” Pugliese said. “And that’s just the Yianni I know. He’s just a very hardworking and ambitious person.” ackrayna@syr.edu

BLENDED TO FUEL YOUR PASSION.

YIANNI BINIARIS makes Treeasun bags from recycled materials. It takes him about 45 minutes to make each bag. corey henry senior staff photographer

aug. 27, 2020 9

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from page 12

club sports softball and primarily individual sports — are able to practice, but everyone else is limited in what they can do. In a July 27 email to club sports presidents, director of recreation Matthew Hackett said that “small group, no-contact physical conditioning,” with no more than 10 members would be permitted. For many teams, that means less than half of its athletes can condition at a time. Sports that are allowed to operate this fall must follow the Stay Safe Pledge by wearing masks and social distancing during practices and competitions, Hackett said. In accordance with the pledge, clubs are not allowed to leave central New York to compete and SU will not be hosting any club sports competitions. “Should guidance change, we will notify you immediately to begin discussions on resuming regular activity,” Hackett said in the email. Like ice hockey, roller hockey is not able to practice this fall outside of 10-person conditioning. Its practices are held indoors, and even while wearing masks, it is difficult to maintain social distancing while skating. Despite not being able to practice properly, the management team is thinking of ways to keep players together during the semester. The social distancing and mask mandate will make it hard for the team to practice shooting on goalies, though, recruiting chair Ethan Clearfield said. “We brought some outdoor wheels, so we’ll just kinda skate around campus, try to get together as a team, do some passing,” Clearfield said. One team that hopes to play this fall is club curling. Outside groups are not allowed at Tennity Ice Pavilion this year, so the team will have more time available for open practices on campus. However, the Utica Curling Club, where weekly practices are usually held, has yet to determine if it will open this year — and President Chris Lorenz doesn’t know if he wants to risk

driving the team an hour away to practice every week. While they were cleared to play this semester, Lorenz doesn’t know how new circumstances may affect recruiting. The sports club fair will be held virtually this year instead of on the Quad like past years. “No one really knows about the club, coming in saying ‘Oh I want to do curling,’” Lorenz said. “It’s just kind of something where (people) saw curling and thought ‘Oh that could be fun.’” In place of competitions, SU will be playing against other schools in online curling games. Even without physical competition, Lorenz said he enjoys the social aspect of being able to interact with other teams, even if it’s virtually. National championships are still scheduled for March 7-14, and he remains optimistic that they will be able to compete in-person by spring. Even spring sports like men’s volleyball have been affected by a lack of practices. The team usually has tryouts near the beginning of September, with practices and small tournaments held throughout the fall to prepare for a full spring season. Now, they’ll be lucky to hold tryouts at all, captain Eric Lee said. He’s trying to have practices in the fall and is working with club sports supervisors to plan outdoor practices for smaller groups. “In the spring, everyone already found their niche,” Lee said. “So we always have tryouts in the fall.” The SU club tennis team needs to follow the United States Tennis Association’s rules in addition to the university’s COVID-19 guidelines. While SU said the team could operate this semester, the USTA canceled all events in the fall and has given no indication if they will continue in the spring. Team captain Ryan Arbogast said they are hoping to have tryouts and practices in small groups at outdoor tennis courts. “All the events were canceled about a couple weeks ago with no goal of moving or postponing,” Arbogast said. “I don’t think (we’re) necessarily a priority when things like the U.S. Open are going on.”

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field hockey

Field hockey graduates lean on former teammates By Thomas Shults asst. copy editor

Emma Russell wanted to see the West Coast again before leaving the United States and Syracuse. So, in late May 2016, Russell and field hockey teammate Alma Fenne headed to California where they went whale watching in Monterey, visited Yosemite National Park and stayed with Russell’s uncle for 10 days. Eventually, the two went north to Oregon to watch some friends on the Syracuse track and field team compete in the national championships. After that, the pair headed back to Syracuse one last time before Russell departed for New York City, where she boarded a flight to Ireland. This time, she only needed a one-way ticket. After calling Syracuse home for four years, Russell said it was difficult to leave. It’s more than leaving field hockey behind, 2018 alum Lies Lagerweij said. For players leaving Syracuse and their teammates and coaches, the post-graduation adjustment is difficult, Lagerweij said. Moments and rituals — like horoscope Mondays, a weekly from page 12

