January 25, 2024

thursday, jan. 25, 2024

celebrating 120 years

N • Honoring a mentor

free

C • ‘Friends we choose’

After overcoming obstacles at a young age, Murjan Abdi said he had to persevere and learn to accept who he is. Now, he is helping local students connect with opportunities.

After Elizabeth Watt’s death, her best friend decided to display her photography in the same building they met in - more than 30 years ago.

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S • Her time Three SU alumni are playing in the first season of the PWHL, a groundbreaking new women’s hockey league that provides players with a stable professional option.

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courtesy of the julianne strauss

By Kendall Luther news editor

L liam zoghby, a sophomore in the InclusiveU program, was born and raised a devout Syracuse Orange fan, living just 10 minutes from campus. courtesy of the zoghby family

‘Bold, brave and kind’ Family, friends remember Liam Zoghby, a student manager for SU men’s basketball, as warm, passionate and considerate

iam Zoghby’s family celebrated with the rest of the JMA Wireless Dome as Quadir Copeland shot a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat University of Miami on Saturday. After the game, some people close to Liam told his family that Copeland wasn’t the only one responsible for the game-winning shot.

“One of the assistant coaches walked up to my dad and was like, ‘that was Liam doing that,’ like that wasn’t all Copeland,” said Miriam Zoghby, Liam’s sister.

Liam, a sophomore in the School of Education’s InclusiveU program and devoted student manager of SU’s men’s basketball team, died on Jan. 12 at age 22 as a result of complications from an aneurysm. Liam was born and raised a dedicated Syracuse Orange fan by his parents, Eileen and Jalal Zoghby, just 10 minutes from SU’s campus, said Miriam, a sophomore studying health sciences at The Ohio State University.

“Those special things kind of have an underlying meaning to them.

Even if it was just nothing and it was a buzzer beater, to our family, it was just so special because it just felt like he was there and everything was kind of going to be okay,” Miriam said.

Liam and Miriam, along with their siblings Sophia and Nolan Zoghby, attended many basketball games with their parents, who Miriam said are season ticket holders. Miriam said Liam developed an affinity for watching sports games as his medical conditions excluded him from participation in sports.

Liam developed DiGeorge Syndrome after being born without a small part of a chromosome, which can cause heart abnormalities and developmental delays. Liam’s medical resilience, which included open heart surgeries and infections, was a testament to his strength and bravery, Miriam said.

“I think that when he couldn’t play those sports, he got really, really attached to watching them,” she said. “He was a huge basketball fan, and a huge football fan, a huge baseball fan, so I think that he automatically loved Syracuse basketball.”

After graduating from Jamesville-DeWitt High School, Liam found his “perfect fit” in the InclusiveU program at SU, Miriam said. She remembers the excitement he had knowing he was a college student who was able to attend classes on SU’s campus, which he always loved.

“I think that was something really special that kind of made him feel like he was … just like any other kid,” she said. see zoghby page 4

on campus

Syverud announces new name of 119 Euclid at USen meeting

By Griffin Uribe Brown asst. digital editor

119 Euclid, a community and learning space for Black Syracuse University students, will be renamed “The Barner-McDuffie House” after a $1 million donation from alumna Sharon Barner, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced during Wednesday’s University Senate meeting.

The building will be named after Barner, a university trustee and 1979 alumna of SU, and her husband, Haywood McDuffie. Barner, the vice president and chief administrative officer at Cummins Inc., was formerly the deputy director of the U.S. Patent and

Trademark Office in President Barack Obama’s administration. Her donation is part of the Forever Orange Campaign.

“This large naming gift will support robust student-centered programming, foster a sense of belonging, promote student leadership, (and) recognize the legacy of the Black community contributions on this campus,” Syverud said.

At the meeting, Syverud also announced he appointed Provost Gretchen Ritter and Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves to “come up with” a statement on free expression and academic freedom.

Syverud first mentioned the statement at the end of the fall semester.

1M

119 Euclid will be renamed the Barner-McDuffie House following a donation from alumnus Sharon Barner for the Forever Orange Campaign.

“(Ritter and Groves) are charged with developing a proposed statement that reflects our values, reaffirms our commitment to these values, (and) is informed by recent experiences and what we’ve learned from them,”

Syverud said.

Ritter said that she and her colleagues received a petition from faculty members “regarding the teaching climate on campus” and concerns about SU’s commitment to a “free exchange of ideas.”

“I’m committed to further dialogue on these matters and have invited some of these faculty to meet with us so we can work together to create constructive and respectful spaces for all perspectives, and the opportunity to learn about difficult and controversial topics,” Ritter said.

She said that the university will continue to “create more opportunities” to discuss challenging topics,

ensuring classrooms are welcoming environments and that people are able to communicate through differences.

Ritter also provided an update on the ongoing contract negotiations with Syracuse Graduate Employees United. After SU graduate student workers unionized in April 2023, SGEU’s bargaining committee has been negotiating with the university since September.

The university and SGEU came to “tentative agreements” on sick and parental leave, academic freedom, intellectual property rights as well as protections from discrimination and see usen page 5

2 january 25, 2024

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INSIDE

The best quotes from sources in today’s paper.

NEWS “Even if it was just nothing and it was a buzzer beater, to our family, it was just so special because it just felt like he was there and everything was kind of going to be OK.” - Miriam Zoghby, sister of Liam Zoghby Page 1 Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com Opinion@dailyorange.com Culture@dailyorange.com Sports@dailyorange.com Digital@dailyorange.com Design@dailyorange.com BUSINESS 315-443-2315

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“It’s interesting now that she’s passed a year ago, that she’s teaching again with her images on that wall.” - Tony Golden, Newhouse professor Page 6

OPINION “There are bullet shaped holes in our hearts, but our spirits are unbreakable.” - UNC Chapel Hill March for Our Lives Page 10

SPORTS

how to join us

“Seeing 13,000-plus fans in Minnesota just shows that there’s an appetite for women’s hockey.” - Danielle Marmer, PHWL Boston’s General Manager Page 12

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COMING UP

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Noteworthy events this week.

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

WHAT: Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing at Drumlins WHEN: Jan. 27, 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

WHERE: Drumlins Country Club

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CULTURE

WHAT: Student Association Grocery Run: Wegmans WHEN: Jan. 28, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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

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WHAT: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion: Open Skate WHEN: Jan. 28, 12 - 10 p.m.

WHERE: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion

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NEWS

january 25, 2024 3

on campus

Unsung Hero awardee helps city youth overcome obstacles

By Samantha Olander asst. copy editor

Murjan Abdi, a Syracuse native, experienced the hardships of being raised in the city. Now, he is helping local students connect with opportunities he never had.

“What really motivates me is I see myself in these kids, I see where they are growing up from, we are growing up from the same block,” Abdi said. “If I can help (them), they can help me.”

Abdi, who was honored Sunday with Syracuse University’s 39th Annual Unsung Hero Award, graduated from the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central in 2019. His personability and community-driven nature have allowed him to mentor and bond with Syracuse youth beyond his role as a workforce development assistant with the Manufacturers Association of Central New York.

The Unsung Hero Award was created to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of promoting change and is given annually to Syracuse community members, students, faculty and staff who have made a positive impact on the lives of others but are not widely recognized for their contributions, according to an SU news release.

As someone who had to overcome a lot of obstacles at a young age — including cerebral palsy, the loss of his mother and being from a family that immigrated to the U.S. — Abdi said he had to persevere and learn to accept who he is. The Unsung Hero Award, Abdi said, means “opportunity” for him and students like him in the community.

“This recognition literally tells people don’t let nothing stop you. You could have a disability or lose a bunch of people in your life, but don’t let that stop you from getting where you are trying to get at,” Abdi said.

Abdi began working for MACNY in August 2022 for Partners for Education & Business, Inc, a nonprofit organization that brings workforce development to K-16 school districts. At PEB, he works directly with students from marginalized communities, conducting resume reviews, mock interviews, character development and other activities that help expose students to job opportunities and training.

Abdi has “spearheaded” PEB’s efforts to further connect with people, specifically youth, through social media in central New York, Taylor Hodge, director of PEB and Abdi’s supervisor at MACNY, said.

In addition to his other responsibilities at MACNY, Hodge said Abdi has a “natural ability” for building relationships with students, especially since he was a student in the Syracuse City School District himself.

“It’s so powerful when you think about him standing on the other side of the table saying, ‘Hey, I did this, here’s where I am now,’” Hodge said. “Hearing that message from someone who looks like you and who has sat in your seat is very powerful.”

Abdi, who said he was the first Black hire in the nearly all-white workforce at MACNY, is now aiming to create a more diverse and inclusive community for the students he mentors. His work has also made him question the traditional hiring practices that exclude those without college degrees.

“Half of the population in Syracuse don’t have (college) degrees, so why are not including them into the work life? We talk about workforce development, but we’re not getting anywhere.”

Jess Charboneau, who met Abdi when he was 13, mentored Abdi at a similar nonprofit to PEB. see abdi page 5

on campus

After 58 years, new possibilities keep professor Lambright young

By Cassandra Roshu photo editor

Professor Harry Lambright taught his last undergraduate course in December 2023. He was not planning to tell his students the end of class would mark the end of nearly 58 years of teaching.

His son, Nathaniel Lambright, who made a surprise appearance, stood up and announced his father’s retirement to the undergraduate students. The room erupted in applause.

“I didn’t say to give a round of applause,” Nathaniel said. “I think they genuinely gave that round of applause for the right reasons.”

Lambright, 84, has taught at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs since 1966 as a professor of political science, public administration and international affairs. For the last few semesters, Lambright taught two graduate courses — Science, Technology and Public Policy and Energy, Environment, and Resources Policy — and one undergraduate course — Technology, Politics, and the Environment— in SU’s Public Administration and International Affairs Department.

“We spend all this time going to the Dome and cheering on awesome athletes, but we don’t spend enough time cheering on the great professors,” Nathaniel said.

Throughout his professional career, Lambright has conducted research in technology and public policy, environmental policy as well as science. With his research, he has written and edited eight books. He has also written hundreds of articles, papers and reports according to the IBM Center.

Lambright said he cannot pinpoint when he fell in love with writing. As an only child raised by a widowed mother who was often at work, he found himself alone with his thoughts. When he felt lonely, he invented stories.

“It became clear to me and to other people around me that I had a skill to do something that came easily to me and was difficult for most people,” Lambright said.

While his passion for his work keeps him vibrant, Lambright said he owes his resiliency to the relationships he built along the way.

“When you’re trying to do things, you can do a certain amount of things by yourself, but most of the time you need other people,” Lambright said. “I’m really proud of the people that work for me. They’re good and they give me energy.”

In 2020, Lambright received a grant from NASA, which he has used to study the role of satellites and sea level rise. Even after the grant ends in March, he hopes to continue his research to study issues surrounding space pollution and debris, as well as old satellites that finished their mission but are still in orbit.

