Sept. 2, 2021

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The lawsuit alleges that Syracuse University officials violated federal Title IX policies

By Skyler Rivera and Michael Sessa the daily orange

A

former Syracuse University student is suing the university and two of its officials, claiming they were “deliberately indifferent” and negligent to her complaints of assault and sexual harassment by former lacrosse player Chase Scanlan. The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, names Director of Athletics John Wildhack and former men’s

lacrosse coach John Desko, as well as SU, as defendants. SU officials violated federal Title IX policies and failed to appropriately address reports that Scanlan had assaulted multiple students, the civil rights action alleges. The university did not suspend Scanlan until months after it learned of his prior history of violence and reported assaults, the suit claims. The plaintiff is requesting monetary compensation and injunctive relief that would require SU to obtain outside experts to institute see lawsuit page 4

obituary

John Lewis Aldridge remembered for pushing expectations By Kyle Chouinard asst. news editor

John Lewis Aldridge pushed past expectations. No matter the field, Aldridge went farther than others around him could initially see. “He seemed like somebody who would never accept that things as they are have to be the way they are,” Grant Stewart, a friend of Aldridge, said of his work and life. Aldridge was a graduate student in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies pursuing a master’s degree in library and information sciences. Aldridge died on July 8 at age 28 after being struck by a car in his home state of North Carolina. Aldridge’s lack of acceptance for

things as they were manifested itself largely in his music and art. During his time at University of North Carolina Wilmington, Aldridge involved himself in the school’s student radio station: Hawkstream Radio. Bill Nome served in an advisory role for the station while Aldridge was a member. Hawkstream, though, had a problem. “We don’t have a broadcast curriculum here,” Nome said of UNC Wilmington. A lack of funding, a lack of expert advice and a lack of overall support did not seem to deter Aldridge. In his second year with the program, he was nominated to be the station’s president. While every member of Hawkstream Radio was pushing past

the expected by producing content without support, Aldridge led the group. “Some of the first initiatives that he put in place was to get Hawkstream not only better recognized by the campus community, but off campus as well,” Nome said. “He started recording at first for some of the live bands on campus, and then he started sending live DJs to off-campus venues like clubs and restaurants.” Like any other student organization, Hawkstream had difficulties. “We were just having constant challenges with making sure the signal got out correctly,” Nome said. “He just tackled those again and again.” see aldridge page 4

People who knew Aldridge remember his music and willingness to push boundaries. daily orange file photo


2 sept. 2, 2021

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NEWS

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PAG E 3

sept. 2, 2021

on campus

After complaints, shuttle service changes

state

Conole to run against Katko By Nick Robertson senior staff writer

On June 29, DPS announced that SU’s Parking and Transportation Services will take over all shuttle escort services with the university starting on July 1. emily steinberger editor-in-chief By Karoline Leonard asst. copy editor

Around midnight after her shift at Bird Library, Erica Negrini called for a safety escort shuttle from Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety. After more than 15 minutes, the shuttle had not shown up, and Negrini said she began to feel uncomfortable and unsafe. It was then, Negrini said, that she noticed somebody idling nearby her and beginning to follow her. “As a freshman, that late, I didn’t feel comfortable walking back to Flint by myself after 12 a.m.,” Negrini said. “I called the safety [shuttle] again, and they said that they couldn’t help me anymore.” In recent years, students have filed numerous complaints against DPS about the safety escort shuttle. In February, Loretta Lynch released her review of DPS. After addressing the complaints and conducting her investigation, she

recommended that the safety escort service be moved to another department. Students would be better protected and served in this way, she said. On June 29, DPS announced that SU’s Parking and Transportation Services would take over all shuttle escort services with the university starting on July 1. DPS did not respond to multiple requests for an interview regarding the switch of the escort shuttle service away from the department. Lynch believed that the previous policies for requesting a shuttle from DPS — such as determining the level of severity of a “suspicious circumstance” or “high threat neighborhood” — were too subjective. The responsibility should be moved to another department, she said. The new shuttle service no longer requires “squad car response to escort requests,” Jennifer Horvath, communications director of business, finance and administrative Services, said. Her

role encompasses PTS and DPS as well. She also said that there is no longer an undefined policy surrounding the interpretation of “suspicious circumstances” and “high threat neighborhoods,” which could result in inequitable policing of students of color identified in Lynch’s report. Under the new model for the safety shuttle service, PTS will be able to determine the necessity for an escort with less bias because Lynch stated that the responsibility does not require public safety expertise. As of July 1, the safety escort shuttle operates from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night and should be requested by calling 315-443-7433 (RIDE). Shuttles will only operate in areas where other transportation methods do not operate. PTS has provided students with a map that details the boundaries in which the shuttles run. The map shows that safety escort shuttles operate within the approxi-

mate boundaries of W. Washington Street in Armory Square, Skytop Road near I-481, Westmoreland Ave and E. Fayette St. The shuttle service under PTS is intended to be a secondary resource when other transportation methods, such as the ‘Cuse Trolley and Centro buses, are unavailable, Horvath said. “The service is not intended to be used as free rideshare, and students requesting rides will be directed to other transportation options if or when they are available,” Horvath added. Negrini, however, feels that the boundaries aren’t necessarily sufficient for the areas of Syracuse where students may need to request a safety escort shuttle. “I wish that they would take our safety more seriously,” Negrini said. “I was put in a really uncomfortable and honestly unsafe position last semester. I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone else.” kaleonar@syr.edu

on campus

COVID-19 changes led to more dining waste By Lilli Iannella

asst. news editor

Syracuse University’s Food Services switched from reusable tableware to single-use containers and silverware in dining halls during the 2020-21 academic year due to COVID-19 concerns. Now, reusable tableware has returned, but reusable takeout containers are still on hold. The university enforced the single-use products to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but this modification increased waste production and decreased recycling. “Though this waste was unavoidable, I think it is prompting a harder look at the systems we have in place and how we can change them to be safer, sanitary and more environmentally friendly and accessible,” said Laura Mark-

ley, a waste and plastics researcher in SU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. “I feel strongly that this will force a shift in how we approach reusability in the future.” Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 15% of emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Methane created from human action traps heat in the atmosphere to drive at least 25% of global warming. “Landfills contribute greatly to greenhouse gas emissions, notably methane, nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide, and at a minimum, (waste management industries) are aware and concerned,” said Douglas Daley, an associate professor at SUNY-ESF whose specialties include solid and hazard-

ous waste management. With the return to in-person instruction and more lenient COVID-19 precautions, SU Food Services plans to enforce more of its sustainability practices in campus dining halls again. Although the university is not using reusable takeout containers this year, it re-implemented reusable tableware in dining halls and will reassess at the end of the year, said Keone Weigl, SU Food Services’s marketing and promotions manager, in a statement to The Daily Orange. The university encourages students to sort and compost their food scraps after each meal. Eating in a dining center in person is the most sustainable practice, SU’s sustainability coordinator Melissa Cadwell said in a statement to The D.O.

Food waste at SU goes to a waste-to-energy facility, along with waste from the rest of Onondaga County, Cadwell said. At the facility, it turns into electricity to power about 30,000 homes. Although the university does not keep data on the amount of waste among its dining centers, SU tracks campus-wide waste and recycling, including composting, Cadwell said. In the eight-week 2019 RecycleMania competition, SU reported a 48% diversion rate, meaning 48% of SU’s waste was recycled or composted. During the pandemic, SU had seen a decrease in overall recycling and composting and an increase in waste, Cadwell said. Some reusable containers may get damaged and become unusable and wasted, and extra labor,

see waste page 4

Francis Conole, the Navy veteran and Syracuse native who first ran for congress last year, announced Tuesday that he will run again in an attempt to unseat Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus. Conole lost the 2020 Democratic primary to former Syracuse University professor Dana Balter, who was unable to defeat Katko. Conole, 43, is the second Democrat and veteran to announce candidacy for the NY-24 seat after Army veteran and SU alum Steven Holden launched his campaign in June. Conole graduated from the Naval Academy and served in the Iraq War before becoming a policy advisor at the Pentagon. He is also currently a commander in the Navy Reserves. According to his campaign site, Conole pledges support for a universal public option for healthcare, a $15 minimum wage and expansion of the recently passed Child Tax Credit. He also backs a large investment into clean energy resources as well as investment in election cybersecurity measures. Other issues Conole advocates for include affirming the right for women to receive abortion care, new campaign finance regulation, investing in the Black community to confront systemic racism and support for re-instating the assault weapons ban and other firearms reforms. In the 2020 primary, Conole raised over $830,000 for his campaign, and he received $12,000 from SU employees. Yet, he lost the primary to Balter by a 12,000 vote margin despite receiving the endorsement of the Onondaga County Democratic Party. In his announcement, he embraced his local roots as a fourthgeneration central New Yorker. His grandfather, Patrick Corbett, was the first and only Democrat elected to be Onondaga County Sheriff. Conole received an MBA from the University of Maryland using the GI Bill after returning from Iraq and an MA in National Security Studies from the Naval War College. Katko filed for reelection in January. The House Homeland Security Committee ranking member will be seeking a fifth term in office. He has received pushback from former President Donald Trump after Katko was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach him. Trump sent a letter to the Onondaga County Republican Party seeking a challenger candidate in June. Holden, Conole’s opponent for the Democratic primary, is a Retired Army Lt. Col. His 2022 campaign is his first foray into politics. He is a descendant of E.F. Holden, the namesake of SU’s Holden Observatory. A native Oklahoman, Holden, 48, moved to Syracuse in 2006 to attend SU, where he earned a dual master’s degree in business and public administration. The date of the 2022 primary has not been announced. njrobert@syr.edu


