Tara Favors

“I truly found a home at ���ϲ�����. I fondly remember my professors who challenged me to think beyond the problems in front of me,” Favors says. “The rigor and diversity of my schedule opened my eyes to the vast opportunities that awaited.”

Recently, Favors was promoted to managing director at Morgan Stanley. With the functional title of head of company human resources, Favors is responsible for developing and implementing the Human Resources strategy for the corporate functions across the firm.

In the role, Favors is involved in compensation and promotion planning, performance management, talent development and diversity and inclusion and recruiting.  It’s a broad responsibility that spans a population just under 5,000 employees globally.

“It is an honor to be promoted to managing director at, what I believe, is the most preeminent bank on Wall Street,” says Favors. “It is a visual sign that I have a ‘seat at the table’ within the businesses I support.”

“Because nothing can be achieved alone, I share this honor with my wonderful team who see the vision we want to create for the employees of the Firm,” Favors says. “Lastly, as a Black woman in financial services, this promotion means so much more because there are not many of us. With each promotion, the number grows and role models are created for those coming behind us.”

Formerly, Favors was an executive director, head of leadership development, at Morgan Stanley in charge of the firm’s leadership programs, executive coaching and leadership content.

Favors was hired into Merrill Lynch’s Human Resources Associate program at the very beginning of her career in 1997. Through that program, Favors worked in various business and disciplines of human resources across the firm.

She first joined Morgan Stanley in 2000 as an associate, junior generalist, supporting the Technology business. Over seven years, Tara held various HR generalist roles supporting the infrastructure businesses, such as marketing, corporate services, human resources and legal and compliance.

In 2007, Tara left Morgan Stanley and joined Revlon as a senior director of Human Resources. In 2008, she joined Deutsche Bank as a vice president, senior generalist supporting the Asset Management business before she returned to Morgan Stanley in 2011.

Favors graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in psychology with a minor in human resources. Favors also received an M.S. from the New School for Social Research in Human Resources.

Beyond work, Favors finds joy in spending time with her family: her husband, Dale, and sons, Dalton (14) and Davis (11), as well as her mother who lives with her. She is a marathon runner and is involved with a few meaningful nonprofits, fulfilling the philanthropic side of her, which she actually first found at SU through a high school mentoring program for teenage girls in the city of ���ϲ�����, which she and friends founded.

Dante Moss

Dante Moss, a junior policy studies and political science dual major, hasn’t always had the traditional ���ϲ����� experience, spending two of his eight semesters away from campus and off the Hill.

Moss participated in the Discovery Florence program in his first semester of freshman year, studying abroad at ���ϲ�����’s Florence campus. Moss is spending the current semester in New York City as a teacher interning at the High School for Leadership and Public Service, while still taking ���ϲ����� classes.

Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Moss has also been busy while on campus as a volunteer at Wilson Park, a brother of Phi Delta Theta and an employee at the Ernie Davis Dining Center. He was also previously involved with full Circle mentoring. Moss will be returning to campus next fall to complete his senior year and hopes to build on his existing experiences and memories. Moss shares details from his Orange story below.

A native of Lombard, Illinois, Quam has been involved in a host of different campus activities, including serving as an orientation leader, a tour guide with University 100, a member of the men’s club volleyball team, a performer in the Orange Appeal acapella group, a singer in the Hendricks Chapel Choir, and involvement with the Student Affairs Advisory Board and CitrusTV. With his future after graduation in May 2017 still uncertain, Quam reflects on his ���ϲ����� experience and explains why he’s proud to be Orange.

Q: Why did you choose ���ϲ����� for your college education? 

A: When I was applying to college I was absolutely convinced that I wanted to go into sports broadcasting, so naturally Newhouse was one of the first places I looked at. I didn’t even care so much about ���ϲ����� at first, mostly was just interested in the BDJ program and the basketball team. I thought it would be really cool to go to a school with a vibrant sports program and to be able to cover that as a student reporter.

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of over your time at SU?

A: I’ve gotten to meet a lot of wonderful people. I’m proud that I’ve put myself in a position to seize opportunities to get to know folks who are doing incredible work. Whether it’s NBA sideline reporters who come to campus, radical feminist panels that I get to attend, professors that I become friends with in office hours, other students I meet in various student orgs, administrators who work tirelessly to make ���ϲ����� a place for all people, or the coolest bus driver this side of the Mississippi, ���ϲ����� is a place with lots of wonderful people, and it’s been a joy to meet so many of them. I can’t take credit for most anything I’ve been able to do here because all of it has been a result of the inspiring people I’ve gotten to know.