Prior to his professorship, Lambright served as a special assistant to the Office of University Affairs and a member of the History Advisory Committee at NASA, according to the IBM Center. Years later, one of his student research assistants at SU, Dayana Bobko, followed in his footsteps and was hired by NASA as an operations research analyst.

Bobko worked as an undergraduate research assistant under Lambright for three years before becoming his graduate research assistant, where she continued to work with him on policy studies and public-private part-

professor harry lambright in his office on the fourth floor of SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. cassandra roshu photo editor

We spend all this time going to the Dome and cheering on awesome athletes, but we don’t spend enough time cheering on the great professors.

Nathaniel Lambright son of harry lambright

Students assist Lambright in his research pursuits. Lambright’s assistants do their own research as well as organize articles which he finds. cassandra roshu photo editor

nership studies. They spent a minimum of 20 hours a week together, if not more, she said.

Bobko credits her career at NASA to her time spent with Lambright, which developed her interest in space policy — a field she had never previously considered.

“I would never have put myself out there like this if it wasn’t for him,” Bobko said. “And now I love my job. I love what I do, and I’m really thankful to him.”

Bobko said Lambright inspires his mentees and students to view topics from unique perspec-

tives, as well as encouraging them to slow down despite their instinct to rush to the next thing.

“I think a lot of times we rush through things or try to get a deadline done,” Bobko said. “But he always really put in the extra effort to make sure what he was writing was thoughtful, correct and valuable to people that were reading it.”

At a point in his career where most people choose to retire, Lambright has maintained a consistent desire to read, research, teach and learn, Bobko said. In a conversation with the professor, Bobko recalls Lambright telling her he was starting to write a new book.

“Why not? What else am I gonna do?” Bobko recalled Lambright joking.

Nine years later, Bobko and Lambright continue to check in on each other every three months and meet for coffee when possible.

“A lot of connections will at some point in your life kind of fade out, even ones you thought you would stay in touch with for a long time,” Bobko said. “But this seems like one that has stood the test of time for us.”

Throughout his years as a professor, the job has become less robotic and more based on intuition, Lambright said. He described his lectures as a combination of pre-prepared material and ideas that spontaneously came to him. Lambright said he values utilizing his passions to evoke excitement in himself, which is beneficial to his students.

With his “quirky” and “fun, family reunion” sense of humor, it was easy and comfortable to talk to Lambright, said Kincaid Leonard, one of Lambright’s teacher assistants during his final semester.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be that friendly because it seems like it’s a lot of energy,” Leonard said. “But I don’t think it’s a lot of energy for him. I think he loves it.”

The material Lambright used within his undergraduate course, “Technology, Politics, and the Environment,” came from a diverse range of topics and was not a standard class curriculum, Leonard said.

“I have a long way to go to figure out exactly my style (of teaching) or what I want to do,” Leonard said. “I think he is going to be the first step in that path of figuring out what my teaching style is, and who I’m going to be as a professor — if I do go down that route.”

With his family and research, it was clear that Lambright has a full life outside of his professorship. Yet, he always arrived fully prepared, Leonard said.

In the past, Lambright had offers to become a dean but turned them down to continue putting all of his energy into doing what he loves: writing.

“The real problem you have when you get older is that you start losing people that you’ve been close to over the years,” Lambright said.

“You become very aware that every day is a gift and that you want to spend it a little differently than you did when you were striving to become a success.”

One of the most important lessons Lambright’s students taught him was the “promise of youth.” He said he derives energy from surrounding himself with motivated and bright students whom he can mentor.

“Even though I am getting older and every year I’m older, there are always possibilities open to me,” Lambright said. “Life is full of excitement and new experiences. As long as you feel that way, you’ll stay young.” cmroshu@syr.edu

4 january 25, 2024

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on campus

Office of Community Engagement collects gently-used coats

By Kate Jackson

contributing writer

Community members can drop off gently-used coat donations for Syracuse University’s third annual Operation Orange Warm-Up Coat Drive — an initiative to collect winter jackets for central New York individuals and families in need — at several collection locations across SU’s campus until the end of the week.

Donations to the drive, which has been organized by SU’s Office of Community Engagement and Dr. Ruth Chen, will be given to InterFaith Works of Central New York to distribute to community members in need, including local refugee families and other nonprofit partners.

Marked donation bins were placed outside Schine Student Center, Goldstein Student Center, Hendricks Chapel and the Nancy Cantor Warehouse Tuesday and will be open for drop-off donations until Friday. Fans will also be able to drop off coats in donation bins around the JMA Wireless Dome before the tip-off of the SU men’s basketball game against NC State Saturday night. The bins will be located at gates A-F, M and N. Cydney Johnson, vice president of community engagement and government relations, is the “main organizing force” behind the event on behalf of SU’s Office of Community Engagement, said Keith Kobland, a media manager with SU News Services. Johnson said she works closely with the university’s community engagement team to organize the drive every year.

“It’s really a good moment because fans are coming up to have a good time but … it also gives Syracuse University a way to be a good neighbor,” Johnson said.

The university began the annual drive three years ago when Chen, professor of practice at SU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and wife to Chancellor Kent Syverud, partnered with InterFaith Works, Johnson said. Following this, Chen asked the Office of Community Engagement to take on the project. from page 1

zoghby InclusiveU Director Brianna Shults said Liam was always a very friendly student with a positive outlook. She said he always wanted to build relationships and know the people who were supporting him in the program.

“He was always interested in getting to know the person he was talking to, whether it was me (or) another staff member,” Shults said. “​​He was just one of those really engaging people who always had something to share or an opinion to give, but was also a really good listener and really just wanted to build relationships with people.”

Shults said she and Liam often bonded talking about his involvement in the community, whether it was his Marshall Street restaurant of choice or the concerts or sporting events he would be attending.

Liam attended various Peer2Peer events, which pair InclusiveU students with a matriculated student to support their participation in the campus community. Through these events, Liam developed a very close relationship with Peer2Peer Coordinator Julianne Strauss.

Strauss and Liam would frequently chat during her office hours where they would discuss “normal” college student topics, such as the New York Yankees or various weekend events. Strauss said she always admired his constant desire to learn more about people in order to form closer relationships with them.

“He (was) a good friend,” Strauss said. “He (would) maintain that relationship and be willing to put in the steps to any friendship, any good friendship, and that’s all you can ask (for) in a friend.”

Liam’s work with the SU men’s basketball team did not come out of InclusiveU, but came out of the Zoghby family’s involvement with the Jamesville DeWitt basketball program. Through the team, the Zoghby family formed a connection with Jim and Juli Boeheim, who gave Liam the opportunity to become a student manager.

InclusiveU team members supported Liam’s role on the team, and Schults said they also loved to hear about his experiences.

“I think that’s what makes it so wonderful for Liam — this is something he wanted to do. It was something he individually pursued, and he made it happen,” Shults said.

Jake Palczak, a men’s basketball student manager, said Liam was the “definition of commitment” to the team.

“He was definitely one of the most dedicated managers we’ve had, and it was really sad to lose him from a manager standpoint but also from a friend standpoint because he was everyone’s friend,” said Palczak, a senior studying sports management.

Langston Taylor, another men’s basketball student manager, said Liam showed up to practices multiple times over winter break, which he said was rare for underclassmen. He said Liam

Community members can drop off gently-used coats at donation bins during SU’s Operation Orange Warm-Up Coat Drive. lars jendruschewitz asst. photo editor

“Dr. Chen brought together a group of people, and we started discussing ways we might help the community, especially in the cold weather,” Johnson said.

The first Operation Orange Warm-up Coat Drive, held in January 2022, collected not only coats, but also gloves, mittens, hats, boots and scarves.

“That was challenging. We had so many little pieces and then reorganizing and sorting,” Johnson said. “We really focused last year and this year on coats.”

Since then, Chen has continued to support and promote the drive’s efforts, Johnson said.

“The Orange Warm-Up Campaign is one of many expressions of Orange Spirit,” Chen wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. “Members of the Orange community are encouraged to was constantly working but was always checking in with others about their personal lives.

“Everything you were looking for in a manager, Liam really brought,” said Taylor, a junior marketing major.

Liam would return home and share his excitement about how he made connections with the people he used to watch and adore on TV, Miriam said. She originally assumed Liam was starstruck by the players, but later found out the depth of the connections he made through a friend.

Liam developed friendships with several of the players, including sophomore forward Justin Taylor, whom he had a class with. Taylor said Liam always had a smile on his face and was constantly checking in on others.

“Liam was my guy,” Taylor said. “He’s one of the kindest, so we definitely miss him dearly but he’s in a better place.”

After the Miami game, SU’s coaches invited the Zoghby family to the locker room and presented the game ball to them in honor of Liam. As she looked around the locker room, Miriam said she realized the extent of her brother’s importance to the players and coaches on the team.

“For us, these people made such a difference in Liam’s life, but now I can see that Liam made just as much, maybe even more of a difference, in their lives,” Miriam said. “I think that’s something that just speaks to Liam and who he was, and his character and the power that he had on people.”

The men’s basketball team attended Liam’s funeral service on Friday, which was held at the Holy Cross Church in DeWitt and followed by a celebration of life at Drumlins Country Club.

At the service, Strauss saw how well Liam was loved by the community he built. Strauss attended both services and the Miami game, where she and InclusiveU students wore the jerseys of Liam’s favorite teams such as the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Vikings and New York Yankees.

“He’s truly going to be missed by the community, and all of the events that have happened in the past week just show his impact,” Strauss said.

When Miriam returned to school in Ohio, she gave a speech to her sorority about her brother.

She realized that the sorority’s three pillars of “brave, bold and kind” were the words that truly resonated with her to describe Liam.

“You can have all these awards, all these accomplishments in life, but at the end of the day it’s who you are that really matters and sticks with people,” Miriam said. “I really don’t think you’ll ever find another Liam, and I just think that he had such a light in the world that will never be lost.”

Senior Staff Writer Tyler Schiff contributed reporting to this article. kaluther@syr.edu @kendallaluther

take actions to support one another in and out of classrooms, campus, and the world.”

The drive will also feature volunteers from the Black Student Union and Chinese Union, who have planned to send volunteers to facilitate the drive’s efforts, Johnson said. These groups will help collect donations outside the stadium Saturday.

Both organizations will have eight members at each gate before Saturday’s game. The volunteers will oversee coat collections and spread the word, encouraging other students to donate and promote the drive, said Ruohan Xu, president of the Chinese Union.

“We founded our organization to try and build a bridge between international students and the local community,” Xu said. “This is one way we can volunteer and make better connections between each other.”

Johnson said she hopes the drive will support vulnerable communities in central New York while also encouraging SU students’ engagement with the surrounding area.

“It really gives us an opportunity to work with our student partners and let them be part of the larger Syracuse community,” Johnson said.

The coat collection drive would not be successful without the help of student volunteers and InterFaith Works’ dedication to the cause, Johnson said.

InterFaith Works’ mission is to meet the needs of people who are vulnerable, low-income and targets of oppression in their community, many of whom are refugees from parts of Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, President and CEO of Interfaith Works Beth Broadway said.

