thursday, september 24, 2026
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Our columnist argues picking up your phone first thing in the morning is a poor choice. He suggests some healthy alternatives to wake up your brain.
Some SU students living off campus collaborate with their neighbors to add personal flair to beer pong and die tables
Chris D’Appolonia has become one of Syracuse’s top defenders, largely thanks to his 6-foot-3 frame and extreme athleticism
Future in question
adelaide guan presentation director | kaitlyn galeazzi contributing photographer | lars jendruschewitz senior staff photographer
What to know about the opposing sides of Westcott Theater’s permit conflict
By Eliana Rosen
development editor
A
fter years of reported violent incidents and complaints from community members, the future of Westcott Theater is in the hands of Syracuse Common Council come Monday. The live music venue has been the site of a stabbing and a shooting, though business owner Dan Mastronardi denies involvement. Now, the council is considering revoking the special use permit allowing the theater to operate as an entertainment venue on Westcott Street.
If the special permit, given to the venue in 2008, is revoked, the company can apply for another permit. However, the new permit may not allow for after hours parties or comply with the theater’s lack of security, Councilor Hanah Ehrenreich said. Currently, the permit allows The Westcott to operate as an indoor entertainment venue even though it isn’t zoned for it, since the surrounding area is a neighborhood. “It makes me disappointed and embarrassed that after nearly two decades of investing in the city, in the community, we’ve reached a point where the future of The Westcott Theater is being questioned,” Mastronardi told councilors during a Sept. 9 open hearing. see WESTCOTT page 5
greek life
SU investigation tied Sept. 2025 ZBT bias incident to SAE hazing By Delia Sara Rangel editor-in-chief
Two Syracuse University students who were charged last year with hate crimes after one of them threw pork into a historically Jewish fraternity during Rosh Hashanah were participating in a Sigma Alpha Epsi-
lon hazing ritual, an SU investigation found. The university’s investigation, lasting from Jan. 29 to March 31, found an SAE group chat from SU’s chapter “encouraged one or more new members” to throw non-kosher food at the wall of another fraternity “with traditionally Jewish ties” in September 2025.
The two students were charged with burglary as a hate crime in the second degree and criminal nuisance in the second degree after one entered SU’s chapter of Zeta Beta Tau on Sept. 23, 2025, and threw pork inside, Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves said after the incident.
The university’s investigation of SAE didn’t directly name ZBT as the impacted fraternity, but the date and descriptions of the investigation match the September 2025 incident. A university spokesperson referred The Daily Orange to the Hazing Awareness Hub when asked for comment.
SU’s investigation was delayed at the direction of the Onondaga County District Attorney’s office, according to the Hazing Awareness Hub. The attorney’s office and Syracuse Police Department began their investigations on Sept. 23, 2025.
see hate crime page 5
2 september 24, 2026
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september 24, 2026 3
usen
Haynie commits to USen collaboration at semester’s 1st session By Ryan Garipoli asst. news editor
The University Senate voted in favor of an amendment to bring the current status of Syracuse University’s Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry to a vote “as soon as possible,” at its first meeting of the semester. The statement, located on SU’s Vision and Mission page, “expresses the institution’s commitment to academic freedom and free expression in a community welcoming to all.” Senator and College of Arts and Sciences professor Harvey Teres’s amendment proposes that USen hold a vote on whether or not to endorse the statement, and is given the option to revise the university’s statement in the future if they choose. This comes after the Ad Hoc Committee on Free Speech and University Policy recommended the senate maintain the current status of the statement without further deliberation or modification. Before voting on the committee’s recommendation, Teres expressed his reservations about maintaining the statement and proposed the amendment. “We haven’t had a chance to endorse a statement that is supposedly produced on our behalf,” Teres said. “These are supposed to be our values and we need to have a chance to vote on that statement.” Sixty-four percent of the senate voted in favor of the amendment, with 32% opposing and 4% choosing to abstain. Matt Mulvaney, a member of the ad hoc committee and professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, said Teres’ point was considered by the committee but that they ultimately landed on their recommendation to maintain the statement. “(An amendment) was discussed by the committee and there was disagreement within the committee itself on that,” Mulvaney said.
“I think the basic premise was that right now we have a system in place that has existed for a couple of years and that it is a strong statement.” Chancellor Mike Haynie also used his first official USen remarks to “candidly” share how he hopes to work with the senate moving forward. Haynie stressed the importance of authenticity and honesty in future collaborations with the senate, saying they’re fundamental characteristics of shared governance, which is necessary for universities to make their best decisions. He said the best way for SU to thrive amid the challenges the university is facing, including its missed enrollment target and budget deficit, is to “elevate the rigor and competitiveness of the university’s academic enterprise.” Haynie also said the university needs to do more to improve the value of an SU education, citing instances of students being accepted to SU, but choosing to enroll at other colleges and institutions. “We missed our enrollment goal because too many families had higher expectations of the academic experiences their child would receive here and they felt we couldn’t deliver,” he said. Haynie also brought up his own concerns that USen hasn’t focused enough on the student experience. Haynie said he put previous senate agendas into Claude to create a summary of its key topics. “Claude told me based on those minutes that the issues and themes that dominated the work of the senate last year were employee rights, pay and benefits, employee workload, governance and procedural policies and speech rights,” Haynie said. “Notably missing from what Claude shared with me was a focus on our students.” He clarified that the issues the senate had focused on during the previous year were still
chancellor haynie focuses his opening remarks at USen on putting students at the forefront of future conversations at the first meeting of the semester. kedar nair contributing photographer
important, but that students need to be put at the forefront. “I am sharing that finding to make clear that my aspiration for the year ahead is for the focus and substance of the work of this body first to be about advancing discovery, academic excellence and serving the learning and wellness needs of our students,” Haynie said.
Tom Dennison, chair of USen’s Employee Benefits Advisory Council and a professor of practice emeritus in the public administration and international affairs department, spoke about benefits issues including the university’s medical plan expiring after the 2026-27 academic year. Dennison said the committee will review the contract because “it’s just good business see usen page 5
on campus
SU Law initiative gives justice to civil rights era cold cases By Mirren Grimason asst. news editor
In 2008, the Department of Justice listed 132 civil cold cases in the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, sparking a cold case initiative at Syracuse University impacting the lives of victims of race-based violence across the country. Law Professor Paula Johnson founded the Cold Case Justice Initiative at SU’s College of Law in 2007, alongside her colleague Janis McDonald, a professor emerita. The 2008 act declared that the DOJ, FBI and other relevant government entities should “expeditiously” investigate unsolved civil rights era murders before too much time has passed since their occurrence. The idea for the initiative formed after a trip to Louisiana, Johnson said, where an investigative reporter asked for their help on the case of Frank Morris, a business owner who was pushed into his burning store at gunpoint by alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan. The fire burned nearly all of his body, and Morris died four days later in 1964, the CCJI wrote. Johnson and McDonald agreed to help the reporter. During the pair’s trips to Louisiana, Mississippi and other southern states, families of victims asked for help on their cases, so McDonald and Johnson obliged. “We just tried to get information for people, conduct our research, and we tried to give as much information as we could to people who, even at that time, it had been decades since their loved ones were killed or had disappeared, and they hadn’t gotten any sense of what had happened to them,” Johnson said. Johnson and McDonald quickly started spending their free time working on the cold cases, and Johnson said students soon also became interested. “Students volunteered from the early days of the program and they started to volunteer to work on the cases, and (the program) grew, too,” Johnson said. “We said we can create a whole course around these issues because so little of it is known.” Now, CCJI includes a seminar class where students are assigned cases and split into three groups: researching cold cases, investigative work and memorialization of victims, Johnson said.
Shelton Chappell, son of the late Johnnie Mae Chappell, who was brutally shot in a racially motivated murder, speaks to the Cold Case Justice Initiative seminar class. courtesy of paula johnson
Third year law student Jackie Napier has worked extensively on the investigative side of the initiative. “CCJI isn’t structured around a single semester’s outcome. It’s built as an ongoing relationship with the families that we’ve worked with and students who have come before us and will come after us,” Napier said. “I think that few academic projects that I’ve had the chance to work on have that sort of continuity in mind.” Law student Glory Stanton said the CCJI program was a “selling point” of SU when she was applying for law school. “It’s very multidisciplinary, and even though it’s housed in the College of Law, what I’ve found is that it’s really beneficial regardless of the field you’re coming from,” Stanton said. “Your input is needed, and it matters because it’s a fresh set of eyes and you’re likely able to bring something to the table of the investigation that wasn’t looked at before.” Students who previously took the class, as well as those that are still part of the initiative, are currently examining cases like Johnnie Mae Chappell. Chappell was a mother of 10 who was shot from a passing car while waiting at a bus stop in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964. She’s survived
by her youngest son, Shelton Chappell, who’s worked with CCJI to get justice for his mother, Johnson said. Napier said she’s worked closely with Shelton and interviewed other members of the Chappell family. “He told us that just being heard and having the opportunity to speak about his mother and her case, and the impact that this tragic event had on his life and the lives of those who loved her reinforced for him that his mother’s case mattered,” Napier said. “And that all these years (later), people still care.” The CCJI has also investigated Wharlest Jackson’s case at length. He was killed by a bomb taped under his truck while driving home from work in 1967. Jackson worked in a rubber and tire company in Natchez, Mississippi, where he was the first Black man to work a skilled job at the plant. While there were other Black workers, they held positions such as “clean-up crews” or other “menial” and “dangerous” jobs, Johnson said. Jackson was also a Korean War veteran and treasurer of the local NAACP chapter, where he worked on voter registration drives, Johnson said. “He was killed in such a horrific manner it’s almost hard to fathom that there would be this
kind of inhumanity to another human being, especially on the basis of who they are and just some idea about race and racial hierarchy and white supremacy,” Johnson said. No one was ever convicted in Jackson’s case, so Johnson made a Freedom of Information Act request at the National Archives to help the family get answers. She and other students from SU and other universities spent days going through and taking photos of the files. The case is still one that students currently work on in CCJI classes. Students have worked extensively on memorializing Jackson’s life, specifically focusing on creating a museum of sorts through his house. Sophia Burns, a third year law student and research assistant for Johnson, also worked on Jackson’s memorial and said the opportunity allowed her to focus on justice in many different forms beyond the traditional criminal justice system. “There’s so much more that goes into remembering someone and memorializing the home as it was a home, versus a house,” Burns said. “So we’re talking about things like what was his favorite music, what was the house like when they were in it… and just rewriting the story to what it should’ve been the whole time.” Devin McDuffie, a third year law student, was assigned to the memorial for Jackson and wanted to honor his impact on his community. “We wanted to try to figure out a way not just to honor Wharlest Jackson Sr.’s memory, but try to honor the city itself,” McDuffie said. “He was a huge staple piece of that city, so wanting to make sure that his legacy is not just honored through his family, but in the entire community as well.” Racially motivated killings and lynchings are commonly believed to have only happened in the South, but while walking through a museum by the Equal Justice Intiative commemorating victims of these crimes, Johnson said there was “scarcely any place in the United States where lynching on the basis of race did not occur.” The CCJI has worked on these cases for decades and continues to investigate them as new students join the initiative. “These are not really things of the past, even though that’s what’s happening here at CCJI,” Stanton said. “Those patterns are continuing to persist today and it’s important because those people mattered.” mirrengrimason@dailyorange.com
4 september 24, 2026
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national
Campus entities provide accessible voter registration for students By Fiona McHugh asst. digital editor
Before students can cast their ballots in November for the midterm general election, they must make sure they’ve taken the necessary steps to prepare to vote. For many college students, this election year represents the first time they’re eligible to vote. Several election entities, from Syracuse University and the Student Government Association to the New York State Board of Elections, each encourage students to register to vote now, before midterm elections, so they’re ready for Nov. 3. “As students, it is important that we are aware of the elections taking place and understand how the decisions made by elected officials can affect our communities and our everyday lives,” SGA President Emily Castillo-Melean and Vice President Max Lachut wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. On Sept. 10 and 16, the Office of Student Experience sent campus-wide emails to students detailing voter registration instructions. On Sept. 15, SGA also shared a “How to Register to Vote” post on its social media providing instructions on how to register in students’ hometowns or Onondaga County. SGA’s post detailed state-by-state voter registration deadlines, including the dates mail-in registration forms need to be postmarked or received. In New York, mail-in forms must be received by Oct. 24. Beginning the week of Sept. 14, voter registration booths and paper forms were made available for New York state at three different locations across SU’s campus: the first floor of Bird Library, Schine Student Center and Goldstein Student Center on South Campus. The booths will remain in place until the voter registration deadline. SU’s Office of Government and Community Relations also provides a resources page detailing everything Syracuse students need to know before stepping into a pollbooth come November. “When you vote, you are raising your voice,” the website reads. “You are also keeping our tradition of government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ alive for generations to come.” The page details requirements and methods for students to vote. For students wishing to register in New York state, they can register to vote in one of five ways: Registering to vote online via the New York State Board of Elections online registration portal.
