Since taking office, Trump has signed various executive orders weakening DEIA initiatives in schools across the United States.
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C • Oscars preview
Ahead of the 2025 Oscars ceremony Sunday, The D.O. has prepared our predictions for the biggest night in movies.
4
By Shivika Gupta asst. news editor
For the past three years of the RussiaUkraine war, the global Ukrainian community has been an anchor for Kateryna Kolesova. Kolesova, a graduate student in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, was forced to leave her home when the war broke out.
Kolesova fled to the United States to join her parents, leaving behind friends, a budding tech career and the country she loved.
“This is a war, a full-scale war, which was caused by Russia on Ukraine. It’s a genocide of my country and my people,” Kolesova said. “It’s been going for centuries, the wars with Russia and them trying to deprive us of our rights, culture, language.”
state
As the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine passed Monday, SU students reflected on the continuous warfare, saying their strength throughout the past three years comes from a strong Ukrainian community both at home and at SU. With the United Nations demanding an end to the fighting, students said they want to see peace in their homeland and Russia to be held accountable.
Kolesova said she often feels a heavy, emotional weight on her shoulders being far from home while loved ones endure the hardship and suffering of war. With this added weight, she said being part of the Ukrainian Student Association has helped her build a community that can relate to her and eased her navigation of a tumultuous three years.
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S • Winning DNA
Britni Smith is looking to translate her playoff pedigree from Clarkson to Syracuse in her third season as its head coach.
Page 16
Ukrainian unity
SU community members reflect on Ukrainian resilience as the Russia-Ukraine war enters its fourth year
“It feels like there’s this cloud over you, even when you’re happy. It’s like, ‘How dare I be happy On Monday, about 50 SU
of the
MS Resources of CNY helps build community, fund treatment
By Duncan Green news editor
When Susan Rusinko met Annette Simiele at church in 1998, she knew little about multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that had never affected her life. As the two women spoke, Rusinko was impressed by Simiele’s dedication to her newly independent organization, Multiple Sclerosis Resources of Central New York.
A few months later, Rusinko learned that a friend had been diagnosed with MS and reached out to Simiele for more information about the disease. Simiele encouraged Ruskino to participate in MS Resources of CNY’s annual walk to raise awareness for MS.
Shortly after, Rusinko was diagnosed with MS and returned to Simiele, this time seeking help for herself. Every winter, MS Resources of CNY hosts a walk in Destiny Mall to
fundraise and show solidarity with those battling the disease. This year marks the 27th year of the tradition and will be held on Sunday.
Since its founding, the Syracusebased organization has helped over 1,400 MS patients find treatment, provided transportation and assistive devices, and coordinated retreats and events to build community among patients across the region.
“You can go to a doctor, and the doctor will say, ‘Look at you, … you
might as well get a wheelchair,’ and you’re scared to death,” Rusinko said.
“Then you talk to Jess and Annette and they try to give you all the options.”
Simiele, the organization’s associate director, and her only colleague, Executive Director Jessa Goss, have worked together in this effort for 30 years. The duo began collaborating in the mid-90s when MS Resources was part of a National Society, but soon broke off from the larger organization to pursue a
more focused effort in central New York – where MS rates are nearly double the national averages.
While the cause of the unusually high number of MS diagnoses remains unclear, Simiele said there are theories about hereditary predisposition and claims that environmental factors may increase the likelihood of developing the disease. With more diagnoses of increasingly younger patients, Simiele said MS see ms page 6
community members gathered to mark the third anniversary
war. brycen pace asst. photo editor see ukraine page 6
Demonstrators, including Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and now-Rep. John Mannion, protesting the outbreak of the war in 2022. meghan hendricks senior staff photographer
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WEATHER
COMING UP
Noteworthy events this week.
WHAT: Telling Your Research Story Interactive Workshop
WHEN: Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Lyman Hall, Room 312
WHAT: Off-campus Housing Information Session
WHEN: Friday, 11:50 a.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: College Place Bus Stop
WHAT: Late Night at the Rink
WHEN: Saturday, 8 to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion
Educators react to anti-DEIA programs in school systems
By Arabella Klonowski asst. copy editor
In the weeks following a flurry of executive orders dismantling diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs, public school districts across the United States have begun to implement President Donald Trump’s new policies by cutting DEIA language from material and curriculum.
These changes have disproportionate negative impacts in redlined communities like the city of Syracuse, said George Theoharis, a Syracuse University professor of educational leadership and inclusive education. Trump’s efforts threaten to undo progress, he said, such as by eliminating programs for children with disabilities and cutting classes designed to support non-English-speaking students.
“If we start rolling back those things quickly, those opportunities will disappear very fast for kids,” Theoharis said. “Kids, we have real evidence, should and can flourish in every part of their school. If these sorts of things will start changing, it will take a long time to recover.”
Since taking office, Trump has signed over 70 executive orders. One, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” mandates federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, to eliminate all DEI programs, initiatives and positions within 60 days of the order’s release or face the risk of losing access to federal funding.
Just over 7% of funding for public schools in New York state comes from the federal government, totaling about $2,500 per student annually, according to USAFacts. But for the Syracuse City School District, federal funding is over three times the state average, totaling 22.7%, or $7,900 for each student.
If SCSD doesn’t adhere to the new policies, it could risk losing millions in federal funds for over 19,000 students in the region.
“A fundamental part of schools is to make a place where the breadth of diversity that we have in our country and in all of our communities is welcoming and affirmed, and (students) can flourish both academically, socially and all the other spaces,” Theoharis said.
Mya Leonforte, a sophomore at SU in the inclusive childhood education program, works
on campus
directly with students in SCSD as a part of her studies. She said DEIA programs are crucial in public schools, and their elimination would lower students’ quality of education. In her classroom, Leonforte said students learn about a different culture or religious holiday every day.
“One day, they were learning about Ramadan and one of the kids was so excited,” Leonforte said. “They told me, ‘We celebrate Ramadan at my house!’ It was so exciting because you could tell that it meant so much to that kid that their religion and culture was being celebrated.”
She said activities like these could be deemed “DEIA initiatives” and expressed concern for students who will either lose these opportunities or face major funding reductions in their district.
Despite the possibility of widespread cuts, Christopher Cleveland, an assistant professor of education and education policy at Brown University, is uncertain about the extent of the orders’ impacts in public schools.
Cleveland said the Trump administration has been unclear with many of these mandates, with some directly contradicting historic policies. such as the Civil Rights Acts, that prohibit discrimination and call for the integration of segregated schools. Many cities in the U.S., including Syracuse, still see high levels of segregation in the public school system.
Theoharis said most people in midwestern and northern states fail to recognize that their cities contain some of the most segregated school districts in the country because they haven’t adapted to post-redlining policies or a desegregated school system following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling.
“We haven’t ever been willing to desegregate certain cities in the way that we were willing to desegregate places in the South,” Theoharis said. “And people would say that’s the hypocrisy of the North, right? It’s sort of our, our liberal whiteness, like northern whiteness saying we don’t want to touch this.”
Redlining is one of the main causes of continued segregation. Beginning in 1934, the Federal Housing Administration released maps rating city districts based primarily on the racial demographics of residents. As a result, homeowners living in lower-ranked areas struggled to acquire housing loans, trapping them within their districts.
Despite the practice being formally eradicated by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the borders drawn within the maps continue to segregate communities across America.
Cleveland said neighborhoods that received a lower rating in the redlining system in the 1930s–40s often mirror the areas that now perform lower in schools and require more assistance from DEI-related funding.
“Evidence about the experiences of different types of racial groups in connection to issues around poverty, in particular, that show these students have multiple different needs,” Cleveland said. “Oftentimes, (these students) might also need particular types of help to be successful.”
Leonforte said DEI programs are particularly important to maintain in diverse school districts.
“It’s really important for kids to be taught by somebody who looks like them…and a lot of the
DEI funding also goes to that and making sure that those children feel heard in the classroom,” Leonforte said.
While Republicans and Democrats clash over the orders, Cleveland said the politicization of DEIA could be avoided through open dialogue between parties, especially surrounding the government’s role in administering or instituting related policies.
Theoharis said while the Trump administration implies DEIA efforts take opportunities away from those who deserve them, most inclusion efforts have instead brought more qualified people into jobs where they were overlooked in the past.
“We have a history of needing intervention,” Theoharis said. “We as a nation, well intended or not, do not sit around and hold hands and give everybody equal opportunity.”
akklonow@syr.edu
SA addresses allocations for registered student organizations
By Madeline Goodheart asst. digital editor
Syracuse University’s Student Association hosted an Advance Allocations Town Hall Wednesday evening to explain financial issues stemming from over-allocation to registered student organizations in recent semesters. As a result of the overspending, SA must now operate with only a fraction of its anticipated reserve.
In its 68th session, the association has experienced major budget cuts, receiving $100,000 for the fall and $150,000 for the spring, SA President German Nolivos said. To mitigate the impact, SA pulled $250,000 in rollover funds — or money leftover from the COVID-19 pandemic — for advanced allocations, Nolivos said.
Despite these shortages, the association received over $800,000 in requests, Nolivos said — more than three times their budget. As a result, SA Comptroller Alexis Leach and SA’s finance board were tasked with conducting budget reviews and implementing fiscal adjustments.
“It is a moral and ethical question of how much time can money from students who have graduated stay in the (rollover) account?” Leach said. “The previous session was told to spend it.”
Nolivos said the finance board decided to let the SA assembly determine which organizations would receive a share of the $250,000 funding instead of restricting it to the board. After this process, the association learned that an organization hosting a major event had canceled, freeing up $30,000. These newfound funds have allowed previously denied organizations to appeal, Nolivos said.
This spring, semester allocations — separate from advanced allocations — were limited to $31,000 across all organizations. The money was allocated to 27 RSOs, but in the first few weeks of the semester, RSOs requested over $200,000 in general advanced allocations, Leach said. Advanced allocations, or pre-semester allocations, are restricted to large events and highertier organizations.
To prevent these situations going forward, the finance board has implemented a $60,000 per semester catering cap, along with tiered funding for different types of organizations, Leach said. Classifications are determined by the organization’s capital, or history of successful events, according to SA’s RSO handbook. All new organizations automatically become Tier 1 upon registration and can move up after 2 years on campus.
Tier 1 organizations are limited to requesting up to $1,500 for catering per semester, while Tier 2 can request up to $3,000. Tier 3 organizations are capped at $4,500, and Tier 4 can request up to $6,000, Leach said.
Ayah Abdel-Aziz, SU’s Arab Student Association treasurer, said she was frustrated by the catering restrictions. As a new Tier 1 organization, her organization can only request up to $1,500 per semester.
“Arab culture is so heavily centered around food,” Abdel-Aziz said. “Finding new ways to connect the Arab community has been a challenge.”
In 2021, SA’s fiscal codes prevented allocating funds for food, as there was no designated catering budget. Last year’s assembly revised the rules to permit more catering due to the significant funding available after COVID-19, Nolivos said.
Abdel-Aziz said that understanding SA’s rules and navigating how a new organization can succeed sometimes feels overwhelming. Similarly, Jennifer Mason, president of SU’s American Society of Mechanical Engineers, said the lack of funding has placed a financial strain on her organization.
Mason said she had to spend some of her own money on events last semester and found it challenging to attract attendees without offering incentives. She expressed disappointment over the lack of community within organizations that she says has resulted from the budget cuts.
Since ASME is a small organization, it didn’t qualify for participation in advanced alloca -
SU’s Student Association held a Town Hall Wednesday night addressing advanced allocations after over-allocating funds last year.
tions, Mason said. Instead, the group was only able to submit a potential budget for semester allocations.
Smaller organizations must wait for general semester allocations to create their budgets and receive funding, Nolivos said.