“We’re very grateful that this is a community that welcomes refugees and one way that people can demonstrate that in a small way is just to give us a coat,” Broadway said.

This agency will settle 895 refugees this year, Broadway said. She also said many of the refugees, regardless of their country of origin, have never needed or worried about needing a heavy winter coat before living in Syracuse.

The goal of the drive is to get between 500 and 800 coats to distribute to various donation centers throughout the Syracuse community, Broadway said.

“People like to get a new coat, but I think it’s also that people get a lot of pleasure out of giving, and that has really stuck with me,” Broadway said.

Broadway said her friendship with Chen and their connection through InterFaith Works was crucial in the formation of the coat drive, as they both believe in “the generosity of the Syracuse University community” and its power to inspire change.

“It is a culmination of empathy, cooperation, and can-do spirit that is the Hallmark of the Orange Community,” Chen wrote. kjacks19@syr.edu

liam zoghby stands in front of the NABC National Championship Trophy. He spent time as a student manager of the men’s basketball team. courtesy of the zoghby family

For us, these people made such a difference in Liam’s life, but now I can see that Liam made just as much, maybe even more of a difference in their lives.

Miriam Zoghby liam’s sister

january 25, 2024 5

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from page 1

usen

harassment. At a Jan. 16 press conference, the union expressed frustrations about the process, specifically citing concerns with pay proposals and healthcare.

“I’m grateful to our graduate students and to the university’s negotiating team for working together in good faith on reaching a fair agreement,” Ritter said. “More work remains to be done, but I’m optimistic that we can reach a mutually agreed-upon contract in the not-toodistant future.”

Later in the meeting, the Senate discussed a motion to “reimagine” the body’s committees.

Under the motion, various senate committees would be merged into new combined or renamed groups. The new format would feature revised from page 3

abdi

She said his perseverance, charisma and empathy are what set him apart in the community.

Abdi credits Charboneau as the person who helped him overcome his anxieties about his disability.

“He (is) just constantly thinking of others in ways that make the community better,” Charboneau said.

Abdi, who obtained his associate degree in business administration and management from Onondaga Community College, is currently pursuing a bachelor’s in business through online school at SUNY Empire State University. One day, he hopes to start his own business where he can leverage his connections as resources for local students.

Beyond the Unsung Hero Award, Abdi was also recognized in 2023 with the Champion of Diversity Award from the YWCA and the SCSD Alumni Award to honor his commitment to service, diversity and inclusion.

“Murjan has just such a huge heart and would help anyone, and that goes outside of our day-today work,” Hodge said. “I see that he’s out in his community helping others, getting the word out about resources that are available, specifically to students. I think he has this real passion for youth development.”

Abdi said his commitment to youth development is rooted in his personal experiences growing up as the oldest of eight siblings. Abdi cited his father’s influence as the biggest contribution to his success and passion for community service.

Hodge said Abdi continues to be a “role model” for his younger siblings, serving as both a mentor and a resource to them, especially since the passing of their mother.

roles for each committee, Agenda Committee Chair Kira Reed said.

One of the proposed changes would codify the Honorary Degree Committee’s ability to consider revocations, which was not previously included in USen’s bylaws, Reed said. Currently, she said the committee is only able to look at revocation requests if they are authorized by a senate resolution.

During this portion of the meeting, senators asked about Rudy Giuliani’s honorary degree and whether the power to rescind an honorary degree was vested in the Senate or the Honorary Degree Committee. In April 2023, the Honorary Degree Committee decided to not move forward with rescinding Giuliani’s degree, according Michel Benaroch, this year’s chair of the committee, in a statement to The Daily Orange.

“Even in this professional chapter of his life, he’s still helping his siblings with school,” she said. “It carries over into the students that we’re working with through programs, it carries into the community.”

Shannon Nolan, the assistant director for Early College Pathways and Abdi’s former student navigator at OCC, said his challenges are the reason why he serves the community and its youth.

“Murjan never let any of these obstacles stop him,” Nolan wrote in an email to The Daily Orange. “These same obstacles are what fuel Murjan’s desire to give back and pull others up.”

Prior to his work at MACNY, Abdi significantly expanded the Educational Opportunity Program at OCC. Abdi remains connected to the college, regularly visiting campus and working with students. Nolan said he is the most involved alumni that she has seen at OCC. “He has always been involved, always smiling and always willing to help in any way that he can,” Nolan wrote in the email. “He remembers where he came from and who has helped him on his journey, and he is eager to pay it forward.”

In his past role as a financial mentor at CNY Works, Abdi focused on financial literacy, educating students on credit and how to open their own bank accounts. His motivation for this, he said, stemmed from his personal experience of opening a bank account alone at 16 and having to navigate various jobs after high school without guidance.

Abdi said the most rewarding part of his jobs have been serving as the mentor he would have wanted as a kid. Citing specific examples from his career, including helping a student get a job at Northside Collision and opening up more than 500 bank accounts for students, Abdi knows he found the right career for him.

“That’s when I knew in my heart that actually I’m doing good work,” Abdi said. “That was that spark and now I’m pushing to help other people.” kjacks19@syr.edu

“Honorary Degrees has not made a decision, they have just not reported to the Senate since that vote,” Reed said. “So it’s still the senate making decisions, and we will definitely clarify that this evaluation is a recommendation to the senate.”

The vote to enact the newly-named committees will be held during the Feb. 21 meeting. The Honorary Degree Committee was also moved into the agenda for next month’s meeting despite previously being scheduled for March 20, Reed said.

Other business: •

Syverud said that applications for the incoming 2024 undergraduate class will reach a historic high for the third consecutive year. At this point, SU has received over 44,000 applications, which is up 6% from this time last year, Syverud said.

•

•

Syverud also provided updates to two pilot programs through the College of Professional Studies. The first “streamlines” the application and credit transfer process for military and veterans. The second allows students who did not complete their degree to finish their degrees in an “easy and affordable” manner, and will be assessed at the end of the year.

Ritter confirmed that searches for the dean of the College of Law and executive director of the SU Art Museum are ongoing. Syverud said the university is in the interview process for a “forward-thinking” permanent technology leader for the Information Technology and Chief Information Officer role. gbrown19@syr.edu

murjan abdi is a recipient of SU’s Unsung Hero Award. He focuses on helping students locally, being the mentor he never had. lars jendruschewitz asst. photo editor

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CULTURE

6 january 25, 2024

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‘Teaching Again’ One year after her death, Elizabeth Watt continues to “teach” through an exhibit honoring her work

By Kelly Matlock culture editor

E

lizabeth Watt, a former Syracuse University student, professor and mentor, died in January 2023.

Maria Ferrari, her best friend of 40 years, organized an exhibit of Watt’s work in the same place where the pair became friends — S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

In total, there are 32 bright, colorful still life photos of food, flowers and vases adorning the walls of Newhouse’s food.com. Accompanied by a brief description of Watt’s legacy, the exhibit, which was put up in mid-December, is a monument to her work and life.

“I would like as many people to see it as possible and be inspired,” Ferrari said. “Hold your best friends tight. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Ferrari met Watt during their undergraduate years at SU and became fast friends.

After they graduated in 1981, she convinced Watt to move to New York City with her, where Watt quickly became notable in the photography field.

During her career as a food, still life and beauty photographer, Watt worked for magazines including “Martha Stewart Living,” “Fortune” and “The New York Times Magazine.”

She was part of a pioneering group of women who moved to New York City around the same time and shook up the male-dominated illustration photography industry, her former Newhouse professor Tony Golden said.

With peers like Beth Galton and Nora Scarlet, Watt emphasized storytelling, setting and narrative in her work — unlike the technical photographers of the time.

“The whole field changed because of Elizabeth and these other women, what they brought to the front,” Golden said. “It was picked up very quickly, and that’s why she was such a quick success.”

When Watt and Ferrari were students, the photography program at SU was still fully reliant on photo labs and prints rather than digital photography. Students spent free time in the photo lab looking at each other’s photography and socializing, which created a tight-knit community.

While they were studying at Syracuse, still life photography was more relevant than it is now, Ferrari said. In recent years, photographers have focused more on capturing people, but Watt focused on “seeing the simple beauty in the smallest of things.”

“I’m hoping (the exhibit is) going to really inspire other students to look at it and start thinking and seeing differently. That was her goal in life: to help other kids,” Ferrari said.

“She was a mom too. She was a daughter, and she’s always been about bringing out the best in people.”

Ferrari said it was an honor to do the exhibit at SU. With Watt’s history at the school as a photography student and adjunct professor, it felt like the right place for her work to be displayed.

Watt returned to SU as an adjunct professor and taught a senior and graduate-level photo illustration class during the spring semester for many years. While teaching the course, she

joe zhao asst. photo editor

see watt page 9

courtesy of maria ferrari

january 25, 2024 7

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screentime column

Expect an ‘Oppenheimer’ heavy Academy Awards in March

The “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” saga continues from July into awards season. Both films, among others, are up for several Oscars this year, and our screentime columnist predicts “Oppenheimer” will walk away with the most. flynn ledoux contributing illustrator

By Jack Steinberg

screentime columnist

Each year, awards season rewards the fantastic cinema from the previous year. And seemingly, the same heartbreak and disappointment engulfs movie lovers everywhere, upset that their favorite new release is not getting the recognition it deserves. With this in mind, I did my best to predict which films will takehome their respective awards.

Best Picture:

The pool of this year’s Best Picture nominees included Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

All nominations are phenomenal, in their own right, and would be a runaway winner in any other year. But unfortunately, 2024 seems to be the year of Nolan’s biopic about the “father of the atomic bomb.” Not only has “Oppenheimer” seemingly swept this awards season, but Nolan is also due for his first win after failing to win in five previous nominations.

Other films worthy of consideration are Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” and Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Payne’s comingof-age film features extraordinary performances from its stellar yet small cast, with dialogue that will stay with us for years. Moreover, Scorsese’s adapted story features the level of filmmaking we’ve grown to associate with the director.

Unfortunately, these great movies do not seem to have the same momentum or overall critical acclaim as “Oppenheimer,” making this the obvious winner.

Best Director:

This year was a masterclass in filmmaking.

The nominees include Jonathan Glazer, Yorgos Lanthimos, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Justine Triet.

The fact that Nolan has never won an Academy Award is baffling, but I believe this is finally his chance to walk away with it. He not only created an exceptional film, but he also managed to add his personal science fiction-esque flair to the biopic genre, which is usually saturated with boring Oscar bait.

Scorsese and Lanthimos also deserve their flowers (no pun intended), but I think this is Nolan’s award to lose.

Best Actor:

This is the first category where I must throw away all bias and be objective in regard to who I believe the Academy will choose. All performances this year were special, whether it be Bradley Cooper’s uncanny portrayal of composer Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro,” or Paul Giamatti’s devastating yet beautiful performance in “The Holdovers.”

However, I believe Cillian Murphy’s gripping and nuanced take on the brilliantly troubled scientist will have him crowned as this year’s best actor.

