The 2010-11 academic year was filled with highs and lows in news coverage for the campus community and beyond. These 11 events have shaped the last eight months for students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University and may continue to throughout the next few years.

Sept. 22 -— Death of Tyler Clementi

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman, ignited outrage across the country. On Sept. 22, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate broadcast Clementi’s intimate encounters with another male online.

Clementi’s death received the most visibility in a string of suicides by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth covered by media in fall of 2010.

SU’s LGBT Resource Center responded with the ‘You Are Not Alone’ campaign. Students sported shirts with the campaign’s logo and gathered at an Oct. 11, 2010 forum to recant tales of alienation.

Nick Haas, outreach coordinator with SU’s Pride Union and a student in the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, said he hopes LGBT concerns will be a topic of conversation ‘without a string of suicides to prompt it.’

Oct. 1 — Louise and Howard Phanstiel Scholarship

SU alumnus Howie Phanstiel and his wife Louise established a $20 million donation for middle-class SU students on October 1, according to an article published that day by The Daily Orange.

The donation, which is the second largest received in school history, was tailored specifically toward middle-class students whose families may not qualify for other forms of financial aid but need assistance.

The Louise and Howard Phanstiel Scholar Program will be available for fall 2011’s incoming class. Scholarships will be offered to freshmen who have demonstrated potential academic success, as well as philanthropy. The donation was ranked 48 on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of 50 most generous donors in February.

October — SUCOLitis

SUCOLitis, a WordPress blog, was the topic of much controversy this year for its entries satirizing students and professors in the College of Law. Some in the college viewed the content of the site as malicious and pushed for legal action against the publisher.

The months-long legal ordeal began in October when Len Audaer, a second-year law student, received an email from faculty prosecutor Greg Germain telling him he was under investigation for harassment. The case was eventually mediated before a federal judge and ended soon after on Feb. 1, but not before the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education named SU as the worst school in the nation for free speech.

Audaer later admitted to writing for the satirical blog. He issued an apology on Jan. 29, following an editorial published by The Huffington Post that cited FIRE’s findings. Shortly after, Germain sent an email to Audaer’s lawyers stating the investigation had ended and recommended the issue be put to rest.

December — The Middle East

Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor who was pushed to his breaking point after years of living under an oppressive Tunisian government, set himself on fire on Dec. 17. His suicide would be the catalyst to uprising in nearby Egypt, as well as Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Due to safety concerns, SU relocated four students studying abroad in Egypt when protests erupted. On campus, Deborah Barry, a doctorate student studying science education, was invested in the uprisings because she sympathized for people of the Middle East and also because she was concerned for her cousin, a photojournalism student who captured photos of the uprisings in Egypt and Libya.  

Barry and her family were on edge after photography equipment was stolen from her cousin in an ambush by the Moammar al Gadhafi militia, she said.

‘It was a very scary experience for my family knowing he was overseas where there’s so much danger, especially for photographers and journalists,’ she said.

Though Barry said she sometimes feels she lives in a ‘bubble’ as a graduate student, she’s compassionate toward the fight being waged by people of the Middle East.

‘I sympathize with the people because it seems like there’s a lot of unnecessary killing going on,’ she said.

Dec. 30 — New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Stephen Ryck, a junior music industry major, recalls seeing a sea of orange as he and his dad stepped off the train into the Bronx. Their destination, Yankee Stadium, would play host to the Dec. 30 New Era Pinstripe Bowl game between Syracuse and Kansas State. 

Ryck braved a frosty winter day in New York City to watch Syracuse edge Kansas State, 36-34, in a fourth-quarter finish. After heading into the second half tied 14-14, the game remained close throughout.

An offensive push from Kansas State’s 44-yard line to the end zone by junior receiver Marcus Sales in the fourth-quarter, however, put Syracuse up for good.

It was special for Ryck to ‘celebrate the victory with a stadium full of Syracuse football fans that really haven’t had much to cheer about recently,’ he said. 

Ryck is hopeful SU’s first bowl victory since 2001 will transfer into next season.

‘I think it was really big for the seniors to go out that way,’ Ryck said. ‘They were pumped up. It’ll definitely carry over some momentum into the years to come.’

Jan. 28 — Alpha Chi Omega Lambda chapter closes

The closing of SU’s Alpha Chi Omega Lambda chapter took effect Jan. 28, one day into spring sorority recruitment. The decision was made the day before by A Chi O’s National Headquarters.

A Chi O’s Lambda chapter was on probation when the National Headquarters cited ‘risk management issues’ for the closure. Risk management issues can range in severity from hazing to low chapter membership.

