December 7, 2023

thursday, dec. 7, 2023

celebrating 120 years

N • Dorm details

free

C • Freshly baked

A week after SU’s Board of Trustees approved converting the Sheraton into a dorm, a spokesperson said it will primarily house second-year students.

As you prepare your Thanksgiving meal, consider making this delicious Rosemary garlic pullapart bread, for the whole family to enjoy.

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Seeking Clarity

In Syverud and Ritter’s message cancelling a teach-in on Palestine, there was no exact mention of what the event was or who was hosting it. Organizers were frustrated with SU’s response.

For the event, the Africa Initiative invited Rabab Abdulhadi, an associate professor of ethnic studies at San Francisco State University. The teach-in was set to take place in Sims Hall.

meghan hendricks senior staff photographer

By Kyle Chouinard

I

managing editor

n an Oct. 31 campus-wide email, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud and Provost Gretchen Ritter wrote that, due to “security concerns,” a teach-in with a “Middle Eastern studies scholar” would not go on that day as planned.

Student organizers with the Africa Initiative — who planned the teach-in on Palestine — and African American studies professor Horace Campbell said they took issue with the way the university handled the event, believing its response to safety concerns highlighted SU’s difficulties with academic freedom.

Campbell wrote in a memo obtained by The Daily Orange to Amy Kallander and Thomas Keck, the co-chairs of the Committee on Academic Freedom, Tenure and

Professional Ethics in the University Senate, that for over a year, students had been asking that the Africa Initiative hold a session on Palestine. After Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, students came to Campbell’s office with questions about the war and its context, he wrote.

One organizer involved with the initiative, an SU graduate student who wished to remain anonymous for their safety, said students believed there was a lack of education contextualizing the Israel-Hamas war.

“We were receiving a lot of messages from students, some in person, saying that they need to understand what was going on in the Israel-Palestine conflict in terms of the history, the politics of it, the international relations aspect of it,” the graduate student said. “That’s how we came to organize the event itself.”

The group, along with the Black Graduate Student Association and the African Gradu-

ate Student Network as co-sponsors, invited Rabab Abdulhadi, an associate professor of ethnic studies at San Francisco State University. The teach-in was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. on Oct. 31 at 319 Sims Hall.

After a flyer for the event was sent on the Middle Eastern studies Listserv, Campbell wrote that “immediately, there were hostile responses, one in a clear threatening tone from a ‘student’ organization on campus.”

Three organizers connected to the event confirmed people received threatening messages after the flyer started to circulate.

“They were basically telling us that we should focus on other things (in) Africa,” the graduate student said. “The Pan-African movement has always had a connection with the struggle in Palestine. So, teaching on Palestine is not outside the Pan-African context.”

On Nov. 1, after the initial event was set to take place, Campbell said the FBI.

see initiative page 4

on campus

Students express confusion on content of faculty panel

By Roxanne Boychuk asst. news editor

Students condemned organizers and panelists at Syracuse University’s third​ “Faculty Panel on Navigating Polarizing Discourses” Wednesday afternoon, saying the event’s description did not align with its actual content.

Students referenced the event’s description, which states that the

“conflict in the Middle East continues to impact (SU’s) campus,” and that the panels are intended to explore “topics related to academic freedom and to pedagogy.”

Prior to the attendees’ questioning, the panelists did not mention the Israel-Hamas war.

The Office of Academic Affairs held the panel — which featured three faculty members alongside

mediator Jamie Winders, the associate provost for faculty affairs — in room 228 of the Schine Student Center. The panelists discussed how to manage difficult and relevant conversations in the classroom.

Winders structured the panel by discussing how the professors identify polarizing topics, implement them into curricula, guide the conversations and acknowl-

edge emotions and discomfort that arise in the classroom.

“There’s strong emotional investments and many different aspects with these debates,” Winders said.

“So, when you sit down to map out a course or to think about a course discussion, a potentially polarizing topic, where do you start?”

The organizers and panelists said they were expecting the attendees to

be mostly faculty, but the turnout was mostly students.

Adia Santos, a graduate student studying public diplomacy and global communications, said students need to “continuously engage” with faculty about topics of concern such as the IsraelHamas war. She said students require more faculty awareness of see panel page 4

2 december 7, 2023

about

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The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.

NEWS “I will never be named and claimed. You’re going to say (Jewish students are) under threat. But when it’s like Black and brown people, when it’s people that don’t fit into their narrative, they’re not even going to name us.” - Ph.D. student organizer with Africa Initiative Page 4 Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com Opinion@dailyorange.com Culture@dailyorange.com Sports@dailyorange.com Digital@dailyorange.com Design@dailyorange.com BUSINESS 315-443-2315

The Daily Orange is an independent, nonprofit newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which started in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — is entirely run by Syracuse University students.

The D.O., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is editorially and financially independent from SU, and the paper receives no funding from the university. Instead, The D.O. relies on advertising revenue and donations to sustain operations.

This fall, the paper will be published Thursday when SU classes are in session.

The D.O.’s online coverage is 24/7, including while SU is on break.

To show your support to The D.O.’s independent journalism, please visit dailyorange.com/donate. Donations are tax deductible.

“The most unique part about it is, most shows, you just stay on stage and people can watch and feel part of it that way. But I feel like this is us, one foot away from (the audience) and dancing inches away from people.” - Rileigh Very, “A Christmas Carol” cast member Page 7

OPINION “Other Indian Americans would often dismiss me as ‘whitewashed’ because of my religion, not knowing my family could trace our unique faith back centuries before European colonization in the subcontinent.” - Christy Joshy, Columnist Page 9

SPORTS

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“Because it was for her, for my little niece, I went out of my way and decided, ‘You know what? I’m going to get it done.’

Because of her.” - Anderson Varejão, former NBA star Page 12

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COMING UP

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Noteworthy events this week.

The D.O. strives to be as accurate in our reporting as possible. Please email editor@dailyorange.com to report a correction.

WHAT: Black Excellence Gala: A Night Under the Stars WHEN: Dec. 8, 7 - 8 p.m.

WHERE: Schine Student Center, Atrium Big Screen

letter to the editor policy The D.O. prides itself as an outlet for community discussion. To learn more about our submission guidelines, please email opinion@dailyorange. com with your full name and affiliation within the Syracuse community. Please note letters should not include any personal information pertaining to other people unless it is relevant to the topic at hand. All letters will be edited for style and grammar.

CULTURE

WHAT: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion: Open Skate WHEN: Dec. 9, 12 - 8 p.m.

WHERE: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion The D.O. is published weekdays during the Syracuse University academic year by The Daily Orange Corp., 230 Euclid Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210.

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WHAT: Saxophone Ensemble | Setnor Ensemble Series WHEN: Dec. 10, 5 - 6 p.m.

WHERE: Crouse College, Setnor Auditorium and Virtual

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NEWS

december 7, 2023 3

on campus

Sexual assault survivors file over 3,000 lawsuits under ASA

By Richard Perrins senior staff writer

Over 3,000 civil lawsuits have been filed since the Adult Survivors Act opened a one-year window for survivors of sexual abuse to file lawsuits in New York state that would have previously fallen outside the statute of limitations. Nine of the suits named Syracuse University as a defendant, according to the state’s database for lawsuits.

The ASA, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May 2022, allowed survivors to file lawsuits for a year starting on Nov. 24, 2022. Across the state, survivors filed a total of 110 separate lawsuits that named universities as defendants, including SU, Cornell University, Columbia University and several others.

Beth Fegan, a class action attorney for the FeganScott law firm, said laws like the ASA that have been passed across the country in recent years have made it far easier for survivors to come forward.

“It’s finally allowing the law to catch up to trauma,” Fegan said. “The law now recognizes that trauma has prevented the survivors from coming forward and provides the appropriate look-back window to allow them to do so.”

Fegan said when an individual is abused as a young adult, they might not have the ability to bring their cases forward immediately.

“It’s very hard as an 18 or 19-year-old away from home for the first time to understand what’s happening, to have the support network and feel safe to report the abuse,” Fegan said.

“They don’t have the framework and the experience to know what’s right or wrong or to feel safe and come forward.”

On Nov. 21, FeganScott filed a lawsuit under the ASA alleging that Conrad Mainwaring, a former SU employee and graduate student, used his position as a “dorm counselor” for Brewster Hall to sexually abuse the plaintiff and other male students in the fall of 1982.

The lawsuit is the latest of several to be filed against Mainwaring since August 2019, when former SU students first came forward with allegations of sexual abuse. Since then, further allegations have been made, claiming SU had downplayed Mainwaring’s affiliation and employment with the university.

Of the nine lawsuits under the ASA where SU was a defendant, three of them were related to Mainwaring.

In another lawsuit, the plaintiff said she was raped by an intruder in SU’s School of Music in 1987. When she reported the incident, the lawsuit says, the director of the school told her “men get raped too,” and that she should “get back on the horse.”

