Through therapy and job training, House of Psalms 23 supports women who have experienced incarceration or domestic abuse.
17
Cornell University students lost visas
13
University at Buffalo students lost visas
1
Siena College student lost visas
C • Deals on wheels Revamped, a mobile thrift store, is the brainchild of sophomore Ava Lubkemann. She hopes to inspire her peers to solve similar issues.
3
SU students lost visas under Trump administration
and policymakers.
SU said it had “no notice” from the federal government about the revocations
By Kendall Luther senior staff writer
President Donald Trump’s administration revoked the visas of three international students at Syracuse University, according to a Wednesday news release.
SU officials said the university did not receive an explanation about why these students’ visas were revoked.
“The university was not notified in advance, nor did it share any student information with the government prior to the students receiving notice,” SU said in the release.
Due to university privacy policies, SU declined to identify the three students or their nationalities. Two of the three students are set to graduate on time, and the university is working to ensure the third student can continue their studies. SU’s Center for International Services, Office of Academic Affairs and the students’ academic programs are collaborating to support the affected students, according to the release.
SU said its administrators are in communication with elected officials and government leaders, but declined to say whether they had contacted the State Department or the Trump administration, syracuse.com reported on Tuesday.
International students make up about 20% of the university’s student body, according to SU’s international admissions website, with more than 4,000 international students enrolled.
According to data compiled by Inside Higher Ed, 17 international students at Cornell University and five at Binghamton University have had their visas revoked as of Tuesday.
Nationally, more than 1,700 international students and recent graduates have had
11
University of Rochester students lost visas
3
Rensselaer Polytechnic students lost visas
5
Binghamton University students lost visas
their student visas revoked or legal status changed at over 265 colleges and universities, the data shows.
Many of these revoked student visas come as a result of federal officials removing students’ names from the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System. The Department of State is using the database to monitor international students in the interest of national security, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Impacted students and their legal advisors argue that removing individuals from SEVIS is not legal grounds to revoke student visas, Inside Higher Ed reported. In a court filing in Michigan Monday, a U.S. attorney said SEVIS is a simple database and does not determine the legality of international students at American institutions.
The university said it’s directly communicating with international students, faculty and staff, according to the statement, and urges anyone with concerns to reach out to Juan Tavares, director of the Center for International Services, at jtavares@syr. edu or (315) 443-5833. kaluther@syr.edu @kendallaluther
S • Secret weapon
Last season, Zach Van Arsdale served as Kyle McCord’s throwing partner, helping him evolve into a top NFL Draft QB prospect.
on campus
SU not a signee on anti-Trump AACU letter
By Duncan Green news editor
Since its initial release Tuesday, more than 200 university presidents and other academic officials have signed a letter condemning President Donald Trump’s administration for “unprecedented government overreach” in higher education since his return to office.
As of Wednesday night, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud has not signed the letter, titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement.” Sarah Scalese, SU’s senior associate vice president for communications, said the university is not a member of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, and therefore wasn’t “consulted or invited” to sign before the letter’s release.
“We are carefully reviewing the substance of the letter and actively consulting with key stakeholders to thoughtfully determine our course of action,” Scalese wrote in a Wednesday statement to The Daily Orange.
We pay to be here, and a lot of people don’t think that what they’re paying for is being represented.
Tyler Toledo su college democrats president
The letter specifically condemns the deportation and censorship of international students based on their viewpoints and participation in campus protests. It also argues that restrictions and funding cuts hinder academics’ ability to conduct research and weakens institutions’ ability to serve as “centers of open inquiry.”
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses,” the letter reads. “We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.”
The national letter comes roughly a month after over 130 SU faculty members signed a letter encouraging the university to “stand firm” in the face of the federal government’s demands. Signatories pledged faculty support for any efforts made by administrators to reject unjust federal interference in campus affairs.
Harriet Brown, an SU journalism professor and lead author of the March 27 letter, said she was disappointed by the university’s continued silence, but not surprised. Since the national letter was released, Brown said she hasn’t received any communication from university leadership.
SU declined to say whether it had contacted the Trump administration or the State Department, but said administrators are in communication with elected officials
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WHERE: Hendricks Chapel how to join us
COMING UP
WHEN: Friday, 2-4 p.m.
WHAT: South Campus High Ropes Course Adventure
WHERE: Outdoor Education Center and Challenge Course
WHAT: Block Party
WHEN: Friday, 7-11 p.m..
WHERE: JMA Wireless Dome Noteworthy events this week.
WHAT: Earth Day Clean Up
WHEN: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
HOP 23 helps women recovering from incarceration, abuse
By Harry Kelly staff writer
When Ashlee Haste was 14, she began working at Northside CYO, a nonprofit organization helping refugee children arriving from wartorn countries. It was a “sobering experience,” she said, working with children who had seen and been through so much, including a lack of basic necessities.
For Haste, supporting those in need became a lifelong mission.
“My mom taught me at an early age, if you have it, you can give back,” Haste said. “It’s always going to come back to you, so make sure that you help others.”
That message serves as a core principle for House of Psalms 23, the nonprofit Haste founded in 2022 to support women who have experienced incarceration or domestic abuse.
Operated daily by a group of three to four women, HOP 23 supports women in need through therapy, job readiness training and financial literacy workshops. Community donations and grants ensure each of its programs are free to all participants.
The organization works with Onondaga County Justice Center and Jamesville Correctional Facility to build trust with women before they complete their sentences, Haste said.
One of the women HOP 23 works with is Shamiari Horge, a 23-year-old Syracuse local who was pregnant with her fourth child at the time of her incarceration. Before she found HOP 23, she described her experience as a “real low point.”
“I was like, ‘No way you should be away from your kids and your family right now because of this,’” Horge said. “I didn’t even get a second bed until another pregnant female left. So it was just things like that. That was just really, really hard.”
While House of Psalms 23 is not a faith-based organization, it derives its name from scripture that Haste says is relevant to the challenges the women often face in recovery.
“It talks about enemies and being in those dark places,” Haste said. “The population that we work with, they run into that often. I think just in
human nature, we all run into those dark places, whether we want to be in them or not.”
HOP 23 has helped over 300 women since its founding, and is currently working with over 40 people at Jamesville Correctional and the OCJF, Haste said. But recently, their work has been complicated by President Donald Trump’s scaling back of federal grants that support nonprofits.
Haste said HOP 23 was amid the application process for the Department of Justice’s Byrne JAG Award, a grant that would’ve provided funding to house all of the women participating in their programs. Instead, without warning, the DOJ backed out, leaving the nonprofit to continue searching for other funding sources.
They can laugh, let their hair down and understand that they can now trust someone in a community of individuals that want to help or have experienced the same things.
Ashlee
Haste hop 23 founder
Other state and federal grants have either been cancelled or face uncertain futures, Haste said. In the wake of these pullbacks, the HOP 23 staff has often worked without pay.
Despite these financial obstacles, Haste said women who are considering getting help from the nonprofit shouldn’t worry about it disappearing.
“(They should) know that they’re going to be able to rest their head and know that they’re going to be able to have a sisterhood of individuals that can really sit with them, talk with them.” Haste said. “They can laugh, let their hair down and understand that they can now trust someone in a community of individuals that want to help or have experienced the same things.”
Horge said she found out about HOP 23 after spotting a group of inmates with journals meeting with a member of the organization.
She learned the meeting was a women’s empowerment session led by Jennifer Oxendine, the nonprofit’s workshop facilitator, who teaches classes in correctional facilities. Out of curiosity, Horge joined in on the next session, and was stunned by the impact it left on her.
“Listening to Miss Jenn for the first time was actually really emotional for me,” Horge said. “Not just hearing her life story, but also connecting with her on another level as well … I just appreciated it so much knowing that I wasn’t out here by myself, knowing that all those women that (were) sitting inside of that group needed each other.”
Oxendine said her life story mirrors the many women who HOP 23 aims to help. She experienced incarceration, homelessness, abuse and addiction earlier in her life before moving from North Carolina to Syracuse seeking a better life for her and her kids.
When she first arrived in the city, Oxendine lived at the Chadwick Residence, a nonprofit organization that provides at-risk women with housing. It was there that she first met Haste, who was working as a program coordinator at the time.
The two stayed in touch as Oxendine found steady work and stable housing. A few years after their first meeting, Haste called her asking if she wanted to join the organization that would ultimately become HOP 23.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome because that’s a part of my journey,’” Oxendine said. “Everything that the women that we work with (have experienced), I’ve been through a lot of the things they’ve been through, so it’s easier for me to relate to them.”
HOP 23 also works with a licensed clinical social worker who’s trained in working with recently incarcerated people and people who’ve experienced abuse. Though one-onone sessions sometimes reach maximum capacity, Haste said there’s always an open spot in weekly group therapy sessions for processing and recovery.
For Horge, who was released last month,
being able to open up to other women in similar situations has been invaluable, she said.
“It’s emotional because (there’s) so many things that they’re going through that not only I have to listen to, but they have to hear my side as well,” Horge said. “So hearing other stories and what they’ve been through and how they had to deal with it and the trauma that they still go through today, it’s really emotional.”
After the women graduate from the empowerment programs, they have the opportunity to become a part of Second Chance Sisters, a workforce development program designed to help them re-acclimate with the support of HOP 23 staffers.
Haste said the program teaches women entrepreneurial skills by making and selling body scrubs and lip glosses. They also gain firsthand experience working in the Second Chance Sisters store, which doubles as HOP 23’s headquarters.
The entire process is built around a shared philosophy, she said.
“We’re really heavy on the five C’s, so it’s building the courage, confidence, career, connection and communication,” Haste said. “That’s what we work on on a daily basis.”
Ashley Grimes, a HOP 23 board member, said one of the biggest challenges the nonprofit faces is gaining credibility and name recognition in the community.
“Sometimes people believe that women that were formerly incarcerated unfortunately (cannot) progress afterwards,” Grimes said. “But there is life after that. And I think sometimes people just need to be exposed to the truth.” Horge said the organization has inspired her to start a podcast one day. She hopes it can serve as a space for everyone in her community to open up in a therapy-like environment.
She said her optimism for the future is a credit to HOP 23’s work, which she hopes continues to grow.
