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NO RESOLUTION on campus
city
Protesters pledge to occupy for 2nd night
Mayor responds to student occupation
By Chris Hippensteel and Michael Sessa
By Chris Hippensteel
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Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said he’s monitoring developments at Syracuse University in a statement Tuesday night. #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall at noon on Monday to continue its monthslong protest of hate crimes and bias incidents at SU. Walsh and his staff will continue to be in contact with SU administration, the Syracuse Police Department and students on campus, he said. “My primary concerns are ensuring that students and the campus community are safe and that students are provided the opportunity to present their concerns,” Walsh said. #NotAgainSU held an eight-day sit-in at the Barnes Center at the
asst. news editor
the daily orange
otAgainSU will continue its occupation of CrouseHinds Hall for a third day, the movement announced Tuesday night. #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds on Monday at noon. The demonstration is part of the group’s ongoing protests of Syracuse University’s handling of at least 26 racist, anti-Semitic and bias-related incidents that have occurred at or near SU since early November.
There is no reason to punish peaceful protesters...there is no punishment for the acts that made them feel so deeply unsafe
see mayor page 4
on campus
Racist video of freshman emerges
Change.org petition
SU officials placed more than 30 #NotAgainSU organizers under interim suspension early Tuesday morning for remaining in the building past closing. The officials offered to revoke the suspensions Tuesday night if students agreed to end their occupation. Protesters said late Tuesday night that students inside CrouseHinds offered to sign the agreement only if John Sardino — the Department of Public Safety’s deputy chief — resigned, and the university granted protesters a meeting with SU’s Board of Trustees. University officials denied the requests, protesters said. The university also offered to schedule a meeting with students to identify the leaders responsible for addressing protesters’ new and existing concerns, said Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president of the student experience and dean
By Andrew Crane and Danny Emerman
SU administration offered to lift the suspensions of #NotAgainSU organizers inside Crouse-Hinds Hall if they vacated the building, which they rejected. hannah ly staff photographer
TIMELINE Organizers suspended
DPS limits access
Compromise rejected
#NotAgainSU began occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall around noon Monday. Students who remained inside after 9 p.m. were placed under interim suspension.
As of Tuesday morning, DPS officers sealed off CrouseHinds Hall. Students were not allowed to receive outside resouces and no one could enter the building.
#NotAgainSU refused to sign a letter from administration that said student suspensions would be lifted if the organizers vacate the building on Tuesday night.
see protest page 4
N • Escalation
SU administration has escalated consequences and increased efforts to dispel #NotAgainSU’s claims. The administrative response has evolved from previous protests. Page 3
the daily orange
The #NotAgainSU Instagram account has shared a link to a 2018 video containing current Syracuse University field hockey freshman Charlotte de Vries repeatedly saying the N-word. The Instagram live video, originally recorded when de Vries was a junior at Conestoga High School in Pennsylvania, caused her to lose an athletic scholarship to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She committed to Syracuse a year see video page 4
P • Devoted to service
SU sophomore Jack Ramza was awarded an Unsung Hero Award for his volunteer work with OrangeSeeds, where he worked with local nonprofit organizations. Page 7
S • Hometown, USA
SU men’s basketball freshman Joseph Girard III calls his family back in Glens Falls “the people.” But unlike other Girards, JGIII has made it to the next level. Page 12
2 feb. 19, 2020
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Protests continue #NotAgainSU continues to protest racist and bias incidents on campus. See Thursday’s paper
NEWS
Bias training DPS explains how the department classifies incidents as bias-related. See Thursday’s paper
Senate meeting Faculty gather for University Senate as student protests continue on campus. See Thursday’s paper
dailyorange.com @dailyorange feb. 19, 2020 • PAG E 3
state
Gillibrand discusses student loan debt By Richard J Chang asst. digital editor
More than 60 students gathered outside Crouse-Hinds Hall on Tuesday to show solidarity with the #NotAgainSU organizers inside the building. Organizers inside were placed under interim suspension early Tuesday morning. elizabeth billman asst. photo editor
on campus
SU elevates stakes since previous protests By Marnie Muñoz asst. copy editor
Syracuse University escalated consequences for #NotAgainSU and increased efforts to clarify administrative action this week. The administration’s response has evolved since previous student protests. #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall on Monday to continue its protest of hate crimes and bias incidents on SU’s campus. The movement previously held a sit-in at the Barnes Center at The Arch for
I don’t think we should touch any students, but I think we should be like, ‘It’s time to go’ Marianne Thomson dean of students
eight days in November. SU placed more than 30 organizers under interim suspension early Tuesday morning for
remaining in Crouse-Hinds past the hall’s 9 p.m. closing time. The suspensions differ from Chancellor Kent Syverud’s administrative precedent in responding to campus protests. Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president for the student experience, informed protesters in Crouse-Hinds at 9 p.m. on Monday that they would be placed under interim suspension if they did not leave the building. “I don’t think we should touch any students, but I think we should be like, ‘It’s time to go,’” Dean of Students Marianne Thomson said
to Hradsky and other university officials Monday night while protesters privately discussed plans. The university did not impose conduct sanctions on #NotAgainSU for continuing its sit-in past the Barnes Center’s closing time. The university suspended the rules for that situation, Hradsky said to organizers Monday night. The university also lifted the rules during an 18-day sit-in at Crouse-Hinds that student protesters staged in 2014. THE General Body, a coalition of SU see consequences page 4
on campus
Protesters denied food, medicine from outside By Maggie Hicks asst. news editor
#NotAgainSU protesters outside Crouse-Hinds Hall have tried to deliver food and medicinal supplies to organizers inside since Tuesday morning. Department of Public Safety officers have prohibited supplies from entering the building. The movement, led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds at noon on Monday. SU placed more than 30 organizers on interim suspension when
they continued occupying the building’s lobby after the building closed at 9 p.m. DPS sealed off the building as of Tuesday morning. #NotAgainSU organizers occupying CrouseHinds have not been allowed to receive outside food or medicine since the building closed. “We have not eaten anything other than chips since yesterday afternoon,” one protester said in a statement at about 8 a.m. SU administration gave organizers inside Crouse-Hinds one
sandwich per person as of 1 p.m. They also dropped off dinner for the students Tuesday evening. Jenn Jackson, an assistant professor of political science, arrived at the protest right before noon, accompanied by her children and several other faculty members. The group carried bags of food for the protesters in backpacks and grocery bags. Jackson was told she’d be allowed to enter the building, but was denied access when she attempted to swipe in, she said. Only faculty, staff and students
with swipe card access are able to enter Crouse-Hinds. “This is the exact opposite of how the administration should be responding to students who are protesting on campus,” Jackson said. Jackson was eventually allowed entrance into the building. Organizers inside Crouse-Hinds can leave the building anytime to get food, and are free and encouraged to do so, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, in a see food page 6
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) discussed enforcing student loan forgiveness for public college students during a town hall Tuesday. About 120 people attended the town hall, held at the Southwest Community Center in downtown Syracuse. Gillibrand, who launched a presidential campaign in 2019, said the student loan forgiveness process isn’t working as intended. Student loan forgiveness aims to cover the debt of public college students who work for 10 years in the public sector. The process is good for fostering community development, but falls short because not all students eligible for loan forgiveness receive the benefits, Gillibrand said. “It’s very frustrating because there was this idea that if you did 10 years of public service, you can get your debt forgiven,” Gillibrand said. The senator would like to create legislation providing two years of tuition-free community or state college to students who agree to work for one year in the public sector. Students who agree to work for two years would receive four years of tuition-free public college, she said. “It’s a way to incentivize more kids to, number one, get access to affordable, debt-free college. Second, to then take that benefit they have just received and turn it into a gift for the community doing public service,” Gillibrand said.