Nine lawsuits filed by survivors of sexual abuse under the Adult Survivor’s Act named Syracuse University as a defendant, according to the state’s database for lawsuits.

bridget overby presentation director

One lawsuit involves a former professor in the Whitman School of Management, Theodore Wallin. The lawsuit states Wallin engaged in “unpermitted sexual contact” with the plaintiff in his university-owned office from October to December 1986. The lawsuit also alleges SU failed to properly investigate Wallin’s past history of sexual misconduct and “propensity for sexual abuse.”

Wallin was a professor and mentor for the plaintiff and the faculty advisor to their fraternity, the lawsuit says. According to his profile on Sage Publishing, Wallin was a Whitman faculty member for 34 years and currently works as a professor and dean for the School of Business at Sejong University in Seoul. As of Wednesday, Wallin appears on SU’s directory for emeriti faculty, which honors retired SU faculty members for contributions to the university.

Fegan said the willingness of survivors to now bring their cases forward was critical for them to overcome the trauma of their past abuse.

Survivors of sexual abuse decades ago might not have had access to resources or felt safe to report abuse from people in power and the institutions that allowed it happen, said William Rivera, interim executive director of the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

“This look-back period allowed individuals to use this time to work through their trauma,” Rivera said. “It could take someone years to process their trauma, share their stories or have the courage to seek justice.”

Dozens of cases in the state name Columbia University alongside Robert Hadden, a gynecologist who allegedly sexually assaulted hundreds of his patients at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital for 20 years. Several more alleged Cornell University was at fault for Darius Paduch’s sexual abuse of his patients as a urologist.

Fegan said universities aren’t often incentivized to “air their dirty laundry” when students are sexually abused on campus or by employees.

“They’re always looking to recruit incoming students and trying to raise dollars from alumni,” Fegan said. “They’re trying to protect their endowments, and when abuse is uncovered, it puts dollars and recruits at risk.”

In accordance with university policy, SU did not comment on any piece of active litigation when first asked by The Daily Orange.

Fegan said New York has taken critical steps in recent years to protect survivors of sexual abuse — from the signing of the Child Victims Act in 2019, which opened a similar window for survivors of abuse to file cases, to the ASA. Fegan hopes the state will consider extending the time for survivors to bring any sexual abuse case forward. “(Statutes of limitations) are just kind of an artificial barrier,” Fegan said. “The #MeToo movement went a long way towards pushing courts to understand why women don’t come forward … and I think that trend needs to continue.” rcperrin@syr.edu

national

Biden admin. to forgive nearly $5 billion in student loan debt

By Ahna Fleming

contributing writer

President Biden is allocating another $4.8 billion to relieve student loan debt for over 80,000 borrowers enrolled in the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program or the income-driven repayment plan, the Biden-Harris Administration announced Wednesday.

The Department of Education addressed various errors in the PSLF and IDR programs, which aim to provide debt relief to borrowers after a set period. The programs previously “failed to keep track of borrowers’ payments” and borrowers never received forgiveness, according to CNBC. Since Biden announced his new loan forgiveness plan in July, the Biden-Harris Administration has successfully canceled a total of $132 billion in student loan debt for more than 3.6 million Americans, according to a U.S. Department of Education press release.

“This level of debt relief is unparalleled and we have no intention of slowing down,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in the press release.

The Supreme Court blocked Biden’s initial student loan forgiveness plan in June 2023. In response, Biden announced he would open “an alternative path to relief.” Cardona said the Biden-Harris Administration has made “relentless” efforts to provide relief for borrowers.

“From day one of my administration, I vowed to improve the student loan system so that a higher education provides Americans with opportunity and prosperity — not unmanageable burdens of student loan debt,” Biden said in a statement Wednesday.

The Biden-Harris Administration has canceled $132 billion in student loan debt for more than 3.6 million Americans, according to the Department of Education.

daily orange file photo

The funding has the potential to affect loanborrowing Syracuse University alumni. Forty nine percent of students graduating from SU took out some type of loan in 2022, according to U.S. News & World Report’s profile of the university.

Errors in payment counts and other issues inhibited debt erasure promised to borrowers

in the PSLF program, according to CNBC. The administration addressed issues with the programs primarily by ending forbearance steering — when loan servicers place borrowers in forbearance despite them being better off in an IDR plan.

The Department of Education also announced that approximately 34,400 bor-

rowers who have worked in public service for a decade or more will receive $2.6 billion.

“I won’t back down from using every tool at our disposal to get student loan borrowers the relief they need to reach their dreams,” Biden said in his Wednesday statement. arflemin@syr.edu

4 december 7, 2023

from page 1

initiative contacted a student in the African Graduate Student Network. The Ph.D. student similarly confirmed the FBI did contact a student.

After The D.O. asked the FBI field office in Albany for comment about the claim, the office wrote it would not speak on specific interactions.

“I can say the FBI regularly meets and interacts with members of the community to ensure we are tracking any concerns that could help us ensure the safety of our communities,” wrote Sarah Ruane, public affairs specialist for the FBI Albany field office.

Using the f lyer, a change.org account named “Concerned Syracuse University Jewish Student” posted a petition on Oct. 30 writing that they, along with a group of Jewish Syracuse students, parents and alumni, were concerned about the teach-in. In the petition, they called Abdulhadi “a known anti-semite” and referenced recently reported antisemitic bias incidents on campus.

Abdulhadi previously drew criticism for helping to plan and moderate a roundtable discussion with Leila Khaled, a Palestinian who hijacked planes in 1969 and 1970. In the 1970 hijacking with Patrick Argüello, Khaled carried grenades on the plane, something she later claimed was only for self-defense, according to PBS. After learning about the threats a student received after posting about the teach-in on the Middle Eastern studies Listserv, Campbell wrote that he sought to have a meeting with Craig Stone, the chief of campus safety and emergency management services at SU. Stone, Campbell wrote, also had Andrew Clary, a lieutenant with a focus on special events and community policing, present.

Another organizer, a Ph.D. student who wished to remain anonymous for their safety, said one of the students who had received threats also went to the Department of Public Safety.

Campbell wrote that at his meeting with Stone and Clary, attendees agreed DPS would provide security for the teach-in. A university spokesperson did confirm the meeting took place but disagreed with Campbell on the meeting’s outcome.

“During that discussion, Chief Stone shared that the university would assess the safety of the reserved room in Sims Hall to determine how or if it could facilitate the safe execution of the event for attendees and the speaker,” the spokesperson wrote to The D.O. Campbell then had an additional meeting with university administration at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, the day of the teach-in. The meeting

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

included Dean of the Graduate School Peter Vanable, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Gerry Greenberg and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders.

In the meeting, Campbell said he was informed Greenberg would open the teach-in and lay the “ground rules” for the event.

“I agreed to the conditions that were laid down in the meeting. I stressed that the objective of the meeting was for the education of our students and that as a faculty member, I was just as concerned about the safety of students as the administration,” he wrote to Kallander and Keck. “I stated in the meeting with the administration that we wanted clarity for our students and were just as concerned about disruptions.”

The university spokesperson confirmed the meeting did occur. They wrote to The D.O. that the meeting was to advise Campbell on how to make the meeting as “constructive and respectful as possible.” At the time of the meeting, DPS’s “review of safety planning was still underway,” the spokesperson wrote.

Before noon, only hours removed from the meeting with administration, Winders told Campbell the university had canceled the event. Campbell wrote that Winders gave two reasons: “First, the university could not guarantee the safety of those in attendance, and second, the university was ‘aware of threats in the local area on both sides.’”

The universit y spokesperson sa id that with the short notice, Winders told Campbell the university felt there was not enough time to “take steps to ensure the safety of the speaker, participants and campus community.”

“The university tried to identify other rooms but due to other events and class schedules, there were no rooms available on such short notice,” they wrote to The D.O. Then, at around noon, Syverud and Ritter announced the event’s cancellation in a campus-wide email.

“Syracuse University cares deeply about free speech and remains strongly committed to academic freedom,” the chancellor and provost wrote. “In this current environment, it is vital that all of us plan carefully and in advance to ensure free speech also occurs in a time, place and manner that takes into account the safety and security of our whole community.”

Two weeks later, in a Nov. 15 address to the University Senate, Syverud said the university was prioritizing student safety over free speech and academic freedom. On Nov. 14, Stone said he was not given proper notice about the event, adding that two weeks would have been enough time.

The Ph.D. student organizer did say the event was very “last minute.” They said the

Africa Initiative did not know if they would have the money for the event until shortly before their flyers started to circulate. The student said the quick process was never a problem previously.

“We’ve never passed our things through the administration, through DPS, none of our events. So this is a whole new thing that they’re saying they require,” they said.

Both students involved with organizing the event took issue with not being included in talks with the university regarding the event’s safety and eventual cancellation.

“The students that were actually involved in organizing the event, they’re not receiving communications from the people that contacted Professor Campbell,” the graduate student said. “So in terms of the university’s decision to cancel the event, it all went to Professor Campbell and then Professor Campbell contacted us.”