Once again, momentum plays a key role, but I would be foolish to negate Murphy’s sensational role. Jeffrey Wright’s acting in “American Fiction” and Colman Domingo’s in “Rustin” were also superb, but there is no question Murphy is the one who will leave holding the Oscar.

Best Actress:

One of the few categories that managed to evade the grasp of “Oppenheimer” features the most

contested race yet.

While all of these women were equally fantastic, I can’t reasonably picture the night ending without Lily Gladstone winning the award for her incredible performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” A relative newcomer in comparison to her peers in this category, Gladstone still managed to deliver a performance of a seasoned veteran. Their portrayal of an Indigenous woman surrounded by the Osage murders in 1920s Oklahoma was beyond memorable and shows Gladstone’s potential.

While Emma Stone and Carey Mulligan have received a lot of love and acclaim for their performances in “Poor Things” and “Maestro” respectively, neither of these women can compete with the meteoric rise of Gladstone.

Best Supporting Actor:

Whether it be the legendary Robert De Niro for his inhuman performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” or Ryan Gosling for his refreshing turn as Ken in “Barbie,” all actors each brought something different to the see OSCARS page 9

humor column

An ode to the appliances in our humor columnist’s apartment

By Sarah Wells

humor columnist

Ah, the college apartment. A messy, cozy, perfect place to unwind after a long day of nodding your head at your professor while pretending to pay attention. Personally, my college apartment is my personal haven. I have a comfy bed to avoid my homework in, a TV to watch and a roommate to avoid eye contact with after I’ve been singing in the shower.

However, there are a few things in my apartment that leave me at my wit’s end: the appliances. They break, burn and bother me.

First, the radiator. Why so hot, radiator? I can’t even be near you without getting a seconddegree burn on my shins. Are you upset with me?

Did I say something wrong? When I turn you to the medium setting, it feels like I’ve walked into a hot yoga class I was forced to sign up for. But when I turn you too low, you leave me in the cold, shivering so intensely I have to put a sweatshirt over my outfit that I took far too long to choose the day before.

Why don’t you want me to look cute, radiator?

Are you against me feeling confident and sassy?

Whenever I talk to you about it, you give me the silent treatment. (I called the handyman about this, and he said because you’re a radiator, you can’t talk. I don’t believe it.)

To the oven, thank you for making me look like a moron in front of the handyman when I could not figure out how to turn you on when I first moved into the apartment. How is one supposed to know you have to turn two knobs instead of just one? All I wanted was a frozen pizza, and instead, I looked like a complete and utter fool.

From second-degree burns to strange leaking liquids, college apartments are never perfect. Humor columnist Sarah Wells shares her apartment troubles. nora benko illustration editor

Now, my fridge. Dear, dear fridge. Just let my cheese not go moldy, I’m begging. I know it’s hard to stay below 40 degrees, but I believe in you. I really do. It would also be

amazing if you didn’t leak a strange liquid every now and then that I have to clean up. It’s quite concerning and always happens at the worst moments.

To my roommate’s air fryer, why must you take up half of our counter? I’m too scared to use you because you’re the size of a baby

see apartment page 9

8 january 25, 2024

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january 25, 2024 9

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CONCERTS

from page 6

watt

continued to live in New York City, flying to Syracuse to teach her class before flying back home that same day.

W hen Newhouse held trips to the city for students, Watt hosted welcome receptions for them in her studio for no cost, Golden said.

“She became a mentor for our students in New York City,” Golden said. “She was this enormously successful bridge between Newhouse photo illustration majors, graduate students and undergrads in New York City, which was the mecca for advertising photography.”

Ken Harper, an associate professor in Newhouse and the exhibit curator, described the exhibit as not only a testament to Watt’s work, but a testament to her friendship with Ferrari.

“People come through Newhouse by the thousands, and sometimes it’s easy to forget the relationships that are forged there can last a lifetime,” Harper said. “And, we often forget that a lifetime is not forever.”

Harper said the exhibit is profoundly graphic.

With bold, bright images of things that humans consume, he sees the exhibit as a reminder of nature’s ability to give humans life.

“There’s a lot of parallels you could draw towards the food that we choose and the friends that we choose to have,” Harper said. “These are the things that sustain us that we choose.”

The exhibit is a reminder there is beauty in the world that needs to be cherished, Harper said. He hopes the exhibit gives passersby a moment of pause, making them grateful for the important people in their lives.

“Elizabeth, for us, became a very powerful teacher. Students learn from her in the classroom and all the students that she mentored in New York,” Golden said. “It’s interesting now that she’s passed a year ago, that she’s teaching again with her images on that wall.” kellyamatlock@icloud.com

from page 7

oscars table. Mark Ruffalo and Sterling K. Brown were equally brilliant in “Poor Things” and “American Fiction.”

But “Oppenheimer” has the upperhand again with Robert Downey Jr.’s otherworldly performance.

Downey is no stranger to the Academy Awards, having previously been nominated twice for “Chaplin” and “Tropic Thunder,” but neither of these films or performances holds a candle to what he did in “Oppenheimer.” Playing one of the key forces opposing Murphy in the film, he perfectly showed the moral ambiguity of Lewis Strauss while also making the audience sympathize with him in one way or another.

Best Supporting Actress:

Unlike the other categories, best supporting actress seems like a no-brainer. Not to take away

from page 7

apartment elephant’s head, and you always get in my way whenever I’m trying to do dishes. We must keep you on the counter because you can’t fit in the cupboard. Perhaps some prior research should have gone into buying you before we moved into our tiny apartment. Do

scribble

THIS WEEKEND Middle Ages Brewing Company Acoustic duo The Noisy Boys will perform this Friday at Middle Ages Brewing Company. Known for their covers of iconic hits like “40” by U2, “Better Man” by Pearl Jam and “Yesterday” by The Beatles, the Syracuse-based band has been performing acoustic covers since 1992. Their sound includes rich vocals on top of laid-back guitar beats. No ticket is necessary.

WHEN: Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m.

PRICE: Free

The Song & Dance

The Song & Dance is hosting Steven Cali this Friday night. The upstate New York native is a country artist. The 26-yearold artist is known for his relaxed vocals and signature country twang. Along with his original work, he also plays classic country hits. Tickets for his show are available for purchase online.

WHEN: Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

PRICE: $19.78

Throughout her career, Elizabeth Watt photographed for various magazines, such as Fortune and The New York Times Magazine. courtesy of maria ferrari

from the amazing performances of the other women nominated, but Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s acting in “The Holdovers” was above and beyond anyone else. Randolph steals the screen every time she’s on, despite being alongside Giamatti in one of the three main roles.

Emily Blunt in “Oppenheimer,” America Ferrera in “Barbie,” Danielle Brooks in “The Color Purple” and Jodie Foster in “Nyad” were all well-deserving of a nomination, but none carried their respective films like Randolph did.

Snubs

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the films that I feel were neglected by the academy this year, including Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” and Todd Haynes’ “May December.”

The lack of nominations for Zac Efron’s lead in “The Iron Claw” as well as the dual performances of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in “May December” were certainly up there with the best of the year. I thought Efron

you feel the need to compensate for something? You’re doing enough, I promise. Just let me wash my bowls in peace.

Finally, the smoke detector. Oh, how I detest you. At this point, I’m sure you have a personal vendetta against me. You ring and ring and ring for no apparent reason. Personally, I think you crave attention. Maybe start journaling, that’s what I do. If there was an

was given a career resurgence with his portrayal as the lead, and Moore and Portman’s dynamic was in the same regard as their contemporaries.

Additionally, the neglect of Margot Robbie in the Best Actress race is laughable. If her counterpart Gosling is afforded a nomination, she is more than deserving considering how she spearheaded the film. Not to mention, the way she effortlessly made a character like Barbie dynamic should be acknowledged.

However, Robbie is not the only snub from the box office hit “Barbie.” Visionary writer/director Greta Gerwig deserves a nomination for her unique approach to making a film about beloved children’s toys. In an ideal world, Gerwig would be up for best director instead of Johnathan Glazer.

Other than these discrepancies, the Academy did a great job with this year’s nominations. Audiences will have to eagerly wait until March 10 for the final winners and losers. jstein15@syr.edu

actual fire, smoke detector, I highly doubt that you would even bother to alert us. I just don’t trust you, you round little freak.

To all of the appliances reading this, this is merely a performance review. I trust that you can and will do better in the future. If not, I may just go back to living in a dorm again. sswells@syr.edu

Happy National Opposite Day!

Funk ‘n Waffles Stephen Phillips will take center stage this weekend at Funk ‘n Waffles.

Taking from pop music, gospel, punk and R&B, Phillips is known for his high-energy performances. In 2018, Philips released his first EP, “VACATE.” Tickets for the concert are available online.

WHEN: Jan. 27 at 8 p.m..

PRICE: $18.22

Dollhouse Syracuse University student house show venue, Dollhouse, is hosting its first show of the semester. Bringing together the music scenes of central New York, the venue invited two other artists from Ithaca, Microbes Mostly and Bobo Doll, to perform alongside Char. The dress code is “GLITTER, sparkles, and everything shiny.”

Tickets will be available at the door.

DM Dollhouse for the address.

WHEN: Jan. 27 at 8 p.m..

PRICE: $5

The Lost Horizon The Emo Night Tour arrives in Syracuse this Saturday. The tour features DJs and cover bands playing some of the greatest emo and rock hits. The show includes songs from standouts in the genre like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance and more. The tour is a love letter to emo music fans everywhere. Tickets for the show are available online.

WHEN: Jan. 27 at 8 p.m.

PRICE: $18.22

10 january 25, 2024

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OPINION

We will not wait for the next school shooting Student leaders across the country draw attention to the pervasive issue of gun violence

As of Jan. 4, more than 360,000 students in the United States have experienced gun violence at school since the Columbine shooting in 1999. The UNC Chapel Hill chapter of March for Our Lives shed light on this statistic in their national op-ed signed by over 140 student leaders. fernanda kligerman design editor

letter to editor

S

UNC Chapel Hill March for Our Lives

tudents are taught to love a country that values guns over our lives.

Some of us hear the sound of gunfire when we watch fireworks on the fourth of July, or when we watch a drumline performance at halftime. But all of us have heard the siren of an active shooter drill and fear that one day our campus will be next.

By painful necessity, we have grown to become much more than students learning in a classroom — we have shed every last remnant of our childhood innocence. The steady silence of Congress is as deafening as gunfire.

We will not wait for individual trauma to affect us all before we respond together — our empathy is not that brittle. Our generation responds to shootings by bearing witness and sharing solidarity like none other. We text each other our last thoughts and we cry on each others’ shoulders and we mourn with each other at vigils. We convene in classrooms and we congregate in churches and we deliberate in dining halls. We’re staunch and we’re stubborn and we’re steadfast.

Our hearts bleed from this uniquely American brand of gun violence.

Yet, we still summon the courage to witness firework shows and remind ourselves that we love our country so much that we expect better from it.

We believe that our country has the capacity to love us back. There are bullet shaped holes in our hearts, but our spirits are unbreakable.

History has taught us that when injustice calls students to act, we shape the moral arc of this country.