“My goal was to make a place that people could come together, socialize … and learn from each other,” Mason said. “Without a budget and any funding, it’s really hard to get people to show up.”
alicia hoppes staff photographer
Best Picture
1
Anora
Directed by:
Sean Baker
Starring: Mikey Madison, Yura Borisov
A heartbreaking romance tale perfectly meshed with comedy, “Anora” has become one of the most iconic romantic comedies in recent years. Sean Baker’s film does everything right, from its powerful plot to outstanding performances. Baker, who is known to feature marginalized individuals like immigrants and sex workers, directed one of his best films yet. Adored by fans and critics alike, Mikey Madison dazzles as Ani, taking the audience on a journey from her lifestyle as a stripper to a not-so-happily-ever-after Cinderella tale. While rom-coms have never been in the Academy’s favor, its perfect blend of drama and comedy may prove that “Anora” still has a shot at winning Best Picture.
OSCARS
The biggest and most competitive race of the night, ranked by most likely to it take home
2
The Brutalist
Directed by: Brady Corbet
Starring: Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce
From the moment you see the Statue of Liberty upside down, “The Brutalist” shows you it wants to be the “great American film.” It has all the trappings of being a pretentious view of architecture and the immigrant experience. But Brady Corbet’s 202-minute epic becomes so much more than that. No character deserves too much sympathy and the cycles of power and art spin in a devious fashion. With an epilogue that drops in a silly late ‘70s song, “The Brutalist” comes to the unsettling conclusion of how the artist can never be in control of their art. It’s more bone-chilling than any of the other nominees and could very well win the big prize.
3
Conclave
Directed by: Edward Berger
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci
From start to finish, “Conclave” is one of 2024’s most exciting films. Edward Berger’s adaptation of Robert Harris’s 2016 novel follows a group of Catholic cardinals who must meet and determine who the next Pope will be. As the tension among the cardinals grows and the conclave becomes more competitive, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) must deal with the consequences. The film is an action-packed mystery that unravels unexpectedly and shows the lengths some men will go to obtain absolute power. Recent wins for the film have it gaining momentum as we head to Oscars Sunday. “Conclave” is the crowd-pleasing, dialogue-heavy film the academy tends to reward.
A Complete Unknown
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Timothée Chalamet
The music biopic has become a staple of the Oscar conversation in the past few years, but none of them have captured the most coveted prize of the season. While “A Complete Unknown” doesn’t appear to have a strong chance of winning Best Picture, it stands out among the music biopic genre. Timothée Chalamet has received critical acclaim for his performance as Bob Dylan, but the ancillary parts of “A Complete Unknown” make it a contender for Best Picture. Dylan is a universally beloved American figure, so don’t be surprised if Academy voters are swayed to support a story about a pivotal time in his career as an artist.
Most competitive
for “A Complete Unknown” clearly pulling ahead, despite big wins for both actors in the past. The choice to award a young actor or a Hollywood veteran is a classic Oscar conundrum. Neither would be that much of a surprise, but I predict the Academy will reward the work of “Lil Timmy Tim” on Oscar night.
Unlike the Best Actor category, the Best Supporting Actor race is as good as done. Kieran Culkin will win for his work as Benji Kaplan in “A Real Pain.” Culkin’s clear path to victory shouldn’t diminish the work of other actors who also gave critical performances. While you could argue that Culkin is more of a co-lead to Jesse Eisenberg’s David Kaplan in the film than a true supporting actor, his performance is equally comical and moving. He’s a worthy winner of the award.
Best Actress will be a back-and-forth between veteran Demi Moore and new-gen Mikey Madison. While Madison displayed an exemplary performance in “Anora,” the Academy favors more seasoned actresses, giving Moore an advantage. With over 40 years of experience, Moore’s more likely to win, based on her prowess in “The Substance.” While horror movies are often overlooked by the academy, Moore could finally make her mark at the Oscars.
No one usually pays attention to production design, but this is a key category to watch in 2025. Style rules here, and Nosferatu wins. Craig Lathrop, Robert Eggers’ designer of choice, and Beatrice Brendtnerovà perfectly reflected history and horror simultaneously, a hard thing to do. Nosferatu felt harsh, uninviting, cold — the 1920s expressionist classic was brought out from its coffin undead. And that’s all in the environment Lathrop and Brendtnerovà constructed.
Emilia Pérez
Directed by: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Karla Sofía Gascón
As soon as “Emilia Pérez” was released, it became one of the most polarizing films of the year. The film is a musical centered around a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender-affirming surgery with the help of a lawyer. The film suffers from many issues, with the most troubling being its poor depictions of the Mexican and transgender communities. Its attempt to stuff different storylines into a two hour runtime resulted in an overall deplorable film.
Since its immense backlash from fans and critics, and old Islamophobic tweets from lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez” has fallen out of favor to win Best Picture. 5
A look at the tightest races of the night. From Best Actor to Best Cinematography, here are the 6 races to tune in for.
Based on the directing awards results at the Golden Globes and Director Guild Awards, the winner will either be Sean Baker of “Anora” or Brady Corbet of “The Brutalist.” Both Baker and Corbet have an equal chance of winning, but I suspect the Academy will go with Corbet, who churned out a titanic classic on a compact budget of only $10 million. The win will be an act of directing solidarity on the Oscars’ part.
Fraser-heads,
with impeccable interplay between environment and character — even messiahs are puny against sand dunes and the throngs of believers.
Actor
The Best Actor award category has become a two-horse race, with neither Adrien Brody for “The Brutalist” nor Timmothée Chalamet
Best Actress
Best Production Design
Best Cinematography
Best Director
Greig
rise up. Dune 2 will win Best Cinematography. Dune 2 ranges from David Lean-esque Arrakis sandscapes to the black-and-white infrared Giedi Prime. And lest we forget when Paul Atredies’ mother bashes in the skull of a soldier while an eclipse turns the world orange. It’s a brutally stunning movie
OSCARS GUIDE
I’m Still Here
Directed by: Walter Salles
Starring: Fernanda Torres
“I’m Still Here” portrays how fascism abuses its citizens and tears away their souls. Based on the 2015 biography of the same name, the film stars Fernanda Torres as Brazilian activist Eunice Paiva, whose dissident husband is the victim of forced disappearance under a military dictatorship. She copes with this tragedy but still shows the power of dissent. Torres gave a titanic performance, earning herself a Golden Globe. With the total collapse of “Emilia Pérez’s” award chances, “I’m Still Here” might sneak out with Best International Feature Film, but Best Picture seems far-fetched since the Academy has only awarded the ultimate prize to a foreign language film once (“Parasite”).
Written by Nate Lechner
Tara Binte Sharil
Henry O’Brien
Ben Butler
Lucía Santoro-Vélez
Illustrations by Flynn Ledoux
Dune: Part Two
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet
If the Oscars awarded the film with the best filmmaking, critical acclaim and box office success, “Dune: Part Two” would win Best Picture. But this isn’t the case. The film will be snubbed. The second part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction masterpiece pushes the boundaries of IP filmmaking and also stands on its own as a tremendous cinematic achievement. It has beautiful visuals of Arrakis and Giedi Prime, as well as captivating performances from its cast and a fantastic score. It’s a real shame one of the best films of 2024 doesn’t look like it will get the proper recognition it deserves. 7
Nickel Boys
Directed by: RaMell Ross
Starring: Ethan Herisse
To call RaMell Ross’s debut feature film a revolutionary cinematic masterwork might be selling it short. “Nickel Boys,” the adaption of Colson Whitehead’s 2019 novel, builds cinematic language and becomes a searing portrait of an America we are still trying to reckon with. Ross finds beauty in the ordinary and gives audiences a chance to see new perspectives, both literal and figurative. Combine revelatory cinematography with lived-in performances from Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson, and you get a film that, while it won’t win Best Picture, will remain in the American cinematic subconscious for decades.
Snubbed
Wicked
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande
Despite a lackluster awards performance, “Wicked” has kept itself afloat through internet virality and a devoted fanbase. Jon M. Chu’s faithful adaptation of the Broadway sensation relies entirely on its predecessor’s success, bolstered by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as its stars. Erivo is undeniable as the fated Wicked Witch of the West, and Grande manages to lean into her musical theater roots as Glinda. Though the pair is sincerely charming, the film is weighed down by its lengthy runtime and saccharine visuals. Having lost all steam in the Best Picture race, as well as the acting categories, “Wicked” can bet on success below the line.
The Substance
Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Demi Moore
As a bizarre, grotesque satire — reminiscent of a David Cronenberg adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “Picture of Dorian Gray” — that’s cross-bred with feminist subtext, it isn’t a surprise that “The Substance” will do poorly in the Best Picture category. It suffers from being too obvious and heavy handed in its exposure of Hollywood superficiality. It doesn’t play the Best Picture game. But Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley’s performances deserve recognition, as does director Coralie Fargeat’s incredible command of special and practical effects and creative screenplay. In a less competitive year, maybe “The Substance” wins out, but this year? Maybe it didn’t “respect the balance.”
Here are four movies that didn’t get a nomination for Sunday night, but still deserve recognition
Challengers
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist
“Wicked” brought theater kids to silverscreens.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” rekindled Marvel fans’ love for the “Avengers: Endgame” era.
“Challengers” brought everyone into a hot and steamy love triangle. When it comes to portraying complex romantic relationships, Luca Guadagnino is a master. Fans were split on which character to root for, the actors delivered their best performances, and the high-energy score transcended club playlists. It was a summer blockbuster destined to take the awards season by storm, which was why its complete shutout proved to be the most disappointing outcome of the season. While the Academy will never recognize “Challengers” for its greatness, it will always be remembered as Gen Z’s favorite movie of the summer.
Juror #2
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette
At 94 years old, Clint Eastwood managed to direct an impressive courtroom drama that proved to be one of the better films in his directorial career.
“Juror #2” follows juror Justin Kemp as he faces an impossible moral dilemma that could either free or convict the wrong killer.
Eastwood masterfully prolongs the tension throughout the film as he unravels the true nature of the crime at different parts, forcing the audience to face every twist and turn Eastwood throws.
While “Juror #2” is a gut-wrenching film bound to leave you sick to your stomach, a courtroom drama of this caliber hasn’t been seen in Hollywood since Sidney Lumet’s 1957 “12 Angry Men.” The Academy’s reasons for not nominating the film for any category is shocking to me; “Juror #2” is one of the most underrated films of 2024.
I Saw the TV Glow
Directed by: Jane Schoenbrun
Starring: Justice Smith, Jack Haven
If the films I wanted were in the Best Picture race, Jane Schoenbrun’s profoundly chilling, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-esque film would take home the gold. No film better understands the human experience of attaching oneself to a piece of media than “I Saw the TV Glow.” It reflects on our relationship to media with nuance. The real magic of Schoenbrun’s film is its depiction of a teen show revealing sides of ourselves that we otherwise would’ve never known, and most importantly how we may respond to those revelations. Part-media study, parttrans allegory, “I Saw the TV Glow” provides the complexity, nuance and emotion that the film industry desperately needs, and explores the tension of gender dysphoria.
Hit Man
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona
Glen Powell is one of the biggest under-40 movie stars in the world, and 2024 may have been his true breakout. He flexed his action-star muscles in “Twisters,” but his work as the lead and screenwriter in “Hit Man” may be the most impressive in his early career.
The film follows a college psychology professor who goes undercover as a hit man to arrest people who want to have others killed. When he falls in love with one of his targets, his worlds collide and everything falls apart.
Powell and Adria Arjona have electric chemistry. Director Richard Linklater knows precisely how and when to turn the energy up a notch to both dramatic and comedic effect. In 2024, I watched “Hit Man” in a theater, at home and on a plane, and I was thrilled by it each time. It is one of 2024’s best and deserves more recognition.