The university wrote to The D.O. that student organizers never approached the university for support, and they only learned of the event when Campbell brought his concerns to DPS. In a letter to the editor to The D.O., SU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors wrote that, with enough notice and planning, the university should guarantee the safety and security of events, and they should not be postponed. “ W hile we understand that security risks were assessed and thought to be serious enough to warrant cancellation by the administration and Department of Public Safety, questions remain,” the SU A AUP wrote. “How can the administration of SU guarantee academic freedom for outside speakers and those who invite them in times of contestation? How are threats against speakers and those who invite them being addressed?”

The event did occur on Oct. 31, just not at SU. Abdulhadi spoke to around 30 people at the Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice, syracuse.com reported.

After the university canceled the initial event, Campbell and organizers said more incidents occurred.

In one instance, a student visited the Department of African American Studies after the building closed looking for the department’s head, Campbell wrote. Once the student found the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library open, Campbell said they berated a student worker — saying they felt unsafe, demanding to know why the posters for the event were hanging in the department and promised to bring their father to campus to take them down.

Another person interrogated students as

they walked through the building’s corridors, taking pictures and demanding the flyers be taken down, Campbell said.

Organizers, as well as Campbell, also said they took issue with how Syverud and Ritter announced its initial cancellation. In the email, the chancellor and provost did not mention the teach-in was related to Palestine, only writing, “one of our academic departments, in partnership with student groups, had planned to host a Middle Eastern studies scholar for a teach-in.”

Campbell wrote that the email was vague and did not state that students wanted to hold a teach-in specifically on Palestine.

“I met people who read the first email when our event was canceled. Nobody knew that that was about Palestine. Nobody knew the speaker (was) Palestinian, nobody knew the co-sponsors,” the Ph.D. student said.

“So it fed into the narrative that this was more antisemitism. Antisemitism is real, it’s something we need to combat, right?

But so is racism.”

The Ph.D. student contrasted Sy verud and Ritter’s email with Ritter’s email on Nov. 9. In the message regarding on-campus proPalestine protests earlier that day, Ritter wrote that “one of the speakers specifically called out a number of Jewish student organizations by name, accusing them of being ‘complicit’ in genocide.’” Ritter called the speaker’s behavior “reprehensible.”

“I will never be named and claimed,” the Ph.D. student said. “You’re going to say (Jewish students are) under threat. But when it’s like Black and brown people, when it’s people that don’t fit into their narrative, they’re not even going to name us.”

Ending his message to Kallander and Keck, Campbell said he looked forward to hearing the results of their investigation into the initial event’s cancellation. After multiple requests for comment from The D.O., neither Kallander nor Keck commented on the status of an investigation.

The Ph.D. student said the original purpose of the event was to create discussion between different groups, especially considering the wide variety of views on campus. The point of an academic institution, they said, is to have experts who can be challenged.

The graduate student said the time following the event was draining, specifically because of the university’s response.

“What kind of work am I even allowed to do if that work isn’t fitting into the narrative?” the Ph.D. student said. “Because is it (about) politics or knowledge?” kschouin@syr.edu @Kyle_Chouinard

from page 1

panel their concerns, calling the faculty’s approach “belittling and ridiculous.”

“I had to miss a bunch of things to be here.

When, no offense, I could have missed this too, because like you said, it wasn’t catered to us in the first place,” Santos said. “So be intentional about the times that you’re holding everything because those came out of student concerns and those events were meant for students.”

Panelist Chandice Haste-Jackson, associate dean of student services and an associate teaching professor in the Falk College of Sports and Human Dynamics, said awareness of these topics begins with the professor. With awareness, professors can guide polarizing conversations in the classroom, she said.

Haste-Jackson and the other panelists emphasized the use of “pausing” during polarizing conversations, giving the students a moment to process emotions, consider other perspectives and reflect on the conversation.

“We exist to help draw out of you. We really do and find a passion in that,” Haste-Jackson said. “So sometimes when there’s that push to do more, some will slink away but others will lean in … but we don’t know unless we hear from you.”

Panelist Christy Ashby, director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion and professor of inclusive special education and disability studies, said professors identifying the end goal of a conversation and establishing a motive gives purpose to more difficult conversations.

Ashby said it is the faculty’s responsibility to be a model for students by accepting the “humility of discomfort” within these polarizing topics. When discussing multiple different viewpoints in a classroom, Ashby said she encourages her students to reflect on their perspectives as well as consider new ones.

Panelist Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson, an associate professor in the philosophy department, said it is important to design a course to ensure students are “active collaborators.” She emphasized putting stu-

The panel discussed managing difficult conversations in the classroom. While student attendees thought the panel would discuss the IsraelHamas war, prior to the Q&A session, panelists had not mentioned the war at all. lars jendruschewitz asst. photo editor

dents in charge of their learning as much as possible to build various pathways for discussion in the classroom.

“The goal is that we don’t just subscribe to a position because everybody says so, but because we’ve actually considered it and we’ve endorsed

it as our own and that form of thinking,” Erlenbusch-Anderson said.

The organizers and panelists encouraged feedback from the student attendees regarding future actions for the university. Winders also apologized for the confusion regarding the description of the event.

“The idea that we are neutral classrooms is a fallacy,” Ashby said. “We need to help our students have skills to navigate the rest of their lives, and I think the classroom is a great way to practice.” rmboychu@syr.edu

dailyorange.com culture@dailyorange.com

december 7, 2023 5

CULTURE

Bah-Flipping-Humbug

An acrobat hangs from above throwing fake snow as performers prepare to leave the stage. The Syracuse Stage is performing its annual co-production, “A Christmas Carol,” until Dec. 31. courtesy of brenna merritt

By Rosina Boehm asst. copy editor

A

s Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted with his first round of ghosts in Syracuse Stage’s “A Christmas Carol,” two acrobats portray phantoms by hanging and twisting above the audience on hammocks while other actors crawl onto the stage to spook the curmudgeon.

“In ‘A Christmas Carol,’ you do not think that (a circus show) is what it should be,” said Managing Director of 2 Ring Circus Ben Franklin. “It’s like, ‘Why is that happening?’ But we are able to create a mystical quality with the ghosts.”

Every December, Syracuse Stage puts on a coproduction with the Syracuse University Department of Drama along with senior and youth actors. This year, Artistic Director Bob Hupp wanted to do a show that reflected Syracuse Stage’s 50th anniversary.

He chose “A Christmas Carol” to honor the past as the show has been performed at the Stage nine times, the most of any play at the venue. The production opened on Dec. 1 and will close on Dec. 31.

The version of the show the Stage is putting on is close to the traditional Charles Dickens novella, with parts of the script directly carried over from

This year, Syracuse Stage added a new spin to its performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ – acrobatics the book. Melissa Rain Anderson, the show’s director, has been performing the stage adaptation since she was a child.

“I am making sure, every word, just everything is understood by the audience, and so learning how to really slow down everything I’m saying and give meaning to every word,” said Mackenzie Furlett, a senior at SU and a cast member in “A Christmas Carol.”

However, Hupp and Anderson did not want to do the play exactly how it had been done before.

Anderson directed last year’s Stage co-production of “The Little Mermaid,” which incorporated the 2 Ring Circus. After the show’s success, she decided to work with the company again on “A Christmas Carol.” see christmas page 7

from the stage

Joining a cappella groups helps singers find a home at SU

By Kelly Matlock

Asst. culture editor

When vocal percussionist Sammy Karp was a sophomore at Plainview Old Bethpage High School (NY), one of Syracuse University’s a cappella groups visited the campus. Three years later at SU, he signed up for Otto Tunes as a freshman, finding a community in the process.

“One thing that sets us apart from a lot of other collegiate a cappella communities is that there’s a lot of collaboration between groups,” Karp said. “We’re all connected both musically and as friends and people.”

This Friday is the a cappella program’s annual winter show: After Hours. It is one of the only times in the year all six of the a cappella groups have the chance to perform

together and see each other’s work, Karp said.

The six acappella groups perform together other times in the year, such as performances at Citrus in the City and Family Weekend, but After Hours is different. This event is their chance to perform for each other and the larger community.

The six groups performing are Groovestand, Oy Cappella, Orange

Appeal, Otto Tunes, Main Squeeze and The Mandarins. Some groups will perform holiday songs, while others will perform segments from their invitationals.

Sophomore Bridget Backer is looking forward to the After Hours as a “last hurrah” for the semester.

She’s choreographing one of Main Squeeze’s numbers and is excited to see her work on stage.

She joined Main Squeeze this semester, so this weekend will be her first time performing in After Hours. She attended the show last year and said she can’t wait to be part of it herself this weekend.

This semester, the six groups have been more connected than ever before, said Hannah Starorypinski, this year’s Oy Cappella president and a cappella council co-president.

see a capella page 7

6 december 7, 2023

dailyorange.com news@dailyorange.com

slice of life

Josh Burton’s ‘Grace Machine’ is a story about generations

By Olivia Boyer

asst. culture editor

A reverent silence fell on Watson Theater as poet and Syracuse University alum Joshua Burton honored the lives of Laura Nelson, Mary Turner and Jim Cullen, people lynched in the early 20th century. Burton’s debut volume, “Grace Engine,” which he wrote while in SU’s MFA program, covers the tragedy of their deaths. “(Being in Syracuse) was the trigger that I needed,” Burton said. “It helped me see myself in my own Blackness. I felt hyper-visible for the first time.”