4 sept. 2, 2021

from page 1

lawsuit and enforce a comprehensive sexual assault policy. “The university takes very seriously every report of sexual harassment and assault that it receives,” a university official said in a statement to The Daily Orange. “While we do not comment on pending litigation, we are confident in the University’s strong structure and robust processes for addressing all reports of sexual harassment and assault brought to our attention, all of which are compliant with and guided by federal and state law.” SU filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Tuesday, denying any deliberate indifference. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” SU’s lawyers wrote in the motion. “The University responded immediately and compassionately to (the plaintiff’s) complaints.” The 87-page lawsuit details a series of violent events involving the plaintiff and other SU students over a multi-year period, during which the plaintiff and Scanlan dated on and off. Before the alleged assault, Scanlan had struck a men’s lacrosse teammate in the head with a helmet and punched a freshman member of the team without action from SU, the lawsuit alleges. Scanlan was eventually suspended from the team after punching two other players at a party. On Jan. 5, the plaintiff met with an assistant women’s lacrosse coach to discuss violent behavior and abuse by Scanlan, according to the lawsuit. The coach informed the plaintiff that the disclosed information about Scanlan would be forwarded to SU’s Title IX Office. The Title IX office emailed the plaintiff later in the day, reaching out about the report received by the Title IX office, the motion said. The Title IX case coordinator asked the plaintiff if she wanted to meet to discuss supportive measures available on campus and her process options through the Title IX office, the motion said. According to the motion, on Jan. 8 the plaintiff met via video call with a Title IX coordinator who advised her that she could seek a no-contact order or file a formal complaint against Scanlan. On Jan. 22, the plaintiff emailed the coordinator requesting a no-contact order against Scanlan. On the same day the plaintiff reached out to U.S. officials, a no-contact order was issued. Two days after the no-contact order was imposed, the plaintiff requested that the nocontact order be rescinded. According to the motion, the plaintiff explained, “I do not feel unsafe or as though I am in harms way from Scanlan. I also did not realize that a no contact order resulted in Scanlan not being able to be in the same place as me if we incidentally ended up somewhere and I also do not think that is necessary.” The university waited until March 8 to remove the order, after asking questions it said demonstrated the plaintiff felt safe. The plaintiff did not allege that she expressed any concerns to the university from page 1

aldridge Hawkstream is still in operation today, now largely as a podcast studio. Aldridge’s love of radio and expansion of what the platform could be would continue even after Hawkstream. Stewart once witnessed this expansion with his own eyes. “He started playing selections as you would in a radio program, just like different blocks of tracks,” Stewart said. Stewart’s experience at the station so far was normal, albeit for Aldridge’s standards. “I think by about 40 minutes into the show, he had a record on a turntable, and he was just from page 3

waste water, energy and equipment may be needed to cleanse the containers, Daley said. Still, the pros most often outweigh the cons when it comes to prioritizing sustainability, he said. “There are economic, social, marketing and environmental benefits for the (food) industry to pay attention to,” he said. “A challenge, though, is that wastes have always been an afterthought and aren’t part of the core mission.”

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

between the removal of the no-contact order and the assault several months later. On April 17, Scanlan shattered the plaintiff’s phone, smashed the wall in her apartment and assaulted her, the lawsuit alleges. Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety issued an emergency no-contact order on April 18 when the department allegedly became aware of the incident. Officers who initially responded to the assault subjected the plaintiff to “hostile and problematic questioning” in front of Scanlan and then left the plaintiff alone with no supervision, the lawsuit claims. “The Scanlan assault was the avoidable conclusion of a chain of sexual harassment and domestic violence that included animal abuse, stalking, reproductive coercion and property damage,” the lawsuit reads. The plaintiff met with an SU Title IX coordinator and her assigned case manager to discuss her options under SU’s Title IX procedures, the suit states. In the meeting, the plaintiff informed officials about alleged claims that two female SU students had also been sexually assaulted by Scanlan in addition to outlining the alleged incidents that she said occurred to her on April 17 and early April 18. On April 19, head coach Desko suspended Scanlan from the team. Six days later on April 25, SU’s Senior Associate Director of Athletics informed the men’s lacrosse team that Scanlan would be reinstated and allowed to rejoin the team for practice. Later that day, the team held an anonymous vote to gather opinions on kicking Scanlan off the team, the suit states. The vote was 57-1, in favor of kicking Scanlan off the team. After learning about Scanlan’s reinstatement over social media, the plaintiff emailed an SU Title IX coordinator to discuss a Title IX formal complaint, but she was concerned about SU’s formal complaint procedure requirement of attending the same video meeting as Scanlan. The plaintiff and SU officials exchanged emails asking about her safety and medical condition that included a bone contusion caused by the alleged domestic incident. The plaintiff replied asking if the Dean of Students Office can help her construct an email to her professors about the situation. In a second email, the Dean of Students Office asked about her safety concerns around campus and if she would like to arrange a different housing assignment, according to the motion. On April 26, the plaintiff emailed SU about steps to move forward with a formal complaint. On April 27, the plaintiff met virtually with an SU Title IX Coordinator who explained the Title IX procedures should the plaintiff file a formal complaint. The Title IX Officer explained that the plaintiff would need to appear for a virtual proceeding in front of SU Title IX staff as well as Scanlan, and she would need to be questioned by Scanlan’s advisor. The officer explained she would not be allowed to turn off her camera during the video call, and she would not be allowed to turn off the screen showing Scanlan. She would only be allowed to use a Post-it note to cover part of her screen, but she could not

cover her video camera, the lawsuit said. The plaintiff said she was uncomfortable with the prospect of being on the same video call as Scanlan and told the officer she would not move forward with a formal Title IX complaint due to the requirement that she would have to confront Scanlan during the process. She stated that she would fully cooperate with SU’s Title IX complaint against Scanlan and confirm information she previously reported to the university, the suit said. On Aug. 29, the plaintiff’s mother emailed Wildhack to express her concern over SU’s handling of recent events. A courtesy copy of the email was sent to Gary Gait, Mary Kelly — the plaintiff’s Title IX Coordinator — Kimberly Keenan Kirkpatrick and Kent Syverud. In response, a video call was arranged with the plaintiff’s mother and stepfather. At the meeting, Wildhack stated that Desko made the decision to reinstate Scanlan, the lawsuit said. Deputy General Counsel Gabe Nugent attempted to cast light on Scanlan’s reinstatement stating that, “part of the benefit of reinstating Scanlan was that there would be more eyes on Scanlan and his whereabouts would be additionally monitored by his reporting to lacrosse practice,” the suit stated. The two SU officials also described safety monitoring and escort services that SU could provide should the plaintiff return to campus. When the plaintiff returned to campus on May 2, no one from SU made any form of outreach, safety checks or “in any way made safety related resources available to the plaintiff” on the day of her return or thereafter, despite Wildhack and Nugnet’s reassurance, the lawsuit alleges. “At no time following the Scanlan Assault, including upon Plaintiff’s return to SU, did Plaintiff observe SU DPS perform a safety check on Plaintiff’s status,” the lawsuit claimed. According to the suit, the only support the plaintiff received were text messages from teammates and an assistant coach. Scanlan was arrested outside of Manley Fieldhouse on May 7 and charged with criminal mischief related to a domestic incident, including a misdemeanor criminal mischief in the fourth degree. One month after Scanlan’s arrest, Syracuse Athletics announced Desko’s retirement after 23 years as head coach of SU men’s lacrosse — SU women’s lacrosse head coach Gary Gait was named his successor. On June 8, SU Athletics hosted a press conference for Desko’s retirement in which Wildhack praised Desko for his reputation and success as a collegiate athlete and head coach for SU lacrosse. After the spring semester, the plaintiff met with SU women’s lacrosse’s interim coach about entering the transfer portal, where she learned if she entered the portal, her scholarship was not guaranteed for the following academic year should she return to SU. In a call with Deputy Athletics Director Keenan-Kirkpatrick regarding the plaintiff’s transfer portal application, Keenan-Kirkpatrick informed the plaintiff that the policy to rescind scholarship money was usually