GSO outlines goals for DEIA committee following Trump’s ban
By Henry Daley asst. news editor
Syracuse University’s Graduate Student Organization outlined goals for its DEIA committee during its second meeting of the semester on Wednesday. The organization also approved a funding request and held confirmation hearings for a new interim director of external affairs and interim communications director.
Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the White House has rolled back diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives and reversed efforts made by previous administrations pushing for LGBTQ+ inclusivity. GSO President Pro Tempore Avery Welna, co-chair of the DEIA committee, said the committee’s main goal is to find solutions for those affected by these policy changes while navigating the current political landscape.
“Given the recent attempts to roll back DEI initiatives, we want to make sure that these students know that they are protected and that there are resources here for them, and that GSO is a place where hopefully they feel safe,” Welna said.
As part of its DEIA efforts, GSO will partner with SU’s Disability Cultural Center to raise awareness for Rare Disease Day. The organization will highlight the stories of people living with rare diseases on its Instagram page.
Welna said her committee will also compile resources for international, transgender and non-binary students while advocating for other marginalized groups on campus. The committee
when there are all these things going on?’” Kolesova said. “But you kind of stop yourself and try to be grateful that you’re safe and alive.”
Grant Terrence Montonye, a freshman studying international relations, said the association has made him feel connected to his heritage. Being part of the association has strengthened his pride for his family’s Ukrainian roots, which go back to his great-grandmother.
Montonye attended a Ukrainian cultural school in his Virginia hometown, where he was able to learn Ukrainian. He said he felt a growing sense of connection to his ancestry from learning it.
Montonye spent four years at the school, two of which were amid the war. He said directly after the war began, his school’s enrollment spiked from Ukrainian families seeking refuge in America.
Kolesova said one of the hardest parts of being so far away from home is balancing her life in Syracuse while constantly worrying about the war. She said it’s difficult to immerse herself in her studies and enjoy American culture while feeling helpless and forced to watch her country suffer.
“It is not easy to ignore or just turn it off,” Kolesova said. “Even if you’re not thinking, you are thinking about it.”
Due to her immigration status, Kolesova hasn’t been able to leave the U.S. since her arrival. She left behind her elderly grandparents and said she’s missed countless milestones, including the weddings of both of her best friends, while stuck overseas. Talking on the phone doesn’t make up for the memories missed, Kolesova said.
As the war continues, Montonye emphasized the importance of staying focused on Ukraine and its people. Both he and Kolesova said the war has become “forgotten” — not only by other students, but by many across the world.
Anna Meehan, a junior at SU and the current president of the association, joined the association in 2022, nine months after the outbreak of the conflict. Meehan recalled countless fundraisers and events throughout the first year of
research efforts have grown significantly since the turn of the century.
Rose Soto, a nurse practitioner at CNY Neurological Consulting, said the disease targets the myelin sheath, which protects neurons in the spinal cord and brain. As MS eats away at this protective layer, signals traveling through the nervous system are interrupted, leading to fatigue, memory loss, mood changes, vision impairment and mobility issues.
There’s no single method for diagnosing MS, Soto said. Practitioners rely on medical history, magnetic resonance imaging and in some cases spinal fluid analysis. She said she encourages any person experiencing symptoms of the disease to be examined, as early detection makes the condition more treatable.
Patients can experience varying severities of these symptoms and often require walkers or
also serves to expand GSO’s presence on campus, particularly with the university’s heritage and awareness months, such as Disability Pride Month and Women’s History Month.
GSO also approved a funding request from the Black Graduate Student Association to host its annual Black Opulence Brunch. BGSA initially requested $1,000, but GSO amended the request to $1,450 to help BGSA cover more catering costs.
Senators then entered confirmation hearings for a new interim director of external affairs and interim communications director, naming Alexis Faison and Prasad Ranka to the positions, respectively.
GSO President Daniel Kimmel said the hearings were held after the former director of external affairs, Becca Vinciquerra, left the position. Vinciquerra has finished her coursework and will graduate in May, Kimmel said. The newly filled positions will be effective Friday.
In their presidential report, Kimmel expressed a desire to strengthen the practice of shared governance with other government bodies on campus, referring to members of the University Senate’s recent efforts advocating for shared governance on campus. They also said GSO was working with the senate to improve its outreach programs and increase its influence across SU.
Kimmel closed their remarks by encouraging the organization to continue advocating for graduate student rights and exercising their rights as GSO members.
the war to raise awareness for Ukraine, but as the years have passed, she said she’s noticed dwindling participation in these efforts.
Montonye said American students have grown increasingly distant from the war and is surprised by how many of his peers remain unaware of the war’s intricate nature.
“A lot of the time when it comes up in conversation, people say, ‘Oh, that’s still going on. I didn’t even know that was still happening,’” Montonye said.
The current war isn’t Russia’s first with Ukraine, but a continuation of Russia’s 2014 invasion of the Crimean Peninsula. Russian President Vladimir Putin argued the annexation of Crimea was justified due to historical wrongs imposed by the global west against Russia. Kolesova said the historic nature of the conflict is important to remember, as many view the war as an isolated event.
As of September, The Wall Street Journal estimated nearly 200,000 Russian deaths and reported the Ukrainian government’s estimated 80,000 Ukrainian deaths and 400,000 injuries since Russian troops crossed into Crimea in 2014.
Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. took a pro-Ukraine stance, providing billions in aid for the country’s economic and military assistance, Brian Taylor, an SU professor of Russian politics, said. When Russia invaded, Taylor said the Biden administration made clear they would not tolerate the unjust invasion of a peaceful sovereign nation.
Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has reversed many policies Biden implemented to support Ukraine’s efforts in the war.
Trump also falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war and called Ukrainian President Vlodmyr Zelensky a dictator earlier this month.
On Monday, the U.S. joined Russia in voting against a UN resolution blaming Putin for starting the war and calling for the immediate removal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the Associated Press reported. The resolution overwhelmingly passed in the UN’s General Assembly, where it was sponsored by representatives from Kyiv, the Washington Post reported.
wheelchairs, renovations to their homes and new methods of travel, Soto said.
“The best thing to do is keep someone walking, keep somebody active, keep their vision intact,” Simiele said. “Because (MS) does affect the brain, the spinal column and the optic nerve, you want to get on something that can hold the disease at bay, stop it from progressing.”
When Simiele first entered the field, MS had recently received its first effective treatment, interferon beta-1b, a disease-modifying injection therapy that slows the spread of myelin damage and reduces relapses. While there is still no cure, multiple treatments now exist to limit the disease’s impacts.
Rusinko said she was frightened when she received her diagnosis. In April 2000, she was on a family vacation at Disney World when she noticed the sun’s heat was intolerable to her but none of her family members. When her temperature sensitivity continued, she decided it was time to talk to a doctor.
“Remain vigilant in the defense of your graduate student rights. I’m doing everything I can in my final months in this position to prepare all of you and to prepare anybody who might be taking up the mantle after this,” Kimmel said. “I do believe that graduate student rights are no longer seen the same way as they once were.”
“The current American administration appears determined to bypass Ukrainian voices and interests, seeking instead to secure its own material interests from Ukraine under threat of leaving Putin unchecked,” said Robert Terrell, a professor of modern European history at SU.
Meehan said many students are concerned about the Trump administration’s impact on the war and what it means for future U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Meehan said association members felt more secure under the Biden administration because of frequent aid packages and regular verbal commitments he made to the Ukrainian war effort. As coverage of the war has lessened over time, Meehan said students are often left dreading updates from the new administration.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump discussed an agreement that Zelensky called a “framework” to get future security measures for Ukraine from the U.S., CNN reported. The agreement outlines a variety of deals between the two nations, with Trump determined to fulfill his campaign promise to end the war.
The agreement stipulates that Ukraine will contribute half of all future revenue from all hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas, as well as rare earth minerals as payment for American funding throughout the war. In return, the U.S. would continue to support Ukraine’s “efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.”
Taylor, who also serves as director of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs’ Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, said the war hasn’t been beneficial to either country, with Russia’s long-term power ranking diminishing as the war continues.
“They have chewed through a massive amount of military equipment ... It’ll take them a long time to reconstitute that military power.” Taylor said.
Taylor emphasized that the war not only causes thousands of casualties, but also longterm damage to infrastructure that could take decades to recover from. Even after years of pressure and attempts at reasoning with Putin,
As someone diagnosed with an incurable ailment, she recalled feeling isolated and anxious in the first months. After some encouragement from Siemele, Rusinko agreed to attend an all-women’s retreat hosted by MS Resources of CNY — a decision she said soon changed her life.
Joining a cohort of fellow MS patients, Rusinko built a strong community, unified not only by their love of the Beatles and karaoke, but also a commitment to actively combat the disease together. The organization now hosts the retreat annually, choosing a specific theme for the weekend and incorporating it into games, speaker events and shared meals.
Strong relationships and brain exercises — such as puzzles and strategy games — can help strengthen the body’s fight against MS, which Simiele intentionally incorporates into the group’s annual retreats.
“We see each other once a year at the retreat and have a wonderful time, and we’re
hdaley@syr.edu
the UN. and North Atlantic Trade Alliance have been unable to broker a deal.
“Russia doesn’t understand compromises,” Kolesova said. “They don’t understand agreements. They don’t understand kindness. They only act as a bully.”
For many Ukrainians abroad, the strength of their soldiers and communities back home “keeps their hope alive,” Kolesova said.
The war’s entrance into its fourth year is disturbing to many Ukranian students, Meehan said, but the length of the war is also a testament to the strength of Ukraine.
Montonye said many people think Ukraine’s stall tactics at the front lines indicate no hope of victory, but he believes it’s further proof of the country’s resilience. Taylor echoed the importance of Ukrainian resilience, not only in its military but also for its people around the globe. “Put those two things together, the Ukrainian resilience and Russia’s refusal to back down, and the sad reality is that we’re more likely to see continued war than peace, at least in the foreseeable future,” Taylor said.
Ukrainians continue to hold onto hope for peace, but only on their terms, Taylor said. For many Ukranians, it’s not just about wanting the war to be over, he said, but wanting a fair resolution that punishes Russia for starting the conflict.
Meehan said students in the association want to see the restoration of Ukraine’s borders that were created after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These territories include not only Crimea, but the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as well.
Kolesova said her vision of peace for Ukraine would mean Russia completely withdrawing its forces from Ukrainian territory and providing reparations for the damages it has caused. Some things can’t be repaid, she said.
“There’s nothing to compensate for what they did because nothing can bring dead people back and the lives they destroyed. All the people who they harmed, people who they tortured. ” Kolesova said. “They need to be ashamed of what they’ve done and take long-term responsibility.”
sgupta38@syr.edu
like, ‘Geez, I wish we could get together more,’” Rusinko said. “I’m telling you, those girls went above and beyond and out of their way and we started meeting for lunch.”
What Rusinko once considered a “life sentence” has blossomed into a strong community and lifelong friendships. With friends by her side and the strong treatment that MS Resources of CNY helped find, Rusinko hasn’t felt isolated by her disease in decades.
Simiele said she expects around 250 participants to march on Sunday. With the assistance of a cane and surrounded by a team of supporters, Rusinko plans to march three miles.
“Through having MS, people have said, ‘Oh, it’s awful,’” she said. “But you know what, if I didn’t have MS, I would not have met some of the most wonderful people who have enriched my life.”
SU’s Graduate Student Organization discussed goals for its DEIA committee amid President Donald Trump’s anti-DEIA orders. brycen pace asst. photo editor
‘A voice for the voiceless’
Project Mend is a magazine that amplifies voices of formerly incarcerated people by publishing their written and artistic work
By Charlotte Price asst. digital editor
Marvin Wade, also known as The Spiritual Activist, discovered his passion for storytelling while sewing underwear in prison.