Burton, who grew up in Houston, Texas, attended the University of Houston before making his way to SU to earn his Masters of Arts in English in 2019. Burton published “Grace Engine” — a collection of poems tackling Burton’s relationship with his family’s history — in 2019. On Wednesday, the Raymond Carver Reading Series hosted his return to SU in Watson Theater.

During the reading, Burton previewed his new work, which focuses on grace and forgiveness. Throughout much of the book, he uses the idea of time travel to revisit his own life.

At SU, away from his family for the first time, Burton said he was able to see himself in different ways. This distance allowed him to investigate and interact with his generational and personal traumas, topics explored in “Grace Engine” through the lenses of Nelson, Turner and Cullen’s lynchings.

Before writing his first volume, Burton wrote a chapbook, a small literary pamphlet, about his mother titled “Fracture Anthology.” In the chapbook, he used the journal entries of his mother to capture her story in an authentic way.

The process was intimate, but didn’t force Burton to reflect on himself in the same way as “Grace Engine.” Burton’s journey of writing the volume was one of discomfort and inspired his growth.

“I have had to look at myself and be as honest with myself,” Burton said. “I always came back to that place … right down to the bottom of myself, to touch and keep coming back to touch, and that reveals more.”

Burton defines grace through multiple lenses.

It is not a textbook definition, but rather an emotional journey of hope, forgiveness and compassion to himself, his family and his ancestors.

The Raymond Carver Reading Series brings 12 to 14 distinguished writers to SU every year. The series is part of the Living Writers class at SU where students are encouraged to ask the writers questions about their work.

Teaching assistants from the Creative Writing program, a group Burton was a part of during his time at SU, teach the course. A

committee chooses writers to come to the class with an event the Creative Writing Department organizes.

“Everybody was very excited that he could come back and read to the students because his poems are beautiful and important,” said Sarah Harwell, associate teaching professor and director of creative writing.

The book is written in two parts: description and grace. In the first half of the book, the stories of Nelson, Turner and Cullen are told in detail. Burton’s goal was to write about these people without martyring them, allowing for grief without re-traumatizing.

The second part regards grace, welcoming forgiveness and hope for their violent endings.

“Grace Engine” is meant to be re-read, said Jasmine Tabor, a MFA student who taught the book.

(Being in Syracuse) was the trigger that I needed,” Burton said. “It helped me see myself in my own Blackness, I felt hyper-visible for the first time.

Joshua Barton poet and su alum

Joshua Burton returns to Syracuse to read poems from his debut volume, “Grace Engine”.

The poems explore generational trauma. maxine brackbill photo editor

“I don’t think I was thinking about race before (the book). I was thinking about grief, the concept of forgiveness, but not necessarily grace. The book is operating within a contradiction,” Tabor said. “In the second half, it’s about asking for forgiveness for writing the previous poems but if you really wanted to enact forgiveness, you just wouldn’t publish those poems.”

According to Burton, one of the most intimate poems of the book is titled “Giving Mary Grace.” The poem is dedicated to Turner and the unborn child she lost through her death.

Throughout the writing process, Burton became close with the subjects of his writing through his research.

After starting the project, Burton learned his family also had a deep history with lynchings, continuing the bond between him and his writing.

“History will submit to you / I will too / Eventually when we are color-pleased / when your dirt speaks / I will be left / dumb-still / I won’t refer you back to life / There’s been enough of that / I falter / in guilt / at your reanimating / Now I am trying to unbeast you,” Burton said, reading his poem “For Mary Turner.” oliviaboyer@dailyorange.com

humor column

Our humor columnist knows the best spots for breaking down

By Sarah Wells

humor columnist

One thing about me is that I absolutely love to cry. I cry over everything: movies, books, seeing dogs on the street. (Usually, the owners don’t let me pet them after I start crying.)

If there’s one thing we can universally cry over, however, it’s the end of the semester. There are finals, it’s cold and I just watched the “Love Actually” card scene. So, if you need a bit of privacy to shed your tears, here are my top four best bathrooms on campus to cry in.

Schine Bathroom, First Floor

Tucked away in its own private sector of the building, the bathrooms on the first floor of Schine are a fantastic place to get your cry on. The bathroom has enough stalls that, if you’re heard crying, no one will be able to find you. It is also equipped with shiny metal doors so you can stare at your reflection after full-body sobbing for 10 minutes. Nothing feels better than seeing your puffy, red eyes staring back at you!

Marshall Square Mall Bathroom, Second Floor

No one at Syracuse University utilizes Marshall Square Mall enough. There’s coffee, thrifting, Subway, a bunch of cute little tables to work at and, importantly, a very private bathroom to cry in. The bathrooms at Marshall Square Mall are kind of difficult to find, which is perfect for this exact scenario. You can step in there, wail your head off and then reward yourself for your bravery with a sweet treat from Salt City Coffee or maybe even a used pair of men’s basketball shorts from 3fifteen thrift store!

Smith Hall Bathroom, Basement

I discovered this bathroom out of desperation, but it’s become one of my favorite cry spots on campus. I have two classes in Smith Hall this semester, and after three weeks of not knowing where the bathroom was (and during a very boring lecture), I decided it was time to find out. After a very long trek (I crossed one hall and went down three flights of stairs), I finally found the Smith Hall basement bathroom. I love this bathroom. Since it’s so secluded, no one knows about it. Plus, it’s near all of the

Can’t keep your finals week stress tears in? Our humor columnist knows all about the best bathroom spots to cry in on campus this semester. emma lee contributing illustrator

woodshops, so the sounds of the machinery can drown out the sound of your sobs.

Hendricks Chapel Bathroom, Basement

After pounding back an iced coffee from People’s Place, I was in desperate need of a bathroom trip. That’s when I found this absolute haven of a bathroom, perfect for people who wish to have a private cry.

Plus, the stall doors have no cracks in them, so you don’t have to worry about someone peeking an eye through. Sometimes you can even hear the choir, and I’m not sure if you were aware, but a panic attack can be quite magical while “Ave Maria” is played underneath it.

Now that you’ve read my foolproof guide to campus bathrooms, happy crying! I will see you in there, soldier. sswells@syr.edu

december 7, 2023 7

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from page 5

christmas “I’ve always wanted Christmas Past to fly in, and I’ve never been able to do it because if you put her in a harness, then you have to sort of unhook her,” Anderson said. “After all, she flies in and

then she has a bunch of scenes where she asked him to sort of be everywhere and you don’t want her to fly everywhere.”

By working with 2 Ring Circus, Anderson saw her dream fulfilled. Using a hammock and a trapeze, Christmas Past can fly and move

scribble

scribble by tyler schiff and kate kelley the daily orange

around freely during scenes. The circus elements keep the performance fresh, Hupp said.

The new technological elements, like acrobatics, allow the play to continue to be as exciting and interesting as it has been for the last 50 years of the Stage’s history.

SU drama department students like Furlett also learned from the many older actors who came from the Actors’ Equity Association to perform in the play. Anderson said the combination of the performers, young and old alike, allows acting to be passed to the next generation.

Senior and cast member Rileigh Very said the combination of older and younger actors also helped SU drama students feel like professionals.

Very is one student who has been able to learn aerial arts from 2 Ring Circus.

Franklin ran two training sessions for anyone in the show performing circus-based elements in the show, including acrobatic and aerial skills. Franklin taught Very last year for “The Little Mermaid.”

“The most unique part about it is, most shows, you just stay on stage and people can watch and feel part of it that way,” Very said. “But I feel like this is us, one foot away from (the audience) and dancing inches away from people.”

The circus started teaching the show’s actors slowly and patiently to make sure all participants were able to learn different combinations, Very said. With so many moving parts, the cast needed to start blocking scenes on stage early and figure out how to balance actors entering through the audience, on hammocks above the seats or on top of Scrooge’s bed.

As they were able to get on stage quickly, actors were able to more easily collaborate.

While the process is a learning experience for the student performers, a lot of 2 Ring members have enjoyed coming back to the theater because it’s a chance to “dip their toes” back into acting, Franklin said.

“Combining circus and theater is taking both of the lives and bringing them back together,” Franklin said. “Then we get to come here with a wonderfully supportive production staff, and then students and the young actors and then the professional actors. It’s a joy.”

Middle Ages Brewing Company Sean Kelly & the Samples bring their reggae and folk style to Syracuse this Friday. The Colorado band has been featured in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Younger.” Now, they’re back on tour with their most recent album, “Indian Summer,” which came out in 2019. Tickets can be purchased online.

WHEN: Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.

PRICE: $41.11

Funk ‘n Waffles Hudson Valley-based singer Mikaela Davis is on tour with her most recent album, “And Southern Star.” The album features ethereal harp plucks and ghostly vocals. Davis and her band’s sound stems from ’60s pop beats and folk rock. Tickets for the show are available online.