applied to students who enter the portal and “leave SU in a ‘nasty way’ or ‘burning bridges’ with the school.” Earlier in the spring semester, on April 6, the plaintiff’s acquaintances reported Scanlan’s abusive behavior — entering the plaintiff’s apartment without permission, physical abuse and animal abuse — to KeenanKirkpatrick. Months later during SU’s Title IX investigation, Keenan-Kirkpatrick said “there’s nothing you can do when the young lady won’t be forthcoming” when speaking about the information disclosed before the assault on April 18, the suit said. In an external investigation into the accusations of bullying and harassment by former women’s basketball head coach Quentin Hillsman, The Athletic reported that KeenanKirkpatrick and other members of SU Athletics fielded complaints about Hillsman from students for over 10 years. As of Aug. 4, Keenan-Kirkpatrick has not been employed at Syracuse. The lawsuit, involving the university, Wildhack and Desko, claims that DPS and SU’s Title IX Office “failed to adequately respond to the domestic violence and stalking that Plaintiff suffered.” It also alleges that SU failed to properly maintain recorded and share information between SU’s Title IX Office, SU Athletics and DPS regarding Scanlan’s pattern of documented treatment of the plaintiff, the suit states. “Plaintiff was made to suffer through an environment where her sexual harassment was deprioritized and minimized,” the lawsuit claims. The plaintiff is pressing one count of sex descrimination in violation of Title IX against SU on the basis of deliberate indifference to the plaintiff’s January 2021 reports of sexual harassment. “Plaintiff sustained harassment because of her sex that was so severe, pervasive and/ or objectively offensive that it deprived her of access to educational opportunities,” the lawsuit claimed. Count two entailed sex descrimination in violation of Title IX against SU on the basis of deliberate indifference to the assault and sexual harassment. Count three detailed sex descrimination in violation of Title IX against SU by creating a hostile environment. “As a direct and proximate result of the SU creation of and deliberate indifference to its sexually hostile educational environment, Plaintiff suffered damages and injuries for which SU is liable,” the suit reads. Count four comprises retaliation in violation of Title IX against Syracuse University. “As a result of Defendant SU’s adverse actions, Plaintiff has suffered damages,” the lawsuit said. Finally, the fifth through seventh counts are differing allegations of negligence against SU, Wildhack and Desko. SU stated that “this process is confidential to ensure and protect the privacy of all involved parties” and declined to comment. Desko and Wildhack could not be reached for comment.

piling objects onto the turntable and onto the spinning record,” Stewart said. Live on air, Aldridge was warping and distorting the music of the turntable, essentially making his own music for the audience tuned in. What Aldridge’s audience was hearing would be virtually impossible to replicate. They had a front row seat for the first and only time those specific sounds would be heard. “I just thought that was brilliant, to sort of create sound art right there live on air as part of a DJ broadcast,” Stewart said. While Aldridge’s work may have been shocking, breathtaking or an odd mixture of the two for the general public, it’s a bit harder to get that reaction from those in the experimental music community.

“It was always nice seeing him, as his enthusiasm for sub-underground DIY music/ noise was always there,” Carl Kruger, a member of North Carolina’s music scene, said in a Facebook message. In a place where harsh noise is not an insult but a respected subgenre, the outlandish is the accepted. Wilmington, North Carolina, was one of the experimental music scenes Aldridge called home. “Wilmington, I guess, is just such a small community, all of the kinds of experimental was accepted,” Stewart said. But even a community with a wide-range of acceptance, “(John’s) stuff was pretty abstract,” Stewart said. Stewart remembers one night at the

Barzarre, a local venue that held experimental music nights. Aldridge came in with a collection of bags filled with sand and dirt for his act. Then during his time on stage, he would drop the bags, timing their explosions. “I don’t even know if I would call that music,” Stewart said. “It was sort of like he was questioning what performance is or what music is.” Even in a group based on the idea of pushing the boundaries, Aldridge was a trailblazer. The people who knew Aldridge remember his leadership, music and willingness to push the boundaries of acceptance. kschouin@syr.edu

About 9% of plastics, globally, are estimated to be recycled. These plastics sit in landfills, in the environment and even in people’s local waterways, negatively affecting human and environmental health, Markley said. “How we deal with the plastic problem has a direct impact on the safety, health and, potentially, livelihood of our local communities,” she said. “We have a collective responsibility to protect the environment, of course, but also the people and animals that live there.” From installing water bottle refill stations

to implementing electronic vehicle charging stations, the university has initiated sustainable practices across campus to follow its Climate Action Plan and meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. “Due to climate change, the way we teach our students and their experience on our campus will change. Climate change is not going away, it is catching up to us each day, and everyone must adapt,” Cadwell said. SU should place sustainability as a high priority, Markley said. Environmentally aware systems,

especially those that are made easy and accessible such as the reusable tableware approach, promote a future of sustainable change, she said. “People look to universities for innovation, research and answers on how we move forward as a society, and we simply can’t do any of that without questioning the sustainability of our practices,” she said. “We may just be individuals, but collective action motivates systematic change.”

news@dailyorange.com

@Kyle_Chouinard

laiannel@syr.edu @lillilannella


OPINION

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column

PAG E 5

sept. 2, 2021

column

SU needs to prioritize foreign aid Students, stay vigilant about COVID-19

Disregarding public health guidelines could bring Syracuse University back to online learning. meghan hendricks asst. photo editor By Nicole Troy columnist

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illustration by nabeeha anwar illustration editor By Harrison Vogt columnist

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hile students are consumed by their on-campus activities, people around the world are facing lifeor-death situations. Some of these people are friends or family of the Syracuse University community. Yet the university and its students don’t do as much as they could to support these global citizens. While SU is not a humanitarian institution, students can participate in various organizations that have international importance on campus. Individual students can pressure politicians to support more foreign assistance funding. For students looking to discuss and improve the American focus of foreign policy, The John Quincy Adams Society — an organization with a chapter at SU — stresses “Less War More Strategy” to foreign affairs. Such stances are important when considering American foreign policy such as a twenty-year war in Afghanistan. Citizens have a major voice in political decisions that guide foreign assistance. It’s especially important that students

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get involved in lobbying their politicians to increase the foreign affairs budget, a major source for funding aid to nations in need. However, foreign assistance has faced major pushback in recent years. In 2018, former President Donald Trump laid out the first budget plan of his presidency under “America First,” which included a nearly 30% cut to the Department of State. The Department of State is largely responsible for foreign aid. Comparably, the Defense Budget is substantially greater than foreign aid funding. Despite public sentiment against wars, funding defense through the military takes a historical precedent over humanitarian aid. Foreign aid should be a major focus of U.S. foreign policy. Especially during the pandemic, when the global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in over 20 years, it’s very important to support foreign aid. Without action soon, it will be increasingly difficult to reduce the global absolute poverty rate. These investments in foreign communities have major benefits that imply real impli-

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cations for the SU community. Development in other nations opens new markets for potential students, for when an economy grows, there is an opportunity to make private education more accessible. SU has the potential to attract students from a greater range of backgrounds, and students can reap the benefits of a diverse community — such as exposure to new perspectives from across the globe — while helping those in need by pushing for more foreign assistance. Garnering support for those facing desperate situations outside the U.S. should be a focus of SU students’ advocacy. To build a more globally focused community, students should participate in groups dedicated to issues surrounding global poverty and foreign affairs at SU. Discussions and support for those in need must go beyond the borders of our university. Harrison Vogt is a junior environment sustainability policy and communication and rhetorical studies dual major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at hevogt@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @VogtHarrison.

he past three semesters at Syracuse University have been heavily impacted by COVID19. SU’s requirement for students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated before returning to campus gives everyone a chance at a “normal semester.” But this can only be a reality if students remain vigilant and follow current SU public health guidelines. The campus is filled with people who are excited to enjoy a fall semester of hanging out with friends, attending football games and embracing everything SU has to offer. Students and staff can have more freedom this semester, including the ability to participate in inperson classes. While the past few semesters have been very limiting for SU students, the COVID-19 vaccine can have a positive impact on campus and aid in creating a more normal semester. With this being said, we have seen how quickly COVID-19 can spread on campus. In order to ensure this does not happen, students must adhere to SU’s fall 2021 Stay Safe Pledge. Hannah Fishman, who was a freshman when the pandemic began, has already noticed a change on campus and is excited to get back to the SU environment she experienced as a first-semester freshman in 2019. “There are more people walking around campus. The energy and morale of the school is finally back,” Fishman said. “The vaccine is definitely giving students and faculty more freedom socially and academically. Hopefully campus can remain this way throughout the semester.” Junior Sophie Lamaker is similarly hopeful for the new semester. “I think that campus is going to be getting back to normal, even if we have to wear masks. With the few days I’ve spent on campus, it’s so nice seeing the campus crowded again and my classes full. It’s really exciting,” she said.

With classes at full capacity, wearing masks and abiding by SU COVID-19 guidelines is extremely important. Many SU students are ecstatic to get back into the rhythm of in-person class, and reverting back to online classes could be devastating for them. Having to adjust to an online learning format again could cause students to face the same struggles that many experienced in the fall 2020 semester. Hannah Fishman spoke to what she thinks is the most rewarding part of being back on campus. “The best part about campus is seeing people every day out on campus and meeting people for the first time in person after being online for the past year. Such an important part of being a student here is the community, and being an active part of that was really missed,” she said. Syracuse is all about community. Therefore, students should be looking out for one another this semester. Our campus is a special place for not only students and staff, but alumni and generations of families. The advancement of the vaccine has been a much needed development for our campus, which has been deeply impacted by COVID-19, and we must avoid devolving towards a COVID-19 crisis. With normalcy nearing, now is the time to stay vigilant. While there are many benefits due to the COVID-19 vaccination, students and staff must be mindful that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. It is vital that all students and staff adhere to the SU COVID-19 guidelines to ensure a safe semester and avoid another COVID-19 outbreak on our campus. As students enjoy the ability to return to prepandemic life, they should keep in mind what got us here, and more, what could send us back. Disregarding public health guidelines could put us back to online learning. Nicole Troy is a junior information management and technology major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at notroy@syr.edu.