Students in the Civil Rights Movement shared their stories through protest, creating the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) that organized Freedom Rides, sit-ins and marches. In demanding freedom from racial violence, this group’s activism became woven into American history.

Students across America organized teach-ins during the Vietnam War to expose its calculated cruelties — in doing so, rediscovering this country’s empathy. Their work, in demanding freedom from conscription and taxpayer-funded violence, is intertwined with the American story.

This fall, UNC Chapel Hill students’ text exchanges during the Aug. 28 shooting reached the hands of the President. The nation read the desperate words of our wounded community, as we organized support, rallied and got thrown out of

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the North Carolina General Assembly. We demanded freedom from gun violence, just as we have in Parkland and Sandy Hook and MSU and UNLV. For 360,000 of us since Columbine, the toll of bearing witness, of losing our classmates and friends, of succumbing to the cursed emotional vocabulary of survivorship, has become our American story.

Yes, it is not fair that we must rise up against problems that we did not create, but the organizers of past student movements know from lived experience that we decide the future of the country.

The country watched student sit-ins at Greensboro, and Congress subsequently passed civil rights legislation. The country witnessed as students exposed its lies on Vietnam, and Congress subsequently withdrew from the war.

In recent years, the country watched student survivors march against gun violence, and the White House subsequently created the National Office of Gun Violence Prevention on September 22, 2023.

So as students and young people alike, we should know our words don’t end on this page — we will channel them into change.

We invite you to join this generation’s community of organizers, all of us united in demanding a future free of gun violence. We understand the gravity of this commitment, because it’s not simply our lives we protect with prose and protest. It is our way of life itself.

We will not allow America to be painted in a new layer of blood. We will not allow politicians to gamble our lives for NRA money.

And most of all, politicians will not have the shallow privilege of reading another front-cover op-ed by students on their knees, begging them to do their jobs — we do not need a permission slip to defend our freedoms. They will instead contend with the reality that by uniting with each other and among parents, educators, and communities, our demands become undeniable.

We feel intense anger and frustration and sadness, and in its wake we search for reaffirmations of our empathy — the remarkable human capacity to take on a tiny part of someone else’s suffering. We rediscover this fulfillment in our organizing, in our community, in not just moving away from the unbearable pain of our yesterday but in moving toward an unrelenting hope for our tomorrow.

Our generation dares politicians to look us in the eye and tell us they’re too afraid to try.

Signed by 144 student leaders representing more than 90 groups across the nation.

Anish Vasudevan

Kyle Chouinard

Stefanie Mitchell

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pop culture

Pro-Palestine actors in Hollywood have the most to lose for their beliefs SOFIA AGUILAR

L

“ POP CULTUR E PR INCESS ”

ast week, my social media feeds were overtaken by the now-viral TikTok of “Stranger Things” actor Noah Schnapp finally addressing the criticism against him for his pro-Israel views amidst the state’s genocide.

Once only known for playing Will Byers on the hit Netflix show, Schnapp, seemingly overnight, became synonymous with modern Zionism. The incident arose after Schnapp handed out stickers reading, “Zionism is sexy” and “Hamas = ISIS” with his friends in public. He has also been accused of liking content online that makes fun of Muslims and Palestinians.

Unfortunately, these are common attitudes held by those who engage with Zionism, a political ideology and colonial movement rooted in nationalism that seeks Jewish freedom and self-determination at the expense of Palestinian people, culture, land and life.

Yet while other entertainers like Melissa Barrera and Susan Sarandon have been fired from projects and dropped by their talent agency for speaking out in support of Palestine, Schnapp’s employment at Netflix never wavered. He never saw consequences from executives, only coming forward now that fans are calling for his firing and threatening to boycott the show altogether. Unfortunately, the lack of consequences for claims like Schnapp’s and condemnation for people like Barrera and Sarandon has become a trend. As a result of this, actors who are publicly supporting Palestine at this moment have much more to lose.

Even in the early days of Hollywood, although violence against Palestinians was already happening with displacement and mass exoduses, industry stars like Frank Sinatra, Peter Sellers and Barbra Streisand participated in pro-Israel rallies. Even the Hollywood Bowl held an event to listen to a message from Israel’s then-prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.

That’s not to say that every Jewish person in Hollywood or Israel was – or is now – a

Hollywood’s pro-Israel bias couldn’t be more clear, our columnist argues. Consuming film is a political choice with an impact. joe zhao asst photo editor

Zionist, or that violence wasn’t being committed on both sides. However, it’s clear that the United States’ support of Israel on the federal level in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust guaranteed the country a powerful ally on the international stage. This likely influenced Hollywood to strengthen the ties between the two nations, creating an atmo-

sphere of fear and intimidation for anyone who chose to speak out.

Both then and now, a big part of what has made it so difficult to criticize Israel is the fear of being labeled as antisemitic. In fact, equating being Jewish with being a Zionist, or equating their suffering with the state, is antisemitic in and of itself. That hasn’t stopped people in

positions of power from threatening or firing critics. Actor David Clennon was recently quoted in The Guardian as saying “these same criticisms are made by Israelis themselves – intellectuals and political activists. It’s ironic that there is more open debate about Zionism in Israel than is allowed in Hollywood.”

What we’ve been witnessing the last few months is evidence that there is a double standard in the industry. It’s more than Schnapp or even Amy Schumer; plenty of other pro-Israel actors, even after getting criticism from fans, continue to act in some of our favorite shows, receive job opportunities and maintain their platforms of power and influence. All while those who support Palestine get blacklisted, receive death threats, become victims of smear campaigns, are forced to resign, lose opportunities and, of course, are painted as antisemitic even when it’s not warranted.

The pro-Israel bias could not be more clear.

Yes, there are some instances where people clearly cross a line. Antisemitism remains an ongoing issue, especially in the U.S. In the last year alone, the number of anti-Jewish hate crimes has increased by 37%. But to say that Israel is a settler-colonial state is not antisemitic. To say that Palestinians have been colonized and deserve to live in the land they are indigenous to is not antisemitic. Criticism is not always oppression and until Hollywood learns that, there will never be any change.

It’s hard to see this system of silencing in real time and not feel pessimistic about the fragile state of free speech and political activism in the industry. The truth is, however, we have power as content consumers.

Now more than ever, there’s proof that what we consume and support – and what we don’t – is an intentional, political choice that has an impact.

I’ll be standing up alongside those who are putting their career on the line to make a difference, who are unafraid of speaking up for people experiencing oppression and death in mass numbers. Because whether we like it or not, we’re all contending with a system of fear and control. What matters is whether we fight against it or let it ride.

Sofia Aguilar is a first-year grad student in the Library and Information Science program. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at saguilar07@syr.edu.

politics

Claudine Gay’s resignation acts as a warning to every campus community ALLEN HUANG

O

“ INCR EMENTA L EFFORTS A N D CONSTRUCTIV E CON V ERSATIONS ”

n Jan. 2, Claudine Gay resigned from her position as president of Harvard University.

Appointed less than six months prior, the first Black president of Harvard was embroiled in public scrutiny and online outrage after testifying in December about institutional responses to antisemitism on college campuses. When asked by United States Representative Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., whether or not a hypothetical call for the genocide of Jews would be a violation of Harvard’s code of conduct, Gay responded with, “it can be, depending on the context,” along with a clarification that antisemitic rhetoric is “actionable conduct.”

The testimony drew national backlash among lawmakers and some university donors, with several politicians requesting that Gay, along with presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, resign. Several donors also threatened to, or did, pause their donations after Gay’s remarks.

Meanwhile, Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager and Harvard donor, initiated a tedious campaign against Gay, claiming that she was hired as part of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Ackman also stated that her actions were destroying Harvard’s reputation. Despite the public pressure campaign, Harvard initially stood behind Gay. But this all changed after conservative news outlet The Washington Free Beacon published documents claiming that Gay improperly attributed sources in her Ph.D. dissertation and several other articles on her resume. Christopher Rufo, a right-wing activist known for his animosity toward critical race theory and LGBTQ issues, also called for Gay’s resignation, both on the merits of failing to address antisemitism and for the instances of plagiarism.

nora benko illustration editor

Gay eventually announced her resignation on Jan. 2, and later penned an op-ed in the New York Times, saying she received countless threats against her safety. She warned that a coordinated attempt against not just her, but the entire structural integrity of higher education, is at play. In the column, Gay asserts that university administration, students and professors alike are facing an increase in public pressure campaigns against their political opinions.

Gay’s resignation marks a critical juncture in the intersection of politics, media and education that impacts all university campuses, far from just Harvard itself. The fallout from this event underscores the vulnerability of academic institutions to external political pressures and the escalating culture wars.

Despite what some would claim, the campaign against Gay is primarily driven by political motivations over her progressive stance on

social issues instead of any substantive concern over academic dishonesty. For example, after Ackman’s wife, an academic herself, was accused of plagiarism, Ackman did not reflect on whether he was justified in attacking others, but rather publicly threatened to launch lawsuits against the outlet that broke the story.

All the while, Rufo celebrated the victory and publicly bragged.

Talking with Politico, he said that, “for the time being, given the structure of our institutions, this is a universal strategy that can be applied by the right to most issues. I think that we’ve demonstrated that it can be successful.”

Pressure from outside the campus that targets students, professors and administrators for their political opinions is becoming more and more pronounced across the country and poses a clear threat to personal safety and psychological well-being. For everyone on

campus, such incidents can exacerbate the existing divisions within the community.

Sides will be taken on issues, with some supporting the targeted individual or policy and others opposing it. For minority and marginalized groups, witnessing the experience of high-profile figures like Gay might discourage them from speaking out on their campus.

For students, this might affect their ability to engage in critical thinking and be exposed to a wide range of viewpoints.

There are many dangers against the health of campus climates if more universities decide to take the bait laid out by provocateurs like Rufo and Ackman. Such tactics could be reused again and again on other issues, leading to an environment where scholarly work and academic credentials are routinely questioned for political ends. This undermines the integrity of academic research and scholarship, essential components of university life. It could also discourage academics from engaging in socially-relevant research, fearing political backlash.

Gay’s resignation also raises questions about the selection and sustainability of university leadership. Leaders who advocate for progressive or controversial policies may find themselves increasingly vulnerable to political campaigns aimed at undermining their legitimacy. This could lead to a conservative shift in university governance, as institutions might prefer leaders who are less likely to attract political controversy. The long-term impact could be a homogenization of thought and a retreat from progressive policies in university governance.

The incident at Harvard is a symptom of the broader culture wars playing out across the nation, now increasingly manifesting in academic settings. Universities, traditionally spaces for diverse viewpoints and debate, may find themselves at the center of these conflicts.

This could exacerbate a polarized and contentious environment that is antithetical to the open exchange of ideas that college campuses are responsible for bolstering.

Allen Huang is a second year Media Studies masters student. He can be reached at xhuang49@syr.edu.

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pwhl

figure that out,” Darkangelo said. “But yes, it’s nice not having a full time job now. And being able to focus solely on hockey.”