SGA leaders and faculty encourage students to register to vote and gain a deeper understanding of political systems impacting their lives before Election Day. lars jendruschewitz senior staff photographer
Fill out an online New York State Voter Registration Form. Print the form, sign, date it and mail the form to the county board of elections where they reside. If in Onondaga County, they can mail to the Onondaga County Board of Elections. New York residents with a New York state DMV-issued drivers license can register via the NYS DMV website. Request a New York State Voter Registration form by mail using the Board of Elections’ database. Those who wish to vote outside of New York state can either vote early or on Election Day in-person or request an absentee ballot. Since individual state requirements may vary, students looking to vote should research how to do so through their local board of elections or state website. Those who plan to vote in an absentee ballot by mail should make sure their ballots are sent to their board of elections no later than 10 days before the election in New York.
“Students should vote for a variety of reasons,” Grant Reeher, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs professor of political science and a senior research associate at the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, wrote in a statement to The D.O. “To make their voices about who they want to represent them heard, to participate in the most core of all civic activities, as an expression of their citizenship, and, particularly for their age group, because younger adults do not currently vote as much as older adults.” U.S.-based students attending SU are eligible to register either in Onondaga County or their home state. They cannot register to vote in two places during one election cycle. If they choose to vote in their home state, they must vote via absentee ballot or in-person on Nov. 3. The decision is up to the voter, Reeher said. “I tend to think that until they establish a new permanent living place, students should probably vote in their home district, since that is where they are most currently rooted, most
likely to know some of the local issues, etc.,” Reeher wrote. “There is no right – or wrong – answer, and ultimately students should vote where they feel the most personal stake.” Castillo-Melean and Lachut wrote that they encourage students to educate themselves on candidates and issues on ballots they’re voting for. Reeher explained that students who prefer to think about “political strategy” might choose to vote in a state that has an important or contentious election race happening this year. “A student on the far Left voting by mail in a House or Senate race, say, in Alabama, is not likely to have an effect. Better off voting here in purplish Upstate New York,” Reeher wrote. No matter where students choose to vote come November, the registration process marks the first step to the pollbooth. The deadline to register to vote in New York state is Oct. 24. Early voting begins that day and extends until Nov. 3. fionamchugh@syr.edu
city
Syracuse auditor deems SU’s city tax payment insufficient By Mirren Grimason asst. news editor
Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion published a 62-page report detailing the city’s financial relationship with Syracuse University, urging the institution to contribute more to the city’s economy through taxes. The Sept. 14 report states SU has been paying the city $2 million annually in lieu of taxes, which Marion said should increase. If it wasn’t for the university’s tax-exempt status, SU would contribute $16 million annually to the city and $19 million to the Syracuse City School District, according to the report. The auditor’s office published the report to give the public a better understanding of the “stakes” in renegotiating another Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement with SU. The report comes after SU and the city of Syracuse’s PILOT agreement expired on June 30. However, calling it a PILOT agreement is incorrect, Vice President of Communications for SU Sarah Scalese wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. Instead, Scalese referred to it as a “services agreement,” which includes monetary payment and “substantial in-kind contributions.” “They don’t pay us taxes. They are paying us this money, dare I say, in lieu of taxes,” Marion said. “What is a service agreement if not a PILOT agreement? I don’t understand the point the university’s trying to make with that.” In the report, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens’ office doesn’t classify the agreement as a PILOT, affirming Scalese’s statement. “The services agreement is not a payment in lieu of tax agreement, rather it represents
an acknowledgment by the University of the impact of their organization on the services provided by the City without recompense,” the Mayor’s Office wrote in the report. Scalese said the lack of consultation produced a “misrepresentation” of the relationship between the city and the university. “The auditor’s report ignores the full scope of what the University contributes to our community,” Scalese said. “These include educational, cultural, financial, athletic, and clinical benefits and services, which are well beyond commitments contemplated in any single agreement.” Marion said he didn’t consult SU when creating the report, but that his office used entirely public data and information. SU generated $1.8 billion in economic activity and accounts for one of every 13 jobs in central New York, according to a university study regarding the 2023-24 fiscal year. Scalese referenced the study in her statement, but Marion said he’s focused specifically on direct payment from the university and its tax-exempt status. “I am the city auditor. I’m here to make sure that we are getting value for our limited resources, including the tax dollars,” Marion said. “I’m gonna be a watchdog (and) help (with) our tax dollars and what we have to spend money on.” Owens also emphasized that SU relies on municipal services such as police and fire protection, snow removal and transportation infrastructure but does not pay the taxes that fund them. “51% of the property in Syracuse is not taxable,” Owens said in the report. “So that means property owners like me and my neighbors, they are 100% of the burden for the services that taxes pay for.”
Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion released a report where he examined SU’s recently expired PILOT agreement with the city. alex malanoski daily orange file photo
The report also detailed how much other private institutions pay their respective cities. Cornell University was included due to its proximity to Syracuse, Northeastern University for its similar size and revenue and Brown University because Providence is a similarly sized city to Syracuse, Marion said. Cornell has a PILOT agreement and has paid Ithaca around $4 million annually since 2023. Brown has a 20-year PILOT agreement with Providence of $174.7 million in direct voluntary payments over 20 years, averaging $8.7 million
per year. In 2025, Northeastern’s PILOT agreement with the city of Boston increased payments from $1.9 million to $2.6 million a year. “Each of them have different models in different ways that they have chosen to move forward,” Marion said. “I think, in their own ways, each of them is more generous…. to where they reside, than here in the city of Syracuse.” Marion said he sent the report to Chancellor Mike Haynie but has not spoken with the university about a new PILOT or other agreement. mirrengrimason@dailyorange.com
september 24, 2026 5
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from page 1
westcott Community members and stakeholders spoke in front of the council during the public hearing, with most in favor of the theater. Some attendees even wore “#SaveWestcottTheater” T-shirts. After a presentation of several incidents leading up to the permit’s suggested revocation by Syracuse First Deputy Chief Richard Trudell and Syracuse Zoning Administrator Jake Dishaw, the council confirmed the issue would be addressed and voted on at its Sept. 28 meeting after previously pushing the vote. Councilor Marino Nave said he’s spoken to business owners in the area who said the theater’s crowds have caused damage to their businesses and community members who’ve felt unsafe. Only one community member spoke out in staunch opposition to the theater at the Sept. 9 hearing. Nave said others were afraid. “People want quality of life,” Nave said. “They have a right to live in a peaceful, safe, clean neighborhood. And it’s our job as a councilor, it is to protect their rights, to clean, safe neighborhoods.” In August, Mastronardi sued the city of Syracuse and Director of Division of Code Enforcement Ryan Shiel after they denied an event license and temporarily closed the venue. On Monday, an Onondaga County Supreme Court judge ruled that Westcott Theater can now host events that don’t require a special license. The decision says the city may have violated the theater’s First Amendment rights – the city has until Friday to respond. In the lawsuit, Mastronardi claims the Central Planning Office denied his large crowd event entertainment license for an Aug. 15 event without explanation or opportunity for discussion. The city claimed the permit was rightfully denied and said they reached out to Mastronardi with multiple bases for denying the event permit. On Aug. 13, the city also posted an Official Notice and Order, which said occupying the premises was prohibited until further notice. Mastronardi claims the order exceeds the city’s authority by shutting down the business without reason. The order references previous failure of the theater to comply with licensed security staffing requirements. In his affidavit, Mastronardi claimed a captain from the Syracuse Police Department threatened to arrest Mastronardi or his manager, Andrew Peck, if they host a party at the theater, as the order makes it unauthorized. In response, the city’s lawyers referenced a stabbing at the theater and an event with insufficient security personnel as evidence the theater is “not maintaining the venue in a manner that ensures patron safety.” The judge ruled Monday that these explanations were insufficient. “No specific reasons or objective criteria have been provided to justify the closure,” State Supreme Court Judge John Dillon wrote in the decision. “Regardless of the validity of these concerns, they are not supported by competent evidence but are merely referenced in a memorandum of law.” Mastronardi also claims a denial of procedural due process and that his business faces “irreparable injury” from the closure. An August investigation by Dishaw revealed Westcott Theater violated the terms and confrom page 2
hate crime “This was an attack on our home, our values, and our safety, as well as every Jewish student on campus,” a September 2025 ZBT statement read. “Zeta Beta Tau does not stand for antisemitism or any form of hate within our community.” SU’s chapters of ZBT and SAE, as well as their national organizations, did not respond to The D.O.’s request for comment. The charges against Samuel Patten, the student who entered ZBT, were reduced to a criminal trespassing charge in the second degree, which Patten pled guilty to, according to a disposition letter obtained by The D.O.
from page 3
usen
and due diligence.” The committee will also send a survey asking staff about their experience with their health benefits. Senator Laurel Morton, president of SU’s part-time faculty union Adjuncts United and instructor in SU’s School of Design, said she would appreciate some “focus” from EBAC on Adjuncts United’s negotiations. Currently, provisions in the agreement put AU’s members at a “distinct labor disadvantage,” Morton said, citing a provision requir-
ditions of its special use permit, referencing a “crescendoing level of problems.” “It is my professional opinion that this failure is a violation of the terms and conditions of the 2008 Special Use Permit, and has had a detrimental impact on the character and development of the surrounding neighborhood,” Dishaw wrote. Mastronardi denied these claims in a statement to The Daily Orange and said the report includes “misleading characterizations” and factual inaccuracies. “Many of the statements presented as findings are, in our view, blatant fabrications that do not reflect the actual conditions of the Property or the conduct of our staff, management, or security personnel,” he said in the statement. “The document relies on selective incidents and unsubstantiated assumptions that fail to acknowledge the broader context of public safety in the surrounding neighborhood.” In Monday’s hearing, Trudell said SPD has been forced to send officers to the theater to assist with crowd control and break up fights on several occasions. Mastronardi said in his statement these claims place unnecessary blame on the theater for “shortcomings” in SPD’s response to incidents in the area. “The document appears to place disproportionate responsibility on the Property while overlooking the role of law enforcement in maintaining public safety,” Mastronardi said. “This imbalance raises concerns about whether the City is errantly using regulatory authority to shift blame rather than addressing systemic issues.” Davia Housley, a Syracuse resident and event coordinator, said she’s never felt unsafe at The Westcott. Live music promoters and artists don’t support the negligence or violence at the theater, Housley said, but argued that there’s been no opportunity to present a solution together. Dishaw’s 18-page report includes numerous instances in which he said the theater violated two conditions from the 2008 permit — “failure to maintain the property in a neat and orderly condition at all times” and “failure to abide by local regulatory and licensing provisions.” On Aug. 1, two men were stabbed at an event held at the theater, according to SPD. While in the hospital, one victim told SPD officers the stabbing occurred inside The Westcott. After the incident, Mastronardi told syracuse.com that no one was stabbed. According to Dishaw’s report, SPD officers who arrived at the theater that night found several spots of blood on the floor, which appeared to have been mopped up before SPD arrived. The report detailed that The Westcott staff told officers the floor had been cleaned because someone spilled a drink. The report also noted that no one from the theater called the police to report the incident. SPD officers conducted a property check of the theater during a Skilla Baby concert in July and determined The Westcott had only 10 uniformed security – not the required 12, according to Dishaw’s report. A fight between two women also broke out after the concert, forcing SPD officers to conduct crowd control with one of the officers using pepper spray to stop the fight. At the Sept. 9 hearing, Syracuse Chief of Police Mark Rusin said SPD’s attempts to work with the venue have been “brushed off,” specifically referencing the July incident.