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Abby Weiss

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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The Celebrity Classic will also feature In-game Arena Host, Miss Jones, music by Dowdell) and DJ Bella, and an NPHC/NALFO unity stroll at halftime. dailyorange.com

6 sept. 2, 2021

at Syracuse Univwersity

To purchase tickets, please call the stadium box office at 888-DomeTix or v cuse.com/tickets (scroll to the middle of the homepage for the direct link)

CBT CeleBriTy ClASSiC Thank you to our sponsors: BASkeTBAll GAMe VINCENT COHEN, JR. Thursday, Sept. 9 The Stadium

6:00 p.m. Doors open 7:00 p.m. Tipoff

Hosted by the Office of Multicultural Advancement at Syracuse University COVID-19 STADIUM PROTOCOL

Join your favorite Syracuse Athletics legends as they face off on the court, sideline, and Masksthroughout the arena for another memorable charity game. Head Coaches Derrick Coleman will be required for this event. All university publicand Billy Owens will lead Teams Blue and Orange to earn bragging rights as celebrity health policies are subject to change. Visit the Stay Safe website for more information at: classic champions. Participants include John Wallace, Lawrence Moten, Lazarus Sims, Eric Devendorf, Roosevelt Bouie, Felisha Legette-Jack, Vera Jones, Robert Drummond, Danene www.syracuse.edu/staysafe. Hopson, Ryan Blackwell, Sue Ludwig, Al Wooten, Mark Pryor, Duke Pettijohn, Mookie Jones, Demetris Nichols, DaJuan Coleman, Tyrone Albright, Jamont Kinds, PJ Alexander, Damone Brown and many more. CBT CELEBRITy CLASSIC 2 The Celebrity Classic will also feature In-game Arena Host, Miss Jones, music by “DJ EJ” (EJ The Celebrity Classic will also feature In-game Arena Host, Miss Jones, music by “DJ EJ” (EJ Dowdell) and DJ Bella, Otto, the Spirit Squad and an NPHC/NALFO unity stroll at halftime. Dowdell) and DJ Bella, and an NPHC/NALFO unity stroll at halftime. To purchase tickets, please call the stadium boxirving, office atSyracuse, 888-DomeTix or visit The Stadium - 900 Ny 13244 cuse.com/tickets (scroll to the middle of the homepage for the direct link) Thank you to our sponsors: VINCENT COHEN, JR.

COVID-19 STADIUM PROTOCOL

Masks will be required for this event. All university public health policies are subject to change. Visit the Stay Safe website for more information at: www.syracuse.edu/staysafe. CBT CELEBRITy CLASSIC 2017

The Stadium - 900 irving, Syracuse, Ny 13244


C

CULTURE

dailyorange.com culture@dailyorange.com

PAG E 7

sept. 2, 2021

slice of life

Cherry pit fits

New app designed to help find clubs By Olivia Ciancio

contributing writer

High school best friends Fabio Xie and Christopher Shih attend different colleges – Syracuse University and Tufts University, respectively – but while speaking during their freshman year, they shared a similar observation. They noticed that there was a lack of information and resources regarding student clubs on both of their campuses. Xie, who studies environment, sustainability and policy, as well as entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and political science at SU, said that he’s creating a solution to this out of necessity. The SU junior compared shifting student clubs onto an app platform to shifting CDs and cassette tapes to online music streaming services. “I was just thinking, `Why don’t we have an app specifically targeted for clubs and recreate the experience as if you’re searching for a song on Spotify?’” Xie said. So Xie and Shih created an app called Find My Club to facilitate and simplify finding student organizations and their information. The app also aims to make it easier for club leadership to post information that would normally get lost or go unnoticed in emails or GroupMe messages.

Abigail Minicozzi (left) and Michelle Pfaff met through a mutual acquaintance, Michael John Heagerty, who realized the two women curated the same kind of fashion. meghan hendricks asst. photo editor

The Cherry Pit vintage shop created a space with a more inclusive way to buy clothes By Siron Thomas asst. digital editor

A

bigail Minicozzi and Michelle Pfaff didn’t even know each other when the founder of The McCarthy Mercantile in downtown Syracuse first suggested that the two work together and open a shop. Only a few months later, the two were running their own vintage store in The McCarthy Mercantile called The Cherry Pit. The vintage store opened in February after Michael John Heagerty, McCarthy Mercantile’s

founder, put SU sophomore Minicozzi and Syracuse local Pfaff in contact. Heagerty connected them because he realized they were curating the same kind of fashion, he said. “Michelle’s really good at marketing. Abigail’s very good at merchandising,” Heagerty said. “They help each other out in taking on the different roles that are needed to make a successful shop happen.” Hagerty isn’t the only one who agrees that the two fashion retailers have gotten along well. Though Minicozzi thought that their differing backgrounds would make working together strange, the

two hit it off right away. Minicozzi said she’s thankful Heagerty realized that Minicozzi and Pfaff would make great partners in the world of vintage indie shopping. “I feel like we instantly clicked, and all of our ideas went together really well,” Minicozzi said. “We’re definitely very grateful for him because we can go to him for a lot of things. He knew we had the same goal to further our businesses.” Bringing Minicozzi and Pfaff together wasn’t Heagerty’s first time trying to bring smaller artists into the spotlight. He has run other see cherry

Sometimes communication can be hard over the Internet, but then we have a great team (and) we have a great bond, so it really stopped becoming difficult Jan-Michael Marshall find my club’s marketing lead

pit page 8

from the stage

8 concerts in Syracuse area to check out this fall By Austin Lamb asst. copy editor

With a majority of the Syracuse University population vaccinated, members of the SU community can attend larger gatherings, and the Syracuse area is once again packed with a full concert slate. Here are eight concerts Syracuse University students can check out this fall at the Great New York State Fair, St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview and more venues.

YG — Sept. 4

In a last-minute addition to the NYS Fair’s line-up, rapper YG will be performing this Labor Day weekend on Saturday at 8 p.m on the Chevy Park Stage, The rapper released an album earlier this year with fellow

west coast rapper Mozzy, but is better known for hits “BIG BANK” and “Go Loko,” both of which include features from other acclaimed rappers. Over Labor Day weekend, state fair tickets are reduced to $1 for college students, and SU is providing free shuttles from campus to the fair over the weekend.

Foo Fighters — Sept. 15

Foo Fighters will return to Syracuse for the first time since 2000 when they take the stage at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m on Sept. 15. The band, which released its tenth studio album “Medicine at Midnight” in February, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October. Although the amphitheater doesn’t have any COVID-19 restrictions, Foo

Fighters are requiring their fans to submit proof of vaccination or a negative test result no more than 48 hours before the show.

Thomas Rhett & Swindell — Sept. 16

Cole

After rescheduling twice because of the pandemic, country star Thomas Rhett will perform at St. Joseph’s Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 16, with Cole Swindell opening for him. Rhett, who has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, released his fifth studio album, “Country Again: Side A,” in April.

The Jonas Sept. 26

Brothers

The Jonas Brothers, who reformed two years ago after breaking up in

2013, will perform at St. Joseph’s Amphitheater on Sept. 26 as part of their Remember This tour. The pop rock band, fronted by brothers Nick, Joe and Kevin, has released five studio albums and been nominated for two Grammy Awards. Country singer Kelsea Ballerini will open the concert at 6 p.m.

Chris Stapleton Guests — Oct. 7

with

Chris Stapleton’s All American Road Show Tour, with special guests Sheryl Crow and Kendell Marvel, will stop in Syracuse on Oct. 7 at St. Joseph’s Amphitheater. The show, which was rescheduled twice due to the pandemic, will begin at 7 p.m. Stapleton, a country singer-songwriter who has won five see concerts page 8

The app launches on Monday and will be available on iOS and Android devices. Initially students will just be able to see the platform with no clubs, but the goal is to add 10 clubs a week until they have every organization onboard, from Greek life to art, physics, sports clubs and more, Xie said The friends started working on the app in August 2020, and one of the catalysts for taking the app to the next step was Xie’s receiving a D’Aniello Freshman Merit Scholarship through the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. With the grant, they would be able to fund parts of the technical side creating an app like paying for a developer. The app’s team is made up of 15 college students from schools across the country, including SU, Tufts and the University of California, Berkeley. Despite banding together to create their app, the biggest struggle the team has faced is simply being in college while working to build the app from the ground up. While managing the app’s see app page 8


8 sept. 2, 2021

dailyorange.com culture@dailyorange.com

university union

C

University Union releases fall 2021 cinemas schedule By Louis Platt culture editor

University Union announced the Cinemas schedule for the fall 2021 semester, with 13 movies scheduled for indoor screening at HBC Gifford and one outdoor screening of “Grease” on Sept. 3. The Cinemas schedule will kick off with a

special outdoor screening of “Grease,” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, on the Quad at 10 p.m. this Friday. “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” featuring Salma Hayek, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds on Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m. in HBC Gifford. The rest of the season will run every Friday and Saturday night through Dec. 4, with viewings of films such as A24’s “The Green