“They make me feel so loved every time I come here,” Horge said. “I would recommend (it to) anybody. I would tell that young lady or woman to go for it. If I can’t tell you anything, I would tell you to absolutely go for it. There’s ladies in there right now wanting to help you.”
hekelly@syr.edu
Student advocates push for end to SU’s 43-year contract with Nike
By Henry Daley asst. news editor
For Nina Tran, founder of Syracuse University’s chapter of Students for International Labor Solidarity, the group’s demands to the university administration are straightforward.
SILS is demanding SU end its 43-year contract with Nike. The agreement supplies the university’s athletes and coaches with Nike apparel and allows SU to profit from any products bearing its logo.
An April 2021 investigation conducted by the Worker Rights Consortium found Nike withheld $900,000 in wages from over 3,000 workers at the Hong Seng Knitting Factory in Bangkok. The report described it as a “scheme to avoid paying workers legally required wages during repeated suspensions of employment” at the subcontracted factory.
In response to the report, Nike released plans in February to implement a remediation plan that will pay the workers $200,000 in paid time off. On Monday, WRC issued a statement expressing its disappointment with the remediation plan, citing several “deficiencies” in Nike’s proposed solution.
Tran said SILS is asking the university to cut ties with Nike to put pressure on the company to compensate its workers. She said SU has yet to take any action about the unpaid wages, despite multiple demands from the organization for the university to do so.
In an email to members of SILS, Rachel Duffy, SU’s director of strategic partnerships and licensing, acknowledged the university has known about the matter since the report was released, and said the university has been “actively engaged” in the situation.
Duffy said SU has already called on Nike to address the issues related to WRC findings. She also highlighted that the Fair Labor Association conducted another comprehensive audit of the Hong Seng Knitting Factory before it published its findings in December 2024.
“While the process has been extensive, the University is optimistic that Nike’s response to the Third-Party Complaint and commitment to a corrective action plan represents significant
SILS is demanding SU end its contract with Nike after the company withheld $900,000 from over 3,000 workers in a foreign factory. courtesy of zeynep aker
progress,” Duffy wrote. “Syracuse University is a long-standing member of the Worker Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association and will continue to monitor closely Nike’s progress.”
SU declined to provide further comment to The Daily Orange beyond Duffy’s email.
Zeynep Aker, SILS’ incoming president, agreed with WRC’s statement and said the most glaring issue with Nike’s remediation plan is that it would reimburse workers with less than one-fourth of the wages they’re owed. She also criticized the use of paid time off instead of direct compensation.
“During the pandemic, these workers basically had all of their money stolen from them, and Nike is ignoring the problem, or has been ignoring the problem,” Aker said. “As students, we can leverage our power against the university, and put pressure on them, to put pressure on Nike to cut the contract.”
After watching other SILS chapters take action against Nike, Tran said she was inspired to launch SU’s chapter. She wanted to draw attention to the issue at Syracuse — especially given the school’s long-standing partnership with the brand.
“We go to a university and an institution that really paints itself as justice-serving, diversitycaring, but where is that in its actual action?” Tran said. “Our demand is very easy and very clear. They could do it during their coffee break. It literally takes five minutes to just call up Nike and say, ‘If you don’t pay back your workers, we’re cutting the contract.’”
Since SU has been affiliated with WRC since 2001, Tran said the university is obligated to follow its code of conduct, which prohibits labor violations in the use of its global supply chain. She said SU’s awareness of the violations and continued inaction make the university complicit.
“Our actions have been trying to target not only the administration, but the students, by calling in how they’re complicit in wage theft as well.” Tran said.“By being students here, we give the school so much money, and that money is going to places that we never agreed to.”
Aker expressed frustration with university administrators in their communication with SILS. She said she believes Duffy is the best person to contact Nike, as she serves on the board of directors of FLA and previously served on WRC’s board.
Aker claimed Duffy declined to take further action against Nike and did not meet with SILS representatives in person. SILS members deliver letters to Duffy’s office, but Duffy does not directly collect them, Aker said.
“The communication has been really frustrating. They’re not willing to actually communicate with us,” Aker said. “It’s not like a radical demand. We’re literally just asking for (the workers) to be treated fairly, like the bare minimum.”
She also said the organization’s advocacy has remained peaceful, but alleged SU has gone “out of its way to control” SILS. Tran said she would rather see the university focus its energy on resolving the situation with Nike.
While SILS is demanding SU cut ties with Nike, the organization’s ultimate goal is to get the company to repay its workers, Tran said. She believes SU pressuring Nike would be the most effective way to accomplish that, citing previous efforts by WRC to hold companies accountable for failing to compensate overseas workers.
In 2013, students from several institutions protested their schools’ affiliations with Adidas after the company refused to pay more than $1.8 million in severance pay to 2,800 former factory workers in Indonesia. In response to the studentled campaign, Adidas eventually agreed to settle with the workers and pay the severance.
“All they would need to do is pay back their workers,” Tran said. “In the same year that Nike stole $900,000 from the workers that make our apparel, they made a record-breaking 5.2 billion dollars in profit. That’s like chump change for them.”
hdaley@syr.edu
Alijah Clark, DB
Buffalo Bills: The Bills’ glaring need entering the draft is their secondary. They posted an abysmal 37.7 coverage grade in 2024, the second worst in the league per PFF, and will likely address the issue often in the draft. Clark would fit the bill in the late rounds or as a priority free agent, using his versatility and experience on special teams in nearby Buffalo. Seattle Seahawks: Clark could also fill in on a team that is already proficient in the secondary and on special teams but lacks depth. Enter Seattle. The Seahawks ranked sixth in special teams and 13th in coverage, using defensive backs all over 6 feet tall. Clark, at 6-foot-1, pairs his size with versatility at safety and in the slot. Mike Macdonald loves using secondary pieces in different roles, making Clark a good fit.
Justin Barron, LB
Detroit Lions: Barron is the quintessential Dan Campbell guy. The Connecticut native played wide receiver, safety and linebacker at Syracuse and pitched in on special teams throughout his five years. While he’ll be playing linebacker at the professional level, Barron will probably need to first make his mark on special teams with his grittiness. The Lions also didn’t draft a linebacker in 2024 and are expected to attack the position through the 2025 draft. Jacksonville Jaguars: Barron also could slot in with the Jaguars as the Will linebacker inside a largely 4-3 base defense. Starting Will linebacker Foyesade Oluokun is under contract through 2027 but backup Chad Muma’s rookie deal will expire after the upcoming 2025 season. Jacksonville is led by a new staff in 2025, including new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. He’s the brother of SU quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile, a connection that could land Barron with the Jaguars.
THE PICK IS IN
match Analyzing top fits for each Syracuse NFL Draft prospect
By Aiden Stepansky digital managing editor
yracuse’s historic 2024 season featured its first 10-win season since 2018 and a dominant performance in the Holiday Bowl to defeat Washington State. A largely veteran group led the Orange. Kyle McCord and Fadil Diggs transferred in for their last year of eligibility while Oronde Gadsden II, Justin Barron and Marlowe Wax all returned despite Fran Brown taking over as head coach. After a successful 2023 NFL Draft with Matthew Bergeron and Garrett Williams being selected on day two, SU had zero players selected in 2024. The Orange are expected to have multiple athletes drafted in Green Bay this weekend, and a few are likely to sign as priority free agents if they go undrafted. Here’s which NFL teams would make the most sense for each Syracuse draft prospect:
expert evaluations
How NFL Draft analysts are gauging
Syracuse’s top-4 2025 prospects
Chadwick and Wasserman wish they could’ve seen another year out of Allen Jr. instead of him going pro now. They said he’s stuffed toward the bottom of this year’s running back class because he shows less breakaway speed than top guys like Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton. “I don’t think he’s the most athletic running back that we have in this class, or even close to it,” Chadwick said of Allen Jr. “I thought he could’ve really developed for another year and become a top prospect at the running back position for the 2026 draft.” Chadwick still sees Allen Jr. as a solid third-down running back and believes he’s one of the better receiving backs in this year’s class. While Allen Jr. struggles to break tackles and blaze through the second and third levels, Chadwick said, he can make up for it by playing as a situational back. Both analysts see Allen Jr. as a day three draft pick (rounds 4-7) with the chance of going undrafted.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE Height: 6-foot-4 ⅝ Weight: 243 pounds 2024 season: 934 yards, 7 TDs Gadsden resoundingly responded from an injury-ruined 2023 season. The tight end grew into one of the nation’s most dangerous vertical threats in 2024, racking up nearly 1,000 receiving yards and adding seven touchdowns. From November 9–23 last year, Gadsden flashed his ability to take over games, exploding for 100-plus yards in three straight contests. Wasserman thinks Gadsden’s innate physical traits and ability to play as a big slot receiver could boost him into a top-100 draft selection. NFL offenses have trended toward big weapons occupying the slot in recent years; the way the Cincinnati Bengals use large, athletic tight end Mike Gesicki could be how Gadsden’s skill set is implemented, Wasserman said.
By Cooper Andrews managing
editor
After one season under head coach Fran Brown, Syracuse boasts one of its best NFL Draft prospect crops in recent memory. Quarterback Kyle McCord, tight end Oronde Gadsden II, running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and edge rusher Fadil Diggs all have strong chances of getting selected in this week’s 2025 NFL Draft. The four, who spurred the Orange’s 10-3 record in a historic 2024 campaign, are each generating significant buzz as probable day two or three picks. Here’s what NFL Draft experts have to say about McCord, Gadsden, Allen Jr. and Diggs’ NFL outlooks, featuring insight from Pro Football Focus analysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman: Kyle McCord, QB
Kyle McCord, QB Los Angeles Rams: While there are multiple teams desperate for a quarterback in this draft, most will likely make their move in the first round with Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders or even Jaxson Dart. McCord fits well with the Rams, who will likely be looking for a future replacement for Matthew Stafford in the second or third round after upgrading another position of greater need at No. 26 overall. New York Jets: The Jets are another squad that will use their first round pick elsewhere, though could look to add depth in their quarterback room on day two. New York did sign Justin Fields to a two-year deal, but Fields’ instability and a fouryear rookie contract for McCord would allow him time to develop or even take over sooner than expected. After all, McCord grew up a Jets fan and wears No. 6 because of former quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE Miami Dolphins: Gadsden grew up just down the road from Miami, and his father played his final six NFL seasons with the Dolphins. Though the fit for Gadsden goes beyond a family tie. Mike McDaniel’s creative offense suits Gadsden’s skill set well. The head coach would likely use him on the inside and outside to cre -
Marlowe Wax, LB Indianapolis Colts: Seven years ago, the Colts took a flier on an experienced middle linebacker from
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Before Meeks broke out with the Orange, he worked under wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon at Georgia. McClendon assumed the same role with the Buccaneers in 2024, and the two could reunite in Tampa Bay as Meeks will likely be searching for an undrafted free agent opportunity. The Buccaneers have a fairly deep wide receiver core and Meeks will need to excel on special teams. But after all, sometimes it’s all about who you know.
