thursday, feb. 27, 2025
celebrating 121 years
free
N • Limits on learning
C • Oscars preview
S • Winning DNA
Page 3
Page 4
Page 16
Since taking office, Trump has signed various executive orders weakening DEIA initiatives in schools across the United States.
Ahead of the 2025 Oscars ceremony Sunday, The D.O. has prepared our predictions for the biggest night in movies.
Britni Smith is looking to translate her playoff pedigree from Clarkson to Syracuse in her third season as its head coach.
Ukrainian unity SU community members reflect on Ukrainian resilience as the Russia-Ukraine war enters its fourth year
Demonstrators, including Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and now-Rep. John Mannion, protesting the outbreak of the war in 2022. meghan hendricks senior staff photographer By Shivika Gupta
F
asst. news editor
or the past three years of the RussiaUkraine war, the global Ukrainian community has been an anchor for Kateryna Kolesova. Kolesova, a graduate student in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, was forced to leave her home when the war broke out. Kolesova fled to the United States to join her parents, leaving behind friends, a budding tech career and the country she loved. “This is a war, a full-scale war, which was caused by Russia on Ukraine. It’s a genocide of my country and my people,” Kolesova said. “It’s been going for centuries, the wars with Russia and them trying to deprive us of our rights, culture, language.”
As the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine passed Monday, SU students reflected on the continuous warfare, saying their strength throughout the past three years comes from a strong Ukrainian community both at home and at SU. With the United Nations demanding an end to the fighting, students said they want to see peace in their homeland and Russia to be held accountable. Kolesova said she often feels a heavy, emotional weight on her shoulders being far from home while loved ones endure the hardship and suffering of war. With this added weight, she said being part of the Ukrainian Student Association has helped her build a community that can relate to her and eased her navigation of a tumultuous three years. “It feels like there’s this cloud over you, even when you’re happy. It’s like, ‘How dare I be happy see ukraine page 6
On Monday, about 50 SU community members gathered to mark the third anniversary of the war. brycen pace asst. photo editor
state
MS Resources of CNY helps build community, fund treatment By Duncan Green news editor
When Susan Rusinko met Annette Simiele at church in 1998, she knew little about multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that had never affected her life. As the two women spoke, Rusinko was impressed by Simiele’s dedication to her newly independent organization, Multiple Sclerosis Resources of Central New York.
A few months later, Rusinko learned that a friend had been diagnosed with MS and reached out to Simiele for more information about the disease. Simiele encouraged Ruskino to participate in MS Resources of CNY’s annual walk to raise awareness for MS. Shortly after, Rusinko was diagnosed with MS and returned to Simiele, this time seeking help for herself. Every winter, MS Resources of CNY hosts a walk in Destiny Mall to
fundraise and show solidarity with those battling the disease. This year marks the 27th year of the tradition and will be held on Sunday. Since its founding, the Syracusebased organization has helped over 1,400 MS patients find treatment, provided transportation and assistive devices, and coordinated retreats and events to build community among patients across the region. “You can go to a doctor, and the doctor will say, ‘Look at you, … you
might as well get a wheelchair,’ and you’re scared to death,” Rusinko said. “Then you talk to Jess and Annette and they try to give you all the options.” Simiele, the organization’s associate director, and her only colleague, Executive Director Jessa Goss, have worked together in this effort for 30 years. The duo began collaborating in the mid-90s when MS Resources was part of a National Society, but soon broke off from the larger organization to pursue a
more focused effort in central New York – where MS rates are nearly double the national averages. While the cause of the unusually high number of MS diagnoses remains unclear, Simiele said there are theories about hereditary predisposition and claims that environmental factors may increase the likelihood of developing the disease. With more diagnoses of increasingly younger patients, Simiele said MS see ms page 6