dabbundo For SU athletes, they’re on official school business. “University sanctioned travel will include added safety precautions to protect the health and well-being of our students, as well as our broader community when they return to campus,” Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Jeff Stoecker said in a statement to The Daily Orange on July 15. “We expect that any student who travels away from campus will respect and uphold the spirit of the pledge.” As much as Syracuse head coach Dino Babers likes to call Syracuse’s traveling contingent on a “contained bubble,” that’s not actually possible. Wildhack said on Tuesday that the ACC hasn’t yet finalized a COVID-19 testing protocol outlining how many times per week athletes will be tested and how close to athletic competitions these tests will occur. Syracuse athletes are currently being tested weekly, and that will rise to three times weekly starting Sept. 7. There’s inherent risk in taking an entire football team plus essential staff down to a COVID-19 hotspot, and the Orange will make four trips from page 12

beat writers The success of the line could hinge on the status of Florida transfer Chris Bleich, who is still waiting to learn if he’s eligible to play in 2020. My concerns with the 2020 SU offense lie elsewhere. Danny Emerman: It’s a concern, for sure. Syracuse had the fifth worst sack rate (12%) out of all 130 FBS programs last year, according to Football Outsiders. They were banged up, overtaxed and playing out of position practically all year, leaving quarterback Tommy DeVito running for his life. And though the only place for the O-line to go is up, Babers has already cast concern over this year’s group. When asked about the unit on Monday, Babers hinted that the group already has some injuries and might not be at full strength until late September or early October. Add Bleich’s still pending eligibility ruling, and a huge improvement looks even less likely. They’ll be better, but a negligible boost won’t do much. Adam Hillman: I’m not sure how the offensive line can be much worse. The unit allowed 24 sacks over a three-game stretch and became the scapegoat loss after loss. I do expect the offensive line to improve, but that’s not saying much. Carlos Vettorello will continue to snap the ball to DeVito, as he did late in the season, and Airon Servais can return to his natural position at left tackle. If Bleich is cleared in time, that’s a huge boost to the interior part of the line. But to me, the biggest factor is Matthew Bergeron. The Quebec native stepped in late in the season and helped anchor the right side of

team event at Recess Coffee where players read each other’s horoscopes — were the hardest to let go, she said. “The simple things like getting changed in the locker room and listening to music together and hanging out before games, going to Bruegger’s for breakfast, just little rituals like that,” Lagerweij said. “I miss those a lot.” Lagerweij still sees former teammates Roos Weers and Borg van der Velde from time to time, since all three live in the Netherlands. And Russell visits from Ireland in her spare time. Like any alumna, Weers misses her friends from SU, but it’s Syracuse’s field hockey program that she misses most. That includes Corey Parker, the strength and conditioning coach who was key throughout Weers’ collegiate career, the woman who cleaned the locker room before the team’s 7 a.m. practices, and the lady who sat at the front desk of Stevenson Educational Center where athletes met with academic tutors. Since graduating, Russell has had to cope with a loss of team spirit and com-

munity. In addition to four hours a day on the field with her teammates, they also ate together every night. Teammates used to wander across South Campus and into Russell and Lagerweij’s apartment, which served as a meeting hub because of its proximity to Manley Field House, Russell said. Now, Russell relies on video calls to stay in touch with her teammates. “It really did take me nearly a year to kind of settle back in and kind of adjust to a new lifestyle a little bit,” Russell said. While Russell trained with the team once a week during the spring before she graduated, she talked with Lauren Brooks, an SU alum assisting the team during the fall 2015 season, about the upcoming transition. Brooks was helpful because she understood the difficulties, Russell said. Two years later, when Lagerweij wrapped up her college career, she turned to Russell with the same questions about life after graduation. Because of the team’s lack of a hierarchy, Lagerweij said that once younger players became the leaders of the team, they felt

comfortable turning to former teammates for post-graduation advice. “Graduation is a very mixed feeling, because yes, you’re excited about what’s to come,” Lagerweij said. “But still it’s just really hard to leave a place where you’ve been for so long, that’s been your home for so long.” For Lagerweij, she’ll always remember the time she returned to her dorm after visiting the hospital with a knee injury. Once she opened her door, she saw all her freshman teammates with a cookie cake and a card. While on a recruiting visit to Syracuse, she didn’t believe that her team would become like family — but after her freshman season, she changed her mind. Leaving a team of people who she spent countless hours around was challenging for everyone, but Russell understood the importance of transitioning away. It takes time, Russell said, but eventually she was ready. “When everyone’s kind of moving on, it’s easier for you to, to kind of get a move on as well,” Russell said.