Kansas City Chiefs: Similar to his potential role with the Buccaneers, Meeks could sign with the Chiefs to bolster their already strong special teams unit. Kansas City ranked third in the NFL in special teams, per PFF, and Meeks would be a strong addition based on his pedigree from his Georgia days. The Chiefs are also always looking for fresh targets for Patrick Mahomes.
“I understand the receiving ability, but I actually wasn’t sure he was quite ready yet as a runner,” Wasserman said of Allen Jr. entering the draft. “His vision and some of his fundamentals and footwork in the backfield could use a little more work.” Kiper has Allen Jr. as the 12th-best running back in this year’s draft. Fadil Diggs, EDGE Height: 6-foot-4 ⅜
Clarence Lewis, DB
Dallas Cowboys: Lewis could make sense for Dallas here due to his strength on go routes. PFF tracked Lewis as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2025 draft class on deep balls, posting a 90.1 grade on 20 coverage snaps. The Cowboys have above-average starting cornerbacks in DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs but must add depth with Amani Oruwariye and Jourdan Lewis hitting the exits.
Cincinnati Bengals: Another fit for Lewis could be with the Bengals as a priority free agent. Cincinnati ranked 17th in the league in coverage and could use more help. Similar to Meeks, however, a connection from Lewis’ college days could get him an opportunity. Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden served in the same role at Notre Dame through Lewis’ junior and senior seasons. Syracuse in the seventh round. Zaire Franklin went on to lead the NFL in tackles in 2024. Wax could be a strong backup to Franklin if snagged by Indianapolis. He trained with Franklin in Tampa Bay this offseason and Wax could easily bump Liam Anderson or Jacob Phillips out of their one-year deals. Baltimore Ravens: Wax also fits in with his hometown team in Baltimore. He attended the Ravens’ local pro day in early April and showed off his speed and health at SU’s Pro Day on March 17. The Ravens play a base 3-4 defense, which requires two inside linebacker slots instead of one middle linebacker. With Jake Hummel and William Kwenkeu on small oneyear deals, Wax could find his home with the Ravens. Jackson Meeks, WR
Weight: 257 lbs 2024 season: 7.5 sacks (team-high) Fadil Diggs, a Texas A&M transfer, led Syracuse in sacks last season with 7.5, a career-high after not producing at a high level in College Station. Diggs’ lone year at SU was defined by his ability to rotate from the front four to the second level and a few notable personal performances — like his two-sack night in Syracuse’s upset road win over UNLV in October — which earned him National Defensive Player of the Week honors. But one thing about Diggs is blowing scouts and experts away: his 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Wasserman thinks the edge rusher’s scorching time elevated him from being undrafted to being a probable round 6-7 selection. He said Diggs will be drafted purely as an athlete; the edge rusher’s speed and size combination make him worth a late-round flyer. Diggs’ positional flexibility increases his intrigue as a prospect, too. Diggs often slid into the second level as an outside linebacker in SU’s 4-3 defense. Wasserman thinks teams will jump in late rounds to take a guy like Diggs, who can fill multiple roles. Chadwick, however, said Diggs will not play linebacker in the NFL, though his versatility is still a nice touch.
“He’s a guy that’s going to be an edge rusher for you, and depending on what kind of scheme you’re in, he’ll have his hand in the dirt or be rushing from a two-point stance,” Chadwick said. Diggs isn’t the most technically sound pass rusher, lacking edge bend and exhibiting a “stiff” lower body, Wasserman said. Regardless, it’s likely the Camden, New Jersey, native hears his name called at some point Saturday afternoon.
“There are teams that, late in the draft, just draft athletes, and he’s definitely an athlete,” Wasserman said of Diggs. “Especially with what he showed at the combine, somebody’s going to be interested in that.”
ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews
Adding to Syracuse’s rich history of backfield dynamos, Allen Jr. completed a superb three-year career with his best campaign yet in 2024. He ran for 1,021 yards, scampered for 20 total touchdowns. He also caught 64 passes, the most for an FBS running back last season, for 521 receiving yards. The versatile weapon often wore opponents down as games progressed, earning the role of SU’s late-game finisher under Brown and offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon. Yet, he may have entered the draft too early. with the chance of going undrafted. Wasserman compared Allen Jr.’s game to Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, saying the Indianapolis Colts could use a receiving back like Allen Jr. to back up Jonathan Taylor.
“I don’t think he’s an in-line tight end at all,” Chadwick said of Gadsden. “He’s not gonna line up on the line of scrimmage with his hand in the dirt, he’s a guy you’re probably going to want in the slot, standing up and be a big slot wide receiver for you.” Chadwick said Gadsden’s pure hands, and coming into the NFL Combine at a bigger-than-expected size, will improve his stock heading into Draft Day. He thinks he could fit well with a creative offensive coordinator who deploys a good mix of 12 personnel. Wasserman floated Dalton Kincaid as a potential compari
son to Gadsden. He added that the Jacksonville Jaguars could fit Gadsden’s playstyle well, as quar
terback Trevor Lawrence is miss
ing another weapon in the seams to complement receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on the outside. “I have Gadsden as a solid receiver, it’s just that twodimensional part he’s missing,” Wasserman said. “He could be an attractive piece, it really is going to depend on the type of offense you’re talking about.”
“The way the game is now, if you don’t have that elite athleticism, well, you need other tools to win,” Wasserman said. “Does he have those tools? Yeah. He’s gotta continue to work out and reel it in a little bit. But I would say the biggest thing for McCord is understanding when to take those deep shots and be a little more measured about it.” ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks McCord as the No. 6 quarterback in the class. serman said. Gadsden spent nearly 60% of his snaps from the slot in 2024, according to PFF, and tallied a career-high 82.7 season offensive grade. Both analysts said an NFL team will draft Gadsden due to his receiving potential, not his blocking. Chadwick called Gadsden one of the worst blocking tight ends in the class; Gadsden’s PFF blocking grade finished at 65.0 in 2024.
McCord is a prime example of the transfer portal’s good side, exiting Ohio State for Syracuse before putting together the Atlantic Coast Conference’s gaudiest passing season ever. He threw for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, breaking SU program records in single-season passing yards and touchdowns. He even went toe-to-toe with possible No. 1 pick Cam Ward and upset Miami last November. Chadwick said McCord’s growth this past year struck him, particularly in how he excelled in a vastly different play style than at Ohio State. Playing alongside a loaded roster with weapons like Marvin Harrison Jr. meant McCord was relatively plug-andplay in the Buckeyes’ offense. At Syracuse, though, Chadwick felt McCord got tasked to do it all. “He wasn’t really a major reason why they won games at Ohio State,” Chadwick said of McCord. “Now, at Syracuse, it all kind of fell on him and he became one of the bigger gunslingers that we saw in college football.” McCord, who led the country with 592 pass attempts in 2024, was the definition of a gunslinger at SU. Wasserman interestingly compared McCord’s game to veteran quarterback Jameis Winston, but with less extreme interception numbers and a weaker arm. McCord led the nation with 36 big-time throws last year, per PFF, but also committed the most turnover-worthy plays with 24. Wasserman feels McCord will need to tone down how many vertical attempts he tries per game at the NFL level. He did acknowledge that McCord sees the field well and used quick-passing to his advantage at SU, qualities that NFL teams could gravitate toward. McCord doesn’t offer much as an improviser, Wasserman said, though operating within structure — arguably the biggest necessity for an NFL quarterback — is McCord’s strength. Chadwick gave McCord a Baker Mayfield comparison, while Wasserman thinks the probable midround selection is the league’s next Winston. Both see McCord as a career backup.
I understand the receiving ability, but I actually wasn’t sure (Allen Jr.) was quite ready yet as a runner Dalton Wasserman pff analyst ate mismatches, similar to how Jonnu Smith broke out in 2024. Chicago Bears: Another fit for Gadsden would be in Ben Johnson’s new high-powered offense in Chicago. Johnson has a creative mind, and with Gadsden’s speed and route running on the outside, he’d slot in well behind Cole Kmet. Currently, the Bears’ options after Kmet include seven-year veteran Durham Smythe and journeyman Stephen Carlson. Both are on one-year deals that will expire following the 2025 season.
LeQuint Allen Jr., RB Washington Commanders: With Brian Robinson Jr. as a bruising first option for Washington, Allen Jr. makes sense here as a future secondary option and potential lead back. Allen Jr.’s advanced pass protection and elite hands allows him to be used in multiple ways. All running backs currently rostered have deals expiring following the 2025 season. While Washington might not attack the need early in the draft, it could rely on the class’ depth to get a future star. San Francisco 49ers: Allen Jr. worked with SU offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon throughout 2024, the same coach who helped Christian McCaffrey become a star with the Carolina Panthers. With a similar skillset, Allen Jr. could slot in well behind McCaffrey in San Francisco. The 49ers have Isaac Guerendo behind McCaffrey, but Allen Jr. would allow offensive guru Kyle Shanahan a security blanket if McCaffrey gets injured again.
Fadil Diggs, EDGE
Arizona Cardinals: Diggs came over from Texas A&M to the Orange and became a powerhouse on their pass rush, grading at 83.2, according to Pro Football Focus. The Cardinals need pass-rushing help after they posted the second-worst grade in the NFL in 2024. They added Josh Sweat in free agency, and will address other needs early in the draft. Diggs is a viable option to bolster the unit in the later rounds. Green Bay Packers: The Packers also make sense for Diggs. Green Bay ranked middle of the pack in 2024 in pass rushing defense and has established starters in Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness. However, the Packers still could use depth and speed at the position. Diggs had a virtual meeting with Green Bay, according to The Draft Network, and could find a role there with his athleticism.
national Trump targets college accreditation in new order
By Shivika Gupta and Madeline Goodheart
the daily orange
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing changes to the federal accreditation process for colleges and universities nationwide.