Q: What’s your favorite ���ϲ����� memory or story?

A: A few things come to mind. There are all the incredible basketball moments—the Boeheim-half-rips-off-his-jacket moment against Duke, the Tyler Ennis shot, the John Gillon shot, the women’s team making it to the National Championship!

Then there was my experience covering the field hockey team for the campus television station CitrusTV. I got to go to every home game, film the game, interview players and coach afterwards, and really get to know the team for two years. The second year, my junior year, they won the National Championship (at the University of Michigan) and I was there! That was incredible. Chancellor Syverud actually came up to me at halftime to say hey also, which was pretty cool.

Then there are certain academic opportunities I’ve had. I got to make an online interactive story map that links the spatial relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and 19^th-century reform movements, which will now be on display at the Matilda Joslyn Gage Museum in Fayetteville.

Most recently, I’ve had the incredible honor and joy to attend several events for the radical Chicana feminist Cherrie Moraga, who was this year’s Humanities distinguished visiting professor. They were all incredible, and getting to spend time with her and talk with her has been amazing.

Q: What about ���ϲ�����’s academics—particularly in your home college—has helped you the most?

A: Definitely professors. I am the biggest proponent of visiting professors in office hours. I’ve gone to see almost every professor I’ve ever had, and I’ve developed so many wonderful relationships with them. Some of those I honestly believe will be lifelong friendships. Talking with professors also just has allowed me to expand on my thinking from class and gain a deeper perspective on things that happen in class. For example, in my women’s and gender studies classes we talk a lot about identity—about gender, race, sexuality, ability, class, nationality, etc. and how all of those identities intersect and impact your life experience in different ways. So I’m wondering, where does identity come from? I usually end up with more questions than I came in with, but having the opportunity to discuss some of those questions with professors has been an absolute joy.

Q: If any, what kind of internships have you had?

A: I interned at an environmental nonprofit back home called SCARCE (School and Community Assistance in Recycling and Composting Education) the summer after sophomore year. Last summer, I interned at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Q: What do you want to do post-graduation?

A: No concrete plans. I’d like to work on a college campus somewhere doing sexual and relationship violence prevention and healthy masculinity work, but I don’t have anything lined up yet!

Q: Anything else you’d like to add about your Orange story?

A: I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such a rich experience at ���ϲ�����, partially because of the identities I hold and my ability to access certain spaces and groups. The best part of the ���ϲ����� community are the folks that work to create SU and the city beyond the Hill to be a place for all people. I’m not talking about symbolic or token politics of diversity, but radical inclusion that looks deeply at the geography of the University and the city to understand how certain people are privileged over others.

As Gallagher prepares to leave ���ϲ����� in May 2017 with both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he reflects on the five years he spent making memories and preparing for life beyond the Hill.

Q: Why did you originally choose ���ϲ����� for your college education?

A: While there were a number of factors that went into my college decision, the reason I chose ���ϲ����� above all else was the School of Information Studies. The other universities I was considering all had excellent business programs that I found somewhat appealing and intuitive, but nothing captured my actual passions and dream job scenarios better than the iSchool. I was completely unaware before touring the campus that such a program even existed anywhere in the country and was infatuated with the idea of being an information management major throughout the end of my high school career.

After being accepted to the University, I really started looking into the cultures of the schools I was weighing, and none of them seemed to even be a close second to the combination of school spirit and day-to-day excitement that ���ϲ����� offered. Between the excellent academic program I was interested in and the social opportunities the University could provide, it really became an easy choice to come to ���ϲ�����. And I haven’t regretted it for a single moment since.

Q: Why did you choose to stay and earn your graduate degree?

A: During the fall semester of my junior year, I met with my advisor for a routine check-in to see if I was on track for finishing my program on time. She found that due to some AP classes in high school, I only needed about a semester’s worth of credits to graduate and would be out of school by the end of spring. After she informed me that I couldn’t just take five credits a semester for a year and a half, I started to search for other options. Since I had not started any type of job search at that point, I looked towards the iSchool’s highly regarded graduate program.