He was at the beginning of his 25-year sentence and worked at a sewing machine for hours each day. As he sewed, his mind wandered and he formed short stories and riddles to tell his fellow inmates during their breaks. His friends encouraged him to write his stories down, and was disappointed whenever he hadn’t come up with something to share during lunch.
“I started writing poems, and then from there, essays when I came home,” Wade said. “I became more socially conscious and wanted to put into words what we went through, to be the voice for the street and the voice for the people inside.”
Now, along with running workshops at Fortune Society and hosting open mic readings, Wade writes for Project Mend, a magazine showcasing the art, poetry and essays of incarcerated people.
Project Mend started in 2022 and released its 2025 issue on Feb. 15. The project is made possible through a grant from the Center for Community Alternatives and through a Humanities New York Post-Incarceration partnership.
Project Mend also receives funding and support from Syracuse University Libraries, the SOURCE, the SU Humanities Center, the Engaged Humanities Network and SU’s Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition. Patrick Berry, a professor of that department, leads the project and organizes its editorial board.
A person is not from a place that they’ve been caged in. A person is from their mother, from their father. A person is from land. A person is from their culture.
José A. Pérez actor and spoken word artist
Berry said Project Mend stands out because it amplifies voices of formerly incarcerated people, instead of pushing them to tell a predetermined story or cater to a narrative.
“You see people navigating life after prison, you realize the struggles they face, the barriers,” Berry said.
“But you also get a chance to celebrate their humanity. You get to see people assume identities that go beyond the crime.”
The effects of mass incarceration ripple beyond just those in prison, which is why the Mend staff is made up entirely of formerly incarcerated people or people who have been affected by it. The issue is personal to Berry, as his father spent most of his adult life in and out of prison.
Charlee Crosby, an editor of Mend, pored through the submissions and made decisions about what to include with her colleagues. Crosby has worked at Early Education for seven years, with a focus in literacy programs.
This was her first year working with Project Mend. Crosby was motivated to participate in the project because of her love for reading and commitment to promoting literacy in her community. She said that the magazine provides an personal outlet for those impacted by incarceration as well as a way to raise awareness.
“The Mend program is a voice for the voiceless,” Crosby said. “You got people, our neighbors, that’ve been incarcerated 25, 30 years, and the only thing that they have is a pen and paper to communicate and to let society know that they are still alive and well.”
José A. Pérez published two poems in the 2025 issue of Mend. Pérez works as a program strategist for
mend page 11
Orange Plate feeds students healthy meals without hidden fees
By Lily Zuckerman design editor
If you walk through the
The cooking smells come from Orange Plate, a small business delivering fresh, pre-made meals to the doorsteps of Syracuse University students every Sunday.
The company’s founders — seniors Gavin Mitchell and Harrison Goldberg and junior Hudson Landau — noticed slim off-campus dining options that were both reliable and healthy, Mitchell said. After making an arrangement with Victory, they started cooking meals in the vacant apartment to cater to SU students.
“Students are stuck in their ways, food-wise, and we wanted to introduce a new food option that could contribute to a healthy and con-
sistent lifestyle in our busy lives,” Mitchell said.
Unlike other food delivery services available in the Syracuse area, there are no hidden fees or long waits behind the Orange Plate deliveries, and the meals are microwaveable. Orange Plate offers a wide range of prices on its menu: $12 to $15 for entrees, $4 to $7 for appetizers, and $2 to $3 for desserts.
“We want our customers to not feel overwhelmed by the question of ‘What
am I going to eat for dinner after my day of classes?’” Goldberg said. When Goldberg and Mitchell shared their business plan with Victory, Goldberg said the group thought it was a good business idea that would be beneficial for the community. Usually, there’s a two-dollar delivery fee for Orange Plate customers, but the fee is waived for customers who reside in Victory properties. Every Tuesday after class, the group decides what’s on the menu for the week and creates the Google Form they’ll link in their Instagram bio later that night. Clients can order via the link until Friday at noon. Once the form closes, the team gathers back inside the kitchen, making note of how many servings they’ll need for each customer. On Friday and Saturday, the team makes several trips to the grocery store. On Sunday morning, they start cooking, and that night they drive
11
apartments of Victory at Syracuse, you might catch scents of seasoned meat and sauteed onions wafting out of an empty unit.
josé a. pérez , a contributing writer for Project Mend, acts out a scene. The magazine is an outlet of creative expression for those affected by incarceration, and provides a platform for formerly incarcerated people to tell their stories. courtesy of patrick berry
SU Skateboarding Club helps students get off the ground
By Brenne Sheehan contributing writer
For Syracuse University senior Roman Patrick, skateboarding has always been a way to make friends.
Patrick found a skateboarding community while growing up in his hometown of Orlando, Florida. But when he came to SU, he couldn’t find the same downtown meetups he was used to.
That was until Patrick and Joey Flatley, a 2024 SU graduate, came up with the idea to form the Skateboarding Club at Syracuse University — a place where skateboarders of all skill levels and backgrounds can get together and socialize.
“It’s like playing cards or pool; it’s an inherently social activity that’s very communitybased,” Patrick said.
Flatley’s technical and organizational skills helped SUSC become a Registered Student Organization in the spring semester of 2023, while Patrick focused on pulling in members and getting them to socialize, whether through the club’s GroupMe or on the bus that takes them to events.
“The awesome part is seeing everyone on the bus with their knees to the roof, just talking, chatting and laughing,” Patrick said.
The club is now led by sophomore Makenzie Sproles, who works under Patrick’s oversight as he finishes his senior year.
The club coordinates events in partnership with Black Mamba Skate Park in East Syracuse, which offers attendees free admission, skateboards, equipment and transportation to the event with SUSC’s annual RSO funding.
Because the cold, wet Syracuse climate isn’t the best for outdoor skateboarding, the club tries to organize events at Black Mamba’s indoor venue a few times a semester. The events are often collaborations with other student organizations, where people are invited to mix and mingle with other groups.
The club’s first collaboration was in April 2024 with Girl Gains at SU, an all-women lifting club. Since then, the club has co-hosted events with the Filipino Student Association, Orange After Dark and, most recently, Las Naranjas, SU’s Spanish language club.
“I feel really comfortable and safe, honestly,” Las Naranjas president and senior Camila Luzio
said. “I get so inspired by everyone skating so well that I’m like, ‘Wait, I think I can do this.’”
Luzio had been skateboarding with the club once before their Feb. 20 collaboration and saw it as the perfect opportunity to mix with other organizations on campus aside from the other Latine and Hispanic clubs they typically collaborate with.
For Sproles, the collaborations serve as an opportunity to make connections across organizations that might not have met otherwise.
“I feel like sometimes I stick to myself at Whitman, but it’s nice that the skate club has people from Newhouse, Maxwell — you literally have everyone,” Sproles said. “It’s so cool.”
SUSC emphasizes a safe space for skateboarders of all skill levels. It’s not uncommon to see Sproles and Patrick showing newcomers how to skate down ramps or follow proper skatepark etiquette in a highstress environment.
For junior and first-time skateboarder Paige Wilson, SUSC’s Feb. 20 event seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new — even if her first experience was mostly spent learning how to stand on the board with the help of SUSC’s members.
After she spent that night watching more experienced skaters get air on half pipes and long ramps, Wilson hopes to improve her skateboarding with the help of SUSC for future events.
“My goal is to get off the high ramp, so I’m gonna make it there,” Wilson said. “Maybe it’s gonna take five years, but it’s gonna happen one day.”
Patrick said SUSC has faced stigma from skateboarders who aren’t in the club and criticize it for including non-skateboarders. But he said the club has no plans of becoming exclusive or “cliquey.”
“They’re really good at skating, and bridging that gap is hard, but it helps connect to each other when we help each other out with skateboarding,” Patrick said.
Once Patrick graduates in the spring, Sproles hopes to bring even more events in the coming fall semester, such as a “learn-to-skate” workshop and a grip tape art workshop.
“We don’t want to just be skating; we want there to be community,” Sproles said. “I really want to help people learn how to skate.”
bsheeh03@syr.edu
‘At Water’s Edge’ explores Erie Canal through photos
By Amelia Fortsch contributing writer
Growing up in Rochester, New York, photographer Clara Riedlinger was always fascinated by the Erie Canal’s history. In school, she learned about the canal and sought to examine the landscape where it had once been. When she heard about the Erie Canal Museum’s residency program, she was ecstatic.
“The proposal from the Canal Museum felt like the project I already wanted to do,” Riedlinger said. “It just seemed like a really good fit right from the start.”
Riedlinger, along with fellow photographers Judit German-Heins and Alon Koppel, captured the canal’s past and present story through “At Water’s Edge: Reflections on 200 Years of the Erie Canal.” The exhibit celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal’s completion and is co-hosted by the Erie Canal Museum and the New York State Canal Corporation.
The exhibit, featuring the three artists-in-residence, is on display through April 27 at the Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse.
Koppel, German-Heins and Riedlinger each spent a year researching and photographing the canal, approaching the work with their own interpretations of the canal’s significance. Riedlinger found inspiration for the exhibit from her existing work about central New York’s “Burned-Over District” and overall religious history.
“I started to get curious about those invisible forces that are latent in the landscape that feel like a collaboration between society, like people, human beings and the land and where those things intersect,” Riedlinger said.
Riedlinger’s eight images displayed in the museum span the Genesee Valley, which is often referred to as the “Burned-Over District” for the religious zeal of the evangelical and spiritualist movements of the Second Great Awakening there in the 1800s. Although her photographs don’t directly refer to religious imagery, Riedlinger acknowledged the role of the canal in facilitating the travel that allowed preachers to rapidly spread religion.
Unlike Riedlinger, Koppel and German-Heins had no personal connections to the canal before applying to the residency at the Erie Canal Museum. Both artists looked to their previous projects for inspiration. Koppel used rephotography, or repeat photography, to picture the “then and now” of the canal. Koppel
drew inspiration from a previous project, “Middle Eastern Promises,” in which he used historic photos of Israel and Gaza and rephotographed them. With the historic image and the recreation, he then edited the images together to create a new image.
“It’s about how things change with tourism and people in the world,” Koppel said. “And how histories, like the historical places, are there, but you can’t really approach it the same way.”
Using historic images from the Erie Canal Museum as references, Koppel returned to certain sites and recreated the same images. Koppel wanted the work to immerse viewers in both the historical and modern visions of the canal. He said he understands how impactful the construction of the canal was for New York City residents and wants the audience to understand that.
For her photographs, German-Heins, an Hungarian-American photographer, chose to take portraits of women and non-binary people whose work relates to the canal. German-Heins’ work has traditionally centered on women, so when visiting the Erie Canal Museum, she noted that the few women depicted in the historical photos were limited to domestic tasks. For this project, she wanted to “elevate the voices of women” working on the canal today and highlight their contributions.
“I wanted to see how different today is as far as women’s labor,” German-Heins said. “And that’s why I proposed this project of photographing women and nonbinary people who work on the canal.”
German-Heins used a historical photography process called tintype to create her portraits. She said the vintage look of the photos allows viewers to understand that these problems of gender inequality are rooted in history, yet still permeate contemporary society.
Accompanying each photograph are excerpts from conversations that German-Heins had with her subjects. Before photographing them, she interviewed the individuals and asked them to provide a statement about their connection to the canal.
One of the photographs depicts a woman standing in front of the canal with her arms crossed. The woman, Abbie Heinl, is currently an engineer and planner for the canal.
“I work alongside our environment, cultural resources, codes and safety departments to bring projects from concept to completion,” Heinl’s statement reads.
German-Heins said these statements were essential to capturing the variety of roles women have in the canal’s operation and maintenance.
“I just wanted to connect them so the portraits would be more genuine,” German-Heins said. “Then I would know what to look for when I was taking their images.”