The City of Syracuse may revoke Westcott Theater’s special events permit, citing a series of violent incidents at the theater. peter shin contributing photographer
In his statement, Mastronardi said he remains willing to work constructively with the city, but no office reached out to him “in a meaningful way” to communicate concerns or suggest working together to find solutions. On May 31, 2025, SPD found over 20 bullet casings near the theater area after responding to early morning calls of shots fired, according to Dishaw’s report. After breaking up a fight in the area, the officers discovered two buildings and three vehicles had been struck by gunfire. A video from the same night showed a woman being beaten in front of the theater. “The video appears to show a security guard simply standing by and watching the beating take place,” Dishaw’s report reads. The police department’s goals are hindered when they’re “forced” to send officers to a business that should be maintaining safety itself, Rusin told councilors on Sept. 9. “I can’t tolerate this anymore,” Mastronardi said at the Sept. 9 public hearing. “This fact that there was a shooting around the corner from Westcott Theater has nothing to do with my business at all. It has nothing to do with how I run my business or what I do.” According to the report, many local residents sent complaints and concerns to the city of Syracuse after the May 2025 events, sparking further action from the city. Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owen’s Office referred The D.O. to Dishaw’s report when asked for comment. City officials, both in hearings and in interviews with The D.O., stressed that their intention is not to shut down the theater or decrease live music in the area, but to increase safety. “Live music needs to continue. There needs to be places for local bands and local promoters to thrive and grow. It cannot be a place that is absolutely riddled with violence,” Ehrenreich said. “The worst case scenario here is that somebody’s going to get so hurt that they die. That is not the price of live music in Syracuse.” Housley said Westcott Theater is being held to a different standard than other venues because it showcases Black artists. Every venue that is Black-owned or caters to Black events is feeling the pressure, she said. “We are watching Black events face scrutiny that does not appear to be applied equally
across Syracuse nightlife,” Housley said at the Sept. 9 hearing. “Our music, our culture and nightlife should not be excluded and always included in that vision, not treated as a problem because the crowd, promoters and genres look different.” For years, Syracuse promoters and club owners have said SPD shuts down hip-hop and rap concerts of Black artists at a rate at which they don’t for other music. Ehrenreich pointed to an earlier lawsuit the city lost alleging SPD had more intensive permitting regulations for certain genres of music, such as Black and LGBTQ+ events. She said she’s heard from people involved in the live music scene that the previously discriminatory circumstances have changed since the lawsuit. “I don’t believe that the people who came up to the mic, the promoters, I don’t think they knew the background, all the citations, even all the violence,” Ehrenreich said of those who spoke at the Sept. 9 public hearing. “So the artists and the promoters have a legitimate concern. They want to keep operating. And I want that very much to happen, but it can’t come at the expense of people’s lives.” “(Working through legitimate problems) has become increasingly difficult for me in the feeling that The Westcott is not always being treated fairly,” Mastronardi said at the Sept. 9 hearing. “At times, we have seen several different levels of scrutiny depending on an event, a promoter or the audience.” As of Thursday, The Westcott’s next event is scheduled for Oct. 16. On Sept. 1, the website included events on Sept. 24 and 26, as well as four dates in early October, all of which have since been removed. Ehrenreich said she hopes to see the implementation of a new special permit allowing live music to continue at The Westcott with safety regulations in place for security and afterhours parties. The theater is the “heart” of the area, Housley said. “If we lose the heart, we lose Westcott,” she said. Assistant News Editor Ryan Garipoli contributed reporting to this story.
The charges against Kyle Anderson, the student who drove Patten to and from the fraternity, were reduced to a single criminal trespassing charge in February. “I hope new pledges can pause to think about their decisions and not be afraid to walk away,” Patten said in a court statement obtained by The D.O. “Going forward, I hope fraternities can move away from these horrible traditions and I hope that the University can play a role in bringing that about.” Patten said he was being “hazed as a pledge at a fraternity on campus” and thought the act was a “prank.” “To the members of ZBT, I want you to know how deeply sorry I am,” Patten said in the statement. “What I did was wrong, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick confirmed in a Wednesday statement to The D.O. that the court records had been sealed, meaning they’re hidden from the public, under New York state law. “This type of behavior is disheartening, especially as it targeted a Jewish fraternity during a significant religious holiday,” SPD Chief Joe Cecile said in September 2025. “Acts of bias or hate have no place in our community, and we will continue to work with our partners at Syracuse University and the District Attorney’s Office to hold those responsible accountable.” SAE was placed under investigation for alleged hazing on Jan. 29 and then on probation on May 6. The fraternity was notified of a “haz-
ing finding” on May 6, according to SU’s Hazing Awareness Hub. The university found the chapter responsible for hazing, bias-related harassment, reckless behavior and disorderly conduct, according to the Hazing Awareness Hub. Those involved received suspension, probation and education requirements. “Chapter sanctions included conduct and social probation, bias and hazing education, removal of involved members, revised new member education requirements, a social risk management plan, bystander intervention training, regular check-ins with Greek Life, and increased national involvement,” the Hazing Awareness Hub reads.
ing part-time professors to teach at least five three-credit-hour courses all in the same college to be eligible for benefits. Dennison said bargaining agreements aren’t part of EBAC’s current agenda, but it will look into seeing what role they can play in moving the negotiations forward.
the College of Arts and Sciences. The senate passed a motion to approve the subjects with 90% approval. Jennifer Karas Montez and Amber Anand, members of Haynie’s special committee, detailed the process the 14-member committee has taken to achieve its goal, dividing its process into three steps: Data Collection and Analysis, Interpretation and Recommendations. The committee members asked for participation in the forums to hear student, faculty and staff perspectives.
Other Business: •
The Committee on Curriculum and Instruction report announced two new subjects: Health and Human Performance in the Falk College of Sport, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics in
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elianarosen@dailyorange.com
deliarangel@dailyorange.com
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Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew spoke about challenges graduate students and international students are facing due to actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration that limit federal aid awards to graduate students and cap international student stay to four years. Agnew said that although “much remains unclear”, SU staff remains available to talk to students and they’re “monitoring this situation closely.” rcgaripo@syr.edu
CULTURE
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september 24, 2026 7
Painted pong
logan armistead admires the beer pong table he and his roommates built. Armistead picked the Grateful Dead’s bears and a fish design to appear on the table. christian calabrese asst. photo editor
SU students score unexpected friendships when painting beer pong tables By Tara Binte Sharil asst. culture editor
O
n Ackerman Avenue live three groups of friends from Syracuse University. Logan Armistead, Lucien Kraycik, Tyler Dudish and Will Parsons live in a gray house. Connor Lynch and Eddie Howell live in a white house, and Makenzie Sproles and Audrey Haselby live next door to Lynch. The three groups of friends — and the rest of their roommates — didn’t know each other when the fall semester began. But when Armistead and his friends were moving in, they looked across the street to find Howell’s painted Vineyard Vines-themed beer pong table. Armistead wasn’t only inspired by Howell, but saw him as a friendly foe. To forge their own masterpiece, Armistead and his friends made a deal: Sproles and her roommates would paint their table, and Armistead’s house would build a beer pong table from scratch for Sproles and her friends. Lo and behold, the tables drew the friend groups together. “We were in competition,” Armistead said. “I’m like, ‘We’re gonna make it bigger with the die table than you.’”
In front yards and apartment units across SU, many students living off campus spend their last few weeks of warm sunshine playing beer pong or die outside of their homes. In the center of it all, there’s a beer pong table that holds each and every one of those memories. While some students take the easy route and opt for a plain, store-bought table, others go for a personal spin, constructing their own table and painting complex designs without professional help. To construct his magnum opus, Howell bought nails, a nail gun and four-by-four and two-by-four pieces of Home Depot wood. Home projects are nothing new for Howell. “I have done plenty of projects with my dad, so I know my way around using any kind of tool, and so it was easy for me, but fun because it took a couple of hours,” Howell said. “I could hang out, listen to music and enjoy it.” When it was time to design Howell’s table, he looked to his Boston roots. When one thinks of Massachusetts, the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park or the Boston Celtics’ NBA-leading 18 titles often comes to mind. But when Howell and his friend were designing the table over the summer, they opted for something that blended with the University Hill neighborhood.
“Both me and my friend are from Mass. We wanted to implement that into our table, have a way to show it,” Howell said. “We didn’t want to go with the basic Red Sox, Celtics, anything in between.” For the design, they landed on the Massachusetts-born Vineyard Vines. Before the school year started, Howell, who’s currently studying abroad, dropped his table off at his future Ackerman Avenue home. According to his friend’s feedback, the table has been a hit. When Lynch and his friends lined the blue, white and light-red table with Red Solo Cups, the nearby residents left their houses. “When we were meeting our neighbors, everyone came over and played a couple times,” Lynch said. “I can’t say 100% certain, but we might have inspired (Armistead and his friends) to build the tables.” “But don’t quote me on that.” Two days since Armistead and Sproles’ houses made their deal, Armistead constructed two tables from scratch by watching YouTube videos — the group admitted their engineering majors had little impact on the construction. With a sketched-out document Armistead drew up and a blue-painted table, each roommate was in charge of see tables page 10
beyond the hill
Tattoo buffs admire ink artistry, stencils at Villain Arts Festival By Ava Demcher
asst. digital editor
Anyone who happened to step inside the Oncenter Convention Center last weekend was greeted by the strong smell of ink and a persistent buzzing noise. Under the fluorescent lights, dozens of vendors set up tables with crystal skulls, Pokémon trading cards and, of course, tattoo guns. “When you walk in this building, it feels like love,” Cruella Morgan, social media creator and body suspension artist from New Jersey, said. “It feels like a place for the people that are outcasts.”
From Sept. 18 to 20, the Villain Arts Tattoo Festivals traveled to the Oncenter for its first annual Syracuse convention. Walk-in tattoos from diverse artists, sideshow acts with acrobatics and awards for the best designs were a few of the festival’s activities. Villain Arts was founded by artist Troy Timple in 1999. Since its inception in Philadelphia, the festival has hosted more than 30 shows around the country every year. Villain Arts’ inaugural Syracuse festival brought a different artist and style to every booth. Some stands sported twinkling fairy lights and vines with pink tablecloths, while
others hung up cartoon Pokémon posters and neon signs, one saying “Freaks Rule.” No two booths looked the same. Each tattooer’s setup reflected their designs and the clientele they attracted. Walking through the convention center was like being in the cafeteria in an early 2000s high school movie — the anime fans flipped through kawaii flash sheets, the minimalist patrons fawned over fine-line designs and the punkrockers listened to heavy metal as they waited for their turn in the chair. Something all the tattooers have in common is their passion
for the art form. Like Morgan, Rob DiPiazza, a Rochester-based tattoo artist with Legacy Tattoo Collective, had a booth at the festival and said the convention is a safe space for the “outcasts” of the world. There are “nerds, cool kids, jocks, people that got picked on” and more. “We’re the most probably accepting group in the world at the same time,” Dipiazza said. “We don’t care about your orientation, we don’t care about your pronouns, we don’t care what you’re into. Let’s do cool tattoos and let’s all be homies.” Tattoo artist Desmond Smith, also known as “Polo” in the tattoo
community, traveled from Little Rock, Arkansas, to follow Villain Arts to Syracuse. Smith and a partner run a Black-owned tattoo shop, Hidden Vibez Studio. Showcasing his work at Villain Arts has allowed Smith to build his clientele while learning alongside other artists, Smith said. “I’m pretty much the only one in the building from Arkansas,” Smith said. “It’s a great opportunity for me, not only because I get to bring more exposure to my state, but being able to be around great artists, it’s wonderful. Darcell Clinton traveled from Jersey City, New Jersey, with Ladies of Ink see tattoo page 10
T:10" S:9.5" 8 september 24, 2026
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beyond the hill
(Geo)cache in with me, treasure hunt in Syracuse By Caroline Erskine asst. copy editor
“If I was a geocache, where would I hide?” That’s the question I found myself nonsensically mumbling as I scaled boulders and crawled on my hands and knees around the grounds surrounding Syracuse University. No, I didn’t drop my ID or lose my credit card. I was trying out a hobby more than 1.6 million people engage in worldwide: geocaching. Geocaching is a real-world, GPS-guided treasure hunt. Players use published coordinates and clues — found on the geocaching app or website — to track down caches (hidden containers) stashed outside by fellow geocachers. When geocachers find them, they sign the logbook inside the cache and return the container for the next person. Some larger physical caches also include take-one-leaveone trinkets. The area around SU has a rather large collection of caches, hidden in places like Thornden Park, SUNY Upstate Medical University’s campus, Walnut Park, Oakwood Cemetery and Green Lakes State Park, to name a few. I’m ashamed to say that this simple cache — rated a 1.5 difficulty out of 5 on the game’s scale — took me an hour to find. This relatively simplesounding hobby of treasure hunting may seem easy. But for new geocachers, it can be surprisingly hard to break into. Karen Jane Gionet, who plays under the username “KJmoxiegirl,” stumbled into the hobby by accident. For the New York’s State Park system’s 100th anniversary in 2024, its yearlong Centennial Challenge included an option to complete 10 geocaches for one of the 100 “missions.” Gionet thought she’d find the minimum caches required and never do it again. She didn’t start until August. That year there were 72 caches hidden across New York’s state parks, Gionet said. But, by the time she was done, she still found every one of them. “I was hook, line and sinker into geocaching,” Gionet said. “I absolutely love it.” Gionet has lost track of entire afternoons while geocaching in parks — walking into the woods in
daylight and emerging as the sun was setting, still buzzing from the hunt. After hearing about my own rather embarrassing outing, several seasoned geocachers pointed me toward the same resources: video tutorials and a glossary decoding the spor’’s shorthand. It felt, at times, like wandering into a group chat mid-conversation. One cache in Thornden had so many such acronyms in the description that I abandoned all hopes of finding it entirely. Let me take you through some of them. FTF means first to find. DNF means did not find. TOTT — tools of the trade — covers the gear that cachers carry into the field: tweezers for pulling tightly-rolled logbooks out of thumbnail-sized “micro” containers, extendable poles with mirrors attached for checking inside guardrails and a pen — the most important TOTT of all, Gionet said. Other terms Gionet picked up early: L&L for lock-and-lock, a snap-lid plastic container; AC for ammo can caches; and TYTF, aka thanks for the find. Massachusetts-based cacher Katherine Gwozdz started in 2008 and said the language became second nature. “(My husband and I) actually realized we were addicted to geocaching when we started talking using the acronyms,” Gwozdz said. “It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we really have our own language, don’t we?’” The types of caches can also be confusing. Not every cache is a container hidden in the woods. Traditional caches are the classic version: coordinates lead to a hidden box with a logbook inside, sometimes with small trinkets to trade. Puzzle caches require solving a riddle or code before the real coordinates reveal themselves. Gadget caches hide the container in plain sight but lock it behind a mechanism that finders have to figure out how to open. Adventure Labs caches skip a physical container altogether, walking players through a series of questions tied to a town’s landmarks or history instead. One mystery cache, Mittman’s Geocoins, walks Syracusans through a math and thought puzzle in Walnut Park.