Another huge difference is the financial backing of the league. Due to its founders and immense number of corporate partners, the league has financial stability. Walter — who has a $5.8 billion projected net worth — owns all six teams.

The PWHL is also giving an unprecedented amount of exposure to women’s hockey.

In its second-ever game on Jan 2., Ottawa hosted Montreal in front of 8,318 fans — the largest-ever crowd for a women’s hockey game.

The record stood for just a few days before Minnesota broke it with a crowd of 13,316 on Jan. 6 at the Xcel Energy Center.

“Seeing 13,000-plus fans in Minnesota just shows that there’s an appetite for women’s hockey,” said Danielle Marmer, PHWL Boston’s General Manager. “People want it, people are going to come out and support it and watch it.”

The record-setting total is larger than the average attendance through the first 10 home 3 from page 16

copeland worked out of gyms, empty churches and other vacated facilities around Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Dunkley brought Copeland to open-run opportunities every where, pitting him against the best competition. Dunkley remembered one play at the famed Gauchos Gym in New York City where Copeland put the ball between his legs on a fast break before flushing a reverse jam.

“He was always worth the price of admission,” Dunkley said.

Morphing Copeland into a better decisionmaker was next. Fans at Gettysburg (PA), Life Center Academy (NJ) and IMG (FL) clamored over the fancy dimes but they often translated into turnovers — teammates wouldn’t expect a sudden look-away pass through tight windows, Daiquan said. Copeland constantly worked through tape with Dunkley while learning to manage game situations better and make the right play.

The collective goal was never to stifle Copeland’s creativity, but rather to teach him how to harness it.

“It can be vanilla sometimes. It doesn’t have to always be an ice cream sundae, sprinkles and everything on it,” Life Center head coach Keith Brown remembered telling Copeland.

At Syracuse, there have been plenty of highlight-reel plays, including a thunderous put-back jam at Georgetown and a nifty behindfrom page page 16 3 from

hidalgo

Dame head coach Niele Ivey told ESPN. “She can score at all three levels and has great body control. She reads defenses and finishes so well. Defensively, she’s been able to absorb our concepts and philosophy. Sometimes it takes players a few years to truly understand rotations and team defense. She picked it up so fast.”

Hidalgo attended Life Center Middle School, where her father, Orlando, coached the boys’ basketball team and set the foundation for Hidalgo’s career.

When 11-year-old Hidalgo passed up a wideopen lane to the basket, Orlando told her he’d bench her if she did that again. Later in the half, Hidalgo passed another opportunity in transition.

games of 2023-24 for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes’ home stadium is Mullet Arena, which holds a capacity of 5,000.

The league has made games accessible to fans on the broadcasting side as well. All games are live-streamed on the PWHL’s YouTube channel.

The three U.S. teams — Boston, New York and Minnesota — are broadcasted on cable television

by NESN, MSG Networks and Bally Sports North, respectively.

For the three Canadian teams — Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa — games are rotated between TSN, CBC and Rogers Sportsnet. With all three networks simulcasting the inaugural game, viewership peaked at 1.1 million.

For DiGirolamo, the attention the PWHL has received has been flattering, but its structure is what she’s longed for. After her career at Syracuse, DiGirolamo was drafted by Team Adidas of the PWHPA. The league was much different than what she previously experienced at SU. Practices were mixed between the PWHPA’s four teams and they participated in showcase games rather than an ordinary, league-structured schedule.

“I used to practice with girls that were obviously the-back feed against LSU. But he’s completed the more regular plays, too. Autry has given Copeland ball-handling responsibility alongside starting guards Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling.

He also ranks second on the team in rebounding and third in steals.

Last year was tough, he said. A short leash under Jim Boeheim garnered barely any action.

He cried after the 2022 Empire Classic, when he urged Daiquan to attend, but never entered the game. Copeland didn’t understand. He had done everything asked of him in practice. His confidence shrunk to new lows making him afraid to make mistakes. Outside chatter closed in and rumors surfaced about how “this flashy stuff you do is not going to work in college,” Copeland said.

But a call with Autry kickstarted the offseason.

Copeland wanted to return to SU, but needed a fair chance to show what he could do. Once Autry granted the request, it was about “getting back to the old Quadir.” He resumed workouts with Dunkley, focusing on shooting and ball-handling.

Emphasis was placed on improving mental fortitude and staying balanced.

“I knew the abilities I have, but at first, I didn’t know if it could fully click,” Copeland said. “Anything in the dark is gonna come to light sooner or later. It’s just about patience, timing with everything.”

Inevitably, Copeland found his stride and swagger — not that it had ever ceased. He gained Autry’s trust through his dependable guard play, carving out a multi-faceted sixth-man role. He won’t take it for granted, nor let anyone strip him of it.

She didn’t play the rest of the half but came back in the second and led her team to victory as its leading scorer. Orlando vividly remembers his daughter having a wide-open lane.

“I don’t know if I pissed her off, but she went off in that game,” Orlando said. “From that point on, she never looked back. She just started to play with that aggressiveness and didn’t fear whoever she was playing against.”

Orlando also coached Team Final, a local AAU powerhouse in the Philadelphia area where Hidalgo often attended practice when she was in middle school. At the time, Hidalgo said she was unaware of who she was working out with, but it wasn’t a big deal to her.

“It was just like, ‘Oh, another opportunity for me to get in the gym and work out with my dad’s players,’” Hidalgo said.

Orlando’s team consisted of Trevon Duval

As a freshman, Hannah Hidalgo has been one of the best point guards in the country, averaging 23.9 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 steals per game. joe zhao asst. photo editor

from the Toronto region, but we were all on different teams,” DiGirolamo said. “So it was like we couldn’t get to do any type of systems because we’re all in different teams so it doesn’t make any sense to have any kind of line formations.”

DiGirolamo was selected 34th overall by Boston in the PWHL draft. Now, DiGirolamo is back to a similar structure that she had at Syracuse, spending much of the day with her teammates at Boston’s facility.

The PWHL so far has had success in giving young players an avenue for a professional career. During the pregame ceremony before Minnesota’s record-attendance game, each player skated out with a young, female hockey player — representing the next generation the PWHL was formed for.

Syracuse’s current roster has immersed itself in the PWHL as well. In the past on bus rides home from away games, SU players would ask head coach Britni Smith to put NHL games on the bus’s television. But since the PWHL’s formation, players clamor to watch the women’s games. After splitting a series with Penn State on Jan. 19 and 20, the Orange watched New York defeat Boston 4-1 on their

way back to campus.

Graduate student Marielle McHale is in her sixth and final season with the Orange. At SU, she played with Munroe and DiGirolamo and seeing them thriving in the PWHL has inspired her to take the next step upon graduating.

“It’s nice to know that there’s something else after college because when I grew up and came (to Syracuse), college was the destination,” McHale said.

The PWHL’s director of player experience, Alexis Miller, said there will be a draft every year. They’ll also comply with the NCAA in order to make sure players have the opportunity to complete their collegiate education.

“There’s obviously been many professional leagues that we’ve deemed appropriate for us in the past in North America. But at the end of the day, we’ve always been fighting to have the opportunities that we have right now,” Miller said. “Through consistent play, through accessibility, through the broadcast, the venues, the support staff. All of those things are everything we’ve ever worked for.” amstepan@syr.edu @AidenStepansky

Quadir Copeland’s flashy play style has been apparent in his breakout season, highlighted by a game-winning buzzer-beater 3 to defeat Miami jacob halsema staff photographer

“All I needed was a chance,” Copeland said.

That’s why there was no hesitation against the Hurricanes. It didn’t matter that he was 1-for-8 from the field with just five prior 3-point makes on the season. Copeland launched as soon as possible and welcomed the ensuing euphoria.

The catch-and-shoot: one of basketball’s most vanilla movements. But given the right

toppings — a win on the line amid a dwindling game clock — it suits Copeland to a tee. He’s always wanted that shot.

“What I did know was that Quadir was special,” Daiquan said. “And you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

(Duke), Izaiah Brockington (St. Bonaventure, Penn State and Iowa State) and Quade Green (Kentucky and Washington) along with future NBA players Cam Reddish and Lonnie Walker IV. Hidalgo went through drills with the team, participating in 2-on-2 and 4-on-4 drills, occasionally hopping into full scrimmages.

Hidalgo explained that there was a “level of respect” from the team and they saw her as “more than just the coach’s daughter.”

“You’re never away from the gym in our family… That’s what she loved about it,” said El Khana, one of Hidalgo’s brothers. “Even if she didn’t get access to a gym, you can always go outside and the basket is right there.”

Along with her older brothers El Khana and Zach, Hidalgo utilized a shot machine to perfect shooting mechanics while working on in-game scenarios. They wanted to challenge each other, El Khana said, specifically Hidalgo.

If she lost a pickup game, she forced her brothers to stay outside with her until she beat them.

“It’s so important to have that because if they didn’t make me better in that way or didn’t cover me in that way like that, where would I be today?

But because of how they were with me it’s one of the reasons I am as physical as I am today,” Hidalgo said.

Once she reached high school, Hidalgo was Paul VI’s point guard from day one. Under Steele, Hidalgo described herself as a pass-first point guard but still averaged 17 points her freshman season, helping Paul VI to a 24-3 record before falling in the NJSIAA Non-Public A sectional quarterfinals. Hidalgo had some Division I interest, yet felt she was underlooked due to her slight frame.

“That’s inevitable,” Hidalgo said. “I think society most likely is just going to doubt smaller guards, they see someone as small and they don’t think that they can make it in this profession.”

In 2021, Steele left Paul VI and Orlando took over as head coach. Paul VI graduated a number of players from the year before and Orlando needed Hidalgo to have a score-first mentality. SharIah Baynes — now a Monmouth commit — was a capable point guard, so

Hidalgo moved to the two-guard position.

Orlando implemented a “14 high offense,” which utilized plenty of Iverson Cuts to get Hidalgo the ball. Hidalgo continued to lead Paul VI in every statistical category while she dramatically increased her scoring to 28 points per game.

El Khana described Hidalgo as “reaching another level” throughout high school, explaining her jumpshot reached new heights — especially on the pick-and-roll. In the past, opposing players went under screens, conceding to let Hidalgo shoot. As her game evolved, Hidalgo made them pay with her 3-point shooting.

But what impressed El Khana the most was her confidence and her ability to take over in big moments down the stretch of games.

She tallied a career-high 48-point outburst against the Westtown School in her senior season. Facing two of the best prospects in the country, Jordyn Palmer and Jessie Moses, Paul VI trailed by six with 1:25 remaining in overtime. Hidalgo scored five straight points, cutting Westtown’s lead down to one. She then found Baynes in the corner, who buried a go-ahead 3-pointer as Paul VI notched a comeback 72-69 victory.

“I just knew that whatever was going to happen, Hannah was going to turn that game around. I knew that she was not going to let us lose that game,” Orlando said.

Hidalgo committed to the Fighting Irish on Nov. 15, 2022, explaining she liked how Notre Dame head coach Ivey likes to push the pace and the opportunity to play alongside point guard Olivia Miles.