Through a range of artistic perspectives, techniques and inspirations, the exhibit brings the history of the Erie Canal into a contemporary light, the artists said. Reflecting on the residency, Koppel felt that each artist — while different in their approach to photographing the canal — sought to capture the canal’s continued relevance.
“It comes together in the show in a way. We’re in the same room and each one is delving into different aspects of the canal, but they’re all very different projects,” Koppel said.
amelia.fortsch@gmail.com
CONCERTS THIS WEEKEND
The Jamie McLean Band
If you’re a fan of southern soul, the Jamie McLean Band might just have something for you. Jamie McLean has performed guitar on stages including Madison Square Garden and Japan’s Fuji Rock, with artists such as Gregg Allman and Dr. John.
WHEN : Friday, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE: The 443 Social Club
PRICE: $39.11 to $76.41
Dazed
Looking for one last house show before spring break? Look no further than Dazed. Good Monster and Saving Face will be performing, and magazines from Jerk will be available. The show is sponsored by Rent From Ben, which will be handing out merch and free drink test strips.
WHEN : Friday, doors open at 10 p.m., show starts at 10:30 p.m..
WHERE: DM @dazedcuse for address
PRICE: $7 presale, $10 at door
Invoke Thy Wrath
Rock out at The Lost Horizon with a collection of metal performances. The set will feature performances from five bands including Invoke Thy Wrath, Slumlord, Everdredd, Rotting Youth and DarbiCrash.
WHEN : Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Lost Horizon PRICE: $13.07
Cage Collective
The sun came out in Syracuse on Wednesday, so you know what that means: Cage Collective is defrosting with a show on Saturday. Ser8io and Troy Conner will be DJing. The wait is over. Show up ready to let loose.
WHEN : Saturday, 10 p.m.
WHERE: DM @cage_collective for address PRICE: $10 at door
Buxtehude, Bach and Rosenmüller with the NYS Baroque
For the first time in both organizations’ history, NYS Baroque and Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music are collaborating for a show. Featured works include Johann Sebastian Bach’s choir piece, “Komm, Jesu, Komm,” and Dieterich Buxtehude’s pieces “Alles was ihr tut” and “Wo soll ich fliehen hin.”
WHEN : Sunday, 4 – 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: Hendricks Chapel
PRICE: Free
alexander zhiltsov staff photographer
the Children’s Defense Fund. He developed his love for poetry while exchanging letters with his mother as a teenager while they were both in prison.
Pérez said at times, he resented his mother because she had been in prison since he was 3, leaving him in the child welfare system. When Pérez went to jail at 16, his mother nurtured their relationship by writing him poems and letters expressing her love, and encouraging him to respond.
For Pérez, Project Mend is a “process of humanity” that helps people get back in touch with parts of themselves they may have lost as a result of incarceration. He hopes that readers of Mend will understand that formerly incarcerated people have the same human experiences as they do and see them as more than their time in prison.
“These are not poems from individuals who come from prison,” Pérez said. “A person is not from a place that they’ve been caged in. A person is from their mother, from their father. A person is from land. A person is from their culture.”
One of Pérez’s poems published in Mend is titled, “Man Skin, Boy Mask: A Love Poem.” Pérez said the poem is a recognition of his younger self that was forced to age too quickly while in prison. He addressed his confusion about his actions and the whiplash feeling of being
around Syracuse delivering meals door-to-door. With a short turn around, their weekly routine repeats again.
Since its inception in early November, the small business has attracted over 70 customers and offered weekly subscription plans to consistent customers, Mitchell said. Among those customers is SU architecture sophomore Theo Chalker, who’s had Orange Plate meals delivered every week since the business started.
Chalker said that without a meal plan, it’s challenging to stay on top of eating at regular meal times, so he “jumped on the opportunity” to address that with Orange Plate. His subscription has helped his eating habits while at college, he said. Orange Plate hand-delivers Chalker’s order on Sundays — usually eight or nine entrees, sides and desserts that will last him all week. Before discovering Orange Plate, Chalker tried techniques like meal prepping to help him eat frequent, healthy meals amid his back-to-back class schedule, but they didn’t work out. Since eating meals from Orange Plate, Chalker said he doesn’t go to bed hungry anymore, and he’s been able to start working out again.
SU junior Jason Silver, another Orange Plate customer, also tried to improve his eating habits with the service. Silver said his eating had become so inconsistent he tried Factor75, a nationwide pre-made meal subscription service.
At the time, Orange Plate had just taken off. After Silver received a different service’s box with unsatisfying portions, he canceled the subscription and decided to try Orange Plate’s premade meals.
released from prison at 38, only having experienced the world through the eyes of a 16 year old. The poem also mourns the loss of Pérez’s childhood dreams.
“You tell a little kid that they could be anything they want to be,” Pérez said. “But after you commit a crime, that’s over, you’re going to prison for the rest of your life. You get expelled from society.”
Wade and Pérez said that working with Project Mend has grown their writing skills and they see what other creatives in their
The Orange Plate subscription relieved stress and eliminated extra time he spent preparing meals during the school week, he said.
“I don’t have to think about what I am eating for the week, I just submit a Google Form and have food,” Silver said.
Heading into spring semester this year with Landau studying abroad, Goldberg and Mitchell knew they needed to hire another employee to help run Orange Plate.
They brought on SU sophomore Dax Nguyen this January, whose cooking expertise was recommended to Mitchell and Goldberg by a friend. Nguyen now works as the head chef of Orange Plate. He said he was eager to join Orange Plate because of the cooking experience he gained in the five years he worked at a local Mexican restaurant.
Nguyen joined Mitchell and Goldberg in devoting a large portion of their free time during the school week to running a business. Goldberg said they spend four out of the seven days of the week in the apartment to connect with one another and make sure their business continues to bring profit.
Since establishing a routine, Goldberg said he and his co-workers have seen an improvement in their productivity. It started out differently — for their first Sunday cooking session, they hadn’t done any prior preparations, he said.
After spending over $1,000 on meat they didn’t need and 12 hours in the kitchen, Goldberg and his business partners learned the organizational skills Orange Plate needed. Though it isn’t “rocket science,” Goldberg said, the numbers can still be a lot to manage, and they have to keep track of it all.
community are producing. Pérez added that Project Mend creates an exchange of skills, so that everyone comes out learning about something new.
The community of writers has helped Pérez understand that the experiences of an incarcerated person are relatable because they speak to a larger human struggle.
Wade hopes that through sharing his experiences, he can make the struggles of those affected by incarceration more relatable to those who don’t have knowledge on the topic. By bridging
this gap, Wade hopes to lift some of the stigma surrounding incarceration and spread positivity to those around him.
Wade published an essay titled, “Time and Prison: Are They Mutually Exclusive?” in Mend’s 2025 issue. The essay was inspired by Wade’s experience hearing other formerly incarcerated people reflect on how prison saved their lives. Wade argues the institution of prison didn’t heal these people or change their lives, but how they spent their time there did.
Wade distinguishes prison as the system that abused him and others, and time as the elusive ingredient that heals people from their trauma and helps them improve. He emphasized that if he had taken the same time to focus on himself before he went to prison, he would’ve saved himself blood, sweat and tears.
“It’s a horrible place, and you got to fight, I mean literally, figuratively and spiritually, to get out, save yourself, save your mind, your spirit,” Wade said. ”It shouldn’t be that way.”
Now that he understands the value and power of time, Wade uses his to spread a message of positivity at every opportunity. His name, Spiritual Activist, comes from his mission to inspire others.
“I want to be that spark, that light for somebody, to be able to show them that they have the opportunity to do better … to make them think, ‘Oh, I am somebody. I can do this. I do have time,’” Wade said.
cprice04@syr.edu
“You really can’t skip a beat when it comes to finances,” Mitchell said.
The Orange Plate staff hopes to continue growing as a self-reliant business with a permanent industrial kitchen. Even after Mitchell and Goldberg leave SU in May, they’re positive that Orange Plate will be in good hands with Landau and Nguyen.
“I want Orange Plate to be around Syracuse for decades,” Landau said. “I want this business not to just be making food, but I want us to create a platform where people can order our food and have it for a week and then order again, and really cater to Syracuse students.”
lilyvzuckerman@gmail.com
julia english cartoonist
gavin mitchell (left) and Harrison Goldberg (right) started Orange Plate, while Dax Nguyen cooks for the business. avery magee asst. photo editor
Editors and writers of Project Mend, José A. Pérez, Mary Carr, Marvin Wade and Maiya Hoston, stand together. courtesy of patrick berry
andrew berkman cartoonist
RFK Jr. condemns SSRI use amid student mental health crisis
By Layla Poli columnist
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was recently sworn in as the 26th Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. After gaining his newfound power, Kennedy radically proposed the elimination of lifesaving vaccines and drug therapies.
On Feb. 13, 2025, the White House released an executive order announcing the “Make America Healthy Again” commission. The order outlined President Donald Trump’s extreme goals of readdressing policies for child healthcare and eliminating the claimed “dire threat” that inclusive healthcare legislature allows space for.
The specific demand within this order that should concern students at Syracuse University is the reassessment of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescriptions, used to treat patients struggling with various mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
Kennedy has historically opposed mandatory vaccines and has made public statements incorrectly claiming vaccines lead to autism. In a 2023 X livestream, he openly expressed his distaste for SSRIs alongside Elon Musk and posited a link between antidepressants and school shootings. In reality, there’s no scientific evidence proving an association between the two.
Not only has Kennedy said people who take antidepressants are “addicts,” he aims to create “wellness farms” for people to stop drug use and reconnect with their communities. His attitude toward mental illness is clearly inappropriate, but his suggestions of communal health centers suggest a far more problematic and offensive sentiment.
Attempting to rid society of the matter entirely resorts healthcare back to an outdated and ineffective state. This has been a considerable disappointment to the 13% of American adults who continue to find significant mental relief through prescribed medication.
This condemning narrative heightens the stigma associated with Generation Z’s mental
health crisis and enforces the notion that people affected by mental illness not only have something wrong with them but should be sent away.
This is far from the rhetoric American leaders should manifest at a tenuous time like this. The majority of people using SSRIs and other drug therapies rely on the medications to counteract the chemical imbalance causing depression, which is entirely out of their control.
I spoke with one SU sophomore about how strict restrictions on or the removal of these drugs altogether would be detrimental to her daily life.
“I find it disheartening and frightening that the current administration could potentially take these life-saving medications away from Americans. In treating my anxiety disorder, an SSRI allows me to function to the best ability as a student, friend and person,” the student, who wished to remain anonymous for medical privacy reasons, said.
Antidepressants have been widely used since the 1980s and pose very minimal risk for addiction, if any. Kennedy asserts antidepressants are just as addictive as opioids like heroin. This claim is complete misinformation, not to mention an unacceptable and dangerous stance to be taken by America’s top health official.
Emphasizing the baselessness of his public opinion on addiction, antidepressants and opioids aren’t in the same drug family at all and represent a vastly different concept of dependence. Such a gaping misunderstanding of these drugs’ fundamental differences is quite concerning, especially considering Kennedy’s own extensive experience with drug abuse.
The mental health crisis has exploded in the past five years. The global presence of both anxiety and depression increased by 25% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic alone, according to the World Health Organization.
It’s clear the need for antidepressants is on the rise. Though many find relief through talk therapy, those who rely on full psychotherapy are at risk of losing their trusted safety nets at the hand of this order.
The void that’ll be left in place if SSRIs and other mental disorder medications are removed can’t be taken lightly. This would lead to a national disaster in depression symptom management and illustrates the federal government’s blatant disregard for citizens’ emotional well-being.
This unnecessarily restrictive agenda of the Trump administration is coming to fruition right before our eyes, attacking yet another critical institution that manages American wellness. Our country elected a leader who appointed a health secretary who’s now working to make nationwide prescription reform with little to no scientific backing.