Thankfully, with the help of a lot of iSchool faculty, I was able to set up what was essentially a personal curriculum where I could graduate in three years and immediately start as a graduate student the following fall. I was lucky enough to receive a GA position with Jeff Rubin in IST195, which also knocked off a portion of tuition I was facing. I am extremely fortunate to be in this situation and owe a number of people plenty of thanks for helping me get in this position.

Q: What’s your favorite ���ϲ����� memory or story?

A: Every year, my friends and I would do a roommate Christmas gift swap with the only stipulation being it had to be under $15 and from the 3Fifteen thrift shop in Marshall Square Mall. Every year, I got my roommate “American Pie 2” on DVD, and I don’t think he figured out it was intentional until our senior year. It was an awesome tradition that was fun to look forward to during the winter and was one of the best times I had while here with my friends.

I also was gifted a great Red Sox hoodie and a Cleveland Browns SI limited edition rain jacket I still wear on a regular basis, and an old-school putter with an SU-themed grip, so it really worked out for me, too.

Q: What about ���ϲ�����’s academics, particularly in your home school, has helped you the most?

A: Through the iSchool, I have been exposed to and built experience with some of the most cutting-edge technologies and IT principles available and used them in legitimate professional situations. Many of my professors are experts in their respective fields and are well versed in the knowledge and application of various disciplines, such as cloud computing, web design and database management. I have gained strong working knowledge of so many valuable skills that I cannot wait to use in a professional setting.

Q: If any, what kind of internships or career experience have you had?

A: For almost three years I have been working at ITS in the Learning Environments department on campus, and it has been an awesome time as both a day-to-day job and as experience for a future career. The people I work with have all been extremely helpful in guiding me and providing meaningful responsibilities as my skills have become more defined and usable, and I have learned much about system setup, maintenance and user troubleshooting throughout the process.

Q: What do want to do post-graduation? Any concrete plans?

A: I am lucky enough to have accepted a position with Accenture as a technology analyst starting this summe,r and I could not be happier with it. I’ll be living in New York and traveling around most of the Northeast, and will hopefully be exposed to a number of cutting-edge technologies and projects that I had always hoped I would be a part of growing up. I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

In the longer-term future, I have no real concrete goals or ambitions. The information field has a new revolution every few days it seems, and trying to predict what industries will develop and careers will form is impossible. As long as I keep working hard and focus on making smart decisions, I am more than content to go with the flow and see where the future takes me.

Q: Anything else you would like to add about your Orange story?

A: When you leave SU for the last time as a student, all the little issues and arguments you faced that seemed like huge problems at the time really start to look pretty meaningless in hindsight. Don’t let the minutia of school work and social expectations distract you from the friends and experiences you create along the way, because those are the only things that really matter in the long run.

The immersion experience is an annual opportunity for students with non-business majors to explore the corporate sector in New York City. The trip is open to all undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students gain knowledge about marketing their skills and talents in the business world, identify internships or job opportunities that may be a good fit, and learn more about specific industries.

Last fall, students visited Axis, Bloomberg, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley on the two-day trip. Teevens and the rest of the group stopped first at Ernst & Young, which held a panel with employees from the three possible programs to which students, both undergraduate and master’s, could apply.

Next was JPMorgan Chase, where students met the man who funded the trip, alumnus Tom Toomey ’95. Afterward, the group visited Federal Hall and made their way to Morgan Stanley. The day concluded with a casual networking dinner at Max Brenner with a group of recent ���ϲ����� alumni—most of whom themselves had participated previously in the immersion experience. On the final day, the group visited Goldman Sachs, Axis and lastly, Bloomberg.

“When I would first arrive at the companies, it was a little intimidating because I was not sure what to expect, but once the employees would start talking it was much more relaxed than I anticipated,” Teevens recalls. “The sessions were always extremely informative because employees would be telling you about the challenges they face in their industry, what they do on a day-to-day basis, what skills they think are necessary to be successful in their role, what professional journals we should be reading and more.

“It was like nothing I had learned in the classroom, and it made me excited about applying to jobs because now I knew so much more about the possibilities I had as an economics major,” she says.

Teevens received a few different job offers from the trip and was in the process of interviewing for more before she decided to accept a position as staff in the Advisory Consultant Program-Business Advisory Program in Ernst & Young’s Financial Services Organization.