The order will overhaul the current system, citing the freedom of colleges and universities from the “unlawful discrimination and ideological overreach” of the former review process. The order asserts that accreditors have misused their authority by enforcing “discriminatory” diversity, equity and inclusion standards, thereby violating federal law.
The president is also criticizing previous accreditation standards that have “failed” students, families and taxpayers due to a lack of “quality.” The White House’s information page cited a low undergraduate graduation rate of 64% in 2020 as evidence of this decline.
“America’s higher education accreditation system is broken,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a release Wednesday. “The existing accreditation monopoly raises costs, contributes to the ever-increasing tuition and fees faced by American families, favors legacy four-year institutions, blocks new accreditors from the market, and interferes with states’ governing board decisions.”
Trump’s overhaul comes during Syracuse University’s current reaccreditation process.
After Trump’s order, the future of SU’s ongoing review is unclear.
The president instructed McMahon to hold university faculty involved in accreditation “accountable” for their actions, including any poor performance or violations of federal civil rights laws. This includes the authority to deny, monitor, suspend or terminate recognition of accrediting agencies.
It also directs McMahon to realign the accreditation process with “student-focused principles,” including:
• Resuming recognition of new accreditors to foster competition.
• Requiring institutions to use programlevel student outcome data to improve results, without reference to race, ethnicity, or sex.
• Prioritizing intellectual diversity among faculty in order to advance academic freedom, intellectual inquiry and student learning.
• Launching an experimental site to test innovative quality assurance pathways.
Man killed in shooting near Warehouse, SPD says
By Delia Rangel asst. news editor
A man in his sixties died from a gunshot wound to the head in a reported shooting near the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, according to the Syracuse Police Department. The victim was transported to Upstate University Hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died, SPD Public Information Officer Kieran Coffey said in a Wednesday evening release. SPD detained one person in relation to the shooting, and the area has been cleared.
Last accredited in 2017, SU is currently in the “self-study” phase of the review. During the self-study stage, university administrators create a detailed self-assessment and a strategic plan based on input from students, staff, faculty and administrators.
• Increasing the consistency, efficiency and effectiveness of the accreditor recognition review process.
SU has been accredited by the Middle States Commission of Higher Education since 1910, Jerry Edmonds, SU’s chief of staff for academic affairs, previously told the Daily Orange. After earning accreditation in 2017, the review period block changed from 10 to 8 years.
• Streamlining accreditor recognition and institutional transitions between accreditors.
On its current trajectory, SU is set to renew its accreditation by June 2027. news@dailyorange.com
Students and staff resumed normal activities after a DPS email at 5:28 p.m. DPS advises students leaving the Warehouse to follow law enforcement instructions. No university affiliates are believed to be involved, the email said.
SPD is actively investigating the incident. Anyone with information can contact SPD at (315) 442- 5222 or DPS at (315) 443-2224. The Silent Witness tool is available to anonymously report non-emergency information. dsrangel@syr.edu @deliasrangel
SU photography student earns 2025 Kit C. King Scholarship
By Sreshtha Thangaswamy staff writer
Growing up as an introvert who often shied away from conversations, Zobayer Joati frequently used the camera app on his Samsung Galaxy to visualize his perspective of the world. Photography was initially a hobby for Joati, but he persisted in his creative dream.
“In my class, in my family, in my family gatherings, I was invisible everywhere. Photography gave me respect. Photography gave me an identity as a human being,” Joati said. “I used (my) camera as a tool to get close to people.”
He first gained recognition on Facebook through photography competitions before earning international awards, including the 2022 and 2023 Awards of Excellence from Asia’s Pictures of the Year. Winning these awards prompted Joati to consider photography as a career after he graduated with an engineering degree and lived at home unemployed in Bangladesh with his parents.
Joati, now a Syracuse University graduate student working toward a master’s in multimedia, photography and design, was awarded the 2025 Kit C. King Scholarship from the National Press Photographers Foundation for photographic talent earlier this month. The scholarship is given to 14 undergraduate or graduate photography students nationally in honor of photojournalists like Kit C. King.
As part of the scholarship, Joati will receive $2,000, a professional lighting setup and microphone from Saramonic, a camera bag from Think Tank and a new camera from SONY. Outside of the material benefits, Joati said the Kit C. King Award is focused on recognizing talent in documentary journalism as a means to represent social, cultural and gender issues through photography.
She also said the number of signatories of the initial letter has grown to around 180 since being sent to SU administrators, further demonstrating widespread desire for university action. With the university choosing not to sign the national letter, Brown and her colleagues plan to resend their statement to administrators.
While SU isn’t an AAC&U member, several non-member institutions signed the letter. Philippe Magloire, an SU ‘83 alumnus, called the non-membership status excuse “appalling” and encouraged Syverud to sign his name.
He also noted the presidents of Le Moyne College and SUNY ESF had signed.
Joati submitted three projects for the award: “We Live to Fight,” “God’s Plan” and “Aging with Grace.” He said his inspiration for the projects stems from his interest in advocating for underrepresented communities.
Each project was a reflection of communities often overlooked by the mainstream media, and the mutual trauma they experienced, that Joati said he connects with.
His most recent project, “We Live to Fight,” honors the Bangladeshi martial arts community formed to protect villagers from lathial groups sent by landowners to forcibly collect taxes. The project captures the journey of martial arts foundations like the Bangladesh Judo and Karate Federation and the Bangladesh Martial Arts Confederation after the Bangladesh liberation in 1971 through black and white photography.
“Curiosity made me start this project,” Joati said. “For three years, I reached out to the players, then the trainers, then the instructors, then all the way to federations and confederations, and I interviewed some of the pioneer martial artists who brought martial arts to Bangladesh.”
Joati’s photography skills grew after he was selected as an Alexia Scholar in May 2023 and received the Alexia Visionary Grant. He then went on to obtain his professional diploma at the CounterFoto Institute in December 2023 as a documentary photographer.
Through these distinctions, Joati continued working on independent projects before he received an opportunity to continue his photography education at SU’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Bruce Strong, an associate professor at SU and Newhouse’s Alexia Endowed Chair, complimented Joati’s dedication to photography.
“The need for people who can accurately and skillfully tell compelling visual stories continues
nationally have now reached campus and require a university response.
Tyler Toledo, president of College Democrats at SU, echoed Magloire and said there’s a disconnect between administrators and students on issues related to the federal government. He said an Instagram post made by his organization Tuesday — calling on Syverud to sign the letter — has received thousands of views and shares from students, reflecting students’ desire for decisive action from the university.
“People want action, they think it’s important,” Toledo said. “We pay to be here, and a lot of people don’t think that what they’re paying for is being represented.”
to grow, and my hope is that Joti continues to pursue his passion of being the best visual storyteller he can be,” Strong said.
Strong described Joati as a dedicated and motivated storyteller, saying his impact has been felt throughout the professional photography community and among his peers.
Dalin Intharath, Joati’s friend and a fellow graduate student earning a master’s in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, said Joati is a reliable friend. He praised his hardworking and driven personality as a photographer, and attributed Joati’s difficult upbringing in Bangladesh as a testament to his strength.
“To me, he represents a profound sense of courage,” Dalin said. “He is an individual who has faced numerous challenges, and instead of allowing those experiences to harden him, he has transformed them into something genuine and restorative. That demonstrates true strength.”
Liam Kennedy, another friend of Joati’s and a sophomore majoring in visual communications, said Joati brings emotion to his photography that helps connect the viewer with the photo.
Kennedy said through the emotions Joati brings out in his photos, viewers with similar experiences to Joati can easily connect with his work.
“He has this innate ability to channel all of the joy and pain that this world has to offer which, in turn, helps those who have led similar lives to see themselves in the world,” Kennedy said.
Even with the Kit C. King scholarship and having won over 15 national awards throughout his career, Joati emphasized the difficulty of making a stable income through his photography alone. He said the grants and other funding opportunities he’s earned from competitions
“I imagine that it’s out of an abundance of caution that they chose not to sign it,” Brown said. “As we said in our letter, we all want the best possible outcomes for SU and all of our students. I personally think that the caution will not save us.”
Magloire hopes to see SU follow in the footsteps of Harvard University, which sued the Trump administration Monday, claiming the White House violated the university’s First Amendment rights.
Harvard alleges the president’s demands, including audits of professors for plagiarism, external oversight over material taught in academic departments and reports on international students’ “misconduct,” represent constitutional misconduct, The New York Times reported. Trump’s initial attack on Harvard has resulted in the loss of $2.2 billion in federal funding.
have helped him, but aren’t enough to maintain a stable income while living in the United States.
Joati said he wants to continue uplifting marginalized communities while trying to generate a steady income, and hopes to balance both priorities. Until then, he said he’ll continue to work on his master’s project, titled “Metamorphosis of Faith.” It’s an exploration of people’s personal experiences with religious conversions in Syracuse.
The topic was especially interesting to Joati as he experienced firsthand how the political environment growing up in Bangladesh often used religion as a tool to sway people into inflicting harm on others.
“My familial traumas and my observation of religions used as a major political tool all over the world for global war and conflicts made me agnostic,” Joati said. “Now, as a media person, I want to investigate other people’s reasons why they convert their faith and religion.”
Joati said his personal experiences will continue to shape his work and influence his photography.
Joati said he will continue to use photography as an outlet to connect with people and hopes to fulfill his role as a documentary photographer, inspired by the stories and experiences he’s had with people around the world.
“You have to be empathetic about the stories you cover, because not many people are privileged enough financially and socially.” Joati said. “So you have to recognize your own privilege as a media person, respect other people, and respect the stories that you cover and work with.”
Disclaimer: Liam Kennedy is a contributing photographer for The Daily Orange. He did not influence the editorial content of this article.
sthangas@syr.edu
a Monday letter to students titled “Upholding Our Values, Defending Our University.” “We stand for the truth that colleges and universities across the country can embrace and honor their legal obligations and best fulfill their essential role in society without improper government intrusion.”
Toledo said Harvard’s actions should serve as a model for other universities. The number of signatories and the turbulence reflected in the national letter, he said, show the power academic institutions still hold when unified.