Jason Mutford, a math educator based in Albany, has pushed the puzzle side of the hobby further than most, creating his own complicated cipher. “I believe good puzzles should have ways that you can get into solving them and are satisfied when you do,” Mutford said. “Not that when you finally crack it, you go, ‘Oh, it was just this.’” Mutford’s commitment runs well past puzzles. By his own account, he’s been on a streak of finding at least one cache every day since 2010 — closing in on 6,000 consecutive days by November. It’s the 18th longest streak worldwide. “The day I needed an organ removed, I still managed to get my geocash of the day,” Mutford said. “Goodbye gallbladder, but I still managed to get an easy, park-and-grab kind of find.” The rule he created for himself is simple: if he goes two straight days without wanting to go caching, the streak ends. In almost 16 years, that’s only happened once, he said. Mutford said the transformation in his own life has been dramatic. He was roughly 50 pounds heavier when he started in 2004, watching hikers in their 70s pass him on mountain trails. Health benefits come up constantly among veteran cachers, and not just physical ones. Gwozdz, a therapist by trade, calls the hobby her therapy — a way to clear her head after work, get outside and get moving. The community shows up in person as much as it does online. Gwozdz hosted the Berkshire Geo Bash, a “mega-event” running for seven years before scaling back to a smaller annual reunion. Caching solo has its own appeal, though, both Gionet and Mutford said. For Mutford, it’s a dedicated time to think through whatever’s on his mind. For Gionet, it’s simply the rush of the search. For anyone thinking about trying geocaching, the advice from all three cachers landed in roughly the same place: start small, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. So, if you run into a journalist up in a tree, either mind your own business or log into the app and join me. cberskin@syr.edu
campus life
Student ambassadors transform brand outreach By Kosta Konstantopoulos asst. copy editor
Marching home from the other side of campus after an early morning of classes can be a drag for some students. But after walking through the door, some are greeted with boxes filled with their wish-list items. For free? As well as Instagrammable? And there are 150 of them to match with their peers? Some members of Syracuse University’s Alpha Epsilon Phi chapter are accustomed to the number of PR packages they receive, with a living room filled with P.J. Salvage pajamas, bareMinerals sweats, and 500 pounds of Revlon makeup. “We have pajama parties and sleepovers, and we were able to showcase a lot of girls’ fun personalities, and I think that was really important for the collabs,” said Mattingly Weisholtz, SU and AEPhi’s head of Recruitment, partnerships and TikTok. “We get good use out of them.” Across SU, students are building relationships with brands, from Edikted to PepsiCo through sorority social media accounts, advertising projects and member outreach. Aside from products, these arrangements have brought professional
connections and creative opportunities to campus that didn’t exist before. These student-led partnerships come soon after SU launched its Center for the Creator Economy, which offers resources to students and organizations navigating relationships with brands. While other students at SU also receive PR, what Weisholtz has built goes beyond “free stuff.” She created a social media and public relations team within her chapter, assigning three or four members to produce online content for individual brands. Weisholtz said AEPhi has worked with seven brands this month. Weisholtz sees the appeal in brands reaching a group of students at once. The content she makes also introduces prospective members to the people in her house. Pre-professional clubs have also gotten involved. At TNH Advertising Agency — a student-run advertising agency based out of the Newhouse School of Public Communications — members have received skincare from Good Molecules. TNH’s president and SU senior Ashley Llangari was a brand ambassador for Good Molecules, which is how she received free products to give to her club.
Llangari uses social media to connect with brands and businesses for different reasons. Last year as a Good Molecules ambassador, she supplied gift bags to members, while also increasing her outreach to find businesses students could work with directly. Aside from receiving free products, some student organizations like TNH partner with local businesses like Purple Banana, XO Taco and The Society, exposing members to real-life clients. Alums and professor connections also help the agency secure larger clients, including, most recently, PepsiCo, Llangari said. Student-run publications, like University Girl Magazine, have partnered with brands like Depop, Good Molecules and Fruit Riot, curating partnerships that fit the organization’s identity, editor-in-chief Orezimena “Rezi” Ubogo said. The magazine aims to support its fashion and lifestyle content while bringing members products they can use every day. The magazine had previously partnered with brands that represent both its readers and the people behind it, Ubogo said. The magazine’s relationship with Depop reflects an emphasis on sustainable fashion that see ambassadors page 10
university union
Q&A: UU president unpacks programming amid shifts By Lily Zuckerman culture editor
After Syracuse University’s University Union placed Juice Jam on an “indefinite hiatus” on Sept. 9, The Daily Orange sat down with UU President Lachlan Sartison to discuss the status of UU and its future programming. On Friday, UU will host its inaugural Quad-APalooza on the Shaw Quadrangle, with student bands and DJs performing. The D.O.: When did UU decide it was going to place Juice Jam on a hiatus? Sartison: All of the money allocated to each of our events is all yielded by the decision of the president before me. I’m basically just left with the budget to work with from there, and then at the end of this
year, I’ll be able to work through a budget to leave for the president next year. So with that, in lieu of the budget cuts, it forced us to kind of rework what our programming would look like. All the information we had was backed by all of the stats with our programming and everything, so we were able to actually get quite a bit of a bigger budget. But that’s delegated to different acts and different events this year. So part of that decision was removing Juice Jam and allocating more money toward our spring concert and Quad-APalooza happening this Friday. The D.O.: What was the motivation behind Juice Jam’s hiatus? Sartison: A lot was taken into account there. The idea that programming and artist selection and artists; everything’s starting to
cost much more money. The university is under financial strain. As we all know, a lot of RSOs are being impacted by budget cuts and all these things. Luckily, we were able to kind of rework how our events work. It took into account attendance with Block Party and everything under the sun in terms of media engagement to how much more money we could allocate to Block Party from Juice Jam. There’s a lot of external factors in terms of what happens that’s outside of our control, and then there were a lot of internal factors in that decision-making that I wasn’t necessarily a part of. But (the former UU president) really thought hard about where our money should go, and the meaning behind everything, and I think she did a good job of reflecting that this year. see uu page 10
EVENTS
THIS WEEKEND Quad-A-Palooza Following the cancellation of University Union’s annual fall concert, Juice Jam, UU will be hosting its inaugural Quad-A-Palooza instead. The celebration will feature live performances from student bands and DJs, local food vendors and carnival-themed games. WHEN: Friday, 3 to 7 p.m. PRICE: Free WHERE: Shaw Quadrangle
Dan + Shay: The Young Tour Country music duo Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, also known as Dan + Shay, will be making their Syracuse stop of The Young Tour Friday. Formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2012, the duo has released six albums and won three Grammy Awards. Most recently, Dan + Shay won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their song “10,000 Hours” featuring Justin Bieber in 2021. WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m. PRICE: $35 to $219 WHERE: Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
Clark Reservation State Park Day Hike About 15 minutes from Syracuse University’s campus, Clark Reservation State Park in Jamesville offers scenic views and vast hiking trails. With about five miles of trails, this hike is perfect for hikers of all experience levels. Additionally, the park also features a rare meromictic lake, where hikers can view the different types of colors in the lake. WHEN: Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. PRICE: $5 for undergraduate students, $10 for graduate students WHERE: Clark Reservation State Park
Cornhole Tournament Soak up the last few weeks of sunshine with a cornhole tournament, hosted by the Barnes Center at The Arch. Grab a friend and compete among other students and SU faculty. If cornhole isn’t your forte, check out the Spikeball Tournament, which will also be held at the same time at the Shaw Quadrangle. Register here before Wednesday at 4 p.m. WHEN: Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. PRICE: Free WHERE: Shaw Quadrangle
Dermot Kennedy: The Weight of the Woods Tour Folk and hip-hop musician Dermot Kennedy will be making a stop in Syracuse for his The Weight of the Woods Tour. The tour is in honor of his third album, “The Weight of the Woods,” which was released in April. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, it debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums chart. WHEN: Saturday, 8 p.m. PRICE: $55.50 to $133.60 WHERE: Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
10 september 24, 2026
from page 7
tables designing certain parts of the table before Sproles’ friends began painting. Parsons stuck with the alcohol theme: Coors Light, Fireball and Michelob Ultra logos and the classic pairings he calls “THE THREE AMIGOS” — salt, lime and a shot of tequila. Kraycik was in charge of the table’s middle, where he chose his local MLB team’s logo, the Philadelphia Phillies. As an avid skier, Kraycik also painted his favorite ski brand, K2. Like Howell, Armistead looked to his personal life. He grew up listening to rock music — his favorite band is the Grateful Dead — and recently, Armistead has become a hobbyist fisher. Thus, the band’s colorful bears and a fish painting with the words “Never to late to go Fishing” marked on the table. Dudish was entrusted to design the ends of the table — arguably the most utilized part. To mark where the beer pong and die cups go, Dudish traced beer cans, golf balls and pool balls, creating a “cool design” while maintaining his personality. “The logos of my favorite sports teams are pretty hard to paint, so I thought that having colors would be a cool way to circumvent that,” from page 7
tattoo to the convention. Ladies of Ink is a collective of young Black female tattoo artists from all over the United States who travel to conventions and spread their talents through the industry, Clinton said. Clinton’s tattoo journey began at 16-yearsold when she moved out of her parents’ house. She had a hard time finding people in the industry, she said, but Ladies of Ink gave Clinton “sisters” and a home away from home. In a space that Clinton said is dominated by white males, Ladies of Ink chose to take their designs to conventions to spread representation and break common stereotypes while engaging with the “super strong” convention community. “Tattooing is a lot more than just a service,” Clinton said. “It is definitely a connection. You’re trying to get to know your artist, feel comfortable with your artist.” Kiranjit Longaker, a Rochester-based therapist, traveled to Syracuse for one reason: to see her artist, Phoebe Aceto, at the convention. Aceto and Longaker have been working on a piece together on Longaker’s leg for the past couple of months. “I came here with my daughter to get some more work done on that tattoo and just to be around the vibe of all this creativity,” Longaker said. “When my daughter and I first drove in and we saw people walking in we were like, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re with our people.’” Longaker’s first tattoo on her arm stems from Kashmiri tradition, which features a half-human, half-cobra creature called a Nāga; Longaker’s father is Kashmiri himself. from page 9
ambassadors already shapes the magazine’s photo shoots, Ubogo said. Members’ outfits often come from thrift stores, other members’ closets, and her vintage clothing business. “We are very intentional about the brands we work with and the collaborations that we have done,” Ubogo said. Some student organizations occasionally collaborate. Last fall, University Girl Magazine collaborated with Baked Magazine, which supplied a cake that models decorated and destroyed during a photoshoot. Foundation housing has also provided empty units to use as locations, Ubogo said. Ubogo also seeks partnerships with smaller businesses and student creators. After meeting the creator behind Never Have I Ever, a pressfrom page 9
UU
The D.O.: What would it take for Juice Jam to return next year? Sartison: This is the first year we’ve done this type of programming before with a larger spring concert. You pretty much gather all the information you can throughout the year, and then you make an executive decision as to what happens at the end of the year. So there’s no real “Juice Jam’s coming back” or not answer. It’s more of “OK, we have the resources allocated to this. Let’s see how it goes.” After that, we’re gonna look at all of our numbers, see where we did really well, see where improvement can be made, and then you make a decision from there. And then with that decision, yes, it could be bringing