We’re going to need a whole host of young people who want to work on the green economy Kirsten Gillibrand senator (d-ny)
Private college students should also be able to refinance student loan debt at about 4% interest, Gillibrand. The senator said she’d try to make the refinance rate available for all federal student loans to make private universities more affordable. Gillibrand said after the meeting that it would be possible to apply her plan for public sector service to private schools and colleges. The plan would make the cost of private education more affordable, but not free, she said. During the forum, Gillibrand said she’s also focusing on social media data privacy. The senator is going to work to establish a federal data protection agency to review how people are targeted with “propaganda misinformation” through social media, see gillibrand page 6
4 feb. 19, 2020
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on campus
3,000 people sign petition for removal of suspensions By Emma Folts news editor
More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Syracuse University to reinstate the #NotAgainSU organizers suspended Monday evening. #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, began occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall at noon on Monday to continue months-long from page 1
video later in March 2019. The video resurfaced a day after #NotAgainSU, a Black student-led movement, began occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall to continue its months-long protest of hate crimes and bias incidents. More than 30 students were suspended for violating the school’s campus disruption policy on Monday night for staying in Crouse-Hinds past its 9 p.m. closing. “As a high school student, Charlotte used racist, hurtful and offensive language in a video that was posted on social media,” Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, said in a statement. “She has demonstrated deep and genuine remorse and from page 1
protest of students, in a campus-wide email early Wednesday morning. Protesters rejected all of the university’s offers after deliberation, he said. Here’s what happened during the second day of the Crouse-Hinds occupation:
Locked out
protests of hate crimes and bias incidents at SU. The university suspended more than 30 organizers for remaining in the building past the 9 p.m. closing time. Rebekah Wittman, a freshman at Ithaca College, created the Change.org petition Tuesday morning. The petition, which reached 1,500 signatures within 4 hours, claims SU suspended the organizers occupying CrouseHinds after promising not to suspend students
protesting racist incidents on campus. “There is no reason to punish peaceful protesters, especially when there is no punishment for the acts that made them feel so deeply unsafe,” the petition reads. Wittman’s petition also claims SU prevented food from entering Crouse-Hinds in an attempt to remove organizers from the building. The Department of Public Safety sealed off the building as of Tuesday morn-
has undergone and continues to participate in educational training on diversity and cultural sensitivity.”
“We demand immediate disciplinary action from our administration,” the African Student Union caption read. “Syracuse University has proven time and time again how innately racist it is as an institution.” The initial video of de Vries, which was tweeted in 2018, has more than 2.6 million views. Shortly after the video originally surfaced in 2018, de Vries issued an apology to The Spoke, the newspaper at Conestoga High School. “I realize that such words are offensive, uncalled for and, regardless of the situation, I should have known better. I have begun to have conversations about how to move forward, and how to develop better sensitivity and understanding of the experiences and feelings of others,” she said in the statement.
I realize that such words are offensive, uncalled for and ... I should have known better Charlotte de Vries su field hockey player
Syracuse’s African Student Union Instagram account also shared the video on Tuesday, and it has more than 500 likes as of 7:45 p.m. Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications. Around 8:30 p.m., protesters threw food into Crouse-Hinds when DPS officers opened the door to enter the building. DPS informed protesters that only Syracuse medics could bring in medical supplies, according to a #NotAgainSU organizer. Medics were later able to bring Advil into the building using a stretcher.
DPS officers had sealed off Crouse-Hinds as of Tuesday morning, preventing anyone without card access from entering with food or other supplies. Several students, faculty and community volunteers who gathered outside the building attempted to pass food and other supplies to the organizers inside. DPS officers guarding the building’s entrances repeatedly denied their requests. Early in the morning, protesters reported an incident in which a DPS officer physically struggled with a protester to prevent them from entering the building. Multiple videos of the incident were posted to social media. Organizers inside were given sandwiches shortly before 1 p.m. The university later provided students with dinner, said Sarah
The university responds
from page 3
“Though we continue to support peaceful demonstration and the free and respectful exchange of ideas, at this time, we must enforce established policies,” Hradsky and Alford said. #NotAgainSU members who remained in Crouse-Hinds past closing violated SU’s Campus Disruption Policy. Hradsky and Alford stressed that the students were suspended because they violated building occupation policy and not because they were protesting. Liu also emphasized this point in his news release Tuesday. “Any claim that students are being held against their will is patently false,” Liu said. The university also has used its SU Campus account on Twitter to provide “facts from campus.” After #NotAgainSU claimed the university has restricted organizer’s access to food, SU tweeted that students are free to leave Crouse-Hinds at any time. During #NotAgainSU’s sit-in at the Barnes Center, Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a campus-wide email that he had asked members of SU’s Student Experience Team — including Hradsky and Thomson — to work closely with students on their demands. SU administration’s response to the Crouse-Hinds occupation will continue as “deliberate, united and good faith efforts,” Alford and Hradsky said.
consequences student organizations, sought to further justice and diversity at SU. SU has also used official channels — including SU News releases and the SU Campus account on Twitter — to outline facts and challenge the movement’s claims. Hradsky, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith Alford and Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost John Liu clarified SU’s communication with #NotAgainSU in two separate news releases on Monday and Tuesday.
We continue to support peaceful demonstration and the free and respectful exchange of ideas Rob Hradsky and Keith Alford senior associate vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer
#NotAgainSU demonstrated an unwillingness to engage constructively with SU administration, Hradsky and Alford said in a Monday release.
Students who remained in Crouse-Hinds past 9 p.m. on Monday were placed on interim suspension. SU did not suspend members of #NotAgainSU for protesting, but for violating the university’s building occupation policy, an SU official said Tuesday. “The students were advised, on multiple occasions, that they would need to move their demonstration to spaces on campus that are open past 9 p.m.,” Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost John Liu said Tuesday in an SU News release. Officials provided protesters with options for other spaces on campus where they could continue their protest, such as Bird Library, Liu said. The library is open 24 hours. Protesters are free to leave Crouse-Hinds
ammunoz@syr.edu | @munoz_marnie
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at any time, but would not be able to re-enter the building because DPS has restricted access, Liu said. Students issued suspension notices can still return to residence halls and South Campus apartments, and eat in their dining halls, he said.