With multiple Syracuse students losing their visas this week, Magloire, a former international SU student, said the issues facing students
On Tuesday, Magloire sent a letter to Syverud, encouraging him to sign the national letter. He said he immediately received an automated response, and hasn’t been acknowledged since.
“(The university) is just trying to avoid being in the crosshairs of the Trump administration at any cost, even if it comes at the cost of students feeling safe,” Toledo said. “(Administrators) have said they weren’t made aware of (the revoked visas), they didn’t know this was happening. Well, okay, now you’re made aware. What are you gonna do about it?” digreen@syr.edu @duncanigreen on campus
Brown said the university’s “silence” is no longer protecting its students.
“Today, we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in
courtesy of clair sapilewski
CULTURE
Magic thrift bus
Sophomore Ava Lubkemann is working to create an affordable thrift store on wheels
By Claire Zhang staff writer
Having grown up in secondhand
culture, sustainability shaped Ava
Lubkemann’s lifestyle from an early age. Her passion for thrifting and awareness of clothing waste on college campuses led her to start Revamped, an affordable thrift store on wheels.
“Everyone thinks they have a solution for the waste problem. I’ve met so many different organizations that have tried; they don’t think through it and they compete with everyone else,” Lubkemann, a SU sophomore studying environmental engineering, said.
“It’s not a competition at the end of the day, you’ve got to work together, take inspiration
from what other people have done and make it your own.”
Lubkemann’s ultimate plan for Revamped is to renovate an old bus and turn it into a thrift store and donation center. This way, the Syracuse University student body and local community will have an efficient way to shop secondhand and contribute to sustainability efforts.
Currently, Revamped hosts pop-up shops on campus and collaborates with student fashion designers by selling scraps of fabric for a lower cost. This lessens the financial burden on student designers while also making fashion more holistically sustainable, Lubkemann said.
“We’ve integrated more on how to not only bring students a mobile thrift store and donation center for affordable clothes, but also benefit the community and use this mapping of textile waste
distribution as a way to map economic disparity,” she said.
Lubkemann initially began thinking about Revamped when she attended the Invent@SU program through the College of Engineering and Computer Science. There, she learned how to intersect engineering and business through writing and pitching business plans.
Through the program, she learned the basics of entrepreneurship while furthering her knowledge of engineering. When she wasn’t in class, she was dumpster diving around campus. This was something she had grown up hearing about, but never had the chance to do back at home.
While doing this, her father encouraged her to conduct an initial study on the clothing she sourced to find out its value. She tracked how
revamped page 11
Campus community memorializes Pope Francis’ legacy
By Stephanie Wright editor-in-chief
Father Gerry Waterman was sitting at his desk on Elon University’s campus in 2013 when he heard the news that Jorge Mario Bergoglio had been elected as the Catholic Church’s next pope. Waterman recalled being struck by the pope’s choice to be known as Pope Francis — not after Saint Francis Xavier, who co-founded the Jesuit Order that Pope Francis was a member of, but after Saint Francis of Assisi, who founded the Franciscan Order
and was known for embracing poverty in his spiritual journey.
“From that moment, Pope Francis tried to have a church that is poor and for the poor,” Waterman said.
At a Wednesday Mass in honor of Pope Francis, the Syracuse University community commemorated his legacy, especially his compassion, humility and care for historically marginalized groups.
Originally from Argentina, Pope Francis was the first pope from the Americas. He died Monday — the day after making a public appear -
ance in the Vatican for Easter — at age 88.
About 35 students, faculty and staff gathered for Wednesday’s Mass. Sunlight filtered softly through the chapel windows as members of the community walked in, several bowing before the altar before the Mass began. A life-size cutout of Pope Francis stood at the front of the chapel.
Waterman, Hendricks Chapel’s Catholic chaplain, led the Mass and delivered a homily. He said it was important to recognize the pope’s leg-
acy at SU because of the large Catholic faith community on campus.
Catholics around the world have mourned Pope Francis’ passing, from Spain and Italy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Brazil, the BBC reported. A funeral will be held for him on Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, followed by a period of mourning and a conclave to elect the next pope.
Waterman said he hoped attendees remember Pope Francis’ legacy across different groups, not just for people of the Catholic faith. Hendricks Chapel
Dean Brian Konkol echoed this, saying Pope Francis transcended boundaries and beliefs.
“He’s obviously very special and important as the Holy Father to the Catholic community, and for those who do not identify as Catholic or who don’t even identify as Christian, he is a moral example about how to embody your beliefs with compassion and with humility and with boldness,” Konkol said.
In his homily, Waterman highlighted Pope Francis’ lifestyle choices see pope page 11
slice of life
Mimicking Mars brings indie rock vibe to SU music scene
By Irene Lekakis asst. culture editor
When James Dawson, Jeremy Lanuti and Josh LeViseur played music together in high school to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, they never imagined their trio would grow into a five-member band that stayed with them through college.
“(Playing music together) started as our outlet during COVID, and then we eventually started playing shows,” Dawson said.
Mimicking Mars originally only consisted of Dawson on guitar, Lanuti on vocals and LeViseur on drums. Once the three arrived at Syracuse University, they met Grant Harding and Rob Wilhelm.
After meeting through a university rock ensemble, Dawson encouraged the two sophomores, who are studying jazz and commercial music, to audition for the band. Harding and Wilhelm now play keys and bass, respectively.
Bobby Malone is also a rotating member of the band. He lives in Orange County, New York, where the band originally formed, but drives up to play bass when Wilhelm can’t make it to a show. When the other band members are home on break from school, he plays with them since, aside from Wilhelm, they all live in Orange County.
Last year, the group performed at Redfest. This year, they are headlining Saturday’s show. Harding said the band enjoys playing festival shows because they get to meet and interact with other musicians. Lanuti said it’s also a good opportunity to play more of their originals.
“We go into it and we’re like ‘Let’s just play the music we want to play,’” Lanuti said. “It’s not like it’s a party where we have to cater to a certain sound.”
A big part of Mimicking Mars’ brand is their live shows. Dawson said the shows speak more to the band’s character and, though they release music online, the performance aspect is where they “show off.” For this reason, Lanuti and others are excited to showcase their talents at Redfest for another year.
from the studio
“We’re there to be Mimicking Mars for 55 minutes. So that’s what we’ll show them,” Lanuti said. “The best example of Mimicking Mars for 55 minutes.”
The band played their first live show together at Redgate, now Dazed, in February 2024. Their next gig after that was Al’s Wine and Whiskey near Armory Square.
Lanuti said being at SU and performing in the Syracuse area has exposed the band to audience members from various age ranges. Because the music scene at SU is so large, Dawson said it’s helped the band thrive and gain inspiration.
The name of the band, Mimicking Mars, comes from a controversial topic in the music world. People debate whether or not John
Williams, who wrote the music for the Star Wars movies, took inspiration from Gustav Holst’s symphony “The Planets,” specifically Mars, because of how similar the works sound. Hence the “mimicking” portion of the band’s name.
But, Lanuti said, “the short answer is it sounded cool.”
The band was not always as organized as it is now. Dawson and Lanuti said it took them a while to figure out their sound. Originally a “cheesy pop-rock cover band,” they now understand their sound better and write many original songs that fans like, Lanuti said. They have come to identify more with the indie rock genre.
Harding was previously in jazz quartets and quintets before coming to college, and he never had experience with a rock band until Mimicking Mars. He said being a jazz musician has made it easier for him to adapt to things quickly, allowing him to better fit his sound with the other members.
Wilhelm had prior experience with being in a rock band, but agreed that the jazz background helped him build and add to Mimicking Mars’s existing sound.
“At the end of the day it’s not like rock musicians and jazz musicians,” Wilhelm said. “We’re all just musicians.”
The band’s ability to collaborate and mesh their sounds applies to lyricism, too. Lanuti said the band’s songwriting process usually goes quickly. Typically, Lanuti or Dawson will start writing lyrics or come up with melodies. When they present it to the rest of the band, they workshop it and make it better by working off of each other and considering each other’s ideas.
The members acknowledged that balancing school work and being in the band is difficult. Dawson admitted that he’ll often procrastinate on his school work by doing work for the band instead to feel productive.
Lanuti shared similar sentiments that because of the band’s popularity, they’re often booking shows, and while it’s a positive thing, it’s also very time-consuming. But, they keep up with it because it’s their passion, he said.
“We make it work because we love it so much,” Lanuti said. “If we hated it, then we would choose not to do it because it would be way easier.”
Lanuti is graduating in a few weeks, but he remains certain about the band’s future. They plan to play together at least once a month since Lanuti will take visits to SU from Orange County.
“We don’t want to slow down,” Lanuti said. “We’ve committed a lot of time to this, so we like to think that there’s only better things on the horizon.”
iclekaki@syr.edu
Altered Eco channels childhood dreams into sustainable fashion
By Alessandra Zurini contributing writer
While growing up in Syracuse, Elissa Martin always wanted to be a designer. After encouragement from her mother to seek a stable career path, she started her professional life as a teacher instead. But she didn’t feel completely fulfilled. It wasn’t until one of her students asked her what she would do if she weren’t teaching that she had a lightbulb moment.
“I remember one of my students asked me if I liked my job. I was honest — no, I didn’t like my job,” Martin said.
That question sparked her to dream bigger and return to school, this time for fashion design. While studying design at Cazenovia College, she saw the damage the fashion industry inflicts on the planet. Martin made a commitment to herself to not contribute more harm. Now, that passion has flourished into her own clothing brand, Altered Eco.
Altered Eco focuses on upcycling both clothing and jewelry. She’s shown her work at events ranging from New York Fashion Week to local theater productions. She runs the brand while working as a substitute teacher in the Liverpool and Syracuse City School Dis -
tricts, and as an adjunct professor at Genesee Community College.
Martin repurposes old clothing and fabric to create her pieces. She believes you can find new pieces from what you already have in your closet. When Martin receives clothing donations, she often creates something entirely new for the donor. She describes the process of designing and sewing as wrapping a gift in reverse.
“That’s my creative process,” Martin said. “I just let the clothes speak to me and they find me, then I go from there.”
Along with creating clothing, one of Martin’s missions with Altered Eco is to educate her audi-
ence on sustainable fashion practices. She wants to use her design education to bring awareness to the effects of fast fashion on the environment. Each repurposed piece represents clothes saved from going to a landfill.