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Dudish said. “These are blue, gold and white for the (Buffalo) Sabres, and then over there is blue, red and white for the (Buffalo) Bills.” With the design finalized, Sproles and her friends kept their agreement and painted the guys’ table. Within two weeks, the friends had finished painting — and the positive feedback was rewarding. Once Armistead’s table was complete, he felt the deal was fair and square. Standing next to Howell’s Vineyard Vines table and Armistead’s blue, patchy table, Sproles’ table would’ve completed the trifecta — except, it’s not yet finished. “They’re like, ‘If they build it, we’ll paint it,’” Sproles said. “It’s a little unfair trade to be honest. We might’ve deserved more.” After spending two weeks on their neighbor’s table, what started as an ambitious plan to paint their table turned into another story, as most of their motivation was spent painting Armistead and his house’s table. However, their vision isn’t gone. Sectioned off into triangles, Sproles and her friend’s table uses light, pastel colors. The roommates agreed each would get 2.5 squares filled with their favorite interests and drinks, like a dirty martini, and their hometowns — both Sproles and Haselby are Continuing the Nāga design, Longaker and Aceto devised a look that incorporated a quote by Sigmund Freud, Hindu sacred geometry and budding lotus flowers. As Aceto filled in the lotus stems with bright green ink, Longaker admired the manifestation of many brainstorm sessions together. For Longaker, the tattoo represents telling her story visually, especially processing her feelings as a therapist, she said. Michael Pacheco came from Utica after seeing the convention advertised on Instagram. Born in El Salvador, Pacheco’s Catholicism is an important part of his identity, especially after he emigrated to New York, Pacheco said. On Pacheco’s wrist, a tattoo gun outlined a rosary down to his palm. Pacheco, describing himself as “picky” with his tattoos, sought an artist from Immortal Ink who could translate his connection with God. Coming to Villain Arts and seeing different kinds of people attend has deepened his appreciation for tattooing, Pacheco said. “At the end of the day, everything is just art,” Pacheco said. “It’s art that sticks with you for life. I think it’s pretty cool that we get to see all these different interpretations and perspectives on art.” Clinton said another reason she went to Villain Arts was to network with other tattoo professionals. Being surrounded by other artists improves her craft, reaching beyond norms and standards in the tattoo community, Clinton said. For Morgan, traveling with Villain Arts was a way to meet the over 3.8 million TikTok followers she’s amassed. After meeting similar
from Colorado. The pair also thought of adding a Coors Light logo. Roommates Bridget Craig, Annabelle Rose, Grace Crabbe and Maddy Strong are facing the same predicament as Sproles and Haselby. Craig and her roommates didn’t have to worry about the rain derailing their plans to paint their tables outside, as the trio live in an off-campus apartment. For them, it was simply a matter of getting it done. “To be fair, we didn’t get a lot done for one night,” Rose said. “We really just need to take a night and lock in and we can probably finish it.” Their designs are easy enough — they opted to use a plastic table for its smoother surface. However, their Five Below paint made the process harder, forcing the group to paint multiple coats and prolonging the painting process. For Craig, a pro tip would be using paint from Michaels, she said. On the roommates’ table, the trio decided to put their favorite interests combined with a sense of humor. In one section, a “Toy Story” green alien, which is famously known for saying the phrase “the claw” will instead be saying “the White Claw.” A different section will include Snoopy wearing an SU sweater, while another part will feature the Margaritaville parrot saying “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”
While the Ackerman Avenue neighbors used a homemade wooden table, a plastic table makes things more accessible, especially when it comes to figuring out how they’d pass it down. Rose hopes to hand her table down to younger members of her sorority. Otherwise, Craig plans on leaving it in her home in New Jersey rather than her roommates’ hometowns because she lives the most central to them all. “We could either pass it on or it can stay in New Jersey because, no hate, no shade, we’re gonna go to the bars on the Jersey shore,” Craig said. For Craig and Sproles’ roommate groups, once the table is finished (hopefully, before Halloween, they said), it’ll be an accurate representation of their school community. Each table section portrays each roommate’s interests, passions and personalities. While a beer pong table was what brought Sproles and Armistead’s friend group together, for Armistead, a beer pong table doesn’t accurately depict his roommates’ bond. “We’ve known each other for over two years now,” Armistead said. “I feel like there’s a lot of stuff that you can’t really put on a table that represents us.” tabintes@syr.edu
One of many artists at the Villain Arts Tattoo Festivals tattooing a snake sleeve on a patron. The Villain Arts Tattoo Festivals were founded in 1999 by Troy Timple. ruby lock contributing photographer
performers and artists at past conventions, Morgan learned how to sword swallow. After that, her descent into sideshow acts was a “slippery slope,” Morgan said. Villain Arts represents a family for Morgan. Whether or not an artist knows other artists, everyone is welcome.
“There are a lot of friendly faces of people that want to talk to you,” Morgan said. “They want to learn about you. They want to learn what you collect. I guarantee when you walk in the room, you’ll find someone that is just like you. And that’s the lovely part.”
on nail brand that recently collaborated with Katseye at a vintage event, Ubogo began planning a collaboration involving custom press-on nails. Those relationships between students and brands can appeal to businesses because students may be close to the audiences that brands want to reach, Ryan Schram, SU’s Executive Director for the Creator Economy, said. Students also bring creativity and an authentic understanding of the current culture. Schram encourages student leaders to consider member interests before agreeing to any campaign or partnership representing a group. “The biggest mismatch could be trying to make a fast buck and realizing that you’re alienating your follower base or putting members in a tough spot to support or promote something they may not believe in,” Schram said.
As students develop these partnerships, the Center for the Creator Economy can help organizations navigate business questions about strategy and responsibility, Schram said. While high-profile collaborations can be appealing, student organizations should consider their members’ desires and what companies want in return, he said. Across sororities, student agencies and magazines, these partnerships have taken different forms, but the students behind them all strive to bring resources and opportunities to their members. For Weisholtz, the relationship she builds can also extend beyond campus, turning outreach into connections for the future. Whenever Weisholtz sees a campaign that fits her sorority, she develops a small-scale concept and contacts the company directly, she said. Brand exposure has driven the partnerships, giving
companies a direct line to what young people want and what they’re doing, Weisholtz said. Weisholtz, who now has 25,000 followers on TikTok, started by looking at larger sororities at southern universities. Her pitches help brands reach students beyond the large SEC schools whose content garners hundreds of thousands of views on social media. When a full brand event like a Coach pop-up isn’t feasible, Weisholtz said, she pivots and suggests sending products to her sorority instead. “Working with these brands, no matter the form, has been a way for me and my sisters to get professional opportunities in different sectors,” Weisholtz said. “While some may just see posts on Instagram, these partnerships are how we can get all we can out of being students still.”
back Juice Jam, or it could be allocating funds somewhere else. There’s no real set answer. I would welcome the opportunity to bring Juice Jam back if we had the right amount of resources that we were able to allocate to make a total experience for the student body.
our programming, but it’s not experimental in terms of “it’s messy.” We’ve done this before. We’ve been able to pivot with our programming in the past. We know the process and everything, and what needs to happen.
what they want? All of that is taken into account whenever we put on events like this.
The D.O.: What parts of UU’s programming have been affected by last year’s budget cuts?
Sartison: I wouldn’t even necessarily say challenging. I would say rewarding in a sense as well. The best thing about UU is, yes, we have advisors that are able to guide us on these complex decisions, but at the same time it’s our decision at the end of the day. There’s always a different route to go. There’s always a different idea to chase. So it’s pretty special to see that happen around here and to facilitate those conversations and get everyone on board surrounding one mission. It’s something that we definitely are happy with so far. Editor’s note: Some questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
The D.O.: How does UU’s budget this year compare to last year? Sartison: I think the biggest thing is just movement, like you see with Juice Jam. We’re not having Juice Jam, but we’re also having a bigger Block Party. We were able to allocate more money toward our Quad-A-Palooza as well. UU’s programming looks a little different. We were also able to get some more funding toward our performing art shows and that stuff, so we’re able to kind of lean into that scope of things. So it’s an experimental year in terms of
Sartison: I think it’s a little too early to tell. Seeing what our events can do this year will really help me make an executive decision next year. You’ve already seen it at our cinema screening. We had a big turnout for that. There’s a lot of engagement and traction, especially with the younger students at Syracuse. We’re just looking for ways to improve, ways to ref lect the student body. That’s the thing every year, how can we bring the student body together? How can we reflect
ahdemche@syr.edu
kkonstan@syr.edu
The D.O.: What was the most challenging part of rethinking the programming for this year?
lvzucker@syr.edu
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OPINION
september 24, 2026 11
COLUMN
Morning doomscrolling kills your productivity. Do this instead. By Jude Magnotti columnist
When waking up, students’ minds should jump to the mundane, yet refreshing routines of college life: making their bed, sneaking out of their dorm to not wake their roommate and enjoying an occasionally satisfying breakfast at the dining hall. Yet, for many students, the first thing they see every morning isn’t a cramped dorm room or the dreary weather of central New York. It’s a screen. Your morning is one of the rare parts of your day that you have some control over. When you wake up and immediately expose yourself to the vast wasteland of memes and poor arguments that is the internet, you surrender control of your attention before you’ve even decided what matters to you. Doomscrolling has been a popular form of escapism since the COVID-19 pandemic. The average Gen Z-er spends upwards of nine hours a day on their phone. Furthermore, 70-80% of people check their phones within five minutes of waking up. The inherent problem with doing this in the morning isn’t just that it wastes time; it’s that an algorithm gets to decide where your mind goes.
You don’t need to put away your phone entirely, but you do need to hold off on scrolling until your brain has established its own starting point. Doomscrolling can be far more harmful than people realize. Harvard Health reports that excessive scrolling can lead to distressing physical and psychological symptoms. It’s been associated with nausea, low appetite and difficulty sleeping, while also being linked to chronic stress and reduced attention spans. A separate study also found that doomscrolling can worsen preexisting anxiety and depression, particularly among college-aged women. It claims that scrolling disrupts productivity by encouraging a cycle of procrastination. Sleep was similarly affected by the constant triggering of the brain’s stress response in the study.
sarah yudichak contributing illustrator
Scrolling itself isn’t the only thing that’s harmful, but also the content your brain absorbs from it. Whenever you open an app like Instagram or TikTok, you’re often bombarded by depressing news and reports of intense conflict. Do this in the morning, and your brain has already been overwhelmed by negativity before it’s fully awake. It isn’t just a disruption of rhythm; it’s an active detriment to one of the most important cognitive states of the day. Human bodies are meant to handle short bursts of stress, not the prolonged strain of receiving so much stimulation and often distressing content at once. For some students at Syracuse University, this trend is slowly becoming a reality “When I wake up, I go straight to Instagram Reels or TikTok, and I normally scroll for two hours,” SU freshman Olivia LoBue
said. “I don’t think it’s the best way to start my day. I don’t know what else to do.” For students who default to morning scrolling, the problem isn’t necessarily knowing they should stop; it’s knowing what to do instead. When you wake up, resist the urge to immediately reach for your phone. Instead, take the initiative to get ready, plan your day and start moving. Take a walk, write in a journal, read a book, eat breakfast, go to the gym or take a shower. Give yourself time before reaching for your phone. None of these activities will magically make you healthier or effortlessly more productive. But what they can do is give you something an algorithm never will: control over how you spend your time. They’re not mindless habits like doomscrolling, but rather things you choose to do. The most important part of your morning
isn’t a screen; it’s that it belongs to you. And that’s something no amount of scrolling can ever give you back. When you finally open your phone, check what you must but don’t fall victim to a doomscroll session. Students aren’t wrong for being bored or wanting to know what’s going on in the world when they wake up. There are many important updates busy college students should see in the morning. But we can’t let what starts as a quick check evolve into a siphon of our attention. You don’t need to put away your phone entirely, but you do need to hold off on scrolling until your brain has established its own starting point. Jude Magnotti is a freshman majoring in public relations and political science. He can be reached at jpmagnot@syr.edu.