Knight,” M. Night Shyamalan’s “Old,” and DC’s “The Suicide Squad,” starring Idris Elba, Margot Robbie and John Cena. Unlike the indoor screenings held last semester, students will not be required to preregister and there will not be capacity restrictions. UU will follow and enforce Syracuse University’s COVID-19 protocols and masking guidelines at all screenings, a spokesperson for

the organization said in a press release. The events will be free to all SU and SUNY-ESF students, staff and faculty. All films have captioning options. Questions and requests for additional accommodations can be sent to UU Vice President Molly Gross at uuvicepresident@gmail.com. louis@dailyorange.com @JBL __98

from page 7

cherry pit events such as Sidewalk Sessions, where vendors and musicians are able to display their art outside the mercantile. Heagerty always ensures that he’s giving new artists a chance to show their work during events like those held by Salt City Market. Minicozzi and Pfaff noticed Heagerty’s sympathetic energy toward lesser-known artists through the events he creates. Heagerty loves giving unique businesses a platform to show their crafts, Minicozzi said. “I’m now a professional risk taker,” Heagerty said. “It’s what I do, but it’s been great because it gives opportunities for people to come up with their brand and create pop-up opportunities.” Pfaff came up with the idea for the store when she wanted to think of ways to thoughtfully get rid of clothes she often impulse-buys at thrift stores. Customers from page 7

app

progression, as students they are simultaneously swamped with papers and exams, in addition to the burden of communicating across campuses and time zones. They look forward to expanding their team to distribute more of the workload and allow the students to manage their studies better, Shih said. The app has three main functions: Moments, Search and Announcements. The Moments function replicates an Instagram feed, where clubs can post about all of their events and upcoming meetings, Xie and Shih said. The Search function allows students to find specific organizations available. Once a user is accepted into a club, they will begin receiving announcements on the app. The different clubs on campus that are registered can edit their profiles and announcements on the app, making it easier to notify their members if a meeting is

can stay up-to-date on outfits available for sale by following the store’s Instagram, and they can sign up for clothing swaps through the link in the store’s bio. The Cherry Pit occasionally hosts free clothing swaps, which the founders said they support because of the events’ positive environmental and financial impact. “It’s a good way for people to swap cheaply made clothes to prevent them from going to the landfill,” Pfaff said. “It’s preventing these fast-fashion clothes from ending up in the trash and giving them one more life.” And while the clothing swap is free of charge — participants bring clothes and may choose as many as they brought — the event gives people a chance to stop by and potentially find items they’d like to buy. Aside from its financial inclusivity, Minicozzi said The Cherry Pit is just as inclusive when it comes to size and gender. They want all of their

clothing to be treated as unisex, and Minicozzi said that it makes her happy to see men walk into the store and buy blouses, skirts and dresses. “We’re just trying to create a more

canceled or rescheduled. The team has proposed their product to 20 different schools, many of which did not think that a student-run app was legitimate, Shih said. The schools wanted more data to back up the student’s claims that the app is going to benefit student organizations and make communication between club leadership and students more efficient. But the current club landscape can be difficult to navigate, Ben Austin, the president of the business fraternity of SU’s chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, said. Students can find information at club fairs, but approaching booths can be intimidating for some. “I think that mobile aspect is really huge because you can just do it on your phone, which makes things really easy,” Austin said The current ‘Cuse Activities platform isn’t an effective way to find valuable information, Austin said. Potential members

will email based on the information they find there, but since there is so much within a president’s inbox, that isn’t the best way to communicate with an organization. But on Find My Club, all these different features being in one place would benefit both current members and prospective members The Find My Club App founders hope to add a chat function in a later version, where students can chat with the different clubs on campus and in a network with clubs on other campuses. That way, if you have Delta Sigma Pi at Syracuse, they could communicate with Delta Sigma Pi at Cornell University, learn from one another and ultimately create relationships with branches from other campuses. Find My Club has an active Instagram account with different infographics promoting the app and explaining what it is to potential users. Gaining engagement through those posts is key, Marshall said. “Little things every week, we have meetings

It’s preventing these fast-fashion clothes from ending up in the trash and giving them one more life Michelle Pfaff the cherry pit co-founder

inclusive way to buy clothes,” Minicozzi said. Minicozzi described the Mercantile as a “hidden gem” because of its downstairs location at 217 S. Salina St. In the building’s lower level, there’s a wider selection of indie shops. The Cherry Pit is just one of the many stores managed by lesser-known artists in The McCarthy Mercantile that help provide a creative space within the community, Heagerty said. Despite the store only being a few months old, Heagerty has noticed the business picking up popularity and looks forward to seeing what Minicozzi and Pfaff do in the future. “The Pit is an infant. It’s only a few months old,” Heagerty said. “So to say that … they’ve grown and learned and adapted into this recognizable brand is impressive.” sthoma10@syr.edu @sironthomas

and go through the app and go through the current version,” Marshall said. “It’s a very holistic approach.” On the marketing front, a big task is making cold calls, reaching out to club leaders and having interviews, Marshall said. They try to figure out what kind of problems student clubs are facing and then work to propose a solution to those struggles. With club fairs coming up at both Tufts and SU, both schools have allowed the app to participate and to gain clientele with the different student organizations on campus. “Last year, Tufts had a virtual fair,” Shih said. “It actually went very badly for them. So they do think that our app is a good way for students, especially first year students to learn about different clubs and join them. And this year, we actually have a physical club fair, and they have allowed us to participate.” ojcianci@syr.edu

from page 7

concerts Grammy Awards, released his fourth studio album “Starting Over” in November 2020.

Lil Tjay — Oct. 9

Bronx-native Lil Tjay is performing in Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 9. The 20-year-old rapper is touring this fall for his latest album “Destined 2 Win,” which includes features from Saweetie, Tyga and Fivio Foreign. The Columbia Records-signed rapper got his start on SoundCloud and broke onto the industry’s scene in 2019. Lil Tjay and special guest Kaash Paige will take the stage at the Westcott Theater for an afternoon matinee performance starting at 3 p.m.

Lil Durk — Oct. 17

Lil Durk will perform at the Oncenter Convention Center in downtown Syracuse on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. The Chicago-based rapper received two Grammy nominations for featuring on Drake’s single “Laugh Now Cry Later,” which debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Toosii, a rapper who grew up in Syracuse, will open for Lil Durk.

The Flaming Lips — Nov. 12

The Grammy-winning psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips will play a show at the Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater at 8 p.m. on Nov. 12. Last year, they released their sixteenth studio album, “American Head.” Opening is Particle Kid, the musical alias of Micah Nelson, Willie Nelson’s youngest son. austin@dailyorange.com

With concerts back in full swing thanks to vaccinations, The Daily Orange compiled a list of concerts scheduled in the Syracuse area this fall for students to attend, including YG, Foo Fighters and the Jonas Brothers. daily orange file photo


sept. 2, 2021 9

dailyorange.com

sports business

How Syracuse Crunch’s dual affiliation saved franchise By Alex Cirino

ASST. COPY EDITOR

The Syracuse Crunch were in the middle of the second period against the Utica Comets when Jim Sarosy found out the sports world was coming to a halt. Sarosy, the Crunch’s Chief Operating Officer, was at Utica’s Adirondack Bank Center on March 11, 2020 alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning’s general manager, Julien BriseBois. The Lightning have been the Crunch’s NHL affiliate since 2012. The two got word that the NBA’s Utah Jazz stopped their game early due to COVID-19 concerns. Sarosy was unaware how this would affect the Crunch. After the final buzzer, Sarosy made the decision to leave the game by himself, rather than on the Crunch’s bus. But not even 10 minutes down the road, Sarosy received an urgent call from BriseBois, asking him to pick him back up from the arena. BriseBois and the Lightning closely followed the Jazz during their recent road trip, and the Tampa Bay GM was concerned he could have spread COVID-19. So Sarosy immediately took action. “We called our team and staff in the next day and then simply sent everyone home,” Sarosy said. “Originally it was going to be for the weekend.” By the following Monday, that break became indefinite as the American Hockey League, along with the rest of the sports world, shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Crunch furloughed 13 of their 15 staff members and formed an unlikely dual affiliation with the Lightning’s in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers. The Crunch first moved to Syracuse in 1994 as the Vancouver Canucks’ minor league

affiliate, a partnership that lasted six seasons. During that span, the Crunch added the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1997 as its dual affiliate for two seasons. The Penguins were in such financial hardship that at one point the team couldn’t afford to buy their own sticks, Sarosy said. The Crunch ended up posting a franchise-worst 18-50-9-3 record during the 1998-99 season, and the dual affiliation subsequently ended. Situations like those are why dual affiliates are a rarity in the AHL, Crunch fan and blogger Alexandra Ackerman said. She was skeptical when she heard the Lightning and the Panthers became the Crunch’s parent clubs prior to the 2021 season. The Panthers’ traditional AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, were forced to opt out of the 2021 season due to travel concerns because of their distance from other league opponents. The Crunch became one of three AHL teams with a dual affiliation in 2021, along with the Comets and the Chicago Wolves. The circumstances the Crunch and the entire hockey world underwent allowed the Lightning-Panthers partnership to function well, Ackerman said. The two NHL organizations worked cohesively with the Crunch. The Checkers’ head coach even joined the Crunch in 2021 to assist the Panthers prospects as they changed markets. Sarosy and BriseBois joked that the Crunch ran a “glorified hockey academy” since all they did was train and play for nearly a full year. Players were dealt pre-negotiated salary cuts prior to the start of the season, with the option of opting out of the salaries and not playing the season. The Crunch, however, were still trying to compensate for the eight games they missed out on to close out the 2019-20 season. The possibility of not hav-

ing fans a year later was something Sarosy wasn’t sure his organization would be able to overcome. “A lot of emotions were felt. A lot of decisions had to be made, and they’re still having to be made,” Sarosy said. “It’s scary; it’s concerning. You have financial issues … it’s just all over the place.”