Martin’s eco-friendly approach caught the eye of local artist and museum owner Michael Schwarzer. Martin met him at Redhouse Arts Center when she was designing costumes for a show, and he loved her designs. After that, Martin started to make some designs for him, like a collection made from an old newspaper for his storefront. She loved his see eco page 11
rené vetter cartoonist
julia english cartoonist
andrew berkman cartoonist
Student indie-rock band Mimicking Mars performed at Redfest last year. This year, they are headlining the show. courtesy of mimicking mars, photos by hannah delaray stein
much waste had accumulated since students moved out of the dorms for the summer last year. What she found was approximately $3,000 worth of textile waste over a six-week period.
This finding led Lubkemann to write up a mock business plan for Revamped last summer.
“We don’t have any real systems in place, especially for year-round distribution of waste,” Lubkemann said. “Textiles tend to fall through the cracks, and we live in a society that has such an overconsumptive culture, specifically surrounding fashion.”
Revamped has officially been in business since winning its first $5,000 last fall at a competition run by Innovate Orange and Bird Library. The business won $5,000 at the Panasci Business Plan Competition and $2,000 through the Hunter Brooks Watson Entrepreneurship Award this month.
Most recently, Lubkemann secured a $7,500 grant through the SOURCE at SU for the Revamped Research Initiative, which is the qualitative basis she started that studies textile waste distribution. Revamped has raised around $20,000 to date, which goes into sourcing and distributing clothing, and also researching solutions to clothing waste on college campuses.
Lubkemann met one of her mentors, Linda Dickerson Hartsock, at Invent@SU. Hartsock is the founder of the Blackstone LaunchPad at SU
as leader of the Catholic Church and the example he set.
Pope Francis shunned luxuries — he opted to drive a small car, lived in simple rooms at the Vatican guesthouse instead of the palatial pope’s apartments and wore orthopedic shoes instead of designer shoes, Waterman said.
“The people of God want pastors, not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace, rather than facilitators. But the church is not a toll house,” Waterman said. “It is a house of the Father, where there’s a place for everyone with all their problems. The church is a field house for sinners, not a country club for the perfect.”
Members of the Catholic Student Association who attended the Mass also said they were inspired by Pope Francis’ compassion and his leadership of the Catholic Church.
“A lot of people have misconceptions about the Catholic Church sometimes, and he definitely attempted to erase some of those, which is really great,” Adriana Leone, a freshman television, radio and film major, said. “I think it’s important to celebrate his life and everything that he’s done for us.”
As the world waits for the announcement of the next pope, members of the Catholic community are left wondering whether the next pope
artwork so much that she asked him to collaborate on her new line.
“I kind of married art and fashion, by just making connections with other people that have insane like-mindedness,” Martin said. “Merging art and fashion together, because fashion is art.”
Martin’s designs were also featured in Syracuse Fashion Week multiple times in the last few years. During one of these shows, she met Simeun Sadipe, a model from Watertown, New York.
Sadipe had a love of fashion from a young age — his favorite show in high school was “America’s Next Top Model.” Sadipe was new to modeling when Martin reached out to him to walk in the show. Although he didn’t have prior runway experience, he was eager to step out of his comfort zone and represent Altered Eco.
”It really opened my mind because I realized I love it, so now I just want to keep doing it,” Sadipe said.
Sadipe found Martin’s outgoing personality welcoming, which eased his nerves about his first runway walk. Martin aims to represent all body types in her clothing, rather than focusing on one specific type. He said Martin looks for diverse representation in her shows and provides transparency for her models, making him feel confident and capable.
Along with diversity, Martin is committed to sustainability, though it’s not always easy. She needs to source eco-friendly fabrics, buttons, zippers and more, which can be difficult to find in Syracuse.
Martin’s dedication has inspired people she works with, such as Melody Jacobs. Jacobs is a licensed cosmetologist and model who has worked with Martin for many years.
and has since begun running Innovate Orange, a program that helps faculty, staff and students turn research ideas into businesses. When the fall 2024 semester started, Lubkemann became an Orange Innovation Scholar and Hartsock encouraged her to pitch the Revamped business plan in competitions.
Hartsock introduced Lubkemann to another important mentor along the way. Erin Miller was a graduate of the Blackstone LaunchPad, and started a video production company out of a renovated bus, similar to Revamped. Connecting with somebody from the same program mentor and an up-and-coming entrepreneur was a full circle moment that showed how impactful campus innovation hubs are, Hartsock said.
“Mentorship is huge, especially as a student, you have elders at your disposal around you,” Miller said. “They have to help you, and that is an invaluable resource.”
Revamped was created to not only give students a mobile way to find and donate affordable clothing, but also to address a larger issue.
Over the summer, Lubkemann was dumpster diving on South Campus when she was stopped by the Department of Public Safety. After checking her SUID, they let her go, but shared that they’d previously confiscated and thrown away the items of another man doing the same exact thing as her.
She realized that her status as a student gave her the privilege to access the waste, while somebody who wasn’t a student may have needed it more, but was denied access.
This issue was a larger factor that Lubkemann wanted to address.
“It got me thinking about how only students can have access to student waste, but we’re the problem,” Lubkemann said.
Syracuse is the eighth most impoverished city in the United States. When looking at net gross income rates across the city, SU students are in a bubble, as their median family income rates are significantly higher than the surrounding areas in the city, Lubkemann noted.
While dumpster diving, she found several name-brand items in perfect condition. Through observing the behavior of her peers, Lubkemann realized the lack of donation centers and thrift stores in close proximity to SU led students to throw away their goods. The clothing she found could go to the homeless population of the city, Lubkemann said.
“An aspect I focused on was this interesting intersection between environmental justice and social justice that I experienced firsthand,” Lubkemann said.
When thinking about the target audience of Revamped on campus, Lubkemann also stressed the importance of representing different styles and trends. She and her creative director, sophomore television, radio and film major Isabella Carter, wanted to showcase various aesthetics through the clothes they sold. They also work with other organizations on campus, like Sapphic Magazine, so the clothing they source is modeled in the magazine issues, Carter said.
will continue Pope Francis’ legacy, Alessandra Barlas, a senior biology major, said.
“Pope Francis left an incredible impact on the Catholic community worldwide, and I think his death really hit a lot of us hard, because he was such an incredible pope, very
progressive, very humble, very inclusive,” Barlas said.
She said Wednesday’s Mass encouraged her to continue Pope Francis’ legacy in her own life. As college students at a privileged university, it can be easy to forget about communities
“We really target styles that are in,” Lubkemann said. “We can do anything from cottage core to professional. We kind of mold our stuff in any way.”
Revamped wouldn’t be possible without the community at SU that encourages student entrepreneurship, Carter said. Programs like the Blackstone LaunchPad and Innovate Orange help students gain skills they’ll apply in their personal and professional lives, Hartsock said. Not only do students channel the knowledge they already have, they can also connect with peers of differing passions.
“You put together this small group of engineers, business majors, marketing majors, content creators at VPA or Newhouse, and they work together collaboratively,” Hartsock said. “And when that happens, magic happens.”
College students have the room to grow, learn and take risks, address the larger issues that Gen Z faces and learn from those before them, Hartsock said. Initiatives on campus can act as a third space for students to collaborate, change mindsets and build on ideas, Miller said.
Lubkemann and everyone involved with Revamped hope that the business’ mission resonates with the SU community, showing students they have the power to respond to issues around them.
“I hope that on campus, people can continue to look at what I’ve done, and use it as a roadmap of sorts to what can happen with just a little belief,” Lubkemann said.
cmzhang@syr.edu
who need help, so Barlas said it’s important to remember Pope Francis’ humility.
Lillie Kochis, a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major, pointed to Pope Francis’ acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community as another important aspect of his legacy.
Pope Francis was internationally recognized for his stance on LGBTQ+ rights. He allowed priests to bless same-sex couples and famously said, “Who am I to judge?” in response to a question about allowing gay men to serve as priests. He also took steps to address sexual abuse in the church, connect with communities in underserved and conflicted areas of the world and diversify the church’s leadership, according to The New York Times.
“The way he championed LGBTQ+ rights in the church, the way he championed taking care of immigrants, it was huge stuff that not a lot of people were willing to press the buttons on, and he was,” Kochis said. “A lot of us are hoping and praying that that (legacy) can be continued.”
After the Mass concluded, attendees returned to their normal Wednesday schedules. Konkol said he hoped the mid-day pause for the Mass would inspire reflection.
“As we think about how we want to remember Pope Francis, it’s also worthwhile for us to think about how we want to be remembered and to live in such a way to be remembered well,” Konkol said. — 30 — spwright@syr.edu
“She caught my eye first at the Sip and Shoot. I automatically wanted to know who she was and what she was about,” Jacobs said. Jacobs modeled for Altered Eco this past spring at Syracuse Fashion Week and styled hair for the show. Martin is committed to providing a platform for artisans to explore their craft. Collaboration is a huge facet of Altered Eco, bringing together differ -
ent disciplines under the same sustainable umbrella, Jacobs said.
“Her feedback is amazing,” Jacobs said. “I can’t even put into words, but I’m smiling thinking about the way she reacts to certain things. She speaks life into people.”
Martin recognizes it’s not easy for everyone to shop and design sustainably. Looking ahead, she wants to continue spreading her
message and educating the community on how to shop consciously. Martin sees it like this: if you take care of the Earth, it will take care of you.
“Trends come and go and clothes are meant to last,” Martin said. “They should not be disposable. You should not be buying something that is meant to be thrown out.”
aazurini@syr.edu
Students, faculty and staff paused their schedules to remember Pope Francis’ life and legacy, like his compassion and help for others. solange jain photo editor
elissa martin began Altered Eco, a sustainable clothing brand, after encouragement from her kindergarten students. Now, the brand remains dedicated to sustainability, as well as diversity and inclusion. zabdyl koffa contributing photographer
Continued police brutality must be met with active calls for reform
By Autumn Clarke columnist
A historic number of protests swept the country during the height of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement. Tens of millions of people raised their voices, marched in the streets and demanded justice after the murder of George Floyd.
We saw a swell of unity, anger, hope and action. But looking at what happened just this week in Syracuse, it’s painfully clear: those efforts weren’t enough.