COLUMN
Treat SU staff with respect to resist norms of capitalism By Kaelen Kinsella columnist
Imagine this: You’ve met up with a friend for a walk, and rather than greeting you, the first thing they do is ask if you’re ready to go to the park. You may think it’s off-putting that a human interaction can be treated like a transaction, but that’s how we, as students, treat staff every day at Syracuse University. And the worst part is we often fail to notice it. Hundreds of custodial staff, retail employees and construction workers walk SU’s grounds, performing crucial labor that keeps our campus running. The morning coffee that fuels your day, the electricity that keeps your device charged, the feeling of safety when you walk across the Newhouse Family Plaza and much more. It’s all thanks to the staff around our campus. But when we converse with them, we often fail to make them feel like a part of the campus community. Getting to the front of the Dunkin’ line and starting the conversation with your order rather than a greeting is dehumanizing. You’re directing this behavior toward people who may be going through struggles unknown to you, while they’re simultaneously dealing with the mental toll labor can cause. This behavior doesn’t rear its ugly head unprompted. It stems from the capitalist society we’ve created and nurtured within the United States over decades. We look at a service and overlook the human who works to create it. Bureau of Labor Statistics data reports that the labor share — the portion
emma soto illustration editor
of total economic value or output that goes to workers as compensation — dropped to a historic low of 52.8% this past quarter. Entitlement and transactional mindsets are byproducts of the materialistic society we’ve built in the U.S.
Capitalism has been shown to increase selfcenteredness and decrease altruism — the concern for others’ well-being. We can break out of this cycle by simply saying hello or asking about one’s day when we go to a dining hall. It’s often the little things that mean the most.
These interactions can also boost our own happiness. A study found that people who had more of these small, positive two-way interactions — classified in the study as weak ties — tended to be happier. Emphasizing emotional connection rather than transactional communication created an equal increase in overall happiness for both participants. Hundreds of stories are unfolding around us every day without us realizing it. The person at the dining hall desk could be going through a life-altering event. That custodial worker could be struggling with familial issues. You don’t know how much a simple greeting or small conversation could impact someone’s day, week or month. We’ve fallen into a capitalistic cycle where corporations profit from intensive labor more than the workers themselves, which in turn impacts how we think about interactions with employees. We can’t let our empathy become inhibited by this pattern. So, say hello. Ask how someone’s day is. Thank someone for their service; it’s valuable and often hard to come across. When we speak about how happy people are with SU, we refer to our student body without realizing this leaves out those who work incredibly hard to keep our campus clean, safe and beautiful. It’s necessary that we break from the norms society has enforced and embrace our staff members as we would our friends or acquaintances. Kaelen Kinsella is a freshman majoring in journalism and political science. He can be reached at kaelenkinsella@gmail.com.
12 september 24, 2026
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from page 16
d’appolonia “He on that list, I guess that means you like athletically-gifted or something,” Brown quipped. Yes, D’Appolonia is. He’s always been unusually large. He’s always been unusually strong. And somehow, despite his traditional linebacker frame, he moves like someone considerably smaller. D’Appolonia is 6-foot-3 and weighs 235 pounds. He can sprint 21.67 miles per hour. He can squat 565 pounds, bench-press 375 and barbell clean 325. His vertical jump is 37 inches, and he can broad jump 10 feet and nine inches. Last year with Toledo, Pro Football Focus graded D’Appolonia as the Mid-American Conference’s fourth-best linebacker in pass coverage. Three games into Syracuse’s 2026 season, he leads the Orange with 10 solo tackles, and his 17 total tackles are tied for the team high. “Any time a young man who’s 6-foot-3 and 220-some pounds at 16 years old can broad jump 10 feet; yeah, that’s pretty freakish in my boat,” said Kehres, who coached D’Appolonia for three seasons at Toledo. D’Appolonia first stood out to Kehres at a Toledo summer football camp in 2022. He wasn’t on the pre-registered camp roster, but his size caught Kehres’ eye. A few weeks later, Kehres brought more of Toledo’s staff to a Pitt camp to watch him again. “By the time we got done with camp, (I thought), ‘Man, this kid’s really good,’ and from there it was a pretty quick process of him deciding to commit to Toledo,” Kehres said.
10
Chris D’Appolonia’s teamleading solo tackles
Little did Kehres know Toledo was D’Appolonia’s dream school. D’Appolonia’s family used to live in Perrysburg, Ohio, about 10 miles southwest of Toledo. The first college football game D’Appolonia attended in fourth grade was the Rockets’ home stadium, The Glass Bowl. “I remember him coming home from that game and telling me, ‘Mom, I’m gonna play there someday,’” said Teresa Novacic D’Appolonia, D’Appolonia’s mother. A year later, the family moved to Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh, where they now reside. Growing up, Teresa remembers D’Appolonia’s pediatrician visits. He’d fall in the 99th percentile
chris d’appolonia jogs onto the field during Syracuse’s 27-13 loss to Pitt on Sept. 17. Through three games, D’Appolonia leads the Orange with 10 solo tackles. zoe xixis asst. photo editor
for height, weight and even head circumference for his age. He hasn’t eaten off the kids’ menu since he was 4. D’Appolonia was 8 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, Teresa said. At the doctor’s office, he was asked what he liked to do. D’Appolonia said he liked playing sports. The doctors brought out a list of athletes with type 1 diabetes, which included Kendall Simmons, who played for the nearby Steelers. “He’s never let something like that define him,” Teresa said. “It’s something that he needs to take care of to be what he wants to be. To be a football player, to be a good athlete, to be a good student. Not to be a diabetic. It’s not something that he considers himself.” When D’Appolonia started high school, he weighed 165 pounds. When he graduated, he was 230. He said the greatest transformation came after his junior year. He spent more time in the gym. At home with five younger siblings, D’Appolonia was trying to gain weight, while his brother Jacob D’Appolonia, a wrestler, was trying to lose it. So, at dinner, D’Appolonia always sat next to Jacob, who took a few bites, then slid the plate to D’Appolonia.
“He was always at the top of all the lists in terms of lifting and squatting and deadlifting and power cleaning,” said Ron Butschle, D’Appolonia’s coach at Seneca Valley High School. “For somebody that big (who) was just so capable of doing things that normally people that size don’t do unless you’re a big-time Division I athlete, it was easy to see that was going to happen.” On the field, the gained weight led to a position change. After playing safety to begin high school, D’Appolonia moved to defensive back as a senior. The athleticism remained. Start asking people the most freakish thing D’Appolonia has done, and you get the same answer: His broad jump. At college football camps, D’Appolonia performed the exercise, jumping as far forward as possible from a stationary, standing position. Most players moved to the next exercise after one attempt. Coaches asked D’Appolonia to do it again. “They wanted to push him again to see just how far (he could jump),” Teresa said. “I remember it being eye-opening, watching him go to some of those camps the summer after his junior year and putting him in comparison with other
like-minded athletes. I was like, ‘OK, he’s got something here.’” When D’Appolonia’s final high school season began, something on his senior profile caught Teresa’s eye: He doesn’t like lifting weights. “I was like, ‘That’s not right. That doesn’t make any sense,’” Teresa said, “because he literally lives there. He lives in the weight room.” But D’Appolonia isn’t there because he wants to; he said he has to. He loves football, and lifting weights helps him succeed in that passion. What D’Appolonia enjoys most is learning and sharing defensive intricacies. He relished picking Kehres’ brain on his Toledo visit. When D’Appolonia broke his hip one game into his sophomore season, ruling him out for the rest of the regular season, he joined Kehres in the stadium box, where Kehres sits to get an elevated view during games. “I take a lot of pride in being the guy that guys look to in times of chaos and times where everyone needs to just slow down,” D’Appolonia said. “I take a lot of pride in being able to be the communicator and the calm in the storm.” Toledo saw a whirlwind in the coaching ranks after last season. Head coach Jason Candle left for UConn. Kehres headed to Syracuse. Codefensive coordinator Ross Watson went to Iowa State. D’Appolonia originally never considered leaving Toledo, Teresa said. But the coaches dispersing changed that. On the heels of Third Team All-MAC honors, he visited UConn and SU in early January. He had a few other spots lined up after Syracuse, but Teresa remembers D’Appolonia calling her on a Tuesday. Syracuse was the place. “His feeling was, I don’t know that I can picture myself playing for someone other than V.K.,” Teresa said. D’Appolonia’s strength came in handy when his mother helped him move into his Syracuse apartment shortly after, Teresa added. He could lift the table, sofa and boxes with ease. On the Orange’s first defensive play of the season, D’Appolonia shot a gap and recorded a tackle for loss on New Hampshire running back Myles Thomason. That moment stuck with Kehres and D’Appolonia days later when asked to recall a notable moment in D’Appolonia’s collegiate career. Brown was effusive in his praise, too. After fielding another question about D’Appolonia, the head coach eventually admitted it. D’Appolonia did fit the label Feldman bestowed upon him. “He’s a great kid,” Brown said. “He came in and bought into our culture. He’s a legit kid, a legit athlete and, as you say, a freak of nature.” njalumka@syr.edu @nalumkal
from page 16
eiselin role when she arrived. In 2025, she regularly played first halves before King stepped between the sticks in the second. Eiselin said she knew she’d have to compete for consistent playing time, citing King’s strength as a freshman. But even as they jostled for SU’s starting spot this season, they supported each other, forming a “goalie community” between Eiselin, King and freshman Addie Youree. “We’ve competed every single practice, and we’re making each other better,” Eiselin said. “(We) lift each other up because we also know there is only one spot to fill. I’m very grateful that we can still be friends and cheer each other on when the other is on the field. I could never do it without her.” “We don’t compete necessarily against each other,” King added. “We compete more for ourselves to get better and earn that playing time.” A goalie’s performance is rooted in mistakes. If they falter, no players can make up for them. Eiselin said that’s why she fell in love with goaltending when she was first put in net at age 12. Eiselin wants responsibility. But she appreciates sharing its weight with King, saying their relationship instills her with confidence. “In practices, sometimes you mess up,” Eiselin said. “But we’re here for each other.” Before SU played Wake Forest in the 2025 ACC Tournament First Round, then-Syracuse goalie coach Sally Rutherford informed Eiselin she’d start. Rutherford added that, if Eiselin was playing well at halftime, she’d stay. Through 30 minutes, Eiselin had two saves and a clean sheet. She remained in net and delivered a season-high nine stops in Syracuse’s 3-1 playoff win. Eiselin said it was the first game she felt the competition slip away. “She was really happy for me and that I did that for the team,” Eiselin said of King. “I think that really helps.” A week and a half later, in the NCAA Tournament First Round, Eiselin avenged her penalty stroke miss against Virginia. This time, facing Liberty’s Julieta Tornati 80 minutes in, Eiselin waited. Tornati tipped off the shot, and Eiselin saved it with her left pad. Three shooters
jessie eiselin sits on the J.S. Coyne Stadium turf during SU’s shootout win over UMass Lowell on Sept. 18. In her second season with Syracuse, Eiselin has become its clear-cut starter. tara deluca photo editor
later, after scores from Taylor Bigbie and Aubrey Turner, Syracuse won. This season, head coach Lynn Farquhar continues to keep her cards close. She flip-flopped Eiselin and King at halftime during Syracuse’s first two games against Fairfield and Northeastern, saying afterward she liked their competition. Farquhar said both goalies made her choice difficult. Although Eiselin has assumed the starting role, Farquhar went with King against Bucknell, when the sophomore recorded her first-career shutout. “We’ll surprise you this Friday,” Farquhar said on Sept. 16 regarding Syracuse’s starter before its home opener versus UMass Lowell. When the veil lifted against the River Hawks, Eiselin was there. She stayed in after halftime. Then 15 minutes of overtime. Then a shootout. The game rested on her shoulders. Was she nervous about making a mistake no teammate could cover up? “I don’t get nervous before a game,” Eiselin said. “I just get excited.” It ended on her pad. She dismissed a desperate whack from UMass Lowell’s Karli Penrod. Eiselin
jessie eiselin makes a save during SU’s victory over UMass Lowell on Sept. 18. Eiselin similarly thrived in a shootout against Liberty in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. tara deluca photo editor
then lifted herself off the pitch before enthusiastically tossing aside her gloves and helmet, just in time to be mobbed by her teammates in front of her net.
