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MONDAY
oct. 26, 2020 high 52°, low 39°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
C • Community voices
N • Students grieving
CAMM is a band of four Black women who are activists in the Syracuse community. The group performs music from a variety of genres, including R&B. Page 6
Chaplains at Hendricks Chapel said students must find support to cope with grief and loss following the deaths of community members this year. Page 3
dailyorange.com
S • Longtime legacy
John Desko’s 45-year Hall of Fame career has been defined by 11 national championships and 33 final four appearances as an assistant and head coach. Page 12
Sherri Taylor 1950 - 2020
on campus
Student sues SU after expulsion By Michael Sessa asst. news editor
Editor’s note: This story includes descriptions of sexual assault.
SHERRI TAYLOR, a professor in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, is remembered for her dedication to students, attention to detail and sense of humor. courtesy of jennifer sigal, nancy austin and wendy loughlin
By Roshan Fernandez asst. sports editor
M
itchell Franz has visited Sherri Taylor, his former professor and best friend, at least two times a year since he graduated from Syracuse University in 2012. Franz met Taylor at a workshop in Dallas when he was a high school sophomore, and she invited him to stay at her house during his time at SU. After living with Taylor for a year and a half, the two became — and remained — very close. “Sherri was like the mother hen or mother goose that would spread her wings and take somebody in,” Franz said. “I’m just really fortunate that I was one of those people.” Taylor died on Oct. 19 at home after a years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 70. She is survived by her 72-year-old sister, Vicki Boutwell. Taylor taught in the military journalism program at SU’s Newhouse School of Public Communications since 1991 and was a longtime advocate for student journalism. Current and former SU students and faculty said she dedicated her career to uplifting students both in and out of the classroom, forging lasting relationships with many along the way. Jennifer Sigal, one of Taylor’s former students,
remembers how Taylor came to her wedding in Michigan six years after she graduated from SU. The two stayed in touch years later, and Taylor recently commented on Facebook photos of Sigal’s children. Sigal met Taylor at a high school journalism camp in Michigan. Taylor was the reason she came to SU. Taylor won several accolades for her contributions as a journalism educator and an advocate for student journalism. She most recently won the Star of Texas, awarded by the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, for her work in teaching photography and design. Taylor previously served as a student journalism adviser at a high school in Irving, Texas, the city where she grew up. Her life “mostly revolved around Newhouse,” said David Sutherland, an adjunct professor at the school. “She was committed to her work, and she was committed to her students,” Franz said. “Everything else was just kind of secondary.” Taylor’s teaching style was very direct, SU seniors Katie Benson and Payton Campbell said. The students, who both took Taylor’s “Type and Image for Multimedia” course, said she always gave “brutally honest” feedback and encouraged students to learn from their mistakes. “A few hours before I heard Sherri had passed, I was talking about something I’d learned in one of her classes,” said Rachel Baker, another one of Taylor’s former
see taylor page 4
A former Syracuse University student and hockey player is suing the university after he was expelled over sexual assault allegations he claims were part of a “homophobic panic.” The lawsuit, which was filed in the Onondaga County Supreme Court on Friday, alleges that SU violated its own policies by retroactively expelling the student and withholding his degree. SU does not comment on pending litigation, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications. The university has not filed a response to the lawsuit yet. The suit dates back to a March 2019 sexual encounter that the student, identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe, said set off a series of anti-gay attacks against him from teammates and ex-girlfriend. Doe is requesting that SU vacate its decisions finding him responsible for sexual misconduct and expunge the allegations from his transcript. Following a team party on March 2, 2019, the plaintiff and another student who managed the team’s digital media returned to the plaintiff’s apartment and had oral sex, the suit alleges. The encounter, which the plaintiff said was initiated by the other student, was consensual, the lawsuit claims. Word of the sexual encounter spread while the hockey team was in Philadelphia for a tournament, the lawsuit reads. The other student involved in the encounter, identified in the lawsuit as W.D., had faced ridicule from team members who suspected he was gay, the suit alleges. On March 19, 2019, W.D. texted Doe’s roommate claiming the encounter was not consensual and said that he was not gay, the lawsuit says. W.D. filed a Title IX complaint about the encounter on March 27, 2019. The next day, another SU hockey player, whom the lawsuit identified as J.P., filed a complaint alleging that Doe had touched his thigh without consent in September 2017. A day later, Doe’s teammate, identified as C.F., alleged that Doe had exposed himself in his apartment in September 2018. Finally, on April 1, 2019, SU filed a Title IX complaint on behalf of another student and player, identified as Z.B., who had called the see lawsuit page 4