The students were advised, on multiple occasions, that they would need to move their demonstration John Liu interim provost
“Only the students who failed to comply with exiting the building once it closed for the evening were referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for violating the Campus Disruption Policy,” Liu said. The university has made continued efforts to address students’ demands, he said. #NotAgainSU presented Chancellor Kent Syverud with 19 demands in November, and issued six additional demands,
ing, preventing food and other resources from entering. Organizers inside were given sandwiches as of 12:46 p.m. SU officials have said they suspended the Campus Disruption Policy for #NotAgainSU’s sit-in at the Barnes Center at the Arch, but it was a temporary measure. Wittman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. esfolts@syr.edu
from page 1
mayor Arch in November. Walsh visited the sitin on its third day to address the concerns of students and express his support for the protesters. During his visit to the Barnes Center, Walsh encouraged #NotAgainSU to work with SU administrators, including Chancellor Kent Syverud, to have their demands met. #NotAgainSU has pushed for Syverud’s resignation or removal since November, along with the resignations of three other university officials. #NotAgainSU reissued its call for Syverud’s resignation at the beginning of the Crouse-Hinds occupation. cjhippen@syr.edu
amended five and retracted one Monday.
Petitions and pushback
More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the university to reinstate the #NotAgainSU protesters suspended Monday night. The petition claims that SU officials prevented food from entering Crouse-Hinds in an attempt to remove protesters from the building. It also says that SU has not met #NotAgainSU’s November demands. “There is no reason to punish peaceful protesters, especially when there is no punishment for the acts that made them feel so deeply unsafe,” the petition reads. Nearly 400 faculty, staff, alumni and students signed a separate letter opposing the university’s suspension of the protesters, calling the suspensions an “action of retaliation for peaceful protest.” The letter also called for the reinstatement of the suspended students. Protesters have contributed vital perspectives to the SU community, the letter stated. The suspension of protesters will not improve the campus climate and undoes commitments the university has made, the letter stated. cjhippen@syr.edu | msessa@syr.edu
The suspensions of more than 30 #NotAgainSU organizers differ from the way SU administration has handled previous protests. elizabeth billman asst. photo editor
O
OPINION
dailyorange.com @dailyorange feb. 19, 2020 • PAG E 5
fast react
Crouse-Hinds protest proves that SU is committed to status quo
L
ast semester, Chancellor Kent Syverud spoke about a lack of free speech on Syracuse University’s campus. Now, his administration PATRICK is punishing MCCARTHY expression of GET UP, free speech GET OUT with interim suspensions. If SU administration condemned hate speech with the same energy with which they have condemned protesting, perhaps they would have caught the perpetrators of the numerous hate crimes and bias incidents that started the #NotAgainSU movement. On Nov. 29, 2019, Syverud sent out a campus wide email with the subject line “Rising Above Hate and Fear.” Syverud’s message was intended to welcome students back from Thanksgiving Break to a campus that had recently made many students feel unwelcome. If the Chancellor had managed to
hold on to any scraps of credibility after last semester’s ineptitude, he lost them today. Today, student protesters continued an occupation of Crouse-Hinds Hall, where they pushed urgently for change on our campus, just as the Chancellor had called for in his email. Department of Public Safety officers rose to the occasion by blocking entrance to the building, preventing student protesters from eating, and threatening them with suspension. The administration’s response to the occupation of Crouse-Hinds by student protesters on Monday confirms their lack of commitment to the implementation of student demands. Why can’t the administration react to hate crimes with the same swift speed and succinct cohesion with which it opposed student protesters this week? Student protesters who occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall were told that if they did not vacate the building
when the building closes, they would be recommended to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Many students remained in the building overnight anyway. DPS officers barred the entrances to the building all day Tuesday and prevented protesters outside the building from delivering food and health supplies to people inside the building. The conduct of DPS officers at Crouse-Hinds reflects the department’s commitment to aggravating the wellbeing of students of color. The administration has long demonstrated indifference towards the well-being of marginalized communities on Syracuse’s campus. SU authorities have failed to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of the dozens of hate crimes that occurred on and around SU campus in the final weeks of last semester. SU administration failed to cancel class after a white supremacist manifesto
fast react
Recent protests prove unproductive
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otAgainSU, a movement that began at Syracuse University in November 2019 to protest racist and bias related incidents, has now started a new sit-in at Crouse-Hinds Hall. Students should find ways to protest that don’t interfere with academic activities. In November, #NotAgainSU formed in reaction to hate crimes occurring on and around campus. Today, the movement continues in response to a growing resentment of how the administration handled student’s previous demands and how they are moving forward with these problems in mind. When the movement began, SU administration sent people to listen to the students and respond to their demands. Chancellor Kent Syverud himself showed up to talk to students and take their demands after an eight-day sit-in at the Barnes Center at the Arch. Although many students felt that the administration was not listening to all of their concerns
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SKYLAR SWART THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM or responding fast enough, the protesters were taken seriously and given reasonable responses to their demands. However, this is not the case now. Student protesters are no longer going about their protests in a meaningful way to generate the response that they want from the administration. Protests have moved from the Barnes Center to academic buildings where their demonstrations are affecting students and faculty that have classes there. As of Tuesday, all classes being held in Crouse-Hinds Hall have been relocated to other buildings and very few people are being admitted into the building where many protestors still reside. Since this protest is affecting academic activity, unlike the sit-in in November, it is reasonable to expect the administration to go from understanding to non-responsive.
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Similarly, some protesters have been placed on interim suspension for staying in the building past 9 p.m. on Monday night, the building’s established closing time. Although there are certain circumstances in which rules must be broken to make a point, in this instance, protesters are doing more harm to themselves than good. Students have gone from representing a respected and important cause to representing a cause that the administration feels it must deal with directly instead of dealing with the problems the students draw attention to. If students want to continue making a difference and influencing change on campus, they must find ways to protest that force the university to listen to them, instead of focusing on protest prevention.
Skylar Swart is a freshman political science major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at saswart@ syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @SkylarSwart.
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was posted to an online SU forum on Greekrank, confirming a clear indifference to the safety of international students, Jewish students and students of color. This week, though, the administration has crossed the threshold separating indifference from hostility. Blocking student protesters from access to food and health products jeopardizes the immediate safety of those students. Searching student protesters’ bodies and bags, and confiscating food, breaks these students’ Fourth Amendment right against unwarranted search and seizure. The administration’s issuing of suspension notices to protesters at Crouse-Hinds is absurd. The university should, and probably will, rescind these suspension notices. The administration’s response to this new student protest has confirmed what I previously feared about Syverud. His greatest crime is
ineptitude. The Chancellor is sincere when he says he wants to create a safe campus. He is completely incapable, though, of creating the safe and welcoming campus he envisions. I have lost all faith in SU’s administration, which has prioritized the suppression of student protests over the protection of student safety. The administration has signaled to students, in no uncertain terms, that it is furiously determined to maintain the status quo. A demonstrated commitment to the undermining of student protesters’ basic rights has convinced me that it is time for Chancellor Syverud and DPS Chief Maldonado to resign.