WHEN: Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.

PRICE: $23.63

rlboehm@syr.edu

from page 5

a capella “We all just kind of got sick of being in competition with each other and figured that it would be way more fun for us to all be friends,” Starorypinski said.

Starorypinski is a senior now, but has been involved with a cappella since her freshman year. She said the community now is much closer than it was when she arrived at SU as members usually stuck to their groups until fall 2022.

Karp, a member of Otto Tunes, has done vocal percussion for various other SU a cappella groups and loves the opportunity to make the community more interconnected. Beyond music collaborators, the singers in Otto Tunes are friends and even roommates. Otto Tunes members have owned a house on Stratford Street since 2011, and other members rent houses nearby.

“I think back about my favorite and most crazy college memories — they basically all start with being in Otto Tunes,” Karp said. “As much as we are musical collaborators, we’re also brothers and I think for me, that was just the most amazing thing.”

Many members like Karp join a cappella as freshmen, while other members join after seeing how the groups operate on campus. Backer is a member of Main Squeeze, an all-female a cappella group.

In high school, Karp participated in a cappella groups who only performed a few times a year.

But when she saw how SU a cappella worked and how often they performed, she immediately wanted to get involved.

“Ever since joining, I have made no regrets. I just feel so connected to the people around me,” Backer said. “Not just in Main Squeeze, but the whole (a cappella) community in general because we are all so close to each other.”

Besides Main Squeeze, Backer is involved with various other organizations on campus, including Hendricks Chapel Choir. She said that a cappella is bigger, with more groups and members from diverse majors.

“It’s just getting to meet new people and going back to the one thing that we all are focused on within (the a cappella community), which is performing,” Backer said.

With the various majors and interests involved in SU a cappella groups, the end of the semester is stressful, Starorypinski said. After Hours is a chance for everyone to relieve their stress while doing what they love and support each other in front of the greater SU community.

“All of my friends that are not involved in a cappella are coming (to After Hours), and it’s an opportunity for our family to come out,” Starorypinski said. “It’s full of people who love everyone in a cappella and love a cappella music.” kellyamatlock@icloud.com

After Hours

This Friday, SU’s six a cappella groups will perform sets at Hendricks Chapel, including a cross-over with Oy Cappella and Otto Tunes. The concert is a culmination of work they each have done this semester and is one of the few times all six groups will perform on the same stage. Check out this concert and enjoy beautiful harmonies and entertaining choreography.

WHEN: Dec. 8 at 8:30 p.m.

PRICE: Free

The Landmark Theatre The DeSantis Orchestra is taking the stage at the Landmark Theatre this Sunday. Performing a series of holiday hits and original songs, the orchestra is also a family affair. The current vocalist for the group, Maria DeSantis, is the daughter of Mario DeSantis, who conducted Broadway theater orchestras at the Landmark for decades. Enjoy the holiday spirit at this festive event.

WHEN: Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.

PRICE: $49.75 - $67.15

One of Otto Tunes’ performances during the year is their annual concert — “Cockapella,” which raises money for people dealing with testicular cancer. cassandra roshu photo editor

8 december 7, 2023

dailyorange.com

OPINION

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december 7, 2023 9

There shouldn’t be a standard for cultural identity Christy Joshy

W columnist

hen people find out I’m Catholic, they sometimes respond with “But you’re Indian.” Once I started to expect this answer, I too began to tie “Indianness” with a particular religious identity, and had a hard time seeing where I fit in.

The insecurity I felt for so many years about my identity is replaced by a desire to share and welcome those willing to know my background and experiences.

Christy Joshy columnist

My religious and cultural identity is rooted in the Syro-Malabar Church, an Eastern tradition of Catholicism that hails from my home state, Kerala. Even though some may assume my religion helps me assimilate to whiteness more easily, it hasn’t. The customs of my faith

allow us to develop our own distinct identity and grow separately from Roman Catholicism, without isolating us from the larger religious body.

Though I have fortunately found affinity within my church community, our numbers throughout the United States are few and far between. As an Indian I am already a part of a minority class in America, and identifying myself as a minority among Indian Americans as well was initially distressing. I’ve become exposed to society’s vague and restrictive definitions of what it means to hold a particular identity.

When joining South Asian clubs in high school, I felt like an outsider. I related more to its non-South Asian members, learning about Indian culture more than being actively involved in an association that I had ties to. Other Indian Americans would often dismiss me as “white-washed” because of my religion, not knowing my family could trace our unique faith back centuries before European colonization in the subcontinent.

Though I am proud of my culture, it was challenging to see where I fit into South Asian or Christian spaces. For example, most South Asian clubs celebrate Diwali and Eid but don’t celebrate Christmas.

Christian clubs celebrate Christmas, but their traditions differ from mine.

One typical Syro-Malabar Christmas tradition is caroling, where we go to every parish family’s house, sing carols and say prayers. We also build nativity scenes in our homes, using and spending whatever we can to ensure our family has the best one. And after midnight Mass and 25 days of Advent abstinence — we feast.

Being South Indian intensified this internal struggle. I sometimes felt my only claim to being Indian was fluency in my native tongue, Malayalam.

However, India has 22 official languages, with Hindi being the most spoken and understood by its neighbors, Pakistan and Bangladesh. My limited knowledge of Bollywood movies and songs, which cater to its Hindi-speaking audience, further narrowed the similarities I had with most of my South Asian peers.

The Malayalam-language film industry, known as Mollywood, is not as popular, and thus, my familiarity with it was not as valued.

Though it’s nearly impossible to define what makes me Indian, I can confidently say that a core component of being Indian is one’s religious identity, irrespective of which one it is. India is incredibly diverse, and religion and culture are thoroughly intertwined.

I’ve come to understand that the relationship between religion and culture in India is what made it difficult for other Indian Americans to understand my background: they couldn’t grasp how Catholicism could fit into the norms of Hindu-dominated Indian culture. They weren’t aware that they had already been connected for hundreds of years. Without my religion, my identity as an Indian would be completely lost — the unique history and traditions of the Syro-Malabar Christians are what I grew up celebrating. In practicing it, I am not “white-washed.”

I still don’t know how to prove that I’m “Indian enough.” However, I’ve now realized I don’t need to validate my identity for anyone.

The insecurity I felt for so many years about my identity is replaced by a desire to share and welcome those willing to know my background and experiences. I realized that the feeling of belonging I craved was underscored by a longing to be heard. I can’t always relate to everyone, but that shouldn’t deter me from learning about others and inviting them to learn about me.

It’s time to finally put aside our stereotypes and preconceived expectations for how certain people should act. It is crucial to keep in mind the intersectionality of each individual, especially in a space like Syracuse University, where we are exposed to many different ways of life.

Be open to learning about the minority communities within your larger community. By letting go of stereotypes that group us all into separate boxes, we can foster a greater understanding of each other, seek relationships surpassing proximity and expand our thinking.

Christy Joshy is a freshman International Relations and Accounting major.

She can be reached at cjoshy@syr.edu.

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december 7, 2023 11

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men’s basketball

SU’s Chris Bell is breaking out in his sophomore season

By Cole Bambini

senior staff writer

Chris Bell didn’t want to celebrate too much after his career-high 25 points against Colgate on Nov. 14. His teammates congratulated him — Bell’s numbers fueled a 24-point comeback — but Bell didn’t even think he did that well.

“Just gonna keep working and enjoy,” Bell said after draining a single-game career-high six 3s.

Bell, whose minutes have increased from 20.1 per game in 2022-23 to 29.1 this season, has seen more production in his sophomore campaign, averaging 14 points per game and shooting just under 40% from the field. Last season, he averaged 6.6 points per game and scored a season-high 17 against Notre Dame on Jan. 14.

With five games in double figures just nine games into this season, Bell has scored more than 17 points four different times, including the career-high performance over the Raiders. Bell has developed into a consistent scoring option for the Orange, especially beyond the 3-point arc. He’s also had a stronger defensive presence.

“I think it’s just a different mixture of what I’m doing,” Bell said of his improvement this season.

“I feel like I’m going to the basket a little bit more (and) getting a little bit more time out there. I’m just trying to be effective in any way I can whether it’s shooting, defense or anything like that.”

Against Colgate, Bell propelled the Orange to their largest comeback since 1988, shooting 9-of-19 from the field with a careerhigh six 3-pointers.

After making a couple of 3-pointers from his preferred left corner spot, Bell penetrated into the lane for a layup, cutting the deficit in half with 11:30 remaining. Bell tied the game at 70 with just under 1:40 left. His successes from deep contributed to two-thirds of the team’s shots from range.

“Bell was phenomenal today,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame against Colgate.

“This was his best game in a (Syracuse) uniform.”

During the Colgate game, Quadir Copeland pulled Bell aside during halftime and told him to keep shooting. In the first half, Bell only made 2-of-6 triples. However, from deep, he’s shooting four percent higher than last year and is just 12 3s away from beating his total last season.