A vote to revoke a chapter cannot be undone through an appeal, but the chapter can typically return through recolonization after four years, according to national A Chi O policy.

March — Syracuse Symphony Orchestra shuts down

After failing to meet a March 4 fundraising deadline, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra suspended operations prematurely this season.

The SSO’s ‘Keep the Music Playing’ campaign was $144,913 short of a March 4 fundraising goal of $820,000.

SU’s chapter of the Music Educators National Conference aided efforts by collecting recyclable bottles and cans and exchanging them for cash. Cristianna Marks, a freshman music education major, helped fundraise.

‘That was a small effort towards the cause that was really a lot bigger than we could ever really handle, but I feel good about it,’ Marks said.

Marks said she expects the SSO will remember the conference’s effort and generosity, should operations resume in the future.

The SSO filed for chapter seven bankruptcy Tuesday, according to an article published in The Post-Standard on May 10. The organization reported $327,000 in assets and $4 million in liabilities, according to the article.

March 7 — Snow day

Snowfall totaling 13.4 inches prompted SU officials to cancel classes and issue a snow day for the first time in 18 years.

An email canceling all classes before 12:30 p.m. was first sent to students the morning of Monday, March 7 around 7:30 a.m. A second batch of email alerts announcing all classes were to be canceled followed at approximately 9 a.m.

Brothers from the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity capitalized on the day off by building an igloo and a 13- to 14-foot snowman on the fraternity house’s front lawn.

Dev Awasthi, a member of the fraternity and a sophomore political science and public policy major, said the snowman building was both an escape from schoolwork and a brotherhood ‘bonding experience.’

‘People recognized our house just because of a snowman,’ Awasthi said. ‘It was awesome.’

March 11 — Japan earthquake and tsunami

When Yuriko Takahashi awoke to news reports of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hitting Japan on the morning of March 11, she frantically began phoning her family in Saitama.

After two hours of nothing but busy lines, Takahashi was relieved to hear her family was fine through Skype. Although Saitama is located considerably far from the North Central coast of Japan — where the earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit hardest — Takahashi called the uncertainty in the hours directly following the earthquake nonetheless than ‘terrible.’

Takahashi, a graduate student studying chemistry and secretary of SU’s Japanese Student Association, convened with other members of JSA the Monday after the quake to collect donations for victims.

The efforts have raised approximately $8,000, but Takahashi said fundraising will continue throughout commencement weekend in the SU Bookstore at the Schine Student Center, where handmade badges will be sold for $3.

Two months removed from the earthquake, Takahashi said Japan faces a difficult road to recovery.

‘Still, there are so many people who are suffering,’ she said.

March 20 — Blown call

Teddy Goldberg huddled with friends around a television to watch Syracuse faceoff Marquette in Cleveland during this year’s NCAA Tournament on March 20. The group would eventually erupt in frustration after a crucial officiating error during the closing minute of play contributed to Syracuse’s third round exit.

With the game tied at 59 and 51.2 seconds left in play, Dion Waiters inbounded from above midcourt to Scoop Jardine. Referees ruled that Jardine’s foot landed on the half-court line as he received the pass and called a backcourt violation.

The violation resulted in an SU turnover and subsequent, momentum-shifting 3-pointer basket by Marquette with 26 seconds before the final buzzer sounded. The game ended 66-62, in Marquette’s favor.

According to 2010 and 2011 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Rulebook, however, inbounds passes can be received behind the half-court line. Though NCAA officials acknowledged the mistake a day after SU’s tournament-ending loss on March 21, Goldberg and those with him were immediately enraged by the call.

‘When they called the backcourt violation, we were just screaming expletives at the television,’ he said. 

May 2 — Osama bin Laden killed

News of American-led forces killing Osama bin Laden in a firefight sent shockwaves across the nation at the beginning of May. President Barack Obama’s late-night, televised address on May 2 confirmed the al-Qaeda leader’s death.

Kyle Rapone, a junior television, radio and film major, sat glued to a computer screen at a lab in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications during the address. Rapone’s reaction to the news was one of ‘jubilation.’

For Rapone, whose brother is currently training with the military, bin Laden’s death put the stark contrast between fighting overseas and life at SU into a larger context.

‘Here we are, we stress over turning in a graphics project or writing an essay when there’s people fighting overseas who went into that mansion and killed Osama. It really puts us into perspective,’ Rapone said. ‘We cannot take any day for granted.’

Consequences from bin Laden’s death continues with new information surfacing almost daily. Recent reports from The New York Times indicate strained ties between the United States and Pakistan, where bin Laden lived unquestioned for years.

dbtruong@syr.edu

Published on May 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong