thursday, october 9, 2025
celebrating 122 years
free
O • Music cults
C • New sound
S • Canadian Hulk
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Obsession over musicians enables mediocre releases. Exploration of genre is only productive when it accepts critiques.
The Shipyard, a student-run music venue, moved to Main Campus this semester with more upbeat music.
Antoine Deslauriers built his Hulk-like physique in high school, leading to his stardom in his freshman season at Syracuse.
on campus
Faculty say AAS pause unjustified By Isabel Meléndez-Rivera staff writer
Students, faculty and alumni discussed the future of the African American studies program during an informational session Wednesday night, after Syracuse University paused admissions to the program last month. Around 30 people attended the session, discussing concerns about the future of the program and assessing its next steps. AAS is one of 20 programs paused as part of the university’s ongoing portfolio review process. The event was organized by AAS faculty to facilitate communication and allow students to express their thoughts regarding the pause, said James Haywood Rolling, the interim chair of the Department of African American Studies. He added that the pause affected A AS community members both individually and as a collective. Point of Contact was ideated by the late Pedro Cuperman (bottom), a professor of Latin American literature. Today, SU employees like Teresita Paniagua (top) keep his legacy alive. courtesy of scrc | leonardo eriman photo editor
50 años
Founded in 1975, Point of Contact is celebrating half a century as a Syracuse cultural institution By Eliana Rosen
asst. culture editor
I
n 1975, Pedro Cuperman was missing the art and culture of his home country of Argentina. Combining his love for literature, research and visual art, he looked to bring this culture to New York. Soon, Punto de Contacto/Point of Contact was born. Half a century later, the organization is bigger than one man’s legacy, Samantha Hefti, the archivist and collections manager, said.
“This is all a product of human work and imagination,” said Teresita Paniagua. “It’s important to mark the passage of time, where we come from and where we are now.” Point of Contact celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Throughout the years, the organization has become a prevalent part of SU’s art scene with literary journals, youth and adult programming, art galleries and poetry readings. The 50th anniversary of their first literary edition in October 2025 coincides with Latine Heritage Month. The celebration gives their program a heightened level of visibility, Paniagua, SU executive director of the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community, said. Point of Contact’s current exhibit, “50 Sin Cuenta,” is on display in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse until late October. It showcases Latin American artifacts and art pieces from Point of Contact’s permanent collection that represent the organization’s history. The organization is the brainchild of the late Cuperman, an SU professor of Latin American literature. His vision for Point of Contact was a “cross pollination of different see 50 years page 8
(AAS) is the first interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary department on this campus. Herbert G. Ruffin associate professor
“Faculty want to hear what your feelings are about this, what your questions are, and want to give you an opportunity to make your voice heard on this matter,” Rolling said. On Sept. 15, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Behzad Mortazavi informed department heads about the admission pauses, which included AAS. Several professors said the pauses were made without any faculty input. “Every dean was given similar information, apparently during the summer, and every dean is overseeing this in a different way,” Rolling said. “When we walked into that room, it was the first time that most of us had heard that certain programs had been paused as of August.” In a Tuesday campus-wide email, SU Provost and Vice Chancellor Lois Agnew said the changes are part of an effort to ensure SU’s academic portfolio remains vibrant, relevant and sustainable. She added that each of the paused programs had low enrollment numbers. Attendees at the info session offered explanations for low engagement with the AAS program. Terese Millet Joseph, a Ph.D. candidate studying human development and family science, said see aas page 5