Aside from a 16-point performance against then-No. 7 Tennessee, all of Bell’s double-digit scoring performances have come at the JMA Wireless Dome. Autry said following the 80-57 blowout victory over LSU in the ACC/SEC Challenge that the “ball finds the energy.” Bell was the energy in that game, spearheaded by multiple defensive stops and extra passes by Justin Taylor and Copeland that rewarded Bell with triples. see bell page 10

As a freshman, Chris Bell averaged 6.6 points per game. This season, Bell has notched double figures in five out of nine games. aidan groeling staff photographer

women’s basketball

Opponent Preview: What to know before matchup with Ohio

By Cooper Andrews asst. sports editor

Syracuse showed back on Nov. 30 against Alabama that it has NCAA Tournament potential.

Before then, the Orange had only faced two Power Five opponents (then-No. 20 Maryland and Iowa State), going 1-1 in those matchups.

Then, SU delivered a statement 79-73 win over the Crimson Tide.

The victory left the Orange 6-1 at the time, with four consecutive nonconference, nonPower Five games remaining before Atlantic Coast Conference play began. They plunged into the seemingly easy slate on Dec. 4 versus Northeastern. Despite trailing for most of the first quarter, Syracuse outscored the Huskies by 23 points across the final three frames en route to a 79-57 victory.

Next, SU is set to battle Mid American Conference foe Ohio. The Bobcats are com-

ing off a blowout 85-45 loss to in-state rival No. 12 Ohio State.

Here’s what to know about Ohio (2-4, 0-0 MAC) before it plays Syracuse (7-1, 0-0 ACC) Saturday afternoon:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 4-0.

Last time they played

SU previously took on Ohio on Nov. 5, 2019, for its 2019-20 regular-season opener at the Dome. The Orange were coming off a 25-9 season in which they qualified for the NCAA Tournament only to fall in the second round.

The Bobcats got out to a commanding 22-10 advantage through one quarter of play.

Syracuse shot just 20% from the field in the frame. SU flipped the script in the second quarter, outscoring Ohio 21-8 to take a 31-30 lead at half.

The Orange kept their foot on the gas throughout the second half, eventually winning 66-54 over Ohio. They dominated the Bobcats on the boards, outrebounding Ohio 57-32. Former Syracuse guard Kiara Lewis dropped a team-high 16 points in the victory, also adding eight rebounds.

The Bobcats report

In 2022-23, Ohio went 6-23, including a 4-14 in-conference record. It was the worst season for head coach Bob Boldon, who’s in his 11th season at the helm. Boldon is the program’s all-time winningest head coach and typically produces a competitive side. Heading into the 2023-24 season, Boldon overhauled the roster — just four players returned.

Yet through six games, Ohio hasn’t taken advantage of its nonconference schedule. Other than its loss to a Big Ten team in Ohio State, the Bobcats have been inconsistent against fellow

non-Power Five teams. They are 2-3 versus those opponents, including a 29-point loss to Morehead State on Nov. 22.

Ohio’s main deficiency lies in its struggles on the glass. According to HerHoopStats, The Bobcats have a defensive rebounding rate of 57.7%, the eighth-lowest mark in Division I. They also have the 12th-worst total rebounding rate in the country (41.4%).

How Syracuse beats Ohio

On the glass, Syracuse overmatches Ohio.

The Orange contain a tandem of physical bigs in Izabel Varejão and Kyra Wood while also having one of the country’s top freshman defenders in Alyssa Latham. Those three combine for what’s been a much-improved SU defensive unit.

The Orange allow 59.6 points per game, 8.3 less than their total in 2022-23 (67.9, see ohio page 10

men’s basketball

Opponent preview: Everything to know before Georgetown

By Tyler Schiff sports editor

Bouncing back from a 22-point loss at Virginia on Dec. 2 to open conference play, Syracuse held off Cornell 81-70 Tuesday. The win extended SU’s perfect record at the JMA Wireless Dome this season to 5-0.

Led by Judah Mintz’s 28 points, Chris Bell’s 19 and Justin Taylor’s 15, the Orange weathered multiple Big Red runs to secure the victory. At halftime, Cornell embarked on an 11-1 spurt to cut Syracuse’s lead to three. Then, in the second half, it whittled a once-13-point deficit to trail 71-68.

But SU’s defense eventually held strong to hold off Cornell’s fier y comeback attempt. The Big Red scored just two points over the final 3:15 and capped off the win with emphatic dunks from Mintz and guard Quadir Copeland.

Syracuse next takes on once-Big East rivals Georgetown in the 99th all-time meeting. The Hoyas suffered a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer last time out to TCU, which halted a five-game winning streak.

Here’s everything you need to know before the Orange (6-3, 0-1 ACC) take on Georgetown (5-3, 0-0 Big East) Saturday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 53-45.

Last time they played

Both sides last played on Dec. 10, 2022, when Syracuse defeated the Hoyas 83-64 at home.

Jesse Edwards notched a team-high 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks while Mintz and Benny Williams added 16 and 13, respectively.

Though evenly matched through most of the early going, SU jumped out to a 12-0 run during the final 4:14 before the break. It entered the second half with a commanding 45-34 advantage and never looked back.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 58% chance of winning, with a projected score of 79-76.

The Hoyas report

Georgetown is a completely revamped squad, led by former Providence head coach Ed Cooley. The Hoyas are made up of 11 newcomers and just four returners from last season.

Boasting a 45.3 percent shooting clip from the field this year, per KenPom, the Hoyas have quickly morphed into a disciplined team loaded with multifaceted talent. They can stretch the floor or drive inside.

Georgetown is also equipped with physical bigs down low and generates most of its offense by way of driving and kicking to an open shooter.

Defensively, it plays a swarming brand of man-toman and isn’t afraid to switch off of ball-screens.

Transfers Jayden Epps (Illinois) and Dontrez Styles (North Carolina) have emerged as Georgetown’s go-to scorers, combining for just under 40 points per game. Another notable addition includes freshman forward Drew Fielder, a consensus 4-star recruit in the 2023 class.

How Syracuse beats Georgetown

Throughout four of Georgetown’s five victories this season, its largest margin of victory stands at just nine points. The Hoyas rank 10th out of 11 Big East teams in both scoring defense and opponent field goal percentage.

Syracuse will likely see a plethora of offensive success. It wins this game by sticking to Autry’s brand of aggressive, high-tempo basketball and sinking open 3-pointers. Chris Bell should be able to add another double-digit scoring night to his recent slew of impressive performances while Taylor can look to build off of his 15-point display against Cornell.

SU center Naheem McLeod won’t have much trouble on either end of the floor facing Georgetown’s largely undersized rotation of

Georgetown’s 39% shooting clip from 3 ranks second-best in the Big East, only behind No. 10 ranked Creighton. jacob halsema staff photographer

front court options. But if he does match up with 7-foot-2 Ryan Mutombo at any point, expect the taller McLeod to have his way with the unpolished Hoya center.

nine to fall — a performance they will have to carry over to Washington D.C.

Stat to know: 39%

In his sophomore year at Georgetown after appearing in 30 games under Tom Underwood at Illinois, Epps is the Hoyas’ No. 1 option. The attack-minded point guard is lightning quick off the dribble, capable of swishing outside jumpers while acting as a dependable floor general. Across his budding career with the Hoyas, Epps has already notched two 30-plus point games and averages a team-high 19 points.

Georgetown hits jumpers at a tremendous 39 percent rate to rank second best in the Big East.

The trigger-happy Hoyas feature four players who have attempted more than 20 3-pointers in the young 2023-24 campaign and are led by Epps’ 48.1 percent mark.

Following Syracuse’s win over Cornell in its last game, head coach Adrian Autry praised its perimeter defense. Despite the Big Red firing 33 attempts from range, the Orange allowed just

Player to watch: Jayden Epps, guard, No. 10

trschiff@syr.edu @theTylerSchiff

10 december 7, 2023

from page 12

varejão Communication with Anderson has been more frequent than ever since Izabel’s been at Syracuse, she said. Izabel texts Anderson before and after games, receiving constant feedback from him. She said it’s been easier to speak after Anderson retired from the NBA following the 2020-21 season, adding that she used to be “shy” when asking for help.

Now being thrust into a larger role, Izabel seeks out help from Anderson on dealing with nerves, among other things. from page 12

nil

with every football player by the end of the school year.

Athletes Who Care - This 501(c)(3) nonprofit group is a charitable foundation that’s committed to serving other charities in Syracuse. They have deals with over 25 football players and over 50 Syracuse student-athletes, according to founder and director Cliff Ensley. The goal is to have 150 student-athletes engaging with charities by the start of the next school year. Their approach differs from Orange United because they do not work with potential recruits, nor do they have any interest in doing so, Ensley said.

Elite NIL - Mike Bristol, who’s completed endorsement deals for Jim Boeheim for nearly 20 years, created Elite NIL in 2021. With the help of his background, Bristol already had relationships necessary to succeed in the NIL marketplace, so he is able to focus on personalized endorsement deals. Elite NIL is in the process of being acquired

by Grand Central Sports marketing group, Bristol said, giving them “national reach” in terms of business partnerships. Currently, they only work with a handful of the most “marketable” studentathletes; Garrett Shrader is their only football client right now.