Another video of another Black man brutalized by police has surfaced in Syracuse media. While we’re told to wait for all the facts, the images speak for themselves.
What happened on Syracuse’s Bellevue Avenue on April 10 wasn’t just disturbing — it was enraging. A Syracuse Police Department officer punched 21-year-old Jaumar Chandler Jr. in the head during a traffic stop. He was thrown to the ground while his friend was tackled just for asking what was going on.
Now, the department is conducting a “use of force” review as it always does when things escalate beyond reason. Investigation into the violations continues, but Chief Joe Cecile has stated the footage shows “evidence of policy and procedure violations that will be dealt with by way of discipline and retraining.”
While the injustice should raise a number of concerns in the media and public, it’s hard to say I’m surprised by the level of brutality demonstrated.
If you’re Black — especially a young Black man — in America, your existence is often seen as a threat before you even speak.
White officers have targeted Black people and people of color for generations. It didn’t start with George Floyd, Tyre Nichols or any of the other names now ingrained in our minds
because of incidents like this.
Cases of police brutality amounted quietly, violently and relentlessly for decades. Every time it’s caught on camera, we go through the same cycle of outrage, promises, reviews and then silence.
Chandler was pulled over because he was driving with a learner’s permit and there was no licensed driver in the car with him. While that was a mistake, it doesn’t justify the fists, knees and force he was met with.
This story has played out in every city and state. Black people are treated as if they’re less than, and don’t deserve patience, respect or even the benefit of the doubt.
There needs to be accountability and real change in how police are trained and to engage with communities of color. Further, there needs to be reform in how they’re held responsible when things go too far.
But this change will not materialize if we’re not demanding it.
Millions of people in all 50 states took to the streets for BLM. From massive marches in Washington, D.C., and New York City to small-town gatherings in places that had never seen organized demonstrations before, resistance manifested in the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks.
Right here in Syracuse, hundreds marched, too. They chanted “No justice, no peace” before city hall. They held vigils in Clinton Square. Students, teachers, elders and children all stood together to demand change. For a moment, it felt like something that would last.
But now, nearly five years later, we see nothing has actually changed.
This isn’t just about one bad officer or one chaotic moment; it’s about a system that keeps allowing unjust brutality to go uncorrected. Passive calls for justice aren’t enough.
A system that sees Black skin and assumes danger punishes people more for their existence than their actions. This is a narrative innate to America, and, as the rising generation, it’s our job to correct it.
The problem runs deeper than a weekend of marching can fix, and protest can’t be our only device for reform — we have to expand our fight.
That means writing to local and state officials and demanding transparency from local police departments. Push for funding that supports mental health, housing and education resources instead of more weapons and armor for cops.
We must start and sign petitions that call for real reform, whether that’s removing school resource officers, pushing for body camera access or fighting for civilian review boards with real power. It’s time to correct the rhetoric, not just the law.
Autumn Clarke is a freshman majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. She can be reached at auclarke@syr.edu
Graduate students shouldn’t need to fight for accomodations
By Jocelyn McKinnon-Crowley columnist
Hover over the “Students” tab on Syracuse University’s Center for Disability Resources page. You’ll see three drop-downs, including an option for “Graduate Students.” There, you’ll find information about disability accommodations, which hasn’t always existed.
What’s less obvious from seeing that tab is the years of advocacy members of the Graduate Student Organization’s DEIA committee — including myself — put in to get it. This visible inclusion now advises students employed by the university to contact an additional department for workplace accommodations.
However, public graduate student accommodation information is just one step toward real inclusion. If you didn’t know about the accommodation process before, it’s probably because university systems assume able-bodied students are the norm. This narrative leaves the disabled 14% of the United States population out of the conversation. Anyone who needs accommodations is othered and treated as a problem to be solved, left without aid if they don’t self-advocate.
In 1990, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, “reasonable accommodations” became essential in education spaces. Organizations aren’t supposed to make getting accommodations an “undue hardship.”
Yet even for the half of U.S. graduate students currently depressed or anxious, many even experiencing suicidal ideation, accommodations are still an afterthought. It’s like they’re in place simply to follow the law when the real motivator should be giving disabled people the resources to fully participate in their education.
SU can be thought of as disability-friendly because of its undergraduate student-focused programs like InclusiveU and OnTrack. But most of these initiatives aren’t built with graduate students in mind, even though we make up roughly one-third of the student body.
But this isn’t just an SU issue. Disabled scholars are underrepresented in academia overall. When they’re present, they’re paid less and have lower chances of obtaining tenure or higher faculty ranks. That’s not surprising given scholars suggest society still allows for discrimination against disabled people.
My experience as a disabled graduate student is just one of many that shows how much easier it is to hide disabilities than get accommodations in a university that often overlooks you.
I have trouble reading PDFs, especially when text is slanted. This usually happens if a professor photocopies pages, so sometimes I need a screen reader to get through assignments.
But there isn’t a drop-down button I can click to tell anyone that. Instead, I have to meet one-on-one with my professors. It’s an awkward conversation where I feel like I’m saying, “Hi, I’m disabled. Here’s more unpaid work you have to do or you’ll get in trouble.”
This is extra stressful as a graduate student because I may work with these professors for the rest of my life. Academia is a small field; I’ll see people who taught me five years ago at conferences, we’ll work on papers together and speak on the same panel. I can’t reverse my disclosure. Once they know I’m disabled, they’ll know forever, and that’s scary.
Usually, I just tried to find scalable text on my own to avoid bothering or inconveniencing anyone. That meant spending hours during the
weekend tracking down a quality version of a reading, or sometimes skipping it altogether.
Going through the process with three or four professors a semester for two years was exhausting. By the time my final semester of coursework rolled around, I had given up. I didn’t have the energy to explain scalable text again or apologize for asking them to do more. I was tired.
At the end of my PhD coursework, I took qualifying exams. These are a big deal, yet there’s no baseline of accommodations for graduate student-specific tests.
I get extra time during in-class exams. However, when I questioned the lack of support during my first year in the program, I was basically asked by an administrator what I expected from graduate school. The official procedure, as far as I understand it, is to talk to CDR who will then talk to your department.
For something like qualifying exams, a process most people only go through once in their life, it’s impossible to know ahead of time what you’ll need. Because every department has different qualifying exam procedures, getting accommodations isn’t as simple as sending the CDR an email. The process is opaque, and it was all extra work for me. It was like punishment for needing more help.
I didn’t want to look like I was being given special treatment. I didn’t want to sit in front of my colleagues, who are also my employers, and ask for help. I didn’t want to be the first person who needed accommodations in a qualifying exam, I just wanted to pass. But I wasn’t confident my requests would be handled with care, compassion and understanding. It was easier to say nothing, and many disabled graduate students across the country feel the same way.
In the end, I didn’t get any accommodations for my qualifying exams. I didn’t feel safe. I wrote all three of them with no notes for four hours in a room. I passed, but I sacrificed my body in the process.
I’m guessing my colleagues didn’t have panic attacks or spend 20 minutes just looking at the screen crying. But it’s hard to tell because we don’t talk about the disabled graduate student experience enough.
I don’t want sympathy. Instead, I want university administrators and professors to meet me where I am, which means centering the needs of all disabled students. I want to see a plan for long-term changes that focuses on holistic institutional accessibility and doesn’t force any students into disclosure.
Accommodations should be in place before I have to ask for them, as is prescribed in the universal design for learning. That means including Communication Access Realtime Translation services at every major event, listing the heights of desks around campus so we know if a wheelchair can fit under them and granting more flexibility on university paperwork submission.
The list goes on, but the point remains: I want the university to be focused on being inclusive to all students like they describe in the mission statement, not just on the able-bodied ones they showcase in promotional photos. I’d like to be treated like a person instead of an inconvenience.
Jocelyn McKinnon-Crowley is a PhD Candidate in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She can be reached at jmckin02@syr.edu
Stephanie Wright
Cooper Andrews
Aiden Stepansky
Following a recent incident of police brutality against a young Black man in Syracuse, our columnist says it’s vital to take realistic action for peace. joe zhao design editor
Syracuse’s 2025 season is heading south at the worst time
Two weeks ago, Syracuse was playing its best lacrosse under Gary Gait. Its 14-9 win over twotime reigning national champion Notre Dame marked its sixth straight victory, its longest streak under Gary Gait. The Orange looked poised to return to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2013.
Following losses to No. 1 Cornell and then-No. 12 Duke, it’s hard to say that now. Syracuse is heading in the wrong direction at the most important juncture of its season. With the postseason right around the corner, the Orange must get their act together fast. If they don’t, their hopes of making a deep run in May will be squashed, and they could even miss the NCAA Tournament altogether.
Getting back on track starts with defeating No. 8 North Carolina in the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday. A win clinches SU’s first Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 2018 and a much-needed momentum boost heading into the postseason. A loss would continue Syracuse’s downward spiral at a time when it should be peaking.
This isn’t the first time Syracuse has lost two straight games this season. It fell to then-No. 6 Maryland and then-No. 15 Harvard in February. The Orange then responded by winning six straight. But this two-game losing streak is different; Syracuse has just one regular-season game left to respond.
Another problem is how Syracuse fell to Cornell and Duke. Entering its matchup with the Big Red, SU was fresh off a dominating win over ND. Defeating Cornell could’ve established Syracuse as the favorite to win it all. Instead, it fell flat.
CJ Kirst ran riot, recording eight points, while Syracuse went on multiple prolonged scoreless streaks. SU’s droughts led to two separate six-goal deficits en route to a 17-12 loss.
On paper, losing to arguably the best team in the nation seems fine. But it became more concerning when the issues persisted the following week against Duke.
The Orange instantly trailed 4-0. The Blue Devils punched Syracuse in the mouth with their physicality, forcing it to commit a season-high 18 turnovers. The Orange also let Duke’s offense get going, which had failed to score eight goals in three of its previous four games.
In Durham, Syracuse could’ve asserted its dominance and shown its poor showing against the Big Red was a minor blip. Instead, it played even worse and looked far from a national title contender.
It wasn’t too long ago that SU looked to be a force to be reckoned with. After the Orange dropped to 3-2, they rattled off five straight wins. Yet, their next challenge was Notre Dame, a team that’d bullied them since 2018.