It was never a, ‘He’s a Florida guy. He’s a Tampa guy.’ It was always ‘They’re Crunch guys,’ and I love that.” Jim Sarosy chief operating officer, syracuse crunch

With many local businesses sponsoring the Crunch, Ackerman feared they could’ve easily folded ahead of the 2021 season, which was exactly what happened to the Binghamton Devils last year. “I honestly feel like that could’ve happened to any of the AHL cities,” Ackerman said. “In the back of my mind I was like, ‘Am I going to lose my team? … How are we going to pull this off?’” But Sarosy credited the organization’s strong relationship with the Lightning as a major reason the Crunch felt comfortable opting into the 2021 season. It allowed the Crunch to bring back two more furloughed staff members, and the Lightning’s commit-

ment to its return-to-play protocol made Syracuse one of the safest markets in the AHL, Sarosy said. Given strict COVID-19 travel protocols in New York, the Crunch found that it was cycling players more frequently than usual. With the implementation of the NHL’s taxi squad — a group of five players training in their respective NHL markets who are eligible to play for both their NHL or AHL teams — players were being sent to and from Florida more often. Tampa Bay regularly flew its players via private jet to and from Syracuse and sometimes sent players on charter buses to other airports in the region. The Panthers instead made their players drive to Syracuse themselves. “What I was most proud of through all of that is, it was never a, ‘He’s a Florida guy. He’s a Tampa guy,’ Sarosy said. “It was always ‘They’re, Crunch guys,’ and I love that.” For the 2021-22 season, the Crunch will serve as the affiliate for only the Lightning, as the Checkers opted into the upcoming AHL season. The Crunch recently announced they will require a proof of vaccination to enter Upstate Medical University Arena this season. Not being able to see her team play live was the one thing Ackerman missed the most during the pandemic. She is excited to return back to her old game day routine, traveling to the Upstate Medical University Arena every weekend. “It’s incredible. It’s such a rush. It’s such a stress release,” Ackerman said. “To not be able to go down to the (arena) and not talk to the people that I talked to every weekend for 18 years was really hard.” ahcirino@syr.edu @alexcirino19

football

Smith: This year is Dino Babers’ make-or-break season By Connor Smith asst. sport editor When Dino Babers was introduced as Syracuse’s head coach in Dec. 2015, he told fans to have “belief without evidence.” He said he would ensure that the Carrier Dome would be packed with fans — even though the 49,250-seat building had a season-average of over 45,000 fans only once since 1999. He said there would be a “relentless” Syracuse defense paired with a “well-coached” special teams unit. But above all else, Babers said, there would be a no-huddle offense speeding on the Dome’s turf. Flash forward almost six years. The Orange, led by Babers, are coming off their second onewin season since 1948. Syracuse abandoned it’s up-tempo offense in 2020, ranking 117th out of 127 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in points per game. Babers has compiled a mediocre record of 24-36 in five seasons at Syracuse. Take away the 10-3 season in 2018 and he has just 14 wins at Syracuse, and only seven against Atlantic Coast Conference teams. “If you had to pick one program that falls apart this year, it’s probably (Syracuse) or Duke,” an opposing coach recently told Athlon Sports. “Right now it’s a train wreck, at least externally.” Syracuse fans bought into Babers and his teams. In his first year, students rushed the field after the Orange upset then-No. 17 Virginia Tech. Babers’ postgame speech in the locker room went viral. It was SU’s first win over a ranked team in five seasons. But the Orange lost four of their final five games and finished 4-8. During his first two years, Babers consistently said his teams take a big leap during the middle of his second year at a school. In the seventh game of 2017, Babers and SU scored one of the biggest upsets in college football history, defeating No. 2 Clemson 27-24. Babers and the Orange locker room again went viral. The program appeared to be on the rise, and a breakthrough seemed imminent. The breakthrough came in 2018 when Syracuse went 10-3, making an appearance in the AP Top-25 poll for the first time since 2001 and capping the season off with a 16-point win in the

Camping World Bowl. Babers received a contract extension through 2024 and is reportedly the highest-paid university employee. But after going 6-17 over the past two seasons — with a 3-15 Atlantic Coast Conference record — Babers and Syracuse are slipping further and further from that magical year. Regardless of contract status and the potential cost of a buyout, few Power Five college football coaches can lead a team to a 1-10 season and not expect to at least slightly be on the hot seat. With a soft nonconference schedule, fans back in the Carrier Dome and a transfer quarterback in Garrett Shrader who impressed in his freshman season at Mississippi State, this is Babers’ chance to prove he can field a competitive ACC team at Syracuse. It is his make-or-break year. Fans aren’t happy about going 1-10, and neither are former players. “That’s what all us Syracuse alums and Syracuse fans would like to see in the fall, is the ‘Cuse

I expect them to have faith. and I expect them to know we’re going to right it. Dino Babers syracuse head coach

being more relevant than they have been the last few years,” former Syracuse running back and assistant coach David Walker said. Before the 2020 season even started, SU lost two of its veteran running backs, Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard, to opt-outs. After their first win of the season against Georgia Tech, the Orange fell at home against Duke and lost starting quarterback Tommy DeVito to a seasonending leg injury. The next week, SU lost to Liberty, a team in just its third year of FBS football. It was

Liberty’s first win over an ACC opponent. Even after the loss, Babers told SU fans to continue believing — even if the on-field evidence wasn’t there. “I expect them to have faith. And I expect them to know we’re going to right it,” Babers said. This season, there won’t be 10 ACC games like last year. Syracuse’s only ranked opponent is Clemson in a Friday night home game. Babers and the Orange open the season with four straight, winnable, nonconference matchups, starting with Ohio on Saturday. The only power conference opponent in that stretch is Rutgers, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2014 and has a 16-53 record over that stretch. Syracuse realistically — and arguably — should be 4-0 heading into October. After losing DeVito to injury last season, Babers got inconsistent results out of Rex Culpepper and JaCobian Morgan under center. Babers and offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert went out and recruited Shrader to Syracuse, where he has been competing for the starting job with DeVito. Shrader’s strengths as a runner with pocket presence could help the Orange’s defense return to the up-tempo pace it had when Eric Dungey ran Babers’ offense from 2016-2018. By making the move to bring in Shrader, Babers admitted that DeVito may not be the right quarterback for Syracuse’s offense. Babers knows there needs to be energy in the Carrier Dome, which Shrader can provide. But he also has DeVito listed as the week one starter. Coming off the 2018 season, the SU fanbase was energized. There was a record for new season-ticket sales, the first sellout in the Dome since 1998 against Clemson and Syracuse’s best attendance average since 2002. Orange fans will finally have the opportunity to watch SU football in the newly-renovated Carrier Dome this fall. But Syracuse fans won’t show up to watch a subpar product. Scott Shafer was fired as head coach after the Dome only brought in an average of 32,102 fans in 2015. A buyout of Babers’ contract could cost over $17 million. The Carrier Dome renovations were completed for $118 million. How many losses against power-five teams in the Dome is Direc-

tor of Athletics John Wildhack willing to watch before pulling the plug on Babers? The head coach has tried to save himself before. After a 31-point home loss against Boston College two years ago, Babers fired his longtime defensive coordinator Brian Ward. Babers said the decision hurt him “deeply.” After the 2019 season, Babers demoted offensive coordinator and another longtime assistant, Mike Lynch, to running backs coach. The 2020 season saw a new 3-3-5 defense implemented. Then, three more coaches left after the 2020 season. Babers has shown a willingness to desert his longtime assistants and his style of offense. But Wildhack has never publicly considered leaving Babers. This offseason, Babers knew there needed to be changes made to his program. He began focusing his attention on the small details, players said. When he made coaching changes two years ago, he knew 2020 was an important year. But after only winning one game in 2020, Babers knows this could be his do-ordie year. “Attention to the smallest details, just harping on it more,” DeVito said. “He doesn’t just get on the players, he gets on the coaches and the training staff as well … it can’t be the team is doing well, but the training room is slacking off and the weight room is slacking off. Everyone needs to be all in.” If Babers and Syracuse can’t compete this season and perform better than 2020, it’s hard to imagine coaching staff changes or a potential replacement quarterback will save Babers’ job. The same program that produced Jim Brown and Donovan McNabb is currently closer to Duke and Wake Forest on the football field than it is to Clemson or even Pittsburgh and Boston College. Every day Babers and SU fans wake up another day further removed from those Gatorade baths and locker room speeches that energized the program from 2016-18. Babers asked for belief without evidence. After five years, Syracuse has seen the evidence — and it hasn’t been good. csmith49@syr.edu @csmith17_