Untreated depressive disorder has a glaring lifetime suicide risk of 20%, emphasizing the importance of proper care and resources for
those battling mental illness. If our government follows through on removing access to psychotherapy protocols, suicide rates will more than likely increase from their already remarkable pace.
Although this executive order focuses on children for now, there’s no guarantee it won’t soon extend to teenagers and adults. The potential long-term, generational impacts that worry and disturb the victims of this proposed legislation are frightening and will decay years of mental health progress, both in eradicating taboos and in actual symptom alleviation.
Layla Poli is a sophomore majoring in public relations. She can be reached at lcpoli@syr.edu.
Trump’s views of immigration lack the empathy leaders need
By Will Chadwick columnist
The United States Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 by President George W. Bush in an attempt to combat terrorism and promote a sense of security across America. Upon its introduction, the agency made its mission to safeguard American values with honor and integrity clear.
But the agency has failed in its mission for years and continues to fall short in upholding certain essential values in American culture, notability seen in its deprioritization of equality.
We’ve seen worrisome behavior from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement before, like with former president Barack Obama’s mass deportations, but these instances didn’t grow to the overt level we’re seeing with President Donald Trump.
As president, Trump is the man who’s supposed to represent all demographics in our country equitably and fairly. Outside of politics and economics, the harsh manner he displays when speaking on immigration illustrates his lack of respect for human rights, which wasn’t present in Obama’s rhetoric.
Trump’s reelection has brought unreasonable amounts of power to ICE through executive action.
This newly redistributed power means Trump sees more importance in maintaining
our country’s borders through policies disguised as “protecting civil rights” than treating people with basic human respect, whether they’re from here or not.
Trump’s alleged goal is to eradicate “illegal” immigrants from the U.S. His new policies over-exaggerate the nature of illegal immigration in our nation, and recent data from the Pew Research Center proves only 23% of immigrants in America are here against the law. This low proportion is holistically plaguing our country, according to Trump, yet only comprises 3% of the total American population.
This calls into question the necessity, from a logical standpoint, of the large-scale ICE raids Trump endorsed with his executive orders. It clearly points to an ideological agenda being pushed behind a facade of law and order.
These raids fail to recognize the majority of immigrants as legal and often result in unjustified deportation. This cruel policy risks casting wide scrutiny on all non-white people living in the U.S., creating real doubt that Trump recognizes people from different ethnic backgrounds as deserving of humane treatment.
Trump also refuses to acknowledge the benefit immigrants have on our economy. The U.S. was built on immigration and is part of why our nation is successful economically to this day.
In 2022, the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies estimated that immigrants added more than $2 trillion in contribution to the U.S. economy — almost 10% of the GDP. Choosing to ignore this positive value is dismissive and contradicts Trump’s preference toward merit-based hiring and immigration policies.
At the GOP rally leading up to his reelection, Trump spoke about migrants offensively, using words filled with prejudice.
Trump demanded during his rally in Nevada that immigrants be known as the “enemy.”
He generalized all newcomers to America as a group consisting of “gang members, drug dealers and cartel members.”
Trump’s words and actions so far are a devastating example of the exclusionist idea of “Us vs. Them.” In real time, he’s popularizing the thought that “rightful” American citizens must protect their nation from unwarranted foreigners. This notion hedges on systemically racist ideology and lacks the sort of empathy we should be practicing as more privileged and secure members of global society.
Part of Trump’s actions entailed rescinding protections from ICE raids to “sensitive areas,” like college campuses, churches and schools. These actions led to the Syracuse City School District releasing protocols instructing
faculty on what to do in the event of an ICE raid during school hours.
SU also put policies in place in the event ICE comes onto campus. Staff have been instructed that if they are approached by ICE or any other outside law enforcement, they must notify their supervisor of the situation, who will then relay the details to DPS for further steps.
People migrate to America in search of better opportunities and in asylum from strife. It should not be acceptable in any way for people to be seized once they make it into our country and then thrown to the side like trash. This is simply wrong and un-American. While it’s the sad reality today, no students should have to worry about potentially being taken away by ICE — especially in a learning environment.
Trump’s orders have yet to be particularly effective, but the lack of empathy behind his policies is still a severe cause for concern. Considering his coldness, we must reevaluate whether we can wholeheartedly trust that everyone is promised equality in America. With Trump at the helm, the answer is a resounding no.
Will Chadwick is a freshman psychology major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at wchadwic@syr.edu.
Stephanie Wright
emma lee contributing illustrator
But when Smith was offered an assistant coaching job by UT’s head coach Vicky Sunohara in 2010, her coaching career took off. However, the pathway was difficult to chase in Canada.
So, Smith connected with coaches across the northeast, hoping to stay close to where she grew up. Clarkson stood out to her as a top landing spot because it had just won its first National Championship and collected a thenprogram-high 31 wins.
“There was nothing that was making me think, ‘Am I making the right call right now?’ I was very confident that was exactly what I needed and wanted to do,” Smith said of chasing a coaching career.
But Clarkson underwent significant changes in the offseason. Desrosiers’ wife, Shannon, who co-head-coached the team, left because she was eight months pregnant. Smith was tasked to fill her void.
Desrosiers’ confidence in Smith stemmed from when he coached against her while she was at St. Lawrence. He recalls Smith being an intelligent player who always served as a threat against the Golden Knights, a quality that continued upon joining Clarkson.
“We dove right in. I threw a lot of responsibility to (Smith) right away, and she’s someone that was able to grasp onto it quickly,” Desrosiers said.
Additionally, Smith quickly honed in on recruiting, quickly identifying talent that fit Clarkson’s championship culture. Its first recruiting class, with Smith assisting, featured six freshmen. Four became professionals.
Cassidy Warner was one of them, leading to a career with the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League.
“You knew you could always call her no matter the hour, and she’d be able to help you,” Warner said of Smith. “Having her there, you knew she would always support you no matter what.”
In Smith’s first year, the Golden Knights went 24-11-3 but fell to Boston College in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
In year two, Smith stepped into a larger coaching role for the first time.
“She grew when her confidence grew,” Desrosiers said. “Just getting more and more
Lampkin off his spot, using his body to bury the center under the basket and deposit easy 2s.
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts used 6-foot-6 Dontrez Styles to guard Davis, which didn’t work either. Davis kept muscling his way through Styles with his broad shoulders. A steady dosage of Lampkin and Davis had Syracuse completely in control in the first half, leading 13-3 five minutes in.
“I just feel like we just need to dominate more and take advantage of our opportunities that we got,” Lampkin said of him and Davis.
The Orange led by double digits for most of the first half and were in complete control. Their lead extended to 16 in the first half, following Chris Bell’s and-one with 8:24 remaining.
Syracuse’s defense, which has struggled over the past three games allowing nearly 87 points per game, also played a part. The Orange held the Wolfpack to 30% shooting from the field in the first half, while allowing the second-fewest points in a half all season (25), only bested by Cal’s 23-point effort on Feb. 1.
SU led by 13 at the break and it continued to expose NC State’s lack of frontcourt depth in the second half. Middlebrooks and Styles both entered the second with two fouls and couldn’t stay out of foul trouble.
Less than five minutes into the frame, Middlebrooks had four and Styles had three. Keatts was forced to insert reserve forwards Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Ismael Diouf. Without Middlebrooks, NC State didn’t have a rim protector, giving Syracuse free rein to the hoop.
Jaquan Carlos drove baseline unabated before a Bell score in transition put the Orange up 52-33 for their largest advantage of the game at the 13:42 mark. At that point, things looked done and dusted. NC State didn’t have a pulse until it started to apply full-court pressure to Syracuse, leading to a couple of sloppy turnovers.
Styles also got hot, scoring 11 points in two minutes to cut Syracuse’s lead to single digits for the first time since the opening 10 minutes. Deja vu started to creep in for the Orange, who blew a 16-point first-half lead to Pitt eight days ago. As NC State crept back into the game, Autry kept things calm in the huddle.
“(Autry told us) to just lock in and don’t be punked,” Bell said.
It was a similar message to the one against Pitt. This time, Syracuse carried out Autry’s wishes. Lampkin emphatically slammed home a
comfortable as a coach. Being a leader. Having a voice. Seeing the results from it.”
With Clarkson accumulating a 20760-26 record with Smith on its coaching staff, Warner said she brought a calming but knowledgeable presence to Clarkson’s defensive core.
As a standout defender at St. Lawrence, Smith played in 146 games, recording 74 points (20 goals, 54 assists). During her senior year, she tallied the third-most points in the country by a defenseman, posting eight goals and 17 assists.
Clarkson’s unit began to see how Smith’s playing experience impacted her coaching. Savannah Harmon, a defender for the Golden Knights from 2014-18 who became a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist, took skills from Smith’s teachings, eventually becoming one of the nation’s best defenders.
“(Britni) can pick out little parts of the game, especially in the (younger athletes), and progress their skills,” Harmon said. “Her coaching and just the opportunities I was given definitely helped round out my game.”
Smith’s third season was a standout campaign, culminating in Clarkson earning the No. 1 seed in the ECAC and a No. 3 national ranking. It marked the beginning of Smith building a championship pedigree.
After advancing to the National Championship, Clarkson faced No. 1 Wisconsin. Despite losing twice to the Badgers that season and being labeled as underdogs, Clarkson triumphed, securing their second National Championship in program history with a commanding 3-0 shutout victory.
“We just had a standard of excellence every day. We knew that to be the best at the end of the year, you couldn’t just wait until the end of February,” Warner said.
The following year, the Golden Knights again earned the No. 1 seed in the ECAC Tournament, cruised to another conference championship and reached the national-title game.
Facing Colgate, a rematch of the ECAC Championship, the Golden Knights were again entering overtime after beating Mercyhurst and Ohio State in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively. And again, they came out on top. Freshman Élizabeth Giguère sealed the trophy with a game-winning goal.
The feeling was surreal, Smith said, but it took time to settle in.
dunk to quell NC State’s run before five straight points from J.J. Starling pushed SU’s lead back to 15 with 5:51 remaining.
Starling came alive down the stretch, as he typically does. The guard closed the door on any comeback threat, with 15 of his game-high 17 points coming in the second half.
Syracuse’s win doesn’t change the outlook on its season. It’s wildly underperformed at each stage. But Wednesday it got the job done. At this point, the only way the Orange can extend their season is by stacking wins. The goal is to be in Charlotte on March 11. From there, Syracuse will try to capture March magic.
“We want to be in the ACC Tournament, because at the end of the day, we feel like we still can play some basketball and compete,” Lampkin said. zakwolf784254@gmail.com @ZakWolf22
“Even an hour after (we won), we finally took a breath, and we were like, ‘Holy crap, we just did it again,’” Smith said.
The win solidified Smith’s playoff success at Clarkson. In her final four seasons, the Golden Knights made the NCAA Tournament three more times, but Smith began thinking about her career after Clarkson and looked for head coaching positions.
Smith’s Clarkson success set the stage for her to take over SU in 2022. However, her first two seasons at Syracuse saw mixed
results, with the Orange posting 17 wins and 48 losses, including just one conference tournament appearance.
But 2024-25 has been much closer to Smith’s Clarkson tenure. With an overtime win over Robert Morris in the AHA Quarterfinals, the Orange are two wins away from a conference championship appearance — as Smith’s experience has helped Syracuse set the stage for a bright future under her guidance. jordankimball28@gmail.com
@JordanKimball_
Following three straight losses, Syracuse likely secured an ACC Tournament spot by defeating NC State 74-60 on Wednesday. J.J. Starling led the Orange with 17 points, while Eddie Lampkin Jr. notched a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double. avery magee asst. photo editor
britni smith is trying to lead Syracuse to the NCAA Tournament for the first since 2022. SU faces Mercyhurst in the AHA Semifinals this weekend. courtesy of su athletics
By Daily Orange Sports Staff
For the first time, Syracuse men’s lacrosse will take the 2,000-plus-mile flight to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Saturday. The long trip could be just what the Orange need to regain their mojo. SU fell disappointingly in each of its last two games. The Orange’s 11-7 road loss to now-No. 2 Maryland was justified because of the Terrapins’ reputation, but being held to two-second half goals was a concern.