in 2020 to states currently on New York travel advisory. SU Athletics and more importantly, its athletes and staff should be commended for developing and following safety protocols that have kept coronavirus cases so low among athletes. As multiple schools around the country had to cancel workouts due to COVID-19 clusters, Syracuse kept its numbers down, as we finally learned when Wildhack released the testing numbers on Aug. 14. Five positive total tests, zero active cases and more than 1,750 tests completed. It shouldn’t have taken that long to release data, and more transparency from SU Athletics could’ve gone a long way toward improving the chances of college football this fall. No one asked for specific names, but the school owes it to the community — and other colleges nationwide — to inform them of how safe or unsafe the operation is. In June, Wildhack called the number of positive tests a “news item” and said that Syracuse would not be releasing any information about positive test results. For all of June, all of July and half of August, Babers praised SU’s protocols and his players and said they’d “be in the final four” of top

schools on testing. “They don’t have to give out their numbers,” Babers said of SU on Aug. 10. “I’m falling in line with the rules of Syracuse University being a private university and not having to spit those numbers out.” W hen Wildhack was asked Tuesday why SU Athletics changed course and released the numbers on Aug. 14, he cited coordination with the university-wide COVID-19 dashboard, which launched a week prior to the release of SU Athletics’ testing numbers. Coincidentally, Wildhack decided to release the numbers one day after SU football players sat out practice after a miscommunication in testing protocols and ESPN’s morning show “Get Up” ran a segment where popular commentators Mike Greenberg and Paul Finebaum criticized the school for its handling of testing of athletes. Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito said on Tuesday that he’d like to see schools release the results of their testing protocols. He’s not asking for names. No one is. But the number of positives is important. “But to have schools come out and say, ‘Alright, this was this week, there were zero postives and this many negatives,’ I think that would be good,” DeVito said.

College athletics, football in particular, has long exploited players for profit. The argument of doing ‘what’s best for players’ conveniently leaves out that the players are getting a pretty raw deal — forced to comply with NCAA rules while not profiting a dime — compared to university executives, trustees, and decision-makers. Some decision-makers have been more honest about the situation facing schools. When Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard addressed fans in a letter in July, he didn’t mince words or mislead. His honesty was refreshing in a time when colleges continue to try to hold off the inevitable tsunami of college athlete empowerment and incoming name, image and likeness rights for players. “Some people have incorrectly framed the issue as safety versus revenue generation,” Pollard wrote. “The simple fact is that reality lies somewhere in the middle.” If schools want to try to play college football this fall, they can. But let’s not forget about what’s really most important for schools, who’s really taking on all of the risk for none of the reward and how college athletics could be forever changed after this pandemic.

tgshults@syr.edu | @ThomasShults_

amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo

the line. He wasn’t fantastic, but the offensive line stopped allowing defenders to pass right through. SU only allowed five sacks over its last three games of the season. I expect the late 2019 version of the offensive line to show up in 2020.

2. Syracuse lost Trishton Jackson, its No. 1 receiver from last season, to the NFL. Is Taj Harris capable of becoming DeVito’s top wideout or will that belong to someone else? A.D.: Harris has to be the Orange’s number one option at receiver, and he has to prove he can consistently perform in that role. Expecting him to match the production of Jamal Custis or Jackson from years past may be a big ask, but he has to be more than a deep threat in 2020. SU isn’t an explosive offense and has never relied on offensive explosiveness to be successful under Babers. The receivers who thrive most in the system have created separation both off the line of scrimmage and at the top of their intermediate-range routes. Harris has proven he can be a deep threat — averaging 15.1 yards per reception and catching a 94-yard touchdown against Pittsburgh — and now he has to prove he can create separation and have reliable hands. D.E.: Back in the spring, DeVito gave no clues as to which receiver might become the No. 1 option. Granted, the team hadn’t even put the pads on yet, but DeVito said March 8 that he’s “looking forward to (seeing) who steps up.” For the past four seasons, Syracuse’s up-tempo offense has led to at least one receiver topping 900 yards. That streak will almost certainly end this year. It’s impos-

MATTHEW BERGERON to the Orange this fall.

is one of four starting offensive linemen who will return max freund staff photographer

sible to say anything definitive about Harris without getting a glimpse of him either in the spring or during training camp, but he said in March that he’s trying to put on weight, something that’s given him trouble at SU. A.H.: Harris seems to be the most-likely answer to that question. He’s lightning fast and was DeVito’s clear No. 2 option last year. I’m just not sold on him. He’s had big games, including touchdowns against Pittsburgh and Holy Cross. But I’m not confident Harris can be a high-volume receiver in the ACC at 164 pounds. That being said,

