Here are the top 10 biggest SU news stories since the Class of 2018 began as freshmen
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Hanna Strong was suspended for a controversial video, protesters staged an 18-day sit-in and SU Athletics was hit with sanctions, all during the Class of 2018’s freshman year.
1. Hanna Strong suspended for controversial video — September 2014
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Hanna Strong, a former senior midfielder on the Syracuse women’s soccer team, was videotaped calling another person a “f*ggot-a** n*gger.” The video, which was posted on Instagram, led to Strong’s suspension and later removal from the team. Chancellor Kent Syverud, at the time, called Strong’s comments “hate speech.”
2. THE General Body stages 18-day sit-in — November 2014
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A coalition of more than 50 student organizations — called THE General Body — staged an 18-day sit-in at Crouse-Hinds Hall to protest what they called a racist and discriminatory campus culture. The demonstrations were prompted by the closing of SU’s sexual assault Advocacy Center and scholarship cuts, among other things.
3. NCAA hits SU Athletics with sanctions — March 2015
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The NCAA suspended SU men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim and vacated more than 100 of the team’s wins after an investigation found that the university had violated its own drug policy and provided improper academic benefits to student-athletes. SU began a one-year, self-imposed ban on postseason play about a month before the NCAA report’s release.
4. SU campus put on lockdown after nearby shooting — October 2015
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SU was put on lockdown for about two hours after two suspects involved in a shooting near campus fled to Oakwood Cemetery. The shooting, which occurred on Hope Avenue, left a 15-year-old boy dead and a 17-year-old boy injured. SU and SUNY-ESF students were told to stay indoors while dozens of police officers lined Comstock Avenue.
5. Campus Framework draft released — June 2016
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Syverud released a draft of the Campus Framework plan, a 20-year guideline for campus development that includes plans to renovate Schine Student Center and Bird Library as well as relocate South Campus housing to Main Campus. The construction of the University Place promenade and ongoing renovations to Archbold Gymnasium were developed through the plan.
6. Whitman school dean arrested — September 2016
Jessica Sheldon | Staff Photographer
Kenneth Kavajecz, the former dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, was arrested on the charge of patronizing a person for prostitution in the third degree. Kavajecz was still dean of the business school at the time but has since been hired to teach at a business school in Norway. Kavajecz pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted patronizing of a prostitute in 2018.
7. Donald Trump wins 2016 presidential election — November 2016
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Republican presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump defeated Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton after months of bitter campaigning. Trump’s platform included immigration restrictions, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and an “America First” foreign policy agenda. His election sparked nationwide protests, including the Women’s March the following January.
8. Ride-hailing services legalized in upstate New York — June 2017
Emmy Gnat | Staff Illustrator
Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft began operating in upstate New York in June 2017. Debates in the New York State Legislature stalled ride-hailing legalization bills, but the legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed on a measure in April 2017 that allowed ride-hailing services to operate statewide.
9. Mumps outbreak affects hundreds of SU community members — Fall 2017
Riley Bunch | Staff Photographer
Hundreds of SU community members were impacted by a campus-wide mumps outbreak that forced some students to remain quarantined for days. The outbreak, which began primarily among student-athletes, was eventually contracted by 54 students, according to SU Health Services. More than 90 other students had “probable” mumps cases.
10. Theta Tau Fraternity suspended for “extremely racist” video — April 2018
Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer
The SU chapter of Theta Tau fraternity was permanently expelled after the university confirmed the organization was involved in the creation of videos Syverud called “extremely racist.” In a recording of one video, a person on his knees is asked to repeat an “oath” that included racial slurs. A second video shows people in the Theta Tau house miming a sexual assault of a person with disabilities.
Published on May 8, 2018 at 8:00 am
Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18