Patrick McCarthy is a senior creative writing and American history major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at pmcca100@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @pmcopinion.
fast react
SU should stop fighting against #NotAgainSU
W
ith ongoing raciallymotivated hate crimes, #NotAgainSU is not done with its work yet. On Monday, students with the #NotAgainSU movement occupied Crouse-Hinds Hall while tours were going on around campus. There was no specific bias-related incident that sparked the protest, but is instead in response to the FERYAL Syracuse UniNAWAZ versity adminN EWS W ITH istration’s A N EDGE failure to meet the group’s original demands for reform made in November. In response, at least 30 students who stayed in Crouse-Hinds Hall as part of the sit-in past its closing hours of 9 p.m. were placed on interim suspension by the university. With its response so far, SU administration is already showing more resistance to the movement and protests than they did in November. Just after midnight, 12 hours after the protest began, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith Alford and Vice President for the Student Experience Robert Hradsky sent an email that claimed the occupation included students that “have been unwilling to engage constructively.” The email said students are not being suspended for protesting, yet several students have received offi-
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r ac u s e , n e w yor k
Haley Robertson
Catherine Leffert
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
cial notices of interim suspension. Students and faculty who attempted to bring food to the protesters were denied entry and food was not delivered until past 12 p.m. on Tuesday. DPS officers have allegedly gotten physical with some protesters, including stopping a student from blocking a Crouse-Hinds entrance and another from entering the building. This protest draws similarities to the 18-day occupation of CrouseHinds hall in 2014 by student group THE General Body. The university is now trying to prevent a repeat of the 2014 occupation by suspending students and withholding food from the building, increasing their need to leave. Although the school claims that it aligns with #NotAgainSU and the movement’s mission statement, its actions say otherwise. The increased force being used this time around and the suspension of students to immobilize the protest are proof that the school would rather cover up this story work for substantive change. Marginalized identities are not being protected and these peaceful protests will likely continue until all the demands are met.
Feryal Nawaz is a junior political science major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at fnawaz@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter @feryal_nawaz.
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from page 3
food
statement to The Daily Orange.
This is the exact opposite of how the adminstration should be responding to students who are protesting on campus Jenn Jackson
professor of political science
Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, students attempted to bring medicine into the building for protesters. They came with DayQuil and other medicinal and hygiene products, but SU administration refused to accept the products when they briefly opened the door. from page 3
gillibrand she said. “I don’t think (social media companies) have ever been held accountable for what happened in the last election,” Gillibrand said. “The fact that Russians were able to buy Facebook pages with ruble. They should have figured that one out, but they didn’t, and have not been held accountable.” Social media companies should allow parents to block “the nasty and negative” people and comments on their children’s social media, she said. Replacement methods for the aging Interstate-81 viaduct in Syracuse were also discussed at the town hall. Removing the viaduct is important for local economic growth opportunities and environmental well-being, Gillibrand said. She wants to hire and train Syracuse workers to construct the community grid alternative to I-81. The senator also said that more workers
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A DPS officer later told organizers inside that the products were refused because SU had not authorized them. When organizers asked how they could receive medicine or other necessary products, DPS said they had to receive the products from an official medic, a protester said. Protesters then called Syracuse medics and made a plan for them to bring medicine into the building, they said. Syracuse medics were seen bringing a stretcher into Crouse-Hinds around 5 p.m. The medics were only able to bring in Advil for the students, as DPS did not allow the medics to bring in other medical products, they said. “It was annoying, but we had to do it,” the protester said. Blocking students from entering CrouseHinds is more disruptive than #NotAgainSU’s peaceful protest, said Amy Kallander, an associate professor of history in SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, who attended the protest on Tuesday. “They have a right to stand up for what they believe in,” Kallander said. mehicks@syr.edu
DPS sealed off Crouse-Hinds Hall as of Tuesday morning. Food and medicine from outside the building was prohibited. elizabeth billman asst. photo editor
are needed for public service professions, including nurses, home health aides, public school teachers and military personnel, Gillibrand said. She wants to use public education to help tackle problems such as climate change.
There was this idea that if you did 10 years of public service, you can get your debt forgiven Kirsten Gillibrand senator (d-ny)
“The truth is we’re going to need a whole host of young people who want to work on the green economy,” Gillibrand said. rjchang@syr.edu @RichardJChang1
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND discussed student loan forgiveness and social media data policy at a town hall in Syracuse. elizabeth billman asst. photo editor
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Building a brand
Sold-out show Wallows, an indie, alt-rock band of three childhood friends, will perform at The Westcott. See page 8
Popcycle offers a platform for student-created fashion companies via pop-up shops. See page 9
PULP
Inclusive fun Destiny USA is working toward more accessible entertainment for people with autism and PTSD. See Thursday’s paper
dailyorange.com @dailyorange feb. 19, 2020
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PAG E 7
Set on service
JACK RAMZA earned an Unsung Hero Award for his involvement with OrangeSeeds by establishing partnerships with local service organizations. Ramza said he was deeply honored to receive the award alongisde his fellow winners. emily steinberger design editor
Jack Ramza named Unsung Hero for community involvement
By Christopher Cicchiello asst. feature editor
F
or sophomore Newhouse-Whitman dual major Jack Ramza, community service was never about feeling the self-gratification in helping others or the accolades. So, when Syeisha Byrd, director of engagement programs at Hendricks Chapel, told Ramza that he was one of this year’s Unsung Hero Award recipients, he was unsure how to respond. “And Syeisha’s like ‘You’ve been nominated, and you
actually won the award,’” Ramza remembers. “I was racing through the airport, so it didn’t really hit me, and so, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s amazing.’” At the 35th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Jan. 26, surrounded by about 2,000 people, including the other award recipients, Ramza was honored for his commitment in building sustainable relationships with community organizations to broaden the service scope of OrangeSeeds, according to Syracuse University news. see ramza page 8
from the stage
‘A Bronx Tale’ features Motown music and biographical story By Madison Tyler
contributing writer
The popularity and excitement of musicals come and go, but for those involved with the national tour of the Broadway hit “A Bronx Tale,” the legacy of its biographical story endures. The touring company of “A Bronx Tale” will perform at The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater on Feb. 19 and 20. The musical is based on Chazz Palminteri’s life growing up in the Bronx in the 1960s. With a book by Palminteri, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater, the musical follows Palminteri’s 1989 one-man, off-Broadway show and Robert De Niro’s 1993 film adaptation. “A Bronx Tale” is a story about the choices individuals make that ultimately shape their lives. The
main character, Calogero, played by Alec Nevin, must choose between the father he loves and a life of crime as a mob boss. At its core, the production “is a tale about respect, loyalty, love and above all else family,” according to a press release. Dance and swing captain Bryan Dougherty has been tasked with simultaneously keeping tabs on the show to ensure everything that was set when the show opened continues to be executed by the cast. But he must also be prepared to step in for eight separate parts in the case of illnesses or emergencies. Regarding life on tour, Dougherty said “being away from family can be difficult, but it’s always worth it.” “I’ve never worked on material that’s been so close to home for the person that created it,” Dougherty