Bad communication stems from differing values

The three primary ways to create NIL partnerships — through charity, local endorsements and university-sponsored sales — are all available to Syracuse fans and donors.

Yet, their opposing values and strategies have led to an estrangement where neither outside group has contact with SU or Orange United.

Carter said there’s “no way” these groups don’t have a massive overlap in donors, all of which could be more efficient if they operated as one entity. But, there’s an animosity between Orange United and the other NIL groups, one that’s antithetical to their common goal.

“If the left hand doesn’t talk to the right hand, there’s going to be a deficiency in the process,” Belzer said. “Once a collective goes and does a deal with a student athlete and I don’t know what they’re doing, how can I go and do a deal with the student-athlete? How do I create the most attractive scenario, especially when there’s limited funding to go around?”

Orange United has virtually no contact with Athletes Who Care or Elite NIL, Belzer from page 11

bell

Bell notched 20 points in the outing, matching the six 3-pointers that he made two weeks earlier against Colgate. Shooting 7-of15 from the field, he complimented Judah Mintz perfectly as Mintz recorded a careerhigh 33 points in the game. Autry described Bell as an “elite shooter,” adding that most of the time, he doesn’t miss the open looks that he had against the Tigers.

“I’m in a rhythm,” Bell said after the game. “When I’m in a rhythm, it’s very hard for me to get cold.” from page 11

ohio

second-worst in the ACC). They also hold a 56.3% total rebounding rate, the 28th-best in the country, per HerHoopStats.

Latham and Wood are each pulling in 8.0 or more rebounds per game while Varejão provides key frontcourt depth, averaging a block and nearly four boards per contest. There are five Syracuse players that have more rebounds per game than Ohio’s leader Madi Mace, who has 4.8. SU has plenty of options offensively through its guards, though its ability to overpower the Bobcats on the boards is SU’s most glaring advantage.

Stat to know: 24.2 turnovers per game

Piling on to SU being a nightmare defense to go up against for Ohio, the Bobcats turn the ball over 24.2 times per game — the fourth-worst average in the nation.

The fewest turnovers Ohio has committed in a single game this season was 18, which

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“Iza, you’re nervous because you actually care,” Anderson tells her.

Anderson preaches to her that preparation and doing the “little things” can make the difference in her development instead of overexerting herself because of her “Varejão” nameplate. “(Anderson) never forgets where he came from, and I try to take that as a life lesson,” Izabel said. “He never leaves people (behind) that helped him get to where he is, and I feel like that’s the most beautiful thing about him. Way more than being a basketball player.” said, and the few conversations they did have with Ensley went nowhere.

“We have always been very open with anyone and we are willing to cooperate and are all on the same team,” Belzer said. “Some folks obviously have their own agenda.”

Ensley said the workers at Athletes Who Care don’t talk in terms of NIL money raised, but in charitable hours worked. They think of Athletes Who Care as a charity enabled by the studentathletes’ name, image and likeness, not a collective.

This mindset and not dealing with recruits has put them at odds with Orange United. Ensley doesn’t feel SU would respect his values if the groups worked together, adding that Syracuse hasn’t provided them with any donors, even before Orange United was officially founded.

“They haven’t really reached out to us to do anything,” Ensley said of Orange United. “I think at some point, the different groups helping the athletes need to talk a little bit so we know who is benefitting from our services.”

When asked if he’s had any contact with Orange United, Bristol said he received one phone call from Orange United, but is “very behind” Athletes Who Care and is helping them market their company.

There is “no fundamental competition” between collectives, Belzer said, yet all parties seem to resent each other. One thing is clear, though: everyone wants to collaborate, but they just can’t figure out how.

In her freshman season at Michigan on Oct. 30, 2019, Izabel had her first collegiate appearance during an exhibition game versus Northwood. Despite not being on the Cavaliers at the time, Anderson still had a house in Cleveland, which is less than three hours from Ann Arbor, MI. Izabel talked to Anderson and pleaded for him to come, but he said he couldn’t make it.

Holding out hope for Anderson to attend, Izabel put his name in for a seat just in case.

In the contest, Izabel came off the bench and scored a game-high 18 points on 8-for-10

shooting in her debut. Some of her family members were in attendance, which left her emotional as is. When Izabel noticed a “6-foot11 dude standing and waving at me,” she said, Izabel began “sobbing” and was filled with joy that Anderson saw her performance.

“Everything she has accomplished is due to her own hard work,” Simone said of Izabel.

“But she had her uncle (Anderson) as someone close to be there as a safe haven, and for that I am so thankful.” ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews

According to Jason Belzer, CEO of Student Athletes NIL, SU has been below the median NIL revenue for ACC programs, which is around $3 million per year. joe zhao asst. photo editor

Collectives are “dealing in hype,” Carter said.

They want to give the impression they’re flushed with cash and “raising money hand over fist.”

However, that’s not the case for Syracuse, whose reputation is being behind the ball in NIL. Nothing guarantees hype like a coaching change, so now is the time to maximize SU’s NIL effort.

“It does generate a lot of excitement and a lot of hope, and those are two things that collectives can use in their fundraising effort,” Carter said of the coaching change. “If you’re a collective right now, you are picking up the phone and you are calling your entire list.”

After garnering interest from four-star recruits and impressing the SU community with an authentic introductory press conference, Brown has potentially opened the NIL floodgates. To make the most of that, “alignment is what matters more than anything else,” Belzer said.

Both Belzer and Carter said a unified NIL effort is most popular because it centralizes fundraising efforts. Ideally, all three groups

would come together under Orange United, as Student Athlete NIL operates 37 collectives, the largest of any collective operator in the country, and has the resources to help all groups succeed.

“We are able to execute a pretty extensive playbook to be able to drive revenue and create sustainable avenues for that,” Belzer said.

In light of Brown’s hire, Carter expects Syracuse to ask donors for more money, increasing the revenue stream that will help build up the football program. He said the outside groups likely won’t think to do the same, thus wasting valuable hype and momentum.

Syracuse is already hindered because of Orange United’s late start, and Carter said the new coach effect will wear off by the start of next school year, extending through the football season if the team improves.

At this point, all groups must compromise to combine into one collective with a nonprofit arm or three separate businesses that form a partnership. Either is better than what’s currently in place, and Orange United has the resources to succeed.

Both of these options are already in use at other universities, Carter said. Arkansas is a great example of collaborative success.

The central NIL collective, OneArkansas NIL, works in accordance with Razorback Foundation Inc., which helps studentathletes serve charitable causes to raise NIL money. Though, the revenue-sharing system

is very new and has legal complications based on state legislation.

Nonprofits will often approach a larger collective and offer to join forces, or vice versa, but only if a certain percentage of their NIL deals have a charitable component. In this context, Orange United could handle the transactions, while Athletes Who Care and Elite NIL can continue finding partnerships they care about with the long-lasting relationship they already have.

Syracuse can still catch and exceed the ACC median revenue with a strong NIL push, but it must happen immediately. Unification at this crucial time could potentially catapult Syracuse athletics into a new, successful era.

“Just because it’s taken a collective in the ACC or SEC a year and half to get big and powerful and have a lot of success, doesn’t mean that a relatively new collective has to follow the same formula and take just as much time,” Carter said.

The way forward is clear, and the time to succeed is now. Syracuse’s NIL groups must collaborate to capitalize on the excitement Brown has provided to compete with other ACC NIL programs going forward.

“If you and I are talking in three years, and there’s three entities at Syracuse doing this collective work, I’d be shocked,” Carter said. “They’re going to come together one way or the other. They do it because they think unification is a better strategy, or they do it because one or two of them have failed.”

On Tuesday against Cornell, Bell found that rhythm. On the opening field goal for Syracuse, he took a dribble to the left off a screen from Naheem McLeod and converted from 3.

In the second half, he penetrated into the paint and scored a layup from the left wing. Then, Bell made a pair of triples from his preferred left side of the floor to help extend SU’s lead back to 11. Down the stretch, a baseline jumper helped fend off a Cornell comeback. He finished with 19 points against the Big Red and had his fourth game this season with at least four 3-pointers.

Yet, as much as Bell’s offensive production has improved, his coaches

tell him that everything starts from the defensive end. Several of Bell’s 3-point attempts have come on quick transitions.

Bell also has been active chasing down defenders and getting key blocks. Following SU’s win over LSU, Bell vividly remembered the name Tyrrell Ward, who he stared down after denying him. “(Autry) feels like I can be one of the best defensive players and I’ve never really looked at myself that way,” Bell said.

He finished with a career-high four blocks against Cornell, including stuffing Cooper Noard twice in the first half. In the second, he blocked

Sean Hansen and was rewarded with a 3-pointer eight seconds later on the counterattack.