Assistant Digital Editor Jack Wood contributed reporting to this article. gfewen@syr.edu @gabe_ewen
september 24, 2026 13
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Syracuse ice hockey prepares to face RIT during the 2025-26 season. Since then, the Orange hired new head coach Brian Idalski.
griffin uribe brown daily orange file photo
ice hockey
Previewing SU’s 2026-27 season, Idalski’s debut campaign By Gabe Ewen
asst. copy editor
New Syracuse ice hockey head coach Brian Idalski isn’t joining a long list of SU head coaches. On July 14, he became just the third in program history. The Orange had their first-ever coaching change after their last NCAA Tournament appearance, conference championship and winning season, when program architect Paul Flanagan retired in March 2022. Nearly a halfdecade later, Idalski is tasked with returning Syracuse to contention. SU begins its 2026-27 campaign this weekend with home tilts against Stonehill. Syracuse has advanced to the semifinals of the first two Atlantic Hockey America Tournaments, but as the conference enters its third season, SU remains a couple cuts below the class of the conference. Last season, Syracuse finished 15-18-4 overall and fifth in the AHA at 10-11-3, one win behind Lindenwood and RIT. In the single-elimination AHA Tournament quarterfinals, the Orange beat the Tigers 4-3 before they were swept by No. 3 Penn State in the semifinals. But a coaching change means shifting expectations. A team’s first few games under a firstyear head coach are often judged by their substance and not results. Is the team tough to play against? Are its efforts consistent? Is it playing with structure? Idalski has avoided adding any “undue pressure” to his players while they’re still learning
his expectations amid a new system. Instead, his mindset has been more process-oriented. Idalski said on Sept. 2 that his focus is on habits and allowing the big picture goals — like matching up with Penn State, which Idalski described as AHA’s “gold standard” — to become the byproduct of daily diligence. “When you walk into a situation, the things that the people inside of the organization want are always the same things,” Idalski said during AHA’s preseason media availability. “It’s always clear communication, the opportunity to have conversations, feel valued, have clear expectations, standards, and they want to be held accountable by someone who they can care about, that they feel cares about them and communicates clearly.” Accountability. Conversations. Culture. It’s similar to what Idalski’s predecessor, Britni Smith, said when she took over the program in 2022. That tracks. Idalski has said himself there’s no secret sauce. But what about the hockey? Idalski has a track record of turning around flailing programs. In 2007, he took over a threewin North Dakota team. By 2010-11, he’d guided the program to a 20-win campaign — the second winning season in North Dakota’s history. In 2022, Idalski accepted the head coaching position at St. Cloud State. Before Idalski’s arrival, the Huskies had won fewer than 10 games in all but two of their last 12 seasons. In his first year, he doubled SCSU’s win total from nine to 18
and was named the U.S. College Hockey Online National Coach of the Year. Coming off consecutive 15-win campaigns and AHA Semifinal berths — and only four years removed from its last NCAA Tournament appearance — Syracuse is the most successful college program Idalski’s inherited yet. Still, there’s a wide gap between Syracuse and AHA’s best. AHA, formed when the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America merged before the 2024-25 season, remains in its infancy. SU has spent the conference’s first two seasons tangled up with RIT and Lindenwood in the middle of the league’s standings. Penn State and Mercyhurst, meanwhile, have separated themselves from the pack as nationally-ranked programs, slotting alongside top teams from older, more cutthroat conferences like the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. It’s fitting, then, that Idalski, in his most recent NCA A stop, spent three seasons in the WCHA, home to both last season’s national champion (Wisconsin) and runnerup (Ohio State). At St. Cloud State from 2022-25, 53% of the games Idalski coached were against ranked opponents. In that span, he coached in a higher proportion of games against teams ranked in the top five of the country (36%) than Syracuse played against opponents of any rank (32%).
But that’s all big picture. First come smaller focuses. Like fixing Syracuse’s special teams — a power play (12.4%, sixth in AHA) and penalty kill (74.6%, seventh) that ranked in the bottom half of the conference. Of note, SCSU’s power play improved by more than 10% and its penalty kill by more than 8% in Year 1 under Idalski. Or allowing fewer shots past Syracuse’s defense. Sophomore Ava Drabyk faced more rubber than any other goalie in AHA, making a conference-high 926 saves. A dominant Drabyk performance was behind every marquee SU win. She saved 31 pucks in Syracuse’s shootout upset of Mercyhurst on Nov. 21. She made 27 saves in another shootout win over the then-No. 13 Lakers on Feb. 13. And a whopping 48 in SU’s shock of then-No. 5 Cornell, again in a shootout, on Nov. 25. Or simply scoring more goals. Syracuse was one of just two AHA teams to average fewer than two goals per game, scoring 1.86. The Orange averaged a competitive 29.8 shots on goal but lacked finish all season, registering a conferencelow 6.3% shooting percentage. Or maybe even smaller focuses. Like effort and diligence and routine. “Really, that’s what we’re looking for out of this club,” Idalski said. “That is just a compete level that is consistent. That’s tough to play against.” gfewen@syr.edu @gabe_ewen
volleyball
SU’s storylines before ACC play: Erratic offense, net front woes “It’s really just about building that connection. Middle blockers with the pin hitters,” Nicholson said. “So as time goes on, we will build that connection, and just the repetitiveness, continuing to practice will help a lot.”
By Jamie Quinn staff writer
It’s been a turbulent four weeks for Syracuse volleyball. The Orange’s nonconference ebbs and flows have been masked. On one hand, SU dominantly swept Howard, UAlbany and Canisius, with only two sets decided by four or fewer points in the span. The Orange have also been clutch, edging Cornell in a five-set thriller. However, the Orange were swept by Cincinnati, Illinois and Buffalo. They lost in four to Arkansas and were scared by 2-10 Fairleigh Dickinson, which nearly took a 2-1 lead over SU. The Orange lack consistency everywhere going into Atlantic Coast Conference play, where SU is 15-61 all-time under head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. Here are three storylines before Syracuse (5-4, 0-0 ACC) begins conference play against No. 4 Louisville on Friday:
Double-edged sword offense
When Syracuse’s offense finds rhythm, it’s prolific. The Orange are 4-1 when racking up 40-plus kills. Setter Charis Burge has doled out offensive responsibilities across multiple hitters and middle blockers. Kiernan Stamey, Keila Gabriel, Abby Nicholson and Emma Williams all have over 50 kills. “We’ll be trying to diversify our offense, getting our middles involved,” Ganesharatnam said. “Getting good opportunities to have some points scored from our middles, but also opening that up to our pins.” However, the attack is a double-edged sword. When mistakes pile up, they cost the Orange matches. SU is 2-3 in games with at least 20
Back-row rallies
emma williams (19) sets the ball for her teammates during Syracuse’s win over Buffalo on Sept. 20. The Orange are 5-4 and begin ACC play on Friday. paul hakimian staff photographer
attacking errors. The Orange sufficed 60-plus kills in the wins. If its offense stalls, Syracuse experiences death by a thousand cuts. Against Arkansas, the Orange had 29 attacking mistakes, and their offense couldn’t keep up. Their only victory with under 40 kills thus far was against Howard. Ganesharatnam doesn’t want history repeating itself. “(Louisville is) going to put a lot of pressure on our passers, but we need to attract those serves, and we need to make sure we stay in system as much as possible, which then gives our setters a good opportunity to put attackers in better positions,” he said.
Blocking woes
Syracuse’s block has been a defensive liability.
The Orange’s 1.61 blocks per set rank last in the ACC, and they’ve been outblocked in all but the UAlbany and Canisius games. The block seemed to be trending in the right direction early on. SU had double-digit blocks against UAlbany and Arkansas with 21 combined and recorded eight against Cornell. However, Syracuse didn’t retain its form. In the next three games, the Orange managed 12 blocks. SU denied just three attacks against Canisius and Buffalo, tied for its second-lowest mark this season. Ganesharatnam said the block is a “work in progress,” but he’s seen netfront improvement. Nicholson, SU’s leading blocker, said blockers and hitters are working on getting in sync.
When the offense and block struggle, the back row props them up. The Orange recorded 40-plus digs in six matches and won five. Syracuse ranks eighth in digs per set and third in kills against per set in the ACC. While SU’s defense started slow, compiling a season-low 23 digs in its opener against Cincinnati, it’s become the Orange’s most formidable unit. The defense is held together by libero Yuka Urano, who averages 3.13 digs per set and has 97 total this season. Offensive players like Stamey, Marie Laurio, Burge and Bella Rodriguez have aided Urano on the back row and round out the top five dig contributors. “We understand that we need to play defense as a team,” Ganesharatnam said. In particular, Laurio and Rodriguez have become mainstays on the back row. Laurio sustained an early-season injury — limiting her offensive abilities — but has contributed 60 digs. Rodriguez didn’t play a full match until Sept. 3, but her nine-dig performances against Buffalo — which led SU — and Arkansas have given her a rotational spot. While Syracuse ended nonconference play with a 29-dig straight-sets loss to the Bulls, the defense can prove that was a fluke in the upcoming ACC gauntlet against three top-five opponents — No. 4 Louisville, No. 5 SMU and No. 2 Pittsburgh. jquinn13@syr.edu @jamisonquinn07
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football
With Mandarin, Garvin St. John’s found social media stardom By Mauricio Palmar development editor
The Range Rover slows to a standstill at the corner of Erie Boulevard and Columbus Avenue, stopped by a red light that couldn’t have been timed much better. The Syracuse linebacker looks out the window, sitting behind the wheel on this September afternoon. There’s a ghost from his past to his right. As he talks, he points at the restaurant in the adjacent lot with an orange roof and a fluorescent yellow sign, which reads: H.K. Take Out Chinese Food “I was sitting in that parking lot,” Garvin St. John says, pointing out the window. “S—ing myself.” Consider Garvin: standing all of 6-feet, 235 pounds, an SU walk-on linebacker and burgeoning social media star. It’s been less than a year since he began creating content, yet his Instagram account, @guccigarvin, has gained over 290,000 followers, more than the university he attends and the football team he plays for. Its notoriety has little to do with the sport. His brand of content — “POV: Speaking Chinese as an African American male” — succeeds online when he goes into restaurants, but he still gets nervous to enter them, most of all H.K. Take Out. Because that’s where everything changed for him. Toward the end of 2025, Garvin went to H.K. with just a few videos under his belt. Donning his Ray-Ban Meta glasses, he walked in and stuttered while he ordered. “I sold the bag,” he says, recounting it now. He got his food, left the establishment and deleted the video immediately. Back in June, he returned to H.K. with that flub still fresh in his mind. That’s why he was, in his words, “s—ing himself” in the parking lot. He took a few minutes to relax and told himself to consider the positives that could come from the video. Then, he went in. “I just built up the confidence to go inside,” Garvin later said. “Did what I do best.” It became the video that put him on the map. Before he posted it on June 15, he had 20,000 Instagram followers. Two weeks after, he passed star SU linebacker Antoine Deslauriers: 50,000 followers. He passed five-star freshman Calvin Russell — 77,000 — on July 16, and crossed the
100,000-follower threshold six days later. When he did, he went on Amazon and purchased a black-and-rainbow T-shirt with “100K” emblazoned on it. As he sits in his car, off to the destination he personally selected, he’s at 216,000. The day before, he hit 200,000. The light turns green again. Garvin accelerates about a half a mile down the road and turns into another lot. This one belongs to another Chinese establishment, Yang Di Chun BBQ. As he pulls into the lot, he notices someone standing next to a Ford truck. “That’s the guy,” Garvin says. He’d been to this place once before, back in March, and he recognized the Asian man in this lot. The video’s still on his Instagram. It was a bizarre interaction, one he began by ordering lamb soup in English before trying to surprise him with his Mandarin. The language switch barely registered with the man, who gave a faint smile and continued responding in English. The man gave Garvin a hot tea while he waited for the soup and didn’t respond when he thanked him in Mandarin. As a rule of thumb, Garvin tries not to return to the same restaurant. He’s breaking that rule today. Most Chinese restaurants are takeout only, so he came to Yang Di Chun because it has seating. Donning a navy blue Syracuse Nike Tech Fleece, Garvin walks in and slides into a wooden booth. A man — as a matter of fact, the man — takes the order. The table leads off with a serving of egg, pork, chicken and shrimp fried rice noodles. Mmm, delectable. Next up? Just chicken fried rice noodles will do, please. Thanks. The ball works around the horn to Garvin. All eyes are on him. No one knows what he’ll order, and no one knows how he’ll order it. The possibilities are endless. The Meta glasses aren’t on, but he could try flaunting his Mandarin regardless. “Do you guys have pork dumplings?” he asks in English. “I’ll have your pork dumplings.” Back in the car, Garvin said that, when he makes videos in Chinese restaurants, he gives the meal to homeless people. All he keeps are the dumplings. The man returns to the kitchen. “Last time I came here, I don’t know if he actually speaks Mandarin,” Garvin whispers. “I
don’t know if he does. Because, like, when I spoke to him, he was confused as f-ck.” He proceeds to explain that the man might know Cantonese and not Mandarin, because they’re two very different things. He uses his arms to hand-sign the different tones and minutiae that separate the languages, as if anyone who wasn’t placed in a Chinese immersion program could possibly understand what he was so valiantly trying to explain. But Garvin can, because he was placed in a Chinese immersion program. From kindergarten until about fifth grade, he says, his school days consisted of roughly 80% Mandarin instruction and 20% English. The split evened out after that. By high school, he took just one Chinese course to prepare for college. As he explains, the noodles come out. Garvin says something in Mandarin — “Thank you, this looks really good,” he translates — and the man doesn’t acknowledge it. Right behind him, a second man donning an apron brings out Garvin’s dumplings. Steam rises off the plate. Garvin thanks him in Mandarin, and this time, a smile breaks out on his face. “I’m not gonna lie, these are really authentic,” Garvin says. “These are authentic dumplings. It’s just by the way they’re wrapped. I’m pretty sure that’s homemade.” But it’s not like he’d know from experience. Growing up in Barrington, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, he says he had maybe one Chinese neighbor. Neither of his parents — Keisha and Alfred St. John — knew Mandarin. They placed him in the program because China’s economy was booming, and they figured it might be prudent for their son to learn its language. They were correct, but not in the way they expected. Inspired by his hometown friend, Blake Wendt, he began posting videos in November 2025. His main objective was improving his fluency. The content was simpler back then: videos of him looking into the camera, reading off a script, with captions like, “Day 1 of speaking Chinese every day.” “He was just kind of filming with his hand on the phone,” said Layla Stone, Garvin’s girlfriend. “He wasn’t actually doing interactions yet.” The Meta glasses changed everything. The restaurant videos hopped into the fray, as well
as videos where he’d go to the mall and challenge random passersby to speak Mandarin for $20. His content has evolved so much, he says, that he now categorizes each video into one of three buckets: low effort, medium effort and high effort. Low effort videos, for example, would be Chinese history videos. He can make those in five minutes — recording, editing, posting, all of it. Medium effort videos would be mall interaction videos. He can go to Destiny USA, talk to 20 people and crank out multiple videos from one trip. High-effort ones, he says, are restaurant videos. He has to go to a restaurant, order, wait for the food, then go back and caption it with English translation. One video can take over an hour. “He’ll just find time,” Stone said. “He stays up really late working on stuff.” It’s a hard lifestyle, and Garvin knows it. Sure, there’s perks. The other day, a viewer recognized him at the New York State Fair. He says he’s made over $10,000 off TikTok alone. He’s had one-off video agreements with companies like Temu and Block Blast. Rainbet, a gambling company, offered him a deal that would’ve paid him several thousand dollars for eight videos a month, although he declined due to his student-athlete status. But there’s also plenty of times when he’s reconsidered if this — both football and social media — is worth it. He says he feels burnt out sometimes. He says he feels burnt out right now. There’s some free time in his schedule. A lot of it goes to schoolwork. But the plate of pork dumplings before him has sat unfinished for hours, and he’s far from finished, too. “I can only do this once,” Garvin says. “This is all I dreamed about as a kid.” Two days after this conversation, he posted a story on his Instagram. The image is the interior of a restaurant. There’s three screens behind the counter, displaying dishes like pepper steak and sesame chicken. The location tag is Fortune Hawaii, a Chinese takeout spot in DeWitt. The caption is New Video !? !? He hadn’t made a new restaurant video in over a month, but there’s no better time to change that than now. The clip is going up the next morning. mjpalmar@syr.edu @PointPalmar
women’s soccer
In 1st season, Lauren Christy is making every minute count By Jordan Fendrich
asst. copy editor
For most of Lauren Christy’s soccer career, a complicated game had a simple solution: give her the ball. She shot from distance. She created her own space. She found a teammate nobody else saw. At Brewster Academy (New Hampshire), where she totaled 73 goals and 217 points, Christy constantly made something happen. Now, at Syracuse, she waits. Sometimes for 20 minutes. Sometimes for 30.