said. The playwright, Palminteri, has been to a few of the tour’s rehearsals and shows. The musical features what tour director Stephen Edlund describes as a duality in tone, combining the mobster danger of a 1960s Italian neighborhood with the incredible doo-wop music of the time and the Motown sound of the neighborhood next door. Edlund has been involved with the musical since 2014, when it was originally conceived. He was the associate director working alongside Oscar winner De Niro and Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, the original Broadway directors. As tour director, Edlund has had the task of carrying out their original work and staging it for the new company of actors. He said that his see musical page 8
The ensemble dances during a scene in the musical “A Bronx Tale” which is playing at The Oncenter. courtesy of joan marcus
8 feb. 19, 2020
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from the stage
Wallows band to bring alt-rock sound to The Westcott By Sandhya Iyer
senior staff writer
Even though The Westcott Theater is only about a mile away from Syracuse University’s campus, it’s not always the first thing that comes to the minds of SU students when they are making evening plans. But next week, the venue will be packed with college students, eagerly waiting to see the band Wallows and hear its indie, alternative rock music. Wallows will perform at The Westcott Theater on Thursday, Feb. 27, with opening act Penelope Isles. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the concert begins at 8 p.m. The performance is part of Wallows’ Nothing Happens tour. The band’s first studio album of the same name was released in 2019 and amassed 5.3 million streams in the U.S. from page 7
ramza Rev. Brian Konkol, Dean of Hendricks Chapel, is tasked with deciding the winners once a subcommittee narrows down the list of nominees. He said awards go to faculty, staff, students and community members who make a positive difference in the community. “By lifting up these individuals who have embodied the life and legacy of Dr. King in an area of their lives, we hope that it inspires others to do the same and recognize that the heroes of our society aren’t always the individuals being celebrated publicly,” Konkol said. Back in the airport, the news did not fully hit Ramza that his OrangeSeeds adviser and program coordinator in the Office of FirstYear and Transfer Programs, Jimmy Luckman, had nominated him for the award. Ramza’s only knowledge of the award came because Byrd had won it in the previous year. “I think for me it was his continuous energy and excitement about community service. Jack has really taken the time to really build relationships with Syeisha and understand community service and be able to bring that up in conversation with the seeds,” Luckman said. Ramza said that OrangeSeeds is a “firstyear empowerment program” that links leadership initiatives to volunteer service and culminates in the spring with the largest student-run day of service known as “The Big Event.” He added that he began in OrangeSeeds as the co-head of the community relations committee, where he first helped to establish relations with 17 local
during its first week of release, wrote Gabrielle Reese, a publicity assistant at Atlantic Records, in an email.
if you go
Wallows’ Nothing Happens tour Where: The Westcott Theater When: Feb. 27, 8 p.m. How much: $25-$99
The band is composed of three members who are all childhood friends: Braeden Lemasters on guitar, Cole Preston on drums and Dylan Minnette on guitar and keyboards. Minnette also plays the role of Clay Jensen on the Netflix show “13 Reasons Why.” Wallows has performed on “The Tonight service organizations. Above all, however, Ramza was and remains in constant communication with Byrd, whom he said he looks up to. As a sophomore, Ramza applied to the executive board for the community relations chair position and played a role in organizing the fall Service Saturday events that OrangeSeeds participated in off campus as well as “The Big Event.” These service opportunities included a beautification initiative, where Seeds helped paint a mural, and the We Rise Above the Streets barbecue, where they helped serve food to homeless people. Conversing with the people at this event had a profound impact on Ramza, he said. “After that, when we walked by a homeless person, a lot of people would just ignore them and keep their head down, and you know I just always tried to at least say something,” Ramza said. “Even if I don’t have money or what it may be, just talking to them because I think that’s the biggest thing that makes me love doing what I do.” But volunteer and service work are nothing new for the Kansas native. In middle school and high school, Ramza was heavily involved in two organizations: The Children’s Place and the YMCA. The Children’s Place functions as a school and daycare for children in the community. Ramza said that this was often a “bright spot” in these kids’ lives. As a volunteer, Ramza would partake in reading days and assist in the classroom setting. Ramza fondly recalled that, during the summers, Kansas residents would open
Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” The group has even opened for Vampire Weekend on multiple occasions, Reese said. It kicked off the second leg of its tour on Feb. 13. When marketing most of its shows, The Westcott does a combination of digital and print advertising, posting on its social media and also handing out flyers and posters. But with Wallows, the “show sold out so quick, that by the time our posters were ready, the show was already halfway sold out,” said Wesley Johnson, director of marketing and box office manager of Creative Concerts. The show sold out in less than two weeks. For shows with a band as big as Wallows, The Westcott also relies on the band to reach out to its fans through its own platforms, Johnson added. That’s how SU senior Madison
Snyder found out about the concert. “I follow their Instagram, so I probably saw one of their posts that has all their tour dates up,” Snyder said. “I didn’t think anything of it, but when I saw they were coming to Syracuse, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I have to go.’ I didn’t even know anyone who was going, but I had to go.” The first single off the Nothing Happens album, “Are You Bored Yet?” features Clairo, a former SU student, who also recently performed at The Westcott. The Wallows concert was booked right before Clairo played at the venue on Nov. 8, Johnson said. “A lot of the people that also went to the Clairo show mentioned they were going to the Wallows show,” he added, and expects most of the crowd to be made up of college students.
their pools up to the organization and allow the children to learn how to swim. Meanwhile, in the fall, Ramza helped coach the YMCA flag football program in Kansas City, Missouri for K-12 children with disabilities.
that you don’t interact with on a daily basis, and just like actually getting to have conversations with other human beings who come from different lifestyles.” One such experience that has stuck with Ramza occurred when the Seeds made a trip to The Nottingham senior living facility. Ramza said that he spoke with one resident for 45 minutes about his professional golf career, his family and SU sports. Konkol also took notice of Ramza’s commitment to the community throughout his various encounters with him. “I found him to be very humble, and that, of course, is indicative of those that receive an Unsung Hero Award, is they tend to be humble people who don’t want to bring a lot of attention to themselves and do the good work of building the beloved community,” Konkol said. “Even up to the ceremony in the Dome, you could see this look of gratitude in Jack.” Ramza said he found the ceremony very inspirational, adding that it’s difficult to articulate the experience of being part of MLK’s celebration of life. In a last-minute decision, his parents and sister made the trip to SU, and his best friends from the university attended as well. This made the ceremony all the more special for Ramza, he said. “I don’t want to say it was overwhelming, but you do the things you do, and you don’t really expect to get recognized,” Ramza said. “Being a part of that celebration was just amazing, and, like, sitting down there onstage, and, like, it was definitely an amazing experience I will always remember.”
By lifting up these individuals who have embodied the life and legacy of Dr. King in an area of their lives, we hope that it inspires others to do the same and recognize that the heroes of our society aren’t always the individuals being celebrated publicly Brian Konkol
dean of hendricks chapel
Yet, while service is something that Ramza finds gratifying, he does it more for the connections and the conversations that he is able to share with the people around him. “For me, I don’t do service necessarily to have that ‘Oh, I feel like a good person volunteering’ and all that,” Ramza said. “It’s more just getting to interact with different people
ssiyer@syr.edu
cmcicchi@syr.edu
from page 7
musical journey with “A Bronx Tale” has been a “joyous process from start to finish.” Although the process has been relatively smooth, touring has its unique challenges. Broadway venues are usually much smaller than tour venues, which can seat up to 4,000 audience members. The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater fits 2,117 audience members.
