thursday, september 11, 2025
celebrating 122 years
free
O • 'Never acceptable'
C • New life
S • Lacrosse legend
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Political violence is never acceptable, regardless of party. Charlie Kirk’s death proves gun violence has no exceptions.
Syracuse University senior Lilyan Minicozzi revives old items and shares their history through sustainability.
Haudenosaunee Faithkeeper and former SU player Oren Lyons will be awarded the Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award on Friday.
‘Slap in the face’ Syracuse University’s late merit offers frustrate excluded families By Delia Sara Rangel
W news editor
hen Kathleen Z. heard her daughter’s best friend received an additional merit aid offer from Syracuse University, she felt confused, as it was already past May 1 — national college decision day. Her daughter applied to SU with similar high school stats and accepted her offer in April. While they found it strange, she said they forgot about it. A month later, she saw an article from The New York Times with the headline “Why Did Syracuse Offer $200,000 Deals to Teens Who Had Turned It Down?”
Then, she knew the university was playing an expensive game. “I thought we had to be in by May 1. I didn't know there was a game here of ‘Hey, if you don't, accept, they're going to throw money at you,’” said Kathleen Z., who requested not to use her full name to protect her daughter’s privacy. “I would have been happy to play that game and get a lot more money than I was given.” In May, the university offered up to $200,000 each in additional merit aid to students who hadn’t accepted their admissions offer to SU, the Times reported. The offers came via email in the weeks following the decision date, which is widely known as a non-negotiable deadline. Merit aid is awarded based on a student’s “academic achievement” according to SU’s website.
The university bases scholarships on academic credentials, class rank, standardized test performance, leadership and “overall citizenship.” As the university restructures its major programs across campus, many parents of incoming freshmen are left wondering where the university’s priorities lie, and told The Daily Orange they're entering the next four years with a “sour taste” in their mouths. “Syracuse is a great school,” Kathleen Z. said. “We're excited about her potential here. But playing around with the money side of things, the financial side of things, is not something that sits well with us.” Chelsea Cheng, whose daughter is a freshman in the School of Architecture, said they see merit page 6
photo illustration by emma soto contributing illustrator, leonardo eriman photo editor
on campus
Three pillar system behind SU’s Center for Student Excellence By Shvika Gupta asst. copy editor
After Syracuse University launched its Center for Student Excellence, merging 13 organizations under one office, students were left wondering what would happen next for their respective programs. When the university announced the office’s Aug. 28 opening, SU said it's bringing together several of its student support services and programs into one overarching
office to “enhance student support programs.” The office will be organized into a three-pillar system, each focusing on a different part of the “student experience.” Angelie Serrano Báez, an SU junior and an Our Time Has Come scholar, believes the restructuring will make finding resources more difficult for students, she said in a Wednesday statement to The D.O. She said that “in theory” combining the offices sounds like a good idea,
but in reality, it “groups everyone together,” limiting the kinds of help and resources organizations and students have access to. Some students need specific assistance on campus, but with the new restructuring, she said they could be pushed aside. “I don’t think the new setup is necessarily going to better support underrepresented students,” Báez wrote. “Those programs worked best when they were more focused on the unique challenges we face, and I
worry that centralizing everything is going to water that down.” The Daily Orange has broken down each pillar, its respective programs and campus reactions.
First pillar – Academic Success
The first pillar houses First Year Seminar, the Center for Learning and Student Success, Office of Retention and Student Success and Office of StudentAthlete Success and Engagement. First Year Seminar (FYS) is a onecredit course all freshmen and trans-
fer students are required to take at the start of their time at SU. It’s intended to help students transition to the university, understand campus resources and “be prepared to navigate diverse perspectives” and contribute to the communities they're a part of. Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS), provides students with free academic assistance, including academic coaching, weekly workshops and individual and group tutoring see cse page 6