For those who are unfamiliar, college lacrosse fans have a ruthless presence on social media. One of the top public accounts for lacrosse memes and satire is named after Syracuse head coach Gary Gait. I’ll let you take a look for yourself. But spoiler alert: the Orange were the butt of every joke in one of the account’s posts on Monday, which has over 3,000 likes.
When a prestigious program like Syracuse has National Championship expectations thrust upon it once again, the trolls will come out in full force every time it slips up. My preseason Final Four prediction may look murky, but I think this is a game where the Orange silence their trolls.
bounce-back win
NICHOLAS ALUMKAL (3-2) STING-FREE TRIP TO BEEHIVE STATE SYRACUSE 17, UTAH 11
Those late-game blunders were prevalent again in Syracuse’s upset defeat to then-No. 15 Harvard last Saturday, as its 5-0 first-quarter lead progressively wilted away. Goalie Jimmy McCool’s benching defined SU’s uncharacteristic performance against the Crimson.
The Orange now sit one game above .500 as they voyage out to the Utes’ Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City — at an elevation of 4,265 feet.
Here’s how our beat writers envision No. 11 Syracuse (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will fare on the road against Utah (1-3, 0-0 Atlantic Sun): sports@dailyorange.com @DOsports
women’s lacrosse
Utah isn’t built vastly different from its 2024 squad, which SU destroyed 18-7 in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Utes have solid attacking pieces like freshman Luke McNamara (team-best 10 goals) and junior Ryan Stines (six goals, 11 assists), but their offense is small fry compared to what the Orange typically produce.
Syracuse’s attack will do enough, spurred by at least a hat trick and a pair of assists from Joey Spallina. I also believe McCool will bounce back and deliver a .550 save percentage or higher — which he’ll need to do since SU’s defense may get gassed quickly in the high altitude.
Before this season, I had this circled as a trap game for Syracuse. Now, it’s a must-win. After SU’s slip-up against Harvard, there’s little room for error the rest of the season due to its challenging schedule. It also puts an extra emphasis on not slipping up against inferior competition like Utah.
The Orange will get the job done, but it won’t come easy. Despite Utah having three losses this season, they’ve come by a combined four goals. This game is also being played at altitude, which presents another challenge, considering Syracuse’s offense tends to fade in the second half of games. It’s scored just six goals in the second half the past two games, compared to 15 in the first half.
While fatigue could play a major factor, SU will win this game. The Orange have too much talent not to. The Orange’s attack of Spallina, Owen Hiltz and Finn Thomson simply won’t let them lose this one. The trio combined for 16 points last time out, and that will continue on Saturday.
Syracuse’s offense will pepper Utah goalie Colin Lenskold — whose save percentage sits at 47.8% — to once again get ahead early. This time, SU won’t blow a five-goal advantage. Stines presents some problems for the Orange, but the Utes’ attack won’t be deep enough to hang around.
Syracuse can’t afford another pratfall against inferior opposition, let alone many more losses this season, if it wants to return to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years for the first time since 2018 and 2019. That won’t happen Sunday. If you apply the transitive property, SU downed Vermont 13-5 in its second game of the season on Feb. 7. That same Catamounts team beat Utah 11-10 Friday. After poor shooting showings in its last two games — putting up a .171 shooting percentage versus then-No. 6 Maryland and a .280 mark against Harvard — Syracuse’s fearsome attack will rediscover its Midas touch against the Utes, who are 22nd in the nation out of 76 teams in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Lacrosse Reference. Utah’s attack is no slouch, placing 14th in Division I in offense efficiency and will again ask questions of Syracuse’s defense, which conceded 15 goals on 24 shots Saturday and forced McCool to be benched in the third quarter. Gait said McCool remains the starter, and I see SU’s backline being up to the test and proving it’s past the last two games. Plus, John Mullen is sure to continue his torrid stretch at X.
A game at Rice-Eccles Stadium could continue the Orange’s tailspin. There’s the crosscountry trip affecting their legs and the altitude affecting their lungs. But Syracuse will correct course and leave the Beehive State unscathed.
Previewing No. 5 Syracuse’s ACC clash with No. 12 Clemson
By Matthew Gray senior staff writer
To begin the 2025 season, Syracuse’s offense looked dangerous. Guided by the veteran presence of Emma Ward and Olivia Adamson, who each tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively, SU jumped out to a 3-0 start.
But Syracuse’s attack lost a chunk of its backbone when Adamson was unavailable in its losses to No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Northwestern. In its 16-8 loss to the Tar Heels, SU was held scoreless for two 15-plus minute stretches and was held to a single-digit goal total for just the eighth time under head coach Kayla Treanor.
Similarly, in their 12-8 defeat against the Wildcats three days later, the Orange’s offense didn’t get off the ground until over 22 minutes into the contest when Ward finally put them on the board. Still, Northwestern’s early 5-0 lead proved too much for Syracuse’s depleted offense to overcome.
With Adamson’s timetable to return still in question, SU returns to conference play against Clemson looking to avoid losing a third-straight game for the first time since April 19, 2018.
Here’s everything to know about No. 12 Clemson (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) before it takes on No. 5 Syracuse (3-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) Saturday:
All time series Syracuse leads 2-0.
Last time they played…
When the then-No. 2 Orange faced off against Clemson on April 13, 2024, the stakes were vastly different for each team. A Syracuse victory would secure an 8-0 ACC record and guarantee at least a share of the program’s first outright regularseason conference title. Meanwhile, Clemson aimed to rebound from a disappointing 2-5 conference start. The Orange left no doubt, steamrolling the Tigers 15-6 for their ninth straight
win and clinched the outright ACC regular-season crown later that day.
Syracuse wasted no time seizing control, racing to a commanding 6-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. Emma Tyrrell led the charge with six points, while Adamson and Payton Rowley contributed four apiece.
How Syracuse beats Clemson Clemson currently ranks ninth in the nation in caused turnovers, with 12.5 per game, led by midfielder Summer Agostino’s 12. Through its first five games, Syracuse’s opponents have racked up 37 combined caused turnovers, which could come into play Saturday against the Tigers.
If SU is going to halt its losing streak Saturday, it’ll need to take care of the ball versus Clemson’s aggressive defense.
Stat to know: 42.9%
When Clemson finds itself closing in on the attack, it has made the most of its opportunities so far in 2025. With 72 goals already this season,
the Tigers’ offensive unit has culminated with a 42.9% offensive efficiency rating. The percentage currently ranks fourth in the country and could spell victory for the Tigers if Syracuse’s defense can’t find a way to limit shot attempts from threats like MacLeod and Edmonds.
Player to watch: Kayla MacLeod, attack, No. 20
To say that MacLeod impressed in 2024 as a freshman would be an understatement. Last season, her 30 goals ranked third on Clemson and was highlighted by a seasonhigh five against then-No. 5 Notre Dame on March 22, 2024. Behind her 11 total multipoint games, she was named to the 2024 All-ACC Freshman Team.
Fast forward to 2025, and she continues to defy expectations. Through just four games, the sophomore has already tallied 16 goals and boasts a 76.5% shooting percentage.
mgray06@syr.edu @ma77hew_gray
Syracuse dropped five spots in Inside Lacrosse’s Top 20 Poll after falling to Harvard
Owen Hiltz’s ‘best fall ever’ prepped him for senior campaign
By Zak Wolf senior staff writer
Owen Hiltz had one goal last fall: he didn’t want to look old anymore.
When Hiltz watched tape from his freshman season, he saw a clear difference from the past two campaigns. Hiltz admitted in his debut 2021 season, he was more spry and agile. Compare that to 2023 and 2024, where he contributed mainly through long-range shots and elite playmaking via skip passes, neither of which require much movement.
Hiltz wanted to change that ahead of his final season of eligibility, joking he hoped to “bring back his freshman year joints.” So, Hiltz spent more time in the gym than in his previous years at Syracuse, attempting to get in the best shape possible.
“It’s a different mindset this year for me,” Hiltz said. “It’s (my) last (season). So this is all I got for one last chance.”
It didn’t take long for Hiltz to impress Syracuse head coach Gary Gait during practices in September. The fourth-year head coach said Hiltz had “his best fall ever” since joining the program, and the success has transitioned to the spring. Hiltz is Syracuse’s joint-top goal-scorer (13), has totaled the second-most points (23) and has recorded at least four points in four of Syracuse’s first five games.
“He’s just a step quicker, he’s making better decisions (and) everything’s got a quicker pace to it,” Gait said of Hiltz.
Syracuse offensive coordinator Pat March also noticed Hiltz’s development, saying he looks “young and agile.” Gait and March both pointed to Hiltz’s summer playing for the Peterborough Lakers, a box lacrosse team in Ontario, Canada. Hiltz held his own in Major Series Lacrosse against some of the best box players in the world. He finished with 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists), which ranked 12th in the league.
It was the first time he had a fully healthy offseason since missing the entire 2022 season with a broken collarbone. Though he recorded 118 points over the next two seasons, second to Joey Spallina’s 156, Hiltz still dealt with lingering shoulder pain and worried he’d re-aggravate the injury.
Hiltz didn’t have the same desire to absorb hits as he did in 2021, when, as a freshman, he recorded the eighth-most points in program history. That hesitancy disappeared this summer after another surgery. Doctors told him his collarbone was stronger than it was preinjury, so Hiltz started trusting it again.
“It gave me a little bit more confidence,” Hiltz said. “I played summer ball with some big dudes and didn’t get hurt. Playing against those guys who are a little bit bigger and know the spots to hit more than your average college defender was good for me.”
Hiltz returned to Syracuse with the vigor he felt as an underclassman. When he arrived at
SU, Hiltz was motivated to match the intensity of veterans Brendan Curry, Tucker Dordevic, Jamie Trimboli and Stephen Rehfuss. After those veterans graduated, Hiltz was thrust into an increased role within the offense, going from a tertiary option to one of Syracuse’s main goalscorers.
Though with the added responsibility, Hiltz’s drive wilted. He didn’t practice as hard or lift as much, admitting he sometimes took the easy way out because of body soreness.
“I saw myself slowly, but not fully losing that kind of edge,” Hiltz said.
Hiltz wasn’t proud of his habits. So, coming off Syracuse’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, where it fell to Denver in the quarterfinals, he wanted to regain his competitive edge. Being his last season, he went all in. He gave more effort in practice, stayed longer in the weight room and set a better example for younger players.
During the fall 2024 semester, Hiltz only had a few classes, so he worked closely with strength and conditioning coach Anthony Pedrotti.
In previous years, the Orange conducted practice after lifts so Hiltz wouldn’t exert as much energy. This season, Syracuse moved its gym sessions to after practice, and Hiltz switched his mindset for the sessions. Pedrotti and Hiltz’s teammates pushed him to lift heavier weights, boosting his strength. He also took better care of his body, spending time before practice participating in physical therapy to make sure his joints were 100%.
After many ups and downs at SU, Hiltz is now in the best shape of his career. The redshirt senior is one of four players remaining from former Syracuse head coach John Desko’s tenure after he retired in 2021 following the Orange’s NCAA Tournament first-round exit. SU missed the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time under Gait before a resurgent 2024 season, where it won its first postseason game since 2017.
“He’s experienced a lot during his time here, from the dark days to hopefully bringing a National Championship this year,” sophomore attack Trey Deere said of Hiltz. “He understands what it’s like. He’s been on both sides.”