I’ve never worked on material that’s been so close to home for the person that created it Bryan Dougherty dance and swing captain
“It’s about creating an experience that is truthful to the original story and staging but can be equally appreciated not just by the closest 1,000 people in the theatre but by every person in the venue,” Edlund said. Despite this challenge from venue to venue, Edlund’s favorite part has been “the legacy element” of the show. “It’s special to watch the characters on stage and to know that they are real people and to honor their impact on the main character in the musical and Chazz Palminteri in real life,” he said.
mntyler@syr.edu
ALEC NEVIN (LEFT) AND KAYLA JENERSON share a romantic moment in “A Bronx Tale” as they play the roles of Calogero and Jane, respectively. The musical follows Calogero and his decision between family and the mob. courtesy of joan marcus
From the
runway pulp
dailyorange.com @dailyorange feb. 19, 2020
BEN GOLDSMITH (LEFT) AND JACKSON ENSLEY teamed up to create Popcycle, a brand that unites fashion enthusiasts on campus. With the help of Blackstone Launchpad, the duo’s vision for the pop-up company became a reality. emily steinberger design editor
Passion for fashion By Susan Zijp
asst. digital editor
S
ophomores Ben Goldsmith and Jackson Ensley created Popcycle, an initiative to promote local fashion designers on campus, with the intention of combining their skills and helping others. Combining their experience in fashion and branding, Goldsmith and Ensley teamed up to create Popcycle, a brand that unites fashion enthusiasts on campus. The business provides fashion brands a platform to market their products to a broader audience and give customers the experience to purchase unique fashion pieces from student-owned brands. “Before the first pop-up, it was more like a fashion project for us, and we just had this goal we wanted to achieve. After we did that, we both kind of realized that there was a little something there. Well, not a little something, a big something,” Ensley said. After their launch last semester in Blackstone LaunchPad, Popcycle will hold its next pop-up on Feb. 20 in Syracuse University’s Life Sciences building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The prices of the fashion pieces will range from $10-150. Goldsmith and Ensley decided to collaborate after overhearing each other’s projects at Blackstone LaunchPad, a center for budding entrepreneurs. Goldsmith was talking about writing a business plan for a clothing brand retail store, and Ensley was brainstorming ways to connect people on campus through fashion. “I originally had the idea for a brick-and-mortar shop, and it would cycle student-owned clothing brands through its retail space,” Goldsmith said. “Jackson overheard and pitched the idea of pop-ups. Popcycle started to evolve from there. No business is run by one person.’’ After pitching their idea to Linda Hartsock, executive director of the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse
SU students create opportunities for student-run fashion brands to sell merchandise University, Hartsock motivated them to dig deeper into marketing and research that eventually would make Popcycle a viable business. Hartsock added that she encouraged them to be aware of real-world issues associated in running a business, “which is doing it correctly.” Blackstone LaunchPad has advised more than 4,000 faculty, staff and alumni from every academic unit on campus, Hartsock said. “The model of retail has changed. The brick-andmortar store experience is completely different,” she said. “Consumers are looking for more experiential and immersive retail experiences, and I think that is what pop-ups provide.” The partners of Popcycle were quick to point to each other as the sources of the business’s strengths. A combined set of qualities — Goldsmith’s experience in branding and Ensley’s experience in fashion — made it possible for the two students to launch a successful first pilot in the LaunchPad last semester and grow from there, they said. “It has been an absolute dream working with them,’’ Ensley said. The business’ focus is to make it easier for studentowned brands to showcase their clothes in a profes-
sional setting. Popcycle also aims to make the process of entering the retail industry easier for students. The young entrepreneurs emphasized that Popcycle is not about them, but about helping “fashion lovers” on campus. They explained that their purpose was to make “win-win-win situations,” Goldsmith said. “We win because we get to run a store, the brands win because their clothing is in a store and the people that are coming to our store are able to wear dope clothing you cannot find anywhere else in the world,’’ Ensley said. According to Yianni Biniaris, sophomore and founder of brand Treeasun, Popcycle helped him express his passion for fashion and grow his brand with branding, marketing and exposure. On campus, they aided in promoting Biniaris’ brand and were helpful in landing the Treeasun account to an additional 200 followers on Instagram. Biniaris is one of the many independent students who will showcase their work at Thursday’s pop-up event in the Life Sciences Complex. Popcycle has big plans for the future, doesn’t let financial goals define them, the founders said. They instead want to focus more on helping other people and building a fashion family on campus. “My dad always told me, ‘whatever you do, it has to make money, but most importantly, it has to help other people,’” Goldsmith said. The young entrepreneurs said due to the diverse clothing brands on campus reaching out to them, each pop-up event is going to be different and more exciting. The pop-up in Life Sciences features fashion created from a more artistic perspective, featuring hand-crafted and unique fashion pieces. “We both just love what we do,” Ensley added. “Because of that, two kids with this much passion can really just do anything.’’ suzijp@syr.edu
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girard those small towns where the same family’s cousins coach both the basketball teams, and other branches of the family are scattered through the department of public works. Those towns always have that family. In Glens Falls, it’s the Girards. The third Joe Girard to grow up in Glens Falls is different, though. After always being “the next Girard in town,” he’s outgrown the hype of the area and sprung himself into something bigger. As the first Girard to play in a Power 5 conference, Girard III enters the final stretch of his freshman season as the starting point guard at Syracuse. He’s continuing an athletic journey beyond Glens Falls that many of his hundreds of family members started but never finished. “We all knew he was a special kid,” said Tom Girard, Girard III’s cousin, “A step above the average Girard: junior college basketball players, Division III basketball players. Whatever.” ••• The Girardi’s, Anthony and Rose, moved into the Glens Falls area during around the Great Depression era. Back then, Glens Falls, which sits on the Hudson River, was an industrial city centered around a mill. Italians weren’t well accepted, remarked Tom Girard. So, to improve work opportunities, the Girardis dropped the “i” at the end of their last name, Tom suspected. A lifelong Glens Falls resident, Tom serves as a bit of a family historian. He said the last reunion he organized had about 320 Girards and that the number of family members should’ve only increased since then. He estimated about 90% of the family still lives in the Glens Falls area, a city of an estimated 14,348, according to the United States Census Bureau. Tom’s father, Lee, was a member of the first big Girard family, which included his little brother Joseph — Girard III’s grandfather — and 12 other siblings. Back then, the Girards attended St. Mary’s Academy, a private Catholic school. Joseph was supposed to be different than his siblings. He was known as the most prominent athlete, relatives and friends have told his grandson, Girard III. The siblings wanted Joseph to attend college and continue his athletic career at Dayton, where he’d been recruited to play football. He was supposed to be the one that brought his athletic career to Division I athletics, the one who brought the Girard name far beyond their small area of New York. But during Joseph’s freshman year, an accident at the Department of Public Works killed his father. With his dad gone, Joseph left Dayton and his chance at Division I athletics. He attended Castleton State, less than an hour from his home, before earning a master’s degree from Ithaca College. After, he returned to Glens Falls, where he coached the St. Mary’s basketball team until the academy’s high school sector folded in 1989. Through the years, Joseph coached several from page 12