217
Lauren Christy’s total points at Brewster Academy
Against Virginia Tech Sunday, she sat for 86 minutes and 34 seconds. So when Syracuse finally calls her No. 13, she must make every moment count. “I just want to be a game changer,” Christy said of her new role. “I want to do anything I can do for my team.” Through Syracuse’s (3-5-2, 0-3-0 Atlantic Coast) first 10 games, Christy has played 254 minutes across eight appearances — with two starts. The freshman central attacking midfielder has eight shots, four on goal, but hasn’t recorded any goals or assists. It’s quite the stark contrast from just a year ago. As a senior at Brewster, Christy scored 23 goals and tallied a single-season school record 26 assists. She led the Bobcats to a 16-3 record and the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class C championship game, winning 2024-25 Gatorade New Hampshire Girls Soccer Player of the Year. “I’ve just been embracing it,” Christy said. “It’s special to come off the bench and make a difference.” Her numbers, or lack thereof, illustrate the adjustment Christy has had to make since arriving at Syracuse. The player who once created chances from start to finish now must
find ways to influence a game in whatever minutes she gets. At Brewster, Christy rarely waited for her opportunity. Matt Butcher, her varsity coach for all four years, watched her progress from a freshman who was quickly becoming one of the team’s top midfielders into its go-to player as a senior. She turned routine possessions into highlights. “She’d get on the ball and just hit rockets from 35 yards,” Butcher said. “That brought the crowd to its feet.” As Christy grew older, so did her responsibility. Butcher watched her become more assertive each season, developing into the player who dominated a practice when competition toughened. “Every time we did small-sided games, if it was a game to five, she was going to score four of the goals,” Butcher said. “She was the player that would take over every single training session.” In Christy’s sophomore year, Brewster faced New Hampton in the NEPSAC championship in mid-November, looking to defend its 2021 title. It was freezing. The field hardened so much that Christy remembers it being “like a rock.” At one point, play stopped as a leaf blower attempted to clear the frozen surface. With 20 minutes left in the scoreless game, Christy received a cross from captain Abigail Jarvi. “As soon as the ball got on her foot inside the 18, you just knew she was going to score,” Butcher said. One touch. Then a shot. The ball went in, and Brewster won 1-0. For Christy, the goal carried a little more weight than the score. As a freshman, she was part of a championship team. As a sophomore, she helped decide one. “Everything, I feel like, lined up perfectly,” Christy said. By her senior season, opponents realized that letting Christy run free was a problem. Butcher said teams began game-planning specifically to take her away, sometimes triple-teaming her. It didn’t exactly solve the problem. Instead, Christy started seeing the field differently. If three defenders followed her, somebody else would be open.
“If there’s a shot, take it,” Robert Christy, Lauren’s father, said. “If there’s a better opportunity for a teammate, make that pass.” Even before Christy became the player opponents had to account for, she had an endless desire to persist until she perfected something. Once when she was 12, Christy juggled a soccer ball in the backyard, chasing a number she set for herself. Robert told her it was time to come in for dinner. But whatever was waiting inside — Robert’s best guess was chicken and potatoes, as dinner at the Christys often was — could wait a little longer. “I’m not going in until I get it,” Christy told him. So she stayed out back. Another 30 minutes passed before she finally hit her number — 100 straight juggles. Only then could she eat. That moment stuck with Robert, but it wasn’t an isolated burst of stubbornness. Christy’s always found extra ways to work. In 2015, Robert, who played soccer at Bridgewater State University, built a 40-yard grass field in the family’s backyard, complete with a full-size goal and 18-yard markings. When Christy was home and healthy, she was out there.
I just want to be a game changer. I want to do anything I can do for my team. Lauren Christy
syracuse midfielder
Even now, the two still train together. Before SU’s scoreless draw against Harvard on Aug. 30, Christy called Robert the Saturday before to meet at Syracuse’s practice field. On the eve of the matchup, they spent an hour working on turning and shooting — one-timers, free kicks and penalty kicks. “She’s very focused on the game and getting better,” Robert said. “She thinks if she’s prepared, the games are easy.”
That preparation has followed Christy to Syracuse. But now, instead of having an entire game to contribute, she has to do it in a fraction of one. Christy did exactly that in a 1-0 victory at Northwestern on Aug. 20. After coming off the bench, she sparked the Orange in the second half, taking all three of their shots after halftime. The final one was the most pivotal. With under a minute left, Christy’s attempt was blocked inside the box, ricocheting off Wildcats defender Olivia Elliott’s hand. After a lengthy video review, Syracuse was awarded a penalty kick. Abby Incorvaia stepped up and buried it to win the game. The stat line had no trace of Christy. No goal. No assist. Just three shots and a hand in the sequence that gave Syracuse its only Power Four win of the season. But for a player learning to live in the gaps between opportunities, it was a reminder of what she can do with one. The role may be new for Christy, but the intensity she brings to it isn’t. Luce Colcord knows that better than most. The two played and roomed together at Brewster for four years, becoming “sisters” in Colcord’s eyes. After wins, they played music and laughed in their room. After losses, they gave each other some space before sitting down to pick apart what they could’ve done differently. Colcord remembers how Christy’s competitiveness carried into practice. When the tempo dropped, Christy raised it. When everyone else’s energy dipped, hers rarely did. “She’s never gonna go out there and half-ass it,” Colcord said. “She’s gonna give it her all, which then ups everyone else’s motivation.” Christy has spent her entire soccer career making decisions with the ball. Now she has to make them before she even touches it, watching from the sideline, studying the game and figuring out where she can change it when her number is called. Her preparation hasn’t changed since she left New Hampshire. Only her role has. Now, Christy waits. Then, No. 13 gets her chance. jfendric@syr.edu @jordan_fendrich
SPORTS
16 september 24, 2026
dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com
‘FREAK OF NATURE’ Chris D’Appolonia’s skills convinced Fran Brown of the LB’s ‘freak’ label By Nicholas Alumkal senior staff writer
F
ran Brown wasn’t impressed. Not that he was unimpressed with Chris D’Appolonia. He didn’t say that exactly. Brown likes his new linebacker enough to select him as the sole player defensive coordinator Vince Kehres communicates with via headset midgame. Nine months into D’Appolonia’s SU career, Brown already considers him a “champion-level” player — a distinction he awards players he views as Syracuse’s leaders. But when asked about D’Appolonia being a “freak?” Brown wasn’t buying it. Or, at least, he wasn’t interested. “I don’t even know all that kind of stuff,” Brown said. “I have no idea.” “Is LeBron James on there?” he asked later. No, Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List is limited to college football’s most extraordinary physical specimens. In August, D’Appolonia was featured for the second straight year at 46th. Brown’s response was essentially: OK? “I see people run and jump every day,” he said. “I didn’t see him do a backflip.” see d’appolonia page 12
chris d’appolonia flexes during Syracuse’s 21-18 loss to Cal on Sept. 12. Since transferring from Toledo to SU, D’Appolonia has become one of the Orange’s top defensive players. eli schwartz asst. photo editor
field hockey
Jessie Eiselin embraced competition for SU’s starting spot By Gabe Ewen
asst. copy editor
Jessie Eiselin described it as a feeling. Intuition. She had to pick a side. Maybe even before the Virginia player across from her. Syracuse field hockey’s hopes of advancing to the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship hung in the balance. Typically, Eiselin waits. Searches for clues in the shooter’s position. Then, she reacts. But she couldn’t save a penalty stroke in Syracuse’s ACC Tourna-
ment-opening win over Wake Forest the day prior. And the weekend before, in SU’s regular-season finale versus Louisville. Against Virginia, the misses were on her mind. So she pivoted. Instead of waiting, she wagered. She bet wrong. The Cavaliers scored. The game was over. “Everyone on the pitch can make mistakes,” Eiselin said. “But if we make a mistake, it’s a goal. I think that pressure is good for me.” Syracuse’s senior goalkeeper has never shied from pressure. She trans-
ferred from Monmouth to SU before her junior season “to play ACC field hockey.” Eiselin embraced competing for Syracuse’s starting spot and, eight days after losing in the ACC Tournament against UVA, helped the Orange to their first NCAA Tournament win since 2023 with a crucial penaltystroke save against Liberty. In 2026, Eiselin’s owned SU’s cage. The Dutch goalie has started five of Syracuse’s six games, finishing her last three starts. Aside from Syracuse’s 10-0 domination of Bucknell, its M.O. has been
gritty wins that lean on its reworked backline, defensive penalty corner unit and Eiselin. As a result, the Orange started 5-1 and rank 11th nationally. Before joining Syracuse in 2025, Eiselin starred at Monmouth in the Coastal Athletic Association. She was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Watch List as a sophomore and the CAA AllRookie Team the year before. She’s posted similar numbers in 25 games with the Orange (1.34 goals-against average and .726 save percentage) as her two seasons with the Hawks (1.69, .775).
Eiselin said she felt ready for ACC competition, settling on Syracuse for its friendly intensity. Fellow goalie Tane King said players participate in informal competitions before and after practice, or in the weight room, like who can do the most pull-ups. “We’re competitive about every small thing,” Eiselin said. “That’s really fun.” That competitive outlook comes in handy when Eiselin squares off against a close friend for playing time. She didn’t simply assume the starting see eiselin page 12