Hiltz wants to use his experience to lead Syracuse’s offense this season. March — who’s spent all five seasons with Hiltz — said his lacrosse IQ is unmatched nationally, while Deere added Hiltz “sees plays before they happen.” Deere, a fellow lefty attack, sits beside Hiltz in the locker room and constantly picks his brain about intricacies within the offense.
Off the field, Hiltz sends video clips to other attacks, like Spallina and Finn Thomson. The videos critique sequences from Syracuse’s recent games or sometimes come from Instagram when Hiltz sees something that could improve the Orange’s offense.
According to Thomson, mentorship is a new part of Hiltz’s repertoire. Hiltz previously
Following a strong fall season, Owen Hiltz’s 13 goals are tied for Syracuse’s lead while he’s notched at least four points in four of its first five games. joe
tried to lead by example, but now he’s a more active communicator. If players aren’t trying hard or making the right plays, Hiltz gets on them, demanding better effort, Thomson said. If they’re not seeing something, Hiltz tells them his view and adjustments they can make.
“If (Hiltz is) talking in the huddle about lacrosse, you’re listening no matter what,” graduate student midfielder Sam English said.
On top of being more vocal, Hiltz is on pace for his best season yet, averaging a career-high 4.6 points per game, an increase from 3.82 last season. But Hiltz hasn’t hasn’t felt a major difference in his play.
Thomson and English slightly disagree. They said Hiltz’s playstyle hasn’t shifted drastically, but they’ve seen some of his traits enhanced. Thomson and English agree Hiltz has become even more aggressive.
March added Hiltz is also initiating the offense more often. That comes with some risk, considering Hiltz loves to toss wild diagonal passes to the opposite wing. Due to March’s
familiarity with Hiltz, he allows it and trusts him to make the right plays.
“There’s some plays there you think aren’t going to be successful, and he turns them into plays, and you’re like, ‘Wow, did that really just happen?’” March said.
Even with Hiltz playing at an elite level, Syracuse has stumbled. The Orange have lost two straight games, the first against now-No. 2 Maryland on Feb. 15, where Hiltz was one of just two SU players with multiple goals. Hiltz’s six points weren’t enough to avoid a more shocking upset to No. 12 Harvard on Feb. 22.
So far this season, Syracuse isn’t on the path Hiltz expected, which entailed making a push for its first Final Four since 2013. If they turn it around, a revitalized Hiltz will certainly be a big part of it.
“This is the last year that I can really throw the (Syracuse) jersey on so I’m giving it my all,” Hiltz said.
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2026 recruit Javeion Cooper set to fortify Syracuse’s trenches
By Aiden Stepansky digital managing editor
Javeion Cooper’s birthday gift to his mother was an offer from Syracuse. Already with four college offers, the offensive lineman received a call from SU’s lead Florida recruiter Thomas Caporale just before midnight on Feb. 18, 2024.
The call to Cooper was random. He knew nothing about Syracuse. At the time, he said he didn’t even know there were colleges in New York. The offer reassured Cooper’s mother, Javara Thomas, that he’d break the family’s “generational curse” of attending a four-year college, acting as a present leading into her birthday.
“It made my heart smile,” Thomas said.
A four-star recruit out of Melbourne Central Catholic High School in Melbourne, Florida, Cooper committed to the Orange in December following their upset victory over then-No. 6 Miami. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive tackle is the highest-rated offensive player in SU’s 2026 class — the third-best class in the Atlantic Coast Conference — and is set to fortify its offensive line beginning in 2026.
Cooper sits just behind edge rusher Jarius Rodgers, a fellow Florida native, at the top of SU’s 2026 class. He’s recently corralled offers from top schools like Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss and Colorado. But he’s stayed committed to SU, even scheduling an official visit from June 13-15. And it’s Cooper’s continued desire to be in command that drives him into his future career with the Orange.
“I just like to dominate people. I like pancakes,” Cooper said. “I love to put somebody in the dirt.”
While his offer’s timing was extra special to Thomas, Syracuse’s location did, too. While residing in Florida, Thomas is originally from Rochester, less than 100 miles from SU. Thomas said she was “iffy” at first about Cooper’s decision to leave Florida for New York. Though, many of Cooper’s cousins live in the area, giving her added security knowing he has family nearby.
Cooper said he viewed his college decision as finding “something new,” and he doesn’t want to stay in Florida. After SU defeated Miami, Cooper made his decision.
The Orange invited 100 recruits, including Cooper, to their season finale against the Hurricanes. Admittedly, he doubted whether Syracuse could pull off the upset.
Cooper said he “committed” instantaneously in the postgame locker room as the team celebrated, “feeling the love” from SU head coach Fran Brown, Caporale and edge rusher Fadil Diggs, among others. Also in the celebration was top 2025 recruit Demetres Samuel Jr., who Cooper grew up with and flipped from Florida to Syracuse in September.
Cooper officially committed 11 days after SU’s victory.
“He said, ‘Coach, Syracuse showed me love from the start, and they have not stopped showing me love. That’s where I’m going,’” MCC head football coach Willie Tillman remembers Cooper telling him following his Syracuse commitment.
Under Tillman’s watch, Cooper’s developed into a premiere right tackle. He transferred to MCC before the 2023 season after using his freshman year to play the final year of Little League instead of for a high school. When Cooper joined the Hustlers as a sophomore, he instantly became a key piece of an experienced unit, fellow offensive lineman Corbin Young said.
Tillman joined the Hustlers in 2024 and knew Cooper, then a rising junior, would be a player to build around. With offensive coordinator Knox Robinson and offensive line coach Brett Anderson, Tillman used Cooper’s bruising style with a play labeled, “BULLS.”
Per Young, the offensive line pushes out the defensive end and Cooper gets to the second level and lights the linebacker up. The play cleared the way for numerous explosive runs in 2024.
Through 11 games, quarterback Brogan McNab totaled 966 rushing yards while running back Howard Dewitt notched 930. Both have received offers to join Cooper with the Orange.
“When (Cooper) would pull the ball, we would have our big plays,” McNab said. “If we needed a big play, we were just calling one play behind him.”
In November, MCC defeated True North Classical Academy in a 51-44 shootout. McNab said the Titans gained momentum when one of their defensive stars made a big play and started talking trash to the Hustlers. On the next play, Cooper power-drove the defender 25 yards downfield, finishing the play with a pancake. MCC retook momentum from there and pulled away with the win.
To keep improving, Cooper said he often watches film on himself rather than his competition. He thinks it allows him to better understand what he’s doing well and how to improve. When he’s not watching his own tape, Cooper studies his favorite NFL player, Trent Williams. Additionally, he watches Penei Sewell to see precision and technically sound fundamentals alongside Anderson.
Those skills, he said, are always a work in progress. His speed and athleticism have been sharpened over time due to playing other sports. Thomas said from an early age, she made sure Cooper participated in basketball and track through the football offseason. Last spring, Cooper ran the 100meter relay, stretching his limits against participants half his size.
Though, a foot injury during the track season forced him out of football practice and MCC’s 2024 spring game. But Tillman thought the injury humbled him before dominating his junior season, both on offense and sometimes on the defensive line.
With one more season before college, Cooper still has room to grow. The talent and makeup are undoubtedly there. Offers continue to pour in, but he remains committed to the Orange and is a vital part of their future. The only question lies in reaching his potential.
“His ceiling is the moon. There’s no limit to how far he can go,” Anderson said. amstepan@syr.edu
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Championship catalyst
Britni Smith’s playoff pedigree has SU ice hockey poised for a postseason run
By Jordan Kimball asst. copy editor
Britni Smith’s goal after graduating from St. Lawrence University’s women’s ice hockey program in 2010 was to become a physical therapist. So, the Port Perry, Ontario, native returned to Canada for the next four years and pursued opportunities in sports training.
Simultaneously, Smith played with the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and joined the University of Toronto women’s ice hockey program as an assistant coach. During that time, she shifted her career aspirations away from physical therapy and toward coaching. Smith got her break in 2014 after connecting with Matt Desrosiers, Clarkson University’s women’s head coach.
“I got an opportunity at Clarkson, and honestly, probably the best decision I’ve made was to go that direction and get into coaching,” Smith said. “ I think that’s been my true calling.”
The best decision I’ve made was to go that direction and get into coaching.
Britni Smith su head coach
This led to a storied eight-year tenure with the Golden Knights as an assistant coach, helping lead them to back-to-back National Championships in 2017 and 2018. The success brought Smith to Syracuse in 2022, where she’s now in her third year as a head coach. With the Orange (14-21-0, 11-9-0 Atlantic Hockey America) amid an AHA Postseason run and chasing their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022, Smith’s playoff pedigree is set to power the program going forward.
SU’s last NCAA Tournament appearance came under Paul Flanagan’s tutelage. In his 14th and final year helming Syracuse before retiring, it won the nowdefunct College Hockey America before losing 4-0 to Quinnipiac in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
At the time, Smith said she feared her window to become a head coach was closing. So, she began reaching out to other programs for head coaching positions. With her connection to Flanagan from playing under him at St. Lawrence, Smith jumped at the opportunity at SU and was hired about a month after Flanagan retired.
Before becoming the Orange’s first head coach in program history, Flanagan spent the first nine years of his career at St. Lawrence. From 2006-10, Smith became one of the best defenders Flanagan coached, earning All-Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey Second-Team honors twice.
Though Smith’s experiences prepared her to lead a program, she didn’t know where to start or even if she wanted to become a head coach.
SU likely secures ACC Tournament spot with win over NC State
By Zak Wolf senior staff writer
The end of February used to mark a time when Syracuse was ramping up for a deep NCAA Tournament run. At worst, it meant the Orange needed a couple of key late-season wins to pull themselves off the bubble. As the calendar winds down on the 2024-25 season, SU finds itself on the bubble, one for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Entering Wednesday, Syracuse sat in 15th place in the ACC, holding the
final spot for the conference tournament with four games remaining. One game behind SU was North Carolina State, which the Orange welcomed to the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday. A win would calm fears of not participating in the postseason, while a loss would mean SU’s bubble could be close to bursting. The former was the result, as Syracuse (12-16, 6-11 ACC) handily beat NC State (11-17, 4-13 ACC) 74-60. The Orange never trailed, boosted by a bulldozing display in the paint, where they scored 46 points. Jyáre Davis and Eddie
Lampkin Jr. feasted against NC State’s undersized frontcourt, combining for 29 points and 22 rebounds. Following three three-straight losses, the Orange likely secured an ACC Tournament spot by creating breathing room between them and the Wolfpack.
“Today was the first game that we played this season that from beginning to end, we played well,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame.
As one of the most iconic programs in college basketball, Syracuse isn’t accustomed to sitting towards the bottom of the ACC standings. For now,
that’s just the reality that SU has to grapple with. The Orange have had a disastrous season where nothing has seemed to go right. Even with the ACC having a down year, Syracuse is just one loss away from its most conference defeats in program history. However, Wednesday’s result prevented what’s already been a catastrophic season from being even worse. The victory pushes the Orange two games over NC State and a gameand-a-half over Boston College in 16th place, which would be the last team not to qualify for the ACC Tourna-
ment. Notre Dame also lost, allowing the Orange to rise to 13th place in the conference standings.
“(We’re) just trying to get comfortable and get a spot in the ACC tournament,” Lampkin said.
Lampkin finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, spearheading Syracuse’s mammoth effort down low alongside Davis. Ben Middlebrooks acted as NC State’s lone forward alongside four guards and SU’s frontcourt duo took advantage. Middlebrooks couldn’t keep
see smith page 13 see nc state page 13
britni smith won two National Championships as an assistant at Clarkson from 2014-22. In her third year as SU’s head coach, she’s trying to steer it to an AHA title. courtesy of su athletics