meredith said. A heavy use of low slices, drop shots and high lobs made “her opponents miserable,’’ Pluskota said. After graduation, Meredith taught privately on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass; Key Largo, Florida; and Chicago, Illinois. However, the Georgianative wanted to be with like-minded people who also are passionate about the sport. “I was working at these clubs and I felt like I cared if they got better more than they did,” Meredith said. “I wasn’t sure too much about college coaching and I just loved every aspect of it, of playing something bigger than yourself.” So, she became an assistant coach at UConn in 2014 and helped the Huskies earn their first American Athletic Conference tournament victory in program history. While at UConn, she also recruited the first international commits in program history, a tactic that meshes with Syracuse head coach Limam’s. After Syracuse had zero active international players when Limam took over, six of seven are now from countries outside the United States. Still, Meredith wanted that “bigger conference feel” that UConn didn’t have and left for Missouri after two years with the Huskies. Jordan Smith, then Kansas State’s assistant and associate head coach, remem-
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sons, grandsons and even Corlew, the current athletic director. Joseph Girard Jr., the father of Syracuse’s point guard, played basketball for his dad at St. Mary’s and then at Le Moyne College before he also returned to his hometown. The Girard family and close-knit nature of the town helped with connections and job opportunities, he said. In a town where an estimated 85% of families are originally from Glens Falls, things often work out that way. “(The Girard Family is) the foundation of our city,” said Corlew, who’s in his 16th year as Glens Falls’ athletic director. “Because of the generations, there’s another Girard that’s coming through ...They will give you the shirt off their back. They’re the most loyal people that you’ll ever meet … that’s what makes this ‘Hometown, USA.’ They’re a big part of it.” After returning home from college, Joseph Girard I, the best athlete of his family’s generation, never left Glens Falls. He died in 2016 following a battle with cancer. ••• Whether it be t-ball or Christian Youth Organization basketball, Joseph Girard III was never the only Girard on a team. When they awarded participation trophies at the end of youth athletics seasons, the announcer sounded like a broken record. “We were always together, and it was always Girard, Girard, Girard,” Girard III said. “People start hearing that and it’s like, ‘Are they brothers?’” They’re all cousins to Girard III, who’s an only child. He clung to his cousins like brothers, though, and they climbed the youth sports ranks together. In 2012, alongside his cousins Quinn, Connor and Trent, Girard III waterboyed Glens Falls’ first trip to the Carrier Dome for the high school football state championship. The Indians lost that year following an offensive pass interference call that stopped a comeback bid. The same year, a 12-year-old Girard III solidified himself in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame by sinking 133 of 135 free throws to win a national free throw competition. “Ever since then, through Joe’s play and stuff like that, (the hype around him) grew, grew and grew,” said his father, Girard Jr. The rest of Girard III’s rise in Glens Falls has been likened to a movie by many in the Girard family. In his first varsity game as an eighth grader, he scored 31 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer. High Point University offered him a scholarship after the game. By his sophomore season, locals filled gyms to see the next Girard. Like his father and grandfather, the kid they called “JGIII” could score from anywhere and already averaged more than 30 points per game. Lines formed for autographs after games, and they wanted anything with JGIII’s marking on it. He signed chip bags and fans’ foreheads. Even opposing crowds, ones that poked fun at Glens Falls for being “Girard town” and jeered the star player on the court, waited for photos after the game. bered Meredith jumping off the bench in joy after Missouri clinched a doubles point against Kansas State, despite it only accounting for one point for the match. Meredith coached Missouri’s former ITA’s No. 10 doubles pairing Amina Ismail and Bea Machado Santos in 2017 and brings that doubles experience to Syracuse — an area it dropped 13 of a possible 23 points last regular season. “(In) assistant coaches coming out you don’t see that ... The ones that are bringing that fire,” said Smith. “You get that a lot more in head coaches.” Almost 24 hours before SU’s match against Boston University on Feb. 1, Meredith held a racket behind her back and strolled around Drumlins during team practice. She grabbed Yusupova by the hand, guided her through back swings with her own racket and demonstrated spacing after a few net hits. Then, Meredith let out a booming “Let’s go Z” when freshman Zeynep Erman knocked a backhand winner past senior Miranda Ramirez. Despite being nearly 10 years apart from the players on the team, Meredith jumped into practice volleys and swatted at balls that neared her. She was the only coach with a racket. “I’m always going to talk to the girls, and be like ‘hey, I think I can still beat you,’” Meredith said. “Keep them on their toes a little bit.” cscargla@syr.edu
Glens Falls became home to Anthony and Rose Girardi around the Great Depression. Three additional Girard generations have followed. josh schafer senior staff writer
“It was like traveling with the Beatles,” Glens Falls high school football coach Patrick Lilac said. In 2016, Girard III returned to the Carrier Dome as a quarterback and safety for Glens Falls. Then a sophomore, Girard intercepted a pass with less than a minute remaining and sealed Glens Falls’ Class B football state championship. Two years later, Girard quarterbacked another state title. Six of the team’s 38 players were from the Girard family tree. Glens Falls, the host of the New York state high school basketball championships for nearly 40 years, had never won a state title. Not with Mike Van Schaick, who went on to play at Fairfield. Not with Jimmer Fredette, who’d later win national player of the year at Brigham Young University. Not any of the generations of Girards. On March 16, 2019, Girard III, who’d been in foul trouble throughout overtime, reentered the Class B title game with three seconds remaining. He cut down the baseline and caught an inbound pass from his cousin Trent, who took off down the court in celebration before Girard III had released the gamewinning basket. In the corner of Glens Falls gym now sits four championship banners, the final one being a 2019 Federation Tournament of Champions. Flanked to their left and right rest a Mr. NY Basketball banner, two New York Gatorade players of the year awards and an honor of the state’s all-time leading scorer, all donning the same last name. “(My parents and I have) always talked about how it’s bigger than me,” Girard III said. “It’s for everybody in Glens Falls. It’s for all the Girards.” ••• Glens Falls comes to Girard III more than he goes there now. Syracuse flags, sweatshirts and hats litter Glens Falls and surrounding areas. Members of rival towns now root for the from page 12
willard Pokémon game to competing in tournaments with gamers from different states, countries and continents. She began searching for ways to turn her passion into a career and saw G2 as an opportunity to fuel that process. Once arriving, Willard wasted no time, said Tasha Romero, the tournament’s winner. Nobody knew anybody else, and Willard took it upon herself to initiate conversations and convince others to break out of their comfort zones, Romero said. Eventually, Romero said, Willard helped her and the other contestants realize they were in an environment where they could be themselves and express a love for esports without worrying about what others might think. After losing at G2, Willard said into the camera for watchers to follow her on Twitter and Instagram. She cheered on the other contestants, Romero — who grew close to Willard — said. The SU student said working with G2’s social media team was “equally as fulfilling” as the tournament itself, since it allowed her to gain real-world experience and build her network. Four months before leaving for the “Making the Squad” event, Willard became the Syracuse esports club’s community
