free
WEDNESDAY
feb. 18, 2015 high 25°, low 4°
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 • Let it rain
dailyorange.com
P • Musical production
A sprinkler malfunctioned due to the temperature and caused a few labs in the Newhouse School to shut down for the night on Tuesday. Page 3
Westcott Theater owner and VPA professor Dan Mastronardi gives students an opportunity to produce shows at the local venue. Page 9
S • Drive-through
Duke aggressively penetrated SU’s zone en route to victory Saturday, and Louisville has the personnel to potentially duplicate that result Wednesday in the Carrier Dome. Page 16
plow through it Physical Plant at SU uses extensive operation, dedicated employees to remove snow during Syracuse winters
DAVE BUFFUM , a Liverpool native who has worked in the grounds department of the Physical Plant for four years, operates a ToolCat, which is one operating system in SU’s extensive snow removal process. logan reidsma asst. photo editor A Physical Plant employee operates a ToolCat, which is one operating system in SU’s extensive snow removal process. The Physical Plant clears 14 miles of roads and 20.5 miles of sidewalks with the help about 60 employees in the winter. Workers operate plows, as well as shovel and salt by hand around the clock. logan reidsma asst. photo editor By Justin Mattingly asst. news editor
T
enytha Oates often thinks of what it would be like to hold an office job. When the temperature is subzero and her fingers are numb, she said she thinks of her goal of getting a degree in social work. “I’m not going to do this all my
life,” she said. Oates, who has worked at Syracuse University for 16 years and at the Physical Plant for six, is a laborer, which means shoveling snow, clearing stairs and walkways and other areas where plows can’t get to. But when the snow isn’t coming down, Oates is taking one class at a time in hopes of one day becom-
ing a social worker and getting a degree from SU. Oates is one of about 60 employees for the Physical Plant’s grounds department in the winter, which is tasked with removing the large amounts of snow that fall on the SU campus. On average, Syracuse gets more than 100 inches of snow each winter, and has garnered 86.4 inches
as of Tuesday, according to Golden Snowball, a website that tracks upstate New York snow totals. The process to remove the snow involves a “do what you have to do to get it done” mentality and requires care 24/7, said Rich Stach, the manager of the Grounds, Landscaping, Utilities and Projects division of the Physical Plant.
“The dedication here is tremendous. Our people, if it wasn’t for them, the 12-hour days and so on and so forth that these guys have to work most of the time when it snows would be difficult,” Stach said. “We try the hardest we can to keep the campus safe and clean and these are some dedicated individuals.” see physical
plant page 6
Advisory board discusses campus issues at initial meetings By Danny Mantooth asst. copy editor
The Syracuse University Student Affairs Advisory Board has met three times since its establishment
last month, and has discussed sexual assault services, alcohol on campus and more in that time. The board talks about aspects of student life and conveys information and concerns to the administration
through Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, senior vice president and dean of Student Affairs. The group meets every other week. The advisory board is made up of 32 students, both graduate and
undergraduate, said Shannon Andre, communications manager for the Division of Student Affairs, in an email. It consists of students of a variety of backgrounds, student groups and leadership positions. So
far the group has met on Jan. 14, Jan. 23 and Feb. 6, Andre said. Patrick Neary, president of SU’s Graduate Student Organization, said planning for the advisory board began see advisory
board page 6