10 sept. 2, 2021

from page 12

recruiting Randy Edsall, who later became a head coach at Maryland and Connecticut, studied under O’Leary, sharpening his own skills as a recruiter. He brought in seven future All-Americans to Syracuse. In 1987, O’Leary left for Georgia Tech, and MacPherson hired Pasqualoni to take over his recruiting area. Coming off a five-year stint as head coach at Western Connecticut State, Pasqualoni was already familiar with the Long Island area, Anselmo said. Pasqualoni frequently visited Nassau Community College and tried to recruit Anselmo’s DI players to his DIII school. His familiarity with the area made his move to Syracuse an “easy transition,” Anselmo said. Two years prior, MacPherson hired former Rutgers and Holy Cross assistant George DeLeone as his offensive line coach. While MacPherson never won more than seven games in his first six seasons, DeLeone brought experience recruiting in New Jersey and the unique “freeze” option offense that MacPherson craved, the former assistant said. By 1987, Syracuse had an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl. Four years later, MacPherson left SU to become the head coach of the New England Patriots and Pasqualoni took over as Syracuse’s head coach, going 10-2 in each of his first two seasons. Pasqualoni maintained MacPherson’s recruiting and coaching philosophies, DeLeone and former Syracuse running back and assistant coach David Walker said, and winning over high school coaches was crucial. Syracuse’s staff traveled around the northeast, hosting clinics and teaching area coaches how to run SU’s option offense while helping them develop professionally. Coaches also attended clinics while visiting Syracuse during spring practices. On occasion, the clinics attracted 100 to 200 people just by word of mouth. DeLeone recalled many nights after recruiting was over, he’d go to a coach’s house and talk about football with them until 1 or 2 a.m. “It was the work of, I believe, DeLeone and Pasqualoni doing clinics … in high schools in the northeast that really helped the pipeline of players coming to Syracuse,” McPherson said. Longtime New Jersey high school coach Joe George recalled Pasqualoni and DeLeone regularly visiting Franklin High School (NJ) to run clinics. While Franklin didn’t have many DI players at the time, the two Orange coaches would come to the high school and meet with George and his assistants. Pasqualoni or DeLeone would conduct coaches’ clinics on a blackboard that lasted over two hours, George said. Afterwards, the coaches would go out to dinner. “They were very active. Very, very active,” George said. “Paul and George (DeLeone) were recruiters extraordinaire.” As Syracuse continued to win and play in major bowl games throughout the 90s, its recruiting philosophy remained the same, DeLeone said. He said the coaching staff realized they were not a “selector school” that could go into other regions and successfully recruit. Under Pasqualoni, SU continued to focus its efforts locally — particularly in the recruiting hotbed of New Jersey — while occasionally expanding into Texas or Florida for positional needs. Camden High School (NJ) head coach Dwayne Savage said the Orange recruited the South Jersey region heavily during the late 80s and throughout the 90s. Camden native Donovin Darius was recruited by Syracuse assistant Bob Casullo, and he became a twotime All-Big East player and first-round NFL Draft pick. “They were real big in South Jersey,” Savage said. “It was almost like it was the local school, where you’re probably getting a little more kids going there over Rutgers.” Pasqualoni and DeLeone, along with assistant Steve Addazio, used their connections from their home state of Connecticut to expand their recruiting base. Future NFL players from the state including Dwight Freeney, Terry Wooden and Todd Philcox all got their starts at Syracuse. “If you were in the northeast, you wanted to go to Syracuse,” McPherson said. “We were the hometown team for lots of home-

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towns in the northeast.” The northeast pipeline gave Pasqualoni and SU the on-field success it needed to occasionally expand its efforts into other areas, DeLeone said. DeLeone was the lead recruiter on Donovan McNabb, a Chicago native who was one of the top quarterbacks in the country in 1994. McNabb went on to win three Big East championships and helped usher in a stretch where SU played in six bowl games over seven years. By that point, MacPherson and Pasqualoni’s recruiting base had brought in talent that consistently put SU in the top-25. The Carrier Dome averaged at least 43,000 fans every season from 1987 to 2000, a number that has not been matched since with the exception of the 2012 season. Over that stretch, the Orange won 10 or more games five times and played in 13 bowl games. “It was a golden time,” DeLeone said. In the early 2000s, Syracuse’s longtime athletic director, Jake Crouthamel, was entering the final years of his 26-year tenure. Crouthamel was “very tight with the budget,” McPherson said. When MacPherson was SU’s head coach, he wore a Cleveland Browns windbreaker to practice every day, putting a piece of orange tape over the Browns logo. Crouthamel didn’t care, McPherson said, because it was one more jacket he didn’t have to buy. And while Big East schools — and recruiting competitors — Connecticut and Louisville were working on new football-only facilities to impress recruits, Syracuse was sharing space with several other teams in Manley Field House. From 2002-2004, Syracuse went 16-20. Pasqualoni still brought in highly-recruited players like Cecil Howard and Johnnie Morant, but on-field success slipped and fans called for the coach’s firing. Then, in her first year as SU’s Chancellor, Nancy Cantor announced that Pasqualoni would return for the 2005 season. But Gross, who had recently been hired from USC to replace Crouthamel, fired Pasqualoni after a 37-point loss to Georgia Tech — directly countering Cantor’s announcement. “I probably didn’t agree with it. Not probably, let me rephrase that: Didn’t agree with it,” Walker said. Despite news reports at the time saying the decision to fire Pasqualoni was made by Gross, Gross told The Daily Orange via email that he had no intention of firing Pasqualoni when he took the job. “The decision to fire him was not my decision. That decision came from above and the powers that were,” Gross wrote. “The local community was very negative in general about Paul. I wanted him to continue with me.” Gross replaced Syracuse’s second-winningest coach of all-time with Robinson, a two-time Super Bowl winning assistant coach whose only ties to the northeast were a fiveyear stint with the New York Jets. Robinson brought a West Coast offense and assistants like Major Applewhite and Tim Cross from his time at Texas. In his first year, Robinson led the Orange to a 1-10 record, going 0-7 in Big East play. Syracuse was the third-worst team in the country in offensive yardage. Gross wrote the quarterbacks Robinson inherited — Perry Patterson and Joe Fields — “didn’t fit the pro system” that Robinson wanted. Gross added that Robinson’s lack of success as a head coach was due in part to the fact that “the cupboard wasn’t stocked” when he took over for Pasqualoni. While Robinson’s team struggled on the field, he didn’t make an effort to maintain Syracuse’s relationships with area high schools, several coaches said. Like Anselmo, George never met Robinson, noting that the Orange’s presence in New Jersey and New York City “was not as visible” in comparison to their presence under previous head coaches. “Up until that time, (Syracuse) recruited Long Island … and the city, heavily,” Anselmo said. As Robinson neglected to recruit the northeast like Syracuse had in the past, Schiano was slowly building a competitive team at Rutgers. After Pasqualoni was fired, Schiano pounced on New York running back Ray Rice, who had verbally committed to Syracuse in 2003 after establishing a strong connection with the Orange coaching staff. But Rice’s commitment was to Pasqualoni, not to Syracuse. Rice said he saw the same qualities in Schiano that he did in Pasqualoni, and ultimately flipped his commitment to Rutgers.

“Personally, I didn’t feel (Robinson) was very much interested in my son,” Rice’s mother, Janet, told The D.O. in 2007. “I knew my son had so much athletic ability. But it seemed (Robinson) could care less (sic) if he would come or not.” While building his program, Schiano wanted to turn New Jersey and New York City into Rutgers territory, Anselmo said. Rutgers’ offensive line coach Kyle Flood, a Queens native, successfully recruited top players without having to compete against Syracuse, McPherson said. Years later, Flood told McPherson that SU “abandoned a lot of (recruits) living rooms” that Rutgers entered. “Talking to coach Flood, he kinda said it with a smile on his face, ‘You guys left a lot of candy on the table for us,’” McPherson said. Rutgers was in the middle of a five-year stretch where it played in a bowl game every season, while the Orange went 2-10 in 2007, placing Robinson on the hot seat. At the start of the 2008 season, high school coaches told their players not to go to Syracuse because of speculation of a turbulent coaching situation. That October, former SU and NFL fullback Rob Konrad wrote a letter to Gross, attempting to explain Syracuse’s struggles and where the school should look for their next head coach — before Robinson had even been fired. Konrad said that a Syracuse head coach should have preexisting knowledge on how to recruit the northeast. “It’s my contention the failings of the program are due more directly to a general lack of understanding of the environment in which to operate a successful program at Syracuse University,” Konrad wrote. “The program should strive to get back to the principles that lead to twenty years of prominence in Northeastern football.” Gross fired Robinson in November 2008. To replace him, he hired Doug Marrone, a Syracuse alum who played under MacPherson in the 80s. Marrone was also a Bronx native who had reportedly maintained connections with local high school coaches in case he got the job. Marrone emulated many of the things MacPherson and Pasqualoni had done years earlier, specifically when it came to recruiting. He brought back the emphasis on recruiting in a 5 to 6 hour radius, hiring Anselmo as his defensive backs coach and Casullo as special teams coordinator to help with recruiting local players, McPherson said. “We were gonna reclaim our territory back,” Anselmo said. “That’s the way we looked at it.” New York City high school coaches “gravitated” toward Marrone because he was a New York City native, Anselmo said. Anselmo added that “90%” of his players at Nassau Community College came from Northern Jersey, New York City or Long Island, and thus he already had strong relationships with the coaches in those areas. He said there wasn’t a city coach he didn’t know. When Anselmo went into high schools around New York City, he told the coaches that if they had a DI caliber player, Syracuse wanted a visit. Former Syracuse quarterback Terrel Hunt recalled Anselmo and Marrone unexpectedly attending his mother’s funeral in 2010 while Hunt was still deciding between Syracuse, Rutgers and Connecticut. The fact that SU was a reasonable distance from his home in Rosedale, New York and the relationships he developed with two the New York City-native coaches helped with his decision, Hunt said. “When you meet somebody from your neighborhood it’s kind of like you hit it off right away,” Hunt said. Anselmo also recruited 4-star defensive back Wayne Morgan out of Erasmus High School in Brooklyn. When Anselmo walked into Erasmus in the spring of Morgan’s sophomore year, his head coach, Danny Landberg, told Anselmo that Morgan was going to Rutgers or Michigan. But two years later, Morgan committed to SU, saying the Orange were “New York City’s team.” “From day one, we were going to make sure Rutgers didn’t beat us out on a kid in the city. It was just personal. For me and (Marrone),” Anselmo said. Marrone also hired Moore, a former Pro Bowler with the New York Jets, to coach wide receivers and recruit in New Jersey. Grant recalled area players and coaches connecting with Moore since many of them watched him play with the Jets. Former Syracuse defensive tackle Marcus Cole-