I don’t know who else steps into that role. Senior Nykeim Johnson makes the most sense as an alternative. He topped 500 yards in 2018 but only caught 19 passes last year. Other than that, Ed Hendrix missed his first two seasons with knee injuries, and no one else at the position except Sharod Johnson has caught more than one pass. I’d bet on Harris, but I wouldn’t count out Nykeim Johnson. See dailyorange.com for full story

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aug. 27, 2020 11

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SPORTS

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PAG E 12

aug. 27, 2020

football

SU travel plans reveal bubble flaws

Beat writers preview season By The Daily Orange Sports Staff

The Orange are coming off a disappointing 2019 year as they head into the season opener against North Carolina on Sept. 12. Syracuse is currently “behind” in preparation for its season opener due to the coronavirus, and head coach Dino Babers is still unsure about which of his players will optout of the fall season. Before the season kicks off, our beat writers discussed pressing questions about Syracuse football and the 2020 season.

1. The offensive line struggled throughout all of last season — only two NCAA teams (Old Dominion and Akron) allowed more sacks than Syracuse’s 50. Do you see that position being a concern again for the Orange in 2020?

Syracuse will travel to four states on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 14-day quarantine list this season, starting with North Carolina in its season-opener. courtesy su athletics

Dabbundo: Football plan dismantles bubble, challenges reality of NCAA amateurism

few weeks ago, the chances of college football seemed near zero. Syracuse football players sat out four separate practices, and multiple Power 5 conferences postponed their fall seasons. Since then, though, many of the Orange’s players’ concerns about playing football in 2020 have faded as the season-opener against North Carolina on Sept. 12 nears. But that comfort shouldn’t take away from ANTHONY the underlying truths: The NCA A DABBUNDO has already canceled fall champiDA B ON ‘ EM onships and multiple conferences have canceled fall football. The ACC’s risk of sending athletes up and down the eastern seaboard is extraordinary. Money, not safety, is still driving the decision-making. John Wildhack said on Tuesday that Syracuse still plans to compete in sports this fall. That means Syracuse football players — who have largely been separated from groups outside of themselves and not exposed to the coronavirus in at least six weeks — will take an airplane to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to play football against the Tar Heels on Sept. 12. They’ll abandon their bubble for another one that just popped. UNC has already closed its campus and went fully online because of a large coronavirus outbreak — recently reporting a 31.3% positivity rate among tests that had

been completed. Head coach Mack Brown suggested that the campus closure is a competitive advantage and a “better seal around our program,” showing where the balance truly lies in the “student-athlete” term that the NCAA has used for decades. The ACC isn’t the MLB. Its athletes aren’t professionals. And SU can’t reasonably leave its own bubble while still claiming to fly under the flag of amateurism. High-level college football has long exploited athletes who receive zero financial compensation from their schools while bringing in millions of revenue dollars each year. Now that the schools and athletic departments are facing cutbacks on teams, scholarships and staff, college football is facing a potential revenue disaster if there’s no 2020 season. No fans are bad enough. No TV revenue could be armageddon. So now, under the failing facade of amateurism and supposedly putting athletes’ safety and health first, multiple Power 5 conferences, including the ACC, are going to try to play football this year. For Syracuse, that starts in Chapel Hill. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo still has North Carolina on the mandatory 14-day quarantine list for any person returning to New York. Syracuse University has mandated that students sign a “Stay Safe Pledge” and not leave the central New York region, yet athletes have been exempted from this part of the pledge. If an ordinary SU student took that trip to North Carolina, they could face disciplinary action or suspension.

(SU players will) abandon their bubble for another one that just popped. Anthony Dabbundo

see dabbundo page 10

Anthony Dabbundo: I’m more bullish on the Syracuse offensive line than most people, even if it may not look great in the first few weeks of the season. Babers hinted on Monday that there are injuries currently, but at full health, the returning continuity is really important and underrated. I’m expecting offensive line play to be significantly worse across the conferences still playing football in 2020, and there are reasons to be optimistic that a line returning four starters could make a leap and be average in the ACC in see beat

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club sports

Club sports prepare for limited fall season By Allie Kaylor

asst. copy editor

In a normal year, SU men’s club hockey would be in the middle of tryouts by the first week of class. Recruiting starts as soon as students begin returning to campus, and a roster is set by the end of the week. Instead, Director of Operations Bridget Essing is trying to figure out how to manage a semester without practice and games. The team was not given clearance by the university to practice or compete, meaning for the first time since its founding in 1959, there will not be a club hockey season at Syracuse. This is the reality that the 50-plus club sports at SU are facing this semester. Teams that SU determined could social distance properly — including baseball, see club

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