Miles has yet to see the floor this season due to offseason knee surgery, increasing Hidalgo’s usage.

A 31-point performance in her first collegiate basketball game put the country on notice.

“I was not one bit surprised at all, I knew that she was going to be able to perform,” Orlando said. “When she was going to Notre Dame the expectation was to play your way always to start.

We always say no matter what you do, whoever you come up against, play, and prove to people that you deserve to start.”

trschiff@syr.edu @theTylerSchiff

zakwolf784254@gmail.com @ZakWolf22

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men’s basketball

Opponent Preview: What to know before matchup with NC State

By Henry O’Brien senior staff writer

Syracuse’s undefeated home record came to a crashing conclusion in an 85-69 loss to Florida State Tuesday.

The Orange played sloppy throughout the whole contest and were outscored by the Seminoles 34-15 over the final 12 minutes.

Head coach Adrian Autry noted the turnaround for another home matchup, this time against an NC State team that has an identical record to SU. The loss to FSU already hurts the Orange’s chances of becoming a bubble team, though a win against the Wolfpack would keep them in tournament contention.

Here’s everything you need to know about NC State (13-6, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) before it takes on Syracuse (13-6, 4-4 ACC):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 12-6.

Last time they played…

When Syracuse defeated NC State 75-72 at the JMA Wireless Dome last Valentine’s Day, the two teams went the distance. Judah Mintz scored 20 points, while former SU center Jesse Edwards recorded 16 rebounds.

Edwards ended up making the plays the Orange needed in the final two minutes. Edwards dished out an assist to Mintz, who scored a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game. Then he scored a layup to give SU the lead.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 58% chance of winning, with a projected score of 74-72.

The Wolfpack report

Last season, Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in his seven-year tenure. While Keatts’ teams have never been the best at shooting, they maintain possessions and grind opponents down.

Like Syracuse, NC State is fighting to stay near the bubble, especially after an overtime loss to Virginia. Following a stretch where they suffered a double-digit loss to North Carolina and a home loss to Virginia Tech, the Wolfpack are nowhere near the field of 68, according to ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

But they still feature a respectable guard tandem in DJ Horne and Jayden Taylor. Horne is one of the better scorers in the ACC, ranking 14th overall ahead of players like Clemson’s Joe Girard III and UNC’s Armando Bacot.

How Syracuse beats NC State

While this isn’t mutually exclusive to the matchup against the Wolfpack, the Orange absolutely have to shoot better from 3 against an NC State team that ranks 218th in 3-point defense.

Against Florida State, Syracuse made just one 3-pointer on 14 attempts.

Chris Bell and Justin Taylor have to be

The Orange have an opportunity to shoot the 3-ball well against NC State, which has the No. 243 ranked 3-point defense in the country. jacob halsema staff photographer

more consistent, while Mintz and J.J. Starling need to hit open shots. SU can’t rely on driving to the rim and drawing fouls. It has to make jumpshots. It’s an absolute necessity.

Stat to know: 13.9%

If there’s any stat that spells trouble for Syracuse, it’s NC State’s offensive turnover rate is 13.9%, which ranks 12th in the country.

While the Orange have one of the better defenders in the nation in Mintz, who has tallied 39 steals,

the Wolfpack simply don’t lose possession easily.

Horne and Taylor maintain NC State’s tempo and don’t really make risky decisions with the basketball.

Even as SU relies on turnovers to create fast break opportunities, it might have to settle and adjust to the Wolfpack’s style.

Player to watch: DJ Horne, guard, No. 0 Along with being the Wolfpack’s leading scorer, Horne shoots 42.1% from beyond

the arc and is fourth in the conference in 3-point field goals. But Horne has also been through some disciplinary issues over the past two weeks.

Horne received a public reprimand from the ACC after making an obscene gesture in the Wolfpack’s 83-76 win over Wake Forest. The reprimand was “based on Horne’s involvement in an unsportsmanlike and inappropriate gesture at the end of the game,” according to a statement from a league. henrywobrien1123@gmail.com @realhenryobrien

women’s basketball

Opponent Preview: Everything to know about No. 15 Notre Dame the Orange play in a venue they’ve historically faltered in: Purcell Pavilion. Syracuse travels to South Bend, Indiana, to face Notre Dame Thursday night. Earlier in the campaign, the Orange defeated the Fighting Irish in their biggest win to date under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. Heading into their rematch, both teams reside in the top 25 and boast top-three individual scoring leaders in the conference.

Here’s everything to know about No. 15 Notre Dame (14-3, 5-2 ACC) before its second matchup of the season against No. 22 Syracuse (16-2, 6-1 ACC):

All-time series

Notre Dame leads 38-4.

Last time they played…

SU bested ND 86-81 on Dec. 31, 2023. The two sides went through a back and forth affair for the majority of the contest, but Fair was the catalyst behind sealing the victory. She dropped 27 points and hit three late-game 3-pointers to give the Orange a commanding advantage with time winding down.

Syracuse did struggle during the game, turning the ball over a season-worst 28 times. SU took down the Fighting Irish with a combination of Fair’s performance and a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double from Alyssa Latham. Notre Dame freshman phenom and top-five national scoring leader Hannah Hidalgo totaled 32 points and seven steals, yet SU allowed limited secondary production from ND.

The Fighting Irish report

No. 22 Syracuse has never won a game in Purcell Pavilion, where it awaits the ACC’s best offense in No. 15 Notre Dame. joe zhao asst. photo editor

By Cooper Andrews sports editor

Syracuse is off to its best start to a season since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013.

It’s currently riding a five-game winning streak — including a victory over then-No. 15 Florida State — that started on Jan. 4, boosting

SU to No. 22 on the AP Poll. Point guard Dyaisha Fair, the reigning ACC Player of the Week, has dropped 20-plus points in every game of the streak, highlighted by a seasonhigh 31 against FSU. The Orange sit atop the ACC with a 6-1 conference record and are 11-0 at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Emerging back into the national limelight,

Notre Dame is a top 10 scoring offense, top five in margin of victory and, per HerHoopStats, the No. 7 rated defense in the country. The Fighting Irish rank fourth in a loaded ACC and are the second-highest nationally ranked team in the conference.

Their resume makes SU’s first upset all the more impressive. Still, the Orange are facing a much-different squad than they did in December. Of course, ND’s led by Hidalgo, whose 23.9 points per game rank tied-No. 4 in the nation. But the return of junior guard Sonia Citron, who missed nine games due to a right leg injury, makes Notre Dame even more dangerous. The 3-point marksman averages 18.9 points per game and shoots 41.9% from deep.

The Fighting Irish also feature secondary scorers Maddy Westbeld (13.8 points per game) and Anna DeWolfe (22 made 3s) to provide their backcourt duo some depth. And as much as it makes you pay defensively, ND also averages the sixth-most steals per contest (12.4) in the country, according to HerHoopStats.

How Syracuse beats Notre Dame

It’s difficult to beat a great team twice. But the Orange have the pieces to do it, and it starts on defense.

Syracuse will need Fair’s expected heroics. Where SU gained the most ground against ND the first time around, though, was forcing a litany of giveaways. According to HerHoopStats, the Fighting Irish average the 21st-fewest turnovers per game (20.7). Though in its loss to the Orange, ND coughed the ball up a season-worst 24 times — also the most giveaways SU has forced.

The Orange need their aggressive guards in Fair, Alaina Rice and Georgia Woolley to invade passing lanes and stay in front of Hidalgo and Citron to force on-ball steals.

Last time the two teams met, Syracuse forced Notre Dame’s offense out of rhythm late and capitalized with Fair drilling dagger 3s.

Thursday evening, SU needs more of the same to upset ND again.

Stat to know: 0 away wins

Since Jan. 16, 1988, Syracuse has faced Notre Dame 42 times. 19 of those opportunities have come on the road. Yet, the Orange have never defeated the Fighting Irish in South Bend.

The history of this matchup is very onesided — three of SU’s four all-time wins against ND have been since the 2019-20 season.

Though with a win already under their belt versus the Fighting Irish, the Orange have a prime chance to deliver their first-ever road victory over ND.

Player to watch: Sonia Citron, guard, No. 11

Yes, Hidalgo is one of the best players in the world. But in Syracuse’s previous victory over Notre Dame, Citron didn’t play due to a right leg injury she suffered on Nov. 17, 2023, against Northwestern — which caused her to miss nine games.

Citron returned to ND’s starting lineup on Jan. 7 and after averaging 20.3 points per game before sustaining an injury, and she hasn’t missed a beat upon returning. Across her last five games, she’s hit three or more 3-pointers in three contests. She dropped 28 points in a Jan. 18 win over Virginia.

Citron’s impact has helped Notre Dame to a four-game winning streak heading into its matchup with Syracuse.

The Orange will have their hands full in South Bend. The Fighting Irish’s high-octane backcourt of Hidalgo and Citron could prove difficult for SU to overcome. ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews

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ice hockey

Offensive struggles keep SU ice hockey outside playoff picture

By Alex Burstein staff writer

As Syracuse Women’s Ice Hockey faces missing the conference playoffs for the first time in program history, there is a new message being spread throughout Tennity Ice Pavilion’s home locker room: “Pound the Rock.”

“You can’t just break a rock by one hit with a hammer,” said Tatum White, Syracuse’s captain.

“So it takes every day, it takes every shift, every stride that you take, it just is pounding the rock toward (the) playoffs.”

With eight games left in the 2023-24 season, Syracuse (5-19-2, 2-9-1 College Hockey America) is in last place of the College Hockey America standings, six points out of a playoff spot. For the first 14 seasons since becoming an NCAA team in 2008, Syracuse automatically made the CHA playoffs. The conference incorporated quarterfinals to allow every team, the number fluctuating between four and six, to make postseason play. But that switched last year as the league switched to a semifinals-only tournament.

At this point a year ago, the Orange sat at 8-17-1. But with four conference wins already, Syracuse was in a race with Lindenwood for the No. 3 seed among the six CHA teams.

The difference between this year’s team and last year’s is simple: transfers. The Orange had nine players enter the transfer portal, having to completely rebuild the roster. Darci Johal (Holy Cross), Alexandria Weiss (Mercyhurst), Rachel Teslak (St. Lawrence) and Allie Kelley (St. Anselm), all mainstays in the starting lineup this year, transferred into the program.

But now, the team, which has nine championship appearances and 14 semi-final berths in 15 years of playing in the CHA, finds itself on the outside looking in.

The Orange’s offense is the root of their struggles. Syracuse averages the fewest shots per game in the CHA (22.3) and ranks in the bottom two of the conference in goals per game (1.73), assists per game (2.58), shots on goal per game (22.31) and shot percentage (.08).

While not producing on the offensive end, the Orange have also struggled to lock down opposing teams on the defensive end. Syracuse goalies have faced 40.8 shots per game — the most in the CHA. Kelley (883) and Amelia Van Vliet (65) have combined for 948 saves, the most in the CHA and 126 more than second-place Robert Morris.