man, a Camden, New Jersey native, said South Jersey was considered Big Ten country at that time, but Marrone understood the importance of having a presence in the state and recruited it hard. Under Marrone, Syracuse went 25-25 over four seasons, winning two Pinstripe Bowls. Marrone provided a “huge resuscitation to the program,” McPherson said. He was slowly rebuilding relationships with northeast high school coaches and turning around a program still reeling from Robinson’s tenure. But Marrone’s abrupt departure to become the Buffalo Bills head coach in 2012 surprised Syracuse players and forced the remaining coaching staff to keep together SU’s incoming recruiting class. Future Miami and NFL running back Gus Edwards “was dead set on coming to Syracuse” until Marrone left, Anselmo said. Quarterback Zach Allen flipped to TCU and linebacker Malik Brown decommitted, too. “I thought (Marrone) was about to try to start a dynasty where he graduated from,” former Syracuse running back Prince-Tyson Gulley later told The D.O in 2015. “I thought that was the original goal.” Marrone’s last year at Syracuse was the school’s last season in the Big East. Schiano left Rutgers in 2011 to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, putting Flood in charge of the program. Flood struggled against Big Ten competition as midwest schools like Michigan and Ohio State began recruiting New Jersey and New York more easily with Rutgers in their conference. Players like Jabrill Peppers and Curtis Samuel left their home states for Big Ten competition, opening up the region for schools from all over the country. “The City’s wide-open now,” Anselmo said. cott Shafer, Marrone’s defensive coordinator, took over as head coach. Before his first season in his new role, Shafer said he wanted to fill his roster with players from within a 300-mile — or 5-hour — radius of campus, but added that it was “unrealistic.” Shafer was fired after three seasons and a 14-23 record. Babers was hired as his replacement, bringing his up-tempo spread offense from Bowling Green to the Carrier Dome. Babers initially said his recruiting focus would be in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the midwest. Syracuse even ran a satellite camp in Brooklyn in the summer of 2016. In 2017, Syracuse upset No. 2 Clemson and in 2018, Babers led the Orange to a 10-3 season — SU’s best record since Pasqualoni’s 2001 team. But over the past two seasons, the Orange have gone 6-17. Babers told The Athletic last summer that Syracuse needs to improve recruiting in Massachusetts, Vermont and the Washington, D.C. area. He said when he first came to Syracuse, he wanted to recruit Northern Virginia heavily, but was talked out of it, only to return a few years later. McPherson and others said Babers hasn’t been able to find consistent success in part because high school teams in the northeast don’t typically use schemes similar to Babers’. This is due largely to the weather that prevents players from playing football year round, McPherson said. “Dino came in going ‘Orange is the new fast.’ Problem is, the northeast is not that fast,” McPherson said. Babers had defensive line coach Vince Reynolds recruiting New Jersey, multiple coaches said. But with frequent turnover in SU’s coaching staff, it’s harder to develop relationships for recruiting, Dan Sabella, Don Bosco Prep’s (NJ) head coach, said. “When there’s continuity and when there’s longevity amongst a staff, obviously a lot of times relationships are stronger because there’s more of a trust factor,” Sabella said. “When guys are coming in and out, it’s hard to develop that trust in the relationship.” Historically, Syracuse has placed a large emphasis on recruiting New Jersey and downstate New York due to the lack of talent immediately surrounding the school, Gross and DeLeone said. Multiple coaches said Syracuse and Rutgers have found the most success when their rosters have been filled primarily with northeastern players. But now, coming off one of the worst seasons in program history, Babers and the rest of the SU coaching staff have to face Schiano in week two — one of the region’s top recruiters — while looking for local talent that can lead to consistent success. “Syracuse doesn’t own the northeast,” McPherson said. “And we should.” csmith49@syr.edu @csmith17_


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PAG E 12

sept. 2, 2021

The rise and fall of Syracuse’s recruiting base

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Syracuse has struggled in its northeastern recruiting efforts since Greg Robinson’s hire in 2005 By Connor Smith asst. sports editor

D

on McPherson walked into Nassau Community College football head coach John Anselmo’s office, days after he found out that he would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Sitting in the small office, the former Syracuse quarterback spoke with Anselmo and Ed Mack, who was an assistant at Nassau. After informing them of his induction, McPherson asked the coaches what they thought of SU’s then-head coach, Greg Robinson, who was coming off a 2-10 season in 2007. Anselmo and Mack replied that they had never met Robinson. In his three years as SU’s head coach, Robinson never visited the local school that sent over 150 players to Division I programs under Anselmo. “You gotta be kidding me,” McPherson said. Anselmo, like other high school and junior college coaches around the northeast, had a close relationship with Robinson’s predecessor, Paul Pasqualoni, who was SU’s head from 1991-2004. Pasqualoni focused on recruiting players within five to six hours of Syracuse’s campus. Even if he wasn’t recruiting a player at Nassau, Pasqualoni or other members of his SU staff stopped by the school and dropped off a dozen doughnuts when they were in the area, McPherson said. Anselmo could always call Pasqualoni’s office at Syracuse and talk to the coach on the phone. But he said he never called Robinson — or even met him. He didn’t know who Robinson was, a sentiment echoed by several other area high school coaches who spoke with The Daily Orange. After a 51-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl, Syracuse fired Pasqualoni, its head coach since 1991. Then-athletic director Daryl Gross replaced him with Robinson, who had been a defensive coordinator in the NFL and at Texas. Over four seasons as SU’s head coach, Robinson went 10-37, overseeing Syracuse’s first

(Syracuse) really did well in our area getting recruits, things of that nature, then they had a change. We didn’t have a lot of interaction with them after that. Darnell Grant

west orange high school coach

two double-digit loss seasons, and the loss of a recruiting base 23 years in the making. “All these relationships were gone,” McPherson said. “Greg Robinson … didn’t know the northeast as a college coach.” Robinson did not respond to The D.O.’s request for comment. In 2015, he said he had “no regrets” about his time at Syracuse. “If you go back and check out the archives of the players that I left in that program. A whole bunch went into pro football that I recruited,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to say it was better than when I came, or whatever, but I’m just going to tell you that I left in very good shape for years to come. And if people really go back and really do their homework, they’d see that … I feel good about what I did there. I needed to win more games.” Three different head coaches have followed Robinson, none finding consistent success. Since Pasqualoni was fired, SU has appeared in just four bowl games, winning 37.6% of its games over the last 17 seasons. The Orange have only brought in 11 4-star recruits — and no 5-stars — since 2005, according to 247Sports.

Syracuse, now led by sixth-year head coach Dino Babers, has been again trying to build his own recruiting pipeline. But as Babers and SU stumbled to a 1-10 season, Greg Schiano returned to Rutgers, one of Syracuse’s other major competitors in northeast recruiting, last year for his second stint as head coach. After assembling a top-20 Class of 2022 that features five 4-star players, four of which are from the northeast, according to 247Sports, Schiano further frustrated the Orange’s recruiting efforts for the 2022 season. Syracuse’s 2022 class, meanwhile, is 58th nationally, and has zero players four stars or higher. Schiano’s rise when he first started with the Scarlet Knights coincided with Robinson and Syracuse’s recruiting demise, as Schiano built strong, family-like relationships with high school coaches throughout the northeast — particularly in his home state of New Jersey. Schiano was able to turn SU’s old recruiting territory into Rutgers’ territory, several local players and coaches said. “(Syracuse) really did well in our area getting recruits, things of that nature, then they had a change,” West Orange High School (NJ) head coach Darnell Grant said. “We didn’t have a lot of interaction with them after that. There was just this really big, stark difference.” In 1981, Dick MacPherson inherited a Syracuse program that had played in just one bowl game over the past 15 years. MacPherson — a New England native — assembled a staff primarily composed of northeastern coaches to construct a recruiting base in the area, placing an emphasis on winning recruiting battles within a 5 to 6 hour radius of Syracuse’s campus, according to multiple former players and coaches. George O’Leary, a brash, “old school” coach, joined Syracuse’s coaching staff as a defensive line coach following three years at Liverpool High School. As a Long Island native, he used his local ties to recruit future Syracuse stars Rob Moore, Rob Carpenter and McPherson from his hometown. “He spoke our language,” McPherson said.

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