“From the beginning, I was really interested in EY. Everyone I had spoken to was so personable, smart and genuine,” Teevens says. “On the trip, one man on the EY panel said to choose to work somewhere where you would enjoy staying late with your colleagues to finish a project, because the talent is pretty much the same at all reputable companies, but the values and ‘vibe’ are different.”

Details for the fall 2017 trip will be available later this spring and can be seen .

Winona LaDuke

The in the College of Arts and Sciences is presenting “An Evening with Winona LaDuke” on Wednesday, March 29, at 5 p.m. in Shemin Auditorium. A leading environmentalist and political activist, LaDuke is revered for her work with food sovereignty, renewable energy, sustainable development and indigenous paradigms.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Hayley Cavino G’09, the DK Project’s program coordinator, at 315.443.8750 or hcavino@syr.edu.

LaDuke’s appearance is made possible by the DK Project in conjunction with The Skä•noñh—Great Law of Peace Center, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the Native American Studies Program, the Native Student Program and the Department of Religion.

The DK Project began exploring the possibility of LaDuke’s visit last fall. Many members of the project have admired her prolific scholarship and unwavering activism.

Cavino says her visit is timely, given growing concerns over climate change, renewable energy and indigenous values and rights.

“Particularly during last summer, these issues came into focus at Standing Rock [in North Dakota], with the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Cavino says.

LaDuke has written and lectured extensively about the conflict, calling it an “unpredicted history lesson for us all.” LaDuke resides on the White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. A two-time vice presidential candidate on Ralph Nader’s Green Party ticket, she is program director of Honor the Earth, raising awareness of and support for indigenous environmental justice, and is founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the nation’s largest reservation-based, nonprofit organizations. She also works to protect indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.

A prolific writer, LaDuke has authored six books, including the novel “Last Standing Woman” (Voyageur Press, 1999); has co-authored more than a dozen other titles; and has published dozens of essays and articles. She earned an M.A. degree at Antioch University.

“This is more than hosting a talk by Winona LaDuke, although the information will be incredibly and critically important,” Cavino adds. “This is about fostering relationships. At ���ϲ�����, Winona will reconnect with people she has known for a long time—some of whom have lived here for generations; others, for a relatively short amount of time. She will also meet an array of new people, including students.”

Founded in 2009, the DK Project is a campuswide initiative that promotes a more open, inclusive and democratic institution. For more information, visit .

The astronaut, test pilot and senior executive will speak from approximately 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, in 220 Eggers Hall. She will be introduced by former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, who is University Professor and the Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership at the Maxwell School.

“When I was a little girl, and I decided I was going to be an astronaut, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to command a spacecraft someday,” says Melroy. 

Melroy began her career as a U.S. Air Force pilot, serving in Operations Just Cause and Desert Shield/Storm and eventually logging over 6,000 flight hours on 50 different kinds of aircraft. After her selection into the NASA astronaut program, Melroy piloted two space flights and in 2007 became the second woman to command the Space Shuttle.

Her three missions, totaling over 38 days in space, were essential to the assembly of the International Space Station. After retiring from the Air Force in 2007, Melroy held senior leadership positions at the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation and at DARPA, where she served as deputy director of the Tactical Technology Office.

A reception in Strasser Commons will follow the lecture. CART will be provided. Learn more about Col. Melroy at and use #WeBelieveInAstronauts or tweet at to connect with her on social media.

Meghan Mistry

Reflecting on her four years at ���ϲ�����, senior broadcast and digital journalism student Meghan Mistry knows that she is well prepared to enter the workforce following what has been four years full of learning, career experience and memories.

The Houston, Texas, native in the also has two minors—one in Middle Eastern studies and the other in political science in the and the . Mistry is a current anchor and reporter for CitrusTV, the student-run campus television station, where she also formerly served as an executive producer.

Outside of career-centric activities, she also serves as an orientation leader and previously was involved with the freshman leadership program, OrangeSeeds. She shares more of her Orange story below.

David’s presentation is titled “Post-Election Blues Women and Black Feminist Dystopias: Where Do We Go From Here?”

The event will draw on the rich legacies of Black women’s cultural contributions and consider the ways that the cultural work of black women and girls will be critical to our collective abilities to resist the new politics of Trumpism.

