free
TUESDAY
dec. 2, 2014 high 46°, low 30°
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 |
N • Walk out
Syracuse University community members held a march on Monday afternoon to honor Mike Brown and reflect on events in Ferguson. Page 3
P • Shave the day
dailyorange.com
Syracuse University’s Greek community took part in Movember, growing mustaches to raise money and awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Page 9
S • Marked down
The Syracuse football season ended with nine losses in its past 10 games. The beat writers grade a losing season plagued by numerous injuries. Page 16
Tennis coach’s resignation followed inquiry into players’ concerns
Joel to perform at SU By Brett Samuels asst. news editor
LUKE JENSEN (CENTER) resigned three matches into the 2014 tennis season. Syracuse University Athletics said he was leaving to pursue “other opportunities.” Jensen continues to work at a tennis academy for children and young adults who have Down syndrome. daily orange file photo By Jacob Klinger and Dylan Segelbaum the daily orange
Syracuse University looked into concerns raised by members of the women’s tennis team about one month before head coach Luke Jensen resigned last season, according to an email obtained by The Daily Orange. In an announcement about Jensen’s resignation, SU Athletics said that he was returning to “the national tennis arena” to pursue “new opportunities.” Later that day, in an interview with The Daily Orange, Jensen declined to elaborate about the opportunities, but said that it was crucial to step down before the professional season ramped up. The decision, he said, built up over time and was not last minute. The Jan. 1 email sent to the team on behalf of Director of Athletics Daryl Gross mentioned that SU had begun an “inquiry” into concerns raised by members of the team, though it is unclear if the
inquiry involved Jensen or contributed to his resignation. Three current Syracuse women’s tennis players, who all agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity for fear of backlash, said they were interviewed by SU’s Title IX compliance officer and sexual harassment officer about their experience on the team at about the same time. Additional emails obtained through five Freedom of Information Act requests show that Jensen was also discussing 2015 matches with opposing coaches as recently as 16 days before his resignation. Various players said that during their time on the team, Jensen made hurtful comments to them, threatened their scholarships or acted in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. One of them said that he rubbed cream on her legs without her permission. Jensen, who resigned three matches into the season, declined to be interviewed for this story. He told The Daily Orange on Jan. 29, the day he resigned, that his departure was unrelated to any
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To read all the emails mentioned in the article, see dailyorange.com. alleged wrongdoing. SU Athletics’ chief communications officer, Joe Giansante, said that the department does not talk about personnel issues with any of its sports or how they are handled. “As stated a year ago, Luke decided to pursue other interests,” Giansante said, speaking on behalf of the entire department. Gross did not return two calls to his cell phone and an email. “His other interests are his, and those are for him to pursue,” Giansante added, saying SU Athletics did not “inquire or get into the minutia of what he decided to pursue.” SU Senior Vice President for Public Affairs Kevin Quinn said in an email he also cannot “discuss personnel matters regarding former employees”
see jensen page 6
Billy Joel will perform at the Carrier Dome for a record setting seventh time on March 20, 2015. The concert was announced at a press conference Monday morning in the Club 44 lounge in the Carrier Dome. The show is presented by AEG Live, the live-entert a i n ment division of the Los BILLY JOEL A n g e les-based AEG. Pete Sala, managing director of the Carrier Dome, said 38,242 tickets will be made available for the show, and said he believes it will sell out. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. through Ticketmaster and the Carrier Dome Box Office. Tickets will be priced at $59.50 and $89.50 before fees. The March date will be Joel’s only scheduled show in New York state in 2015 outside of his monthly performances at Madison Square Garden. He last performed at the Carrier Dome in 2006. His show next year will be his seventh in the Dome, which will set a record for concerts by a single performer there. Some of Joel’s most wellknown songs include “Piano Man,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Only the Good Die Young” and “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.” In addition to his past performances in the Carrier Dome, Joel has ties to Syracuse University. In 2006, the singer made a $320,000 donation to the Setnor School of Music. That same year, he received an honorary doctorate from SU and was the university’s commencement speaker. see joel page 6