player who used to beat their high school. Glens Falls natives like Corlew, who haven’t lived far from Glens Falls their entire lives, purchased season ticket packages and have made 320-mile round-trip treks to see the hometown hero play Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. Local hotels and bars hold watch parties for those who don’t have ACC Network or other subscriptions required to watch games. “We miss Joe,” said Jeff Ashe, a bartender at Talk of the Town. The business benefited from busier crowds on nights Girard III played in home games at Glens Falls. Sitting on the sidelines of the practice courts inside the Carmelo K. Anthony Center, Girard III smiled wide discussing his hometown. For a kid that’s been in the media spotlight since the fourth grade, Girard III doesn’t often open up in interviews. When discussing his hometown, he gushes and smiles. Girard III calls Glens Falls, “the people.” They’re the ones who helped create him and the ones he’s in some ways surpassed. He’s barely been back since coming to Syracuse, he said. He wishes he could go back more but he’s busy putting together one of the best freshman seasons in Syracuse point guard history. Before the camera lights come on and his name flashes in ESPN graphics, someone from the family always sends Girard III the same message. A simple saying, that’s defined how his family does things. “The Girard Way.” For many, that motto has brought them back to Glens Falls. Girard III isn’t sure if that’s where it will take him. He has “dreams and aspirations” to achieve first. Then, if circumstances permit, of course he’d love to coach at Glens Falls High School. Even still, it’ll be different when he goes back there. He’s not another Girard in a clan of so many. He’s not the next one anymore. He’s JGIII. He’s that Girard. jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44
coordinator. She’s in charge of running the social media accounts, organizing community outreach and fundraising for the 500-member organization. The club’s Twitter account, run by Willard, posts graphics, GIFs and links to Twitch live streams of tournaments. The social media account also promotes campus events. Lauren Wiener, the club’s president, said Willard “single-handedly revitalized all of our social media platforms.” When SU competes, the account often posts pictures of club members gaming. Willard sees herself as a content creator as well as a gamer. She streams on Twitch, posts YouTube videos, makes memes, cosplays and competes in tournaments, she said. One day, she wants to create content for an esports organization. To get there, she said finding a clear path in the young, competitive industry requires drive. People who want to make it in esports can’t allow frustration or lack of success get in the way of opportunities, just like she didn’t in Berlin. “Even now, I feel proud that I was able to make the best of my situation to make it a learning experience,” Willard said. “Your dreams can be achieved if you persevere through your hardships, and those hardships make you into who you are today.” gfpagano@syr.edu
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Crystal ball
Scouting report After four losses in its last five games, SU men’s basketball faces No. 11 Louisville today. See dailyorange.com
Off the bench
Our beat writers predict what will happen in SU men’s basketball game against Louisville. See dailyorange.com
S PORTS
Behind women’s basketball’s starting guards, SU’s backups are making the most of their minutes. See Thursday’s paper
dailyorange.com @dailyorange feb. 19, 2020 • PAG E 12
‘Girard town’
In a city full of Girards, Joseph Girard III made it big
JOSEPH GIRARD III scored 31 points in his first varsity game as an eighth grader. He won two New York Gatorade player of the year awards and became the state’s all-time leading scorer before coming to SU. danny gonzalez contributing photographer
By Josh Schafer
senior staff writer
G
LENS FALLS — The sign on Glens Falls National Bank reads “Hometown, USA.” Next to it sits the Bullpen Tavern, a local sports bar owned by two Glens Falls High School graduates. Across the street is the town library and a myriad of local craft shops. Faded black lampposts litter both sides of Glen Street leading up to the city’s roundabout. At the end of Glen Street, before Glens
Falls turns to South Glens Falls, is the Glens Falls Civic Center. Cool Insuring Arena, as it’s now known, is the home of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame and the public schools’ state championship games. It’s where small-town heroes strive for nationwide immortality. It’s where the Girard family name will finally find a resting place in a town where its athletic prowess has been understood for years. “He’ll be up there,” said Glens Falls High School athletic director Arthur Corlew, motioning toward the wall of plaques.
tennis
In 2018, Joseph Girard III cemented himself as New York State’s all-time leading scorer. His team, the Glens Falls Indians, captured its first state championship in basketball to accompany its first two titles in football, both of which Girard quarterbacked. He averaged about 50 points per game both his junior and senior seasons of basketball and attracted coaches like Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski to the city. The high school numbers and the accolades mean more in Glens Falls. It’s one of see girard page 10
esports
Asst. coach uses hands-on approach SU senior helps promote esports club By Christopher Scarglato staff writer
When Jennifer Meredith walked into a bathroom at Georgia’s Dan Magill Tennis Complex, she looked in the mirror and then punched the wall. Meredith had just lost her first set to Michigan’s Rika Tatsuno, 6-4, in the 2010 NCAA tournament’s third round — threatening to erase momentum No. 16 Tennessee had gained. Meredith, then a junior with the Volunteers, calmed herself down and went back to the court revitalized. She stormed past Tatsuno 6-0 in the second set. Even though the match went unfinished because Tennessee’s Rosalía Alda had already clinched, the same intensity that’s followed her to Syracuse
a decade later took over. “I went into the bathroom and came out a different player,” Meredith said. “I’ve been known to be a little hot and cold in my life.”
You would have to cut off her leg to take her off the court Natalie Pluskota former teammate
Stops at Connecticut and Missouri paved the path that brought Meredith to Syracuse when Shelley George retired last August. In a Feb. 15 match against Boston College, Syracuse’s new assistant coach screamed encouragement
and advice at Guzal Yusupova as the Orange’s top singles player erased a 5-1 deficit and clinched the final point. Because of her prior NCAA experience, Meredith’s played a pivotal role in Syracuse’s 6-0 start to the 2020 season, head coach Younes Limam said, as the Orange aim for their fourth NCAA tournament in five years. “You would have to cut off her leg to take her off the court,” said Natalie Pluskota, Meredith’s teammate at Tennessee. Meredith grew up in Georgia and was ranked as high as the nation’s 17th-best recruit in 2005 by TennisRecruiting.net. She attended the University of Tennessee and over the next four years became known for her scrappiness, her teammate see meredith page 10
By Joey Pagano staff writer
From the moment Katie Willard arrived in Berlin, Germany in midNovember, she felt at home. The energy of like-minded people surrounded her. “I finally felt like I was in the world where I was supposed to be in,” the Syracuse senior said. Weeks earlier, Willard had been selected as one of seven participants in the G2 Esports’ “Making the Squad” tournament. “Making the Squad,” an esports-based reality show, awarded $10,000 to 2019’s winner. Despite losing in the first round,
Willard embraced the opportunity in Germany by reaching out to G2 to work with their social media team. She’s taken the skills she learned there back to Syracuse as the university’s esports club’s community coordinator in charge of social media. “When I was eliminated, I felt devastated in the moment,” she said, “but after a good cry to let it out, I was able to muster up the strength to simply adapt.” Willard has been aware of esports for much of her life. But when she turned 19, her relationship with the growing movement went from playing the occasional see willard page 10