Before this season, ND outscored SU by eight goals on average across seven straight wins. The latest meeting was a totally different story. Syracuse completely dismantled the Fighting Irish, holding them scoreless for over 40 minutes, while Joey Spallina orchestrated a masterful performance with four goals. The victory marked the highest moment in the Gait era and showed Syracuse was hitting its stride.
“We know we can beat anybody if we put it all together,” Gait said after beating ND. “We found that out about ourselves last year, that we could play with anybody, but we didn’t finish sometimes last year. We’ve done a better job this year of making plays when we needed them.”
Amid its hot streak, Syracuse was playing complementary lacrosse. Spallina dominated his matchups and continued to dispel the narrative that he’s “not a big game player.” SU’s defense was playing at an elite level, holding teams to eight goals per game, while Jimmy McCool became a true No. 1 goalie. With John Mullen excelling at the faceoff X, the Orange looked like a complete team.
Syracuse’s players have talked ad nauseam over the past two seasons about wanting to bring the program back to the top of college lacrosse. The Orange finally looked like they were backing up those ambitions, but their recent stretch halted that.
It’s time for them to put up or shut up against North Carolina.
Winning cures everything, and Syracuse desperately needs a remedy against the Tar Heels. Losing three consecutive games to close the regular season could potentially put Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament prospects at risk.
Before SU’s loss to Duke, the NCAA Tournament selection committee released its rankings. SU was No. 9 and the Blue Devils were unranked. Saturday’s result likely changed that dynamic, since Notre Dame — the No. 10 team in the rankings — also won.
For now, USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse have Syracuse in the field. Though its position isn’t comfortable. USA Lacrosse has SU as one of its “last three included,” while Michigan, Boston University and Saint Joseph’s are the “first three on the outside.”
Syracuse still has the ninth-highest RPI in the country — a key metric the selection committee uses — which significantly boosts its at-large bid hopes. Michigan (13), Saint Joseph’s (15) and Boston University (18) can’t make up that gap.
But things could get nerve-wracking for the Orange. Michigan or Yale could automatically qualify by winning their conference tourna-
ments. Or, a team outside the field could snag the Patriot League Tournament over Army. Syracuse can’t gain automatic qualification through the ACC Tournament — since there are only five teams in the conference — which could allow bid steelers to burst its bubble.
The Orange shouldn’t be in this mess. They’re too talented and their expectations are too high for their place in the NCAA Tournament to be questioned. Yet, they only have themselves to blame, and it’s up to them to turn the season back in a positive direction.
“The opportunity is in front of us if we win this week, win the practices every day, and we got an opportunity to take care of business next weekend,” Gait said after the Duke loss. “And we forget about this one and move on.”
Defeating North Carolina won’t be a walk in the park. The Tar Heels’ attacking duo of Owen
Duffy and Dominic Pietramala are a handful, combining for 67 goals this season. Brady Wambach, who wins 65% of his faceoffs, boosts UNC’s repertoire. However, Spallina, Owen Hiltz and the rest of SU’s offense can keep up with anyone. Mullen can also give Wambach a run for his money. Whether Syracuse loses or wins a game, Gait always harps on whether his team made plays when it needed to. The pressure will be on against the Tar Heels to accomplish that.
If Syracuse gets the job done, it’ll have nothing to worry about. Its minor two-game hiccup will be forgotten as it heads into the postseason. Lose, and questions will continue to swirl about a late-season collapse.
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@ZakWolf22
SU bounced in ACC Tournament 1st Round with loss to Stanford
By Aiden Stepansky digital managing editor
It was almost exactly a year to the day when Syracuse entered the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Orange cruised to the conference title game by defeating Louisville and Virginia by a combined plus-24 margin.
A year later, times have changed. SU entered Charlotte as the No. 6 seed reeling from a catastrophic loss to Boston College and on the precipice of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years.
Wednesday, the Orange took another step backward. No. 6 seed Syracuse (9-8, 5-4 ACC) fell to No. 3 seed Stanford (14-4, 7-2 ACC) 15-10 in the ACC Tournament First Round, putting it at risk of missing the national tournament. After exploding in the first quarter, SU head coach Kayla Treanor saw her team collapse down the stretch.
“We looked really tired. We still had plenty of opportunities, but we didn’t make plays when we needed to, and (Stanford) did,” Treanor said.
As SU trailed by one with 15 minutes left, it needed to snap out of a monumental offensive breakdown to come out victorious. Despite an explosive first quarter, Syracuse’s 20-plus turnovers and one goal in nearly 30 minutes put it in a hole.
Rather than the Orange making a push, the Cardinal sealed the deal. With SU goalie Daniella Guyette briefly being benched, she never found a groove as Martha Oakey sniped multiple lasers into the top corners. Time was up. Syracuse couldn’t survive.
SU was playing its best lacrosse under Gary Gait two weeks ago before heading in the wrong direction at the worst possible time. leonardo eriman asst. video editor
HIDDEN GEM
How student manager Zach Van Arsdale earned Kyle McCord’s trust, full-time coaching job
Student manager Zach Van Arsdale played a behind-the-scenes role in Syracuse’s 2024 offensive success. It helped him earn a fulltime role as an offensive quality control coach.
By Justin Girshon sports editor
Before Kyle McCord began a private workout with an NFL team, the coaches asked the surrounding players what positions they played.
“Tight end,” Oronde Gadsden II began.
“Running back,” LeQuint Allen Jr. followed.
The coaches then turned to Zach Van Arsdale, a 5-foot-9 senior with slickedback ginger hair. He said he was a student manager and coach.
“Really?” McCord recalls the coaches’ response.
“I guess their expectations aren’t that high for him … but I know what he’s going to do, so it’s funny seeing their reaction,” McCord said.
Behind the scenes, McCord says Van Arsdale — Syracuse’s head offensive student manager and a student assistant coach in 2024 — helped propel the Orange’s offensive success. Before each
game and practice, Van Arsdale warmed up McCord, now a top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft after leading the nation with 4,779 passing yards in 2024.
Van Arsdale was also one of four offensive personnel who spent games working in the booth alongside offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile and former offensive analyst Phill Guard. In the booth, his main responsibility was charting play calls and helping the coaches identify opposing defensive coverages.
Though he’ll graduate from SU in May, Van Arsdale became its youngest offensive staff member as Syracuse’s offensive quality control coach for tight ends in February. Before working his way up SU’s manager totem pole, which stemmed from being rejected to becoming a basketball manager, Van Arsdale had no football experience. Now, he’s working his first job in what he hopes is a prolonged football coaching career.
“It’s a crazy opportunity that I’m so beyond blessed to have because so many people struggle to get in
football Quarterback
Steve
Angeli transfers to Syracuse
By Justin Girshon sports editor
Former Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli is transferring to Syracuse, he announced on social media Wednesday. Angeli threw for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception in three seasons with the Fighting Irish before entering the transfer portal on Thursday.
He joins an SU quarterback room headlined by LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who head coach Fran Brown announced as the Orange’s starter on April 8. This all comes on the heels of Kyle McCord declaring for the NFL Draft after leading Syracuse to 10 wins and leading the country with 4,779 passing yards. Collins, a former four-star class of 2023 recruit, sat behind Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier across his two seasons in Baton Rouge before entering the portal.
“We’re gonna pick a quarterback,” Brown said on March 21. “We’re gonna run with it. We gonna compete for two and three. He gonna be the guy until we say he’s not.” Angeli, a former three-star class of 2022 recruit, hails from Westfield, New Jersey, and played at Bergen Catholic High School (N.J.). There, he was coached by Vito Campinale, SU quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campinale’s brother.
“(A lot of quarterbacks) kind of want the guaranteed deal, and I understand. You get one career. His willingness to compete, I thought that kind of set him apart,” Nunzio said on April 4, of what stood out about Collins during the recruitment process.
Upon arriving at Notre Dame in 2022, Angeli didn’t attempt a pass while sitting behind Drew Pyne. After the season, ND added Wake Forest graduate student Sam Hartman from the portal. Across Hatman’s sixth collegiate season in 2023, Angeli backed him up but made his first career start against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. The signal caller completed 15-of-19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 40-8 win.
this industry and get their foot in the door,” Van Arsdale said.
A sports analytics major, Van Arsdale joined the Orange during the second semester of his freshman year in 2022 as a special teams manager. Two years later, he was promoted to head offensive student manager and began working with the quarterbacks during spring training camp, coinciding with McCord’s transfer from Ohio State.
With McCord (St. Joseph’s Prep) and Van Arsdale (Holy Ghost Prep) going to rival high schools in Pennsylvania, Van Arsdale explained he didn’t know McCord personally before SU, but they shared a mutual friend. After building that initial connection, Van Arsdale realized McCord didn’t have a throwing partner because the other quarterbacks on the roster — Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Braden Davis — threw with each other.
So, after offering to throw with him at one of the Orange’s first spring practices, Van Arsdale became his throwing partner. see van arsdale page 13
While Hartman graduated, the Fighting Irish again utilized the portal to bring in Duke transfer Riley Leonard for his final year of eligibility. With Leonard under center, Notre Dame reached the College Football Playoff title game, where it fell to Ohio State. Angeli mostly played in garbage time throughout the campaign but rose to the occasion against Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal when Leonard was briefly sidelined with an injury. At the end of the first half, Angeli completed 6-of-7 passes for 44 yards, which led to a field goal before halftime. That kick was the difference in ND’s eventual 27-24 win, with Leonard playing the entire second half.
Though the Fighting Irish didn’t bring in a veteran quarterback from the portal like they had the last two offseasons, Angeli was amid a training camp battle against No. 6-ranked class of 2024 quarterback CJ Carr and No. 14-ranked class of 2023 quarterback Kenny Minchey. ND head coach Marcus Freeman has yet to name a starter.
Alongside Collins, Angeli joins a Syracuse quarterback room containing redshirt freshman Jakhari Williams — who started with the first team during SU’s spring game with Collins sidelined — and freshmen Luke Carney and Rich Belin. The Orange recently lost 2024 backup Michael Johnson Jr. and AJ Miller to the portal.
Appearing on ESPN Syracuse on April 16, Brown mentioned SU would add another quarterback from the portal. With Angeli’s addition, it’s unclear whether he’ll be the starter or if Collins will still assume the role.
Collins is rated the 23rd-best quarterback to hit the portal, with Angeli slotting in 18th, according to 247Sports.