Despite the high number of saves, the Orange are still letting in goals at a high rate. SU’s .893 save percentage is fifth in the CHA. Syracuse also sports a minus-68 goal differential, the worst in the conference.

But this team has shown it can turn the ship around. On Jan. 19, using two special teams goals and a strong defensive effort, the Orange upset first-place Penn State 3-1 in Syracuse’s first CHA win since Dec. 2 against RIT. Syracuse’s shooting struggles continued in the victory, getting outshot 42-13. But it was the Orange’s defense and Kelley, who had 41 saves, that sealed the deal.

“I thought we really played our game and battled hard,” said Syracuse head coach Britni Smith. “Special teams did a great job in game one really, getting it done as well.”

Now, with an eight-game stretch starting with Robert Morris, Syracuse is aiming to repeat that success.

“I think we finally really put it together for a full 60 (minutes) and I just think it was huge that we know that we can do that and we have eight games moving forward … we need to win all of them,” forward Marielle McHale said.

The Orange have the opportunity to move up in the standings over the next three weekends.

Syracuse is within seven points of Robert Morris, Lindenwood, and RIT, its next three opponents.

In the season’s first two matchups between Syracuse and Robert Morris, the Orange held close on the road, falling 4-2 and 3-2 in back-toback matchups. SU scored two power-play goals in the first loss and held a 1-0 lead in the second period the next day.

While Syracuse had a better start to the season last year, it had a rough February. SU went 1-6 in the month, with its only win coming against nonconference opponent Stonehill. The Orange’s final two losses were a two-game sweep to second-seeded Mercyhurst in the semifinals.

Syracuse will play Mercyhurst on Feb. 16 and 17, this time to close out the regular season.

Whether or not the Orange can string together the wins they need to make the playoffs, the next month will be one of the most important yet in the Smith era.

“Moving forward we know we can win every game so there’s no reason we shouldn’t go do it,” White said. “And that’s what we need to do to make the CHA playoffs. We’re taking every day as a day to get better.” asburste@syr.edu

For the first time in its 16 year history, Syracuse women’s ice hockey is on the verge of missing the CHA playoffs. jacob halsema staff photographer

Syracuse will open its 2024 season on Aug. 31 at the JMA Wireless Dome against Ohio. SU also faces new ACC opponents Cal on Nov. 16 and Stanford on Sept. 20 — in the first-ever matchup between the Orange and the Cardinal. bridget overby digital design director

4 november 28, 2023 16 january 25, 2024

SPORTS

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FRESH ICE

men’s basketball

Quadir Copeland brings flashy style to SU

By Tyler Schiff

senior staff writer

Three alumnae,Jessica Jessica DiGirolamo, Shiann Darkangelo andMunroe, Allie Munroe, areofathe part of the inaugural PWHL On taken New Year’s Day, Three SU alumnae, DiGirolamo, Shiann Darkangelo and Allie are a part inaugural PWHL season.

Theseason. league has off, the new league lauched the records help of and tennis legend Billiefemale Jean King and L.A. Dodgers owner Mark Walter. courtesy courtesy of of michael michael riley riley breaking women’s hockeythrough attendance inspiring young hockey players.

By Aiden By Aiden Stepansky Stepansky asst. aports asst. sportseditor editor

J

essica DiGirolamo didn’t know where to go. Following an accolade-filled career from 2017-22 at Syracuse, she didn’t have a natural next step to take in her hockey career.

“I knew that I wanted to play professional hockey, but I knew that there wasn’t an established league yet,” DiGirolamo said.

She entered her name into the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) draft, though its unstructured, nonprofit setup wasn’t what she envisioned for a professional setting.

But that changed in 2024. On New Year’s Day, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) launched, hoping to introduce a new era into a sport that’s seen several different leagues experience significant instability. DiGirolamo, along with fellow SU alumnae Shiann Darkangelo and Allie Munroe, are representing Syracuse in the PWHL, which features six teams between Canada and the northeastern United States. They say the league has been lifechanging and has brought an enhanced energy to the sport.

“The first game, we saw the sold-out crowd and we didn’t get the win, but that was a pretty surreal moment for me,” said Munroe, a Syracuse defender from 2015-19 who plays for PWHL Toronto. “Just seeing all the people and how excited they were and the whole buzz around the day. It was amazing.”

The path to the PWHL’s inception has taken decades. Through the final quarter of the 20th century, the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League (COWHL) fluctuated between 3-and-9 teams. With just three teams in 1997-98, the league expanded and rebranded, forming the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) in 1999.

Players were not paid salaries.

The NWHL ended in 2007. In 2015, though, a new NWHL was formed, giving players a minimum salary of $10,000. But two years in, salaries were cut by 50%. The NWHL rebranded in 2021 to the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) before being sold to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and terminated in 2023.

The PWHL is providing young women’s hockey players, and three SU alumnae, with a sustainable option to pursue their professional dreams.

Opting to enter the PHF, Munroe joined the Connecticut Whale. Yet Munroe, like DiGirolamo, continued struggling to find structure in professional hockey after an illustrious career at Syracuse — which included two CHA Best Defender awards.

After graduating in 2019, Munroe planned on entering the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). But the league shut down due to insufficient revenue, forcing Munroe to play for Djurgårdens IF Hockey of the Swedish Women’s Hockey League. Following two years there, she

returned to the U.S. to play for Connecticut until the PHF’s termination.

In 2022, groups led by Walter and tennis legend Billie Jean King entered a partnership with the PWHPA. A year later, the two bought out the PHF. The league quickly ceased operations and unveiled its master plan: players from both leagues would converge into one: the PWHL. Despite many leagues in the past attempting to advance women’s hockey, the PWHL is the first of its kind in making substantial advancements.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed between the PWHL and PWHL Player’s Association that runs through July 31, 2031, players are guaranteed a minimum salary of $35,000. The average annual salary during the 2023-24 season must be $55,000 for each team, which will increase by 3% each year of the deal.

PWHL players can focus solely on being a professional athlete. In past leagues, due to the low salary base, players were forced to work a “day job,” according to Darkangelo, while simultaneously performing at the highest level.

Darkangelo faced that same challenge throughout her career. After graduating from college in 2015, Darkangelo went to the NWHL, forcing her to have another job to supplement the salary.

She worked as an account executive — where her schedule consisted of waking up early to train and lift weights before heading to her job from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Following work, she practiced with her team.

When Darkangelo signed with the Toronto Six of the PHF, she earned a two-year contract that no longer required supplemental income — prompting her to quit her day job. Once the PHF’s players were moved into the PWHL draft pool, Darkangelo was taken with the 70th overall pick by PWHL Boston.

“Obviously, it wasn’t easy, but it’s definitely taught me a lot going through that and having to

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women’s basketball

ND’s Hannah Hidalgo grew up a basketball prodigy

By Zak Wolf

asst. sports editor

When Lisa Steele took over as Paul VI’s women’s basketball head coach in 2014, she called her basketball friends in South Jersey to learn about the talent in the area.

Steele didn’t expect local coach Don Polk to recommend a 9-year-old. Polk worked with kids in Camden, where he met a young girl who played in his rec leagues against boys and held her own. Polk thought he

might seem crazy, but he even called her “the one,” Steele said.

A couple of weeks later, Steele introduced herself to Hannah Hidalgo and invited her to Paul VI’s summer basketball camp. Steele saw Hidalgo’s dribbling skills and abilities on the court and stayed in touch with her over the next five years. Hidalgo ultimately opted to be with Steele and chose to attend Paul VI. Hidalgo spent her early years playing middle school basketball as a fourth-grader before becoming a four-year starter at Paul VI. The

point guard developed into one of the best high school players in the country, earning McDonald’s All-American honors. Now, in her first season with Notre Dame, Hidalgo is the only player besides Iowa’s Caitlin Clark to average at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds per game. She scored a career-high 32 points in an 86-81 loss to Syracuse on Dec. 31, 2023, facing the Orange again Thursday in South Bend, Indiana.

“Dynamic is the best word for her,” Notre

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Quadir Copeland momentarily disappeared under a sea of frenzy before he locked eyes with his older brother Daiquan. A lone hand shot up among the clamoring fans, directed at Daiquan, but the deafening noise rendered any attempted speech between the two incoherent.

After a few steps forward, though, Daiquan could make out Copeland’s animated mouthing — “I told them. I told them,” Daiquan deduced.

Then, a sudden wave of emotion because all of Daiquan’s inklings about the younger one came to fruition. Swirling pessimism and doubt around the lack of reliability in Copeland’s flashy play no longer stood on stable ground. Because he produced when it mattered with his buzzer-beating game-winner.

He did tell them.

“I’m still playing it back. It still feels like a fairytale story,” Daiquan said. “For him to be the one to hit that shot, it was just amazing.”

Honing his skills at Kingsessing Park in southwest Philadelphia, Copeland’s initial — and only — role was to pass to Daiquan.

Then, as a pre-teen, a flashy game culminated in wins. Everyone wanted to play with him.

Pinpoint bounce-lobs, tomahawk jams and graceful finger-rolls propelled him throughout his high school years to Syracuse, where he’s now in his sophomore year.

Consistent scoring has since joined his offensive arsenal, spearheading a leap of over 6.5 points per game since last season. He notched a career-high 22 in Syracuse’s 81-73 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 30, helping him earn an Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week award. Then, he knocked down that buzzer-beating 3 to defeat Miami 72-69 Saturday.

“I can only see him getting better, more comfortable,” said Antron, Copeland’s father. “You’re only going to see better things from Quadir.”

Whatever Copeland does, it has to be entertaining. He’s a showman and has the personality to go with it. A motormouth, equipped with a contagious grin. The undisputed glue of the team. No one really knows where the loud identity of his play stemmed from, but the consensus is that he was born with it.

The move he crafted down the stretch of Syracuse’s victory over Pittsburgh looked impossible to replicate. A makeshift pirouette off of his backfoot shook a lone Panther defender and resulted in an uncontested 360-degree layup.

Copeland practices those types of finishes regularly, explaining he works on the unorthodox by himself or with team managers. Occasionally, Copeland irks head coach Adrian Autry during warmups. While everyone else attempts mid-range jumpshots and 3-pointers to warm up, Copeland shoots floaters over the backboard.

That’s why Daiquan disagreed with the commentator’s synopsis of that Pitt play — “I’m still not sure how this goes in,” Ryan Burr said on the CW. Daiquan said Copeland’s done that same move in organized and pickup games since 10th grade.

Antron told both sons to do “different stuff,” to “freestyle,” and Copeland took that to heart. Competing in Philadelphia, a city famed for its innovative basketball nature, his unique playstyle generated vast recognition.

“Who’s doing 360 layups in a game? Nobody but him,” longtime trainer Julian Dunkley said. “Nobody would even think that’s OK but him. That’s why he’s special, because he doesn’t think about what’s normal.”

When Dunkley first saw Copeland play during an introductory training session, he immediately knew Copeland was “special.”

Dunkley was amazed by Copeland’s point guard abilities and his extra flair. The pair

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