“I think this is a very important discussion to be having here at ���ϲ�����, especially when there is a lot of talk and discussion on diversity and inclusion. Essentially, Dr. David’s lecture intersects the teaching and research associated with the university’s African American Studies department and Women and Gender Studies department,” said Herbert G. Ruffin, II, associate professor of history and chair of African American Studies. “Her discussion is a direct link from when our department started in 1971. It was the first discipline at ���ϲ����� to critically examine and institutionalize the study of diversity, inclusion, and social justice.”

Dr. David’s scholarship has focused on contemporary African-American cultural studies as well as feminist gender and sexuality studies. Her interdisciplinary research traces the ways black writers, artists, and performers respond to inter- and intra-racial representations of blackness and contemporary American politics in the post-Civil Rights era. Her work offers ways of interpreting African-American literature, performance, and popular culture that emphasize the multiplicities of black identities and challenge stereotypes that stigmatize black people, particularly black women and girls. She teaches courses on black women writers, motherhood in American literature, black gender and sexuality studies, black feminism, African-American satire, postmodern black cultural studies, and feminist theory and methodology.

Dr. David is the author of ,��which identifies five bold, new archetypes of black motherhood for the post-civil rights generation in order to imagine new ways of thinking about pervasive maternal stereotypes of black women. Rather than avoiding “negative” images of black motherhood, such as welfare queens, teen mothers, and “baby mamas,” Mama’s Gun centralizes these dispossessed figures and renames them as the Young Mother, the Blues Mama, the Surrogate, Big Mama, and the Mothership.

The John L. Johnson Lecture is named for ���ϲ�����’s first director of African American studies. Supported by a fund established by his friends and family members, the lecture series seeks to bring a prominent African American teacher-scholar to campus each spring.  Between 1966 and 1971, Johnson was a visible figure at ���ϲ�����, spearheading the establishment of what would become the AAS department, serving as an assistant provost for minority group affairs, investigating the “���ϲ����� 8” football boycott, teaching in the  and founding the King-on-Campus (nee Croton-on-Campus) program between the University and the ���ϲ����� City School District. He left the University in 1971 to become associate superintendent of schools for specialized education in Washington, D.C.

The lecture is free and open to the public. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session, light refreshments and a book signing.

Latina Rebels centers around the empowerment and celebration of Latina women and culture. The social activist organization posts frequently to its followers using social media like , , and .

Other performances, such as spoken word pieces, will also be a part of the Universal Woman event. Tickets are free and available at the Schine Box Office.

Karina Campos ’17 was selected a Be Original Americas Fellow to go behind the scenes of design firms. She visited Kartell’s showroom in New York City.

Karina Campos ’17 was “absolutely shocked” to be named a Be Original Americas Fellow for the summer of 2016. When she found out that she was chosen from countless applicants to be one of just two design students from across the country to take part in the program, Campos knew that she was about to embark on the experience of a lifetime.

“The experience was mind-blowing. In school, you theorize how the industry works and what it’s like to work outside the classroom setting—and this design fellowship had me up close and working alongside professionals across multiple design firms and companies,” says Campos, an industrial and interaction design major in the . “I got to learn about the design process from concept development to manufacturing and sales and distribution and that’s pretty rare—I got to see where design intersects with other departments.”

Karina Campos

Be Original Americas’ seven-week Summer Design Fellowship program introduces two college students to all facets of creating innovative, high-quality products, from research, design and manufacturing to marketing and distribution through hands-on, in-the-field learning.

Each section of the fellowship focuses on a different aspect of the process from the perspective of Be Original Americas member companies, supplemented by visits to their showrooms, headquarters and factories in New York City and throughout the United States.

Campos and Sarah Ahart of Virginia Tech were the first-ever fellows in the new fellowship program. They went behind the scenes at leading design companies and Be Original Americas members across the U.S., including Bernhardt Design, Carnegie, Chilewich, Design Within Reach, Emeco, Herman Miller, Ligne Roset and Vitra.

With hands-on experience at these top companies, the Be Original Americas Fellowship offers exposure to both iconic firms with global heritage and game-changing new brands. Throughout the program, discussion moves from how each area of concentration contributes to the integrity and the originality of designs that are intended to improve quality of life and foster creativity.

“It’s important to engage with professionals, be curious and absorb all the knowledge possible,” Campos says. “School teaches you the design principles and skills, but knowing how all those skills come together in a working environment is where the true learning begins.”