Following his sixth 3-pointer against Colgate, Bell lifted his arms up in celebration. He knew it was going in. Bell had missed one before, but this attempt tied the game up at 70, the first time the game was tied since 3-3; his teammates had the trust in him to make a clutch bucket.

“He’s been a lot more consistent,” Taylor said.

“He’s always shooting with confidence. They preach for him to always shoot the ball no matter what. He’s done a great job so far this season.”

Why unification needs to happen now

wbmiller@syr.edu @wymill07

colebambini@gmail.com @ColeBambini

it has done twice. In the Bobcats seasonopening loss to Appalachian State on Nov. 11, they registered a whopping 33 turnovers.

SU’s backcourt trio of Dyaisha Fair, Alaina Rice and Georgia Woolley — who all average 1.8 steals per game or greater — will give Ohio fits Saturday afternoon if the Bobcats fail to protect the ball.

Player to watch: Jaya McClure, guard, No. 0

Jaya McClure, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard, has emerged as Ohio’s primary scoring threat.

After putting up 8.0 points per game as a freshman in 2022-23, McClure is averaging a team-best 13.4 through five appearances this year.

With the Bobcats lacking Syracuse’s defensive prowess, McClure may be tasked to attempt and match the output of Fair. But McClure doesn’t have the outside help like Fair does, making her job increasingly difficult. ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews

Syracuse takes on Ohio Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats average 24.2 turnovers per game, the fourth-worst mark in the country.

joe zhao asst. photo editor

SPORTS

12 december 7 2023

Family

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

Passing the

Ties torch

Izabel Varejão has formed a close bond with her uncle, former NBA star Anderson Varejão.

His guidance of Izabel has helped extend the Varejão family’s basketball legacy.

izabel varejão has looked up to her uncle, Anderson Varejão, ever since she was little. Despite first being intimidated by the 6-foot-11 former NBA player, Izabel has formed an unbreakable bond with Anderson, revolving around their passion for basketball.

courtesy of izabel varejão

(Anderson) never forgets where he came from, and I try to take that as a life lesson.

He never leaves people (behind) that helped him get to where he is, and I feel like that’s the most beautiful thing about him. Way more than being a basketball player.

Izabel Varejão niece of anderson varejão

By Cooper Andrews asst. sports editor

A

s a child, Izabel Varejão was scared of Anderson Varejão. She was intimidated by her uncle’s 6-foot-11 frame and long, dark hair braids when he visited their family in Brazil.

Izabel was too young to know there was nothing to be afraid of. Over time, she realized “his heart barely fits inside his body.” Anderson’s love for his niece, in particular, is unbreakable. It willed him to bring Izabel to a Justin Bieber concert in summer 2011, where Anderson awkwardly stood as “the oldest guy there,” he joked.

During Bieber’s show in Rio de Janeiro, he watched as Izabel and the rest of the young fans were “going crazy” to the pop star’s performance. Afterward, Anderson brought a beaming Izabel backstage for her to meet Bieber.

“To be able to be part of moments like that with your niece, it’s just something that you’re going to remember forever,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the two are “as close as any other uncle and niece can be.” They spend extensive time together whenever they have the opportunity, often traveling to see each other’s games. At the same time, Anderson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, is passing down his high-level basketball knowledge to Izabel, who is the latest at the helm of the Varejão legacy graduate transfer at SU. In all facets of life, Anderson inspires his niece. For Izabel, though, her uncle’s commitment to his family is the most powerful. The Varejão’s are very “tight,” Anderson said, and the former NBA center’s life revolves around providing support to his family — a value Izabel emulates.

“He just wants to see his family happy,” Izabel said. “He (would) run through a wall for us.”

Anderson’s NBA career made it difficult for him to consistently come back home, so Izabel and her mother, Simone Varejão (Anderson’s older sister), left Brazil at times to see Anderson. When Izabel was a toddler, Anderson took her and Simone to Disneyland in Paris.

One evening, Izabel and Simone were hungry and asked Anderson to get them McDonald’s. He remembered leaving the hotel to go find it, however, he had trouble figuring out where the restaurant was.

Anderson only spoke Spanish and Portuguese at the time, so he struggled to communicate with the French citizens. He asked multiple people for the correct directions, but was unable to cross the language barrier. After 30 minutes of walking, Anderson found the McDonald’s and trekked back to deliver Izabel and Simone their food.

“Because it was for her, for my little niece, I went out of my way and decided, ‘You know what? I’m going to get it done,’” Anderson said, “Because of her.”

Later in her life, when Izabel was around 7, the Varejão family ventured to the United States for the first time to watch Anderson play with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Izabel said the trip was an emotional one, as she remembered Simone crying once they arrived at the then-Quicken Loans Arena, overjoyed that the family was reunited with Anderson. In the stands, Izabel held up a poster that read “I love you uncle” in Portuguese.

Izabel said seeing Anderson play made her want to be like him. Even before Anderson’s career took off, the Varejão family history had been deeply rooted in basketball. “Everybody” in the family loves the game, Izabel said, including Sandro Varejão, a former West Virginia big man and Anderson’s brother.

But Izabel wasn’t initially going to pursue basketball.

She tried out other sports to try and “escape” from having

to play it. Still, Izabel realized she “couldn’t run from (basketball).” Anderson said he was surprised at first with his niece’s choice, but he praised Izabel for becoming a “tough” player who runs the floor and grabs boards.

“People say it’s in my genes,” Izabel said.

As Izabel strives to model after her uncle, Anderson admired his older brother, Sandro, who is 11 years older than him. Anderson was still a kid when Sandro played Division I in the U.S., committing to Southern Idaho. He transferred to West Virginia after two seasons, finishing his collegiate career there before going pro in Brazil.

Izabel said Sandro was ahead of his time. A 6-foot-11 center in the 1990s, Sandro displayed great versatility and could shoot from long range, Izabel said. As Anderson approached his early years as a pro in Brazil and Barcelona, Sandro indirectly motivated him to add to his family’s basketball legacy.

“In my mind, I just wanted to be like him,” Anderson said. “I wanted to be a professional.”

Sandro’s journey propelled Anderson to his full potential, leading to a successful NBA career. Yet, Anderson said he faced pressure to live up to his brother and understood Izabel felt a similar responsibility weighing on her.

Izabel said it’s very challenging to try and fill her uncle’s shoes, but Anderson has helped Izabel learn how to deal with moving far away from home at a young age. He did the same thing at 16 when he went to play for FC Barcelona.

Izabel moved from Brazil to North Carolina in 2016 and attended high school at Neuse Christian Academy before committing to Michigan in 2019.

After a turbulent four years of receiving limited playing time at Michigan from 2019-22, Izabel transferred to SU. Her workload has increased with the Orange, starting in six of their first eight games in 2023-24 and averaging 6.5 points per game. see varejão page 10

football

SU’s NIL effort is disorganized and needs to unite immediately WYATT MILLER

MILLER TIME

Three NIL collectives currently exist to help Syracuse student-athletes navigate name, image and likeness deals. The university-sponsored collective, Orange United, is not in contact with Athletes Who Care or Elite NIL, said Jason Belzer, CEO of Student Athlete NIL. This is an extremely irregular setup, according to NIL consultant Bill Carter, and those involved are not happy about it.

Since NIL took effect on July 1, 2021, it’s become a staple of college football recruiting. Yet, SU has lagged behind the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the country, officially launching its collective two months ago, Belzer said. The other two collectives have been active for over a year.

“I can’t answer why they hadn’t tried to create a collective earlier,” Belzer said. “Syracuse did not really have a unified NIL effort in any context. It’s hard to recruit in this day and age if you don’t have NIL to back something up because every other university does.”

Thus, Syracuse has been below the median NIL revenue for ACC

programs, which is around $3 million per year, Belzer said. The two other ACC schools Belzer works with – Georgia Tech and Wake Forest – created their collectives as soon as they became legal in 2021. Student Athlete NIL has deals with every football player on those teams, but has deals with less than half of SU’s football players, Belzer said.

In spite of this, at a Nov. 20 press conference, Director of Athletics John Wildhack said the narrative that Syracuse is behind in NIL is “not accurate.” However, according to those involved in SU’s NIL effort, it’s clear that Syracuse’s NIL usage is

behind and disjointed. Ironically, it needs to “unite” to succeed.

Multiple outside groups have excelled in different markets but cannot collaborate as a single NIL effort. With the excitement in Syracuse behind new head football coach Fran Brown, this is the time to capitalize.

“We are at a moment where there’s a lot of consolidation happening among collectives at other schools,” Carter said. “It’s been determined that there’s a bit more power in having one entity.”

Context on the collectives

All three of SU’s NIL collectives operate differently to provide distinct

opportunities to student-athletes. So, before getting into the communication failures, it’s important to understand how these groups operate.

Orange United - This universitypartnered collective was officially founded about two months ago and has deals with 20 football players, Belzer said. To create the collective, Student Athlete NIL — the largest operator of NIL collectives in the country — partnered with Learfield, SU’s multimedia rights partner. Belzer said the majority of SU’s NIL deals will come at the start of 2024; they expect to have deals

see nil page 10