Inside the Chilewich store in New York

Campos says that while she is focused on “user experience design,” she isn’t sure exactly what she wants to do following graduation.

The senior enjoys lots of different aspects of design—from fashion to graphics to computer-aided drafting, which is the reason she choose the all-encompassing industrial and interaction design program in VPA. The design internship helped shape her thoughts about her future and, with help from some mentors she met through the program, she’s accepted that it’s OK to be uncertain about her future.

“This experience has introduced me to incredible people and showed me the value of talking to those who are more experienced and well-versed in the field than me,” Campos says. “Together with my degree, I feel ready to take on whatever lies ahead.”

Roger Hallas

Associate Professor of English Roger Hallas of the has been awarded $33,000 from the George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation to complete his book project titled “A Medium Seen Otherwise: Photography and Documentary Film.”

One of nine fellowships awarded by the foundation, the funds will help finance the last leg of Hallas’ project, which explores the intersection between photography and a documentary film and how the combination of the two is perceived by its audience.

“I’m honored and excited to have received the fellowship,” Hallas says. “I’m thrilled to be able to finish up the project and looking forward to being able to present it in full to the public.”

His research specializes in documentary media, LGBT studies and visual culture. His previous books have examined how visual culture bears witness to historical trauma.

His first book, “,” which he co-edited with Frances Guerin, analyzes how different visual media inscribe acts of witnessing and how the image itself can serve as witness to historical trauma. The second book, “,” illuminates the capacities of queer film and video to bear witness to the cultural, political and psychological imperatives of the AIDS crisis.

While conducting research for his previous work, Hallas found that many photographers who were documenting a lot of these traumatic experiences were increasingly using the photos in multimedia environments, such as incorporating sound and video.

He became interested in this “changing media ecology,” meaning exploring how old media, which had been traditionally used in one form, was used in multimedia projects, documentaries, films and more. These thoughts are what drove Hallas to develop, research and write his new project for which he was awarded the fellowship.

Hallas teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in documentary media, film theory, world cinema, visual culture and LGBT studies. He was also named the 2011 Judith Greenberg Seinfeld Distinguished Faculty Fellow. With Newhouse School Professor Tula Goenka, he co-directs the  held annually in September. During the 2016-17 academic year, Hallas will also be a ���ϲ����� Humanities Center Faculty Fellow from Arts and Sciences.

He earned a B.A. in modern languages at Oxford University and then pursued a graduate degree at New York University, where he received an M.A. and Ph.D. in cinema studies.

Adam Westervelt during an ROTC exercise

Westervelt, as a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), was participating in a opportunity that was equal parts training and service over the summer of 2016. The trip was the latest opportunity in the ���ϲ����� junior’s time as an ROTC cadet.

“I’m learning to become a soldier, but I’m also becoming a leader,” Westervelt says. “For me, this program at SU has opened up doors for me that I never even thought were possible.”

Westervelt, 20, hails from North Redding, Massachusetts, and is with two majors: information management and technology in the and Economics in the . Westervelt decided upon ���ϲ����� in part because of the ROTC program on campus, in addition to the academics and “beautiful” campus.

Upon graduation, Westervelt will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Despite plans to enter the National Guard component, the option to enter as an active duty solder also remains for Westervelt to take if he changes his mind.

“I wanted to be in the military since I was a child, but I knew I wanted to go to college, so ROTC gave me the perfect opportunity to do both,” Westervelt says. “I get the best of both worlds and I’ll go into the army. I got to go to college and I’m really doing it.”

The service aspect of entering the armed forces is what really propelled Westervelt to sign up for ROTC. He simply wanted to give back. One of his grandfathers was in the U.S. Marine Corps, but he’s the only one in his or his parents’ generation, to want to serve his country.

The ���ϲ����� Army ROTC, Air Force ROTC at ���ϲ�����, and the ���ϲ����� Office of Veteran and Military Affairs kicked off Veterans Day with a Fun Run and Walk at 6:30 a.m. to help begin the remembrance of those who have served. For Westervelt, Veterans’ Day means a lot—especially as someone involved with the armed forces.

“I’ve even served with some veterans here on campus in the ROTC program, people who have served overseas and are much older than me,” Westervelt says. “It’s not about us—that day is about them.”

With older friends in high school already enrolled in ROTC programs, he knew what to expect coming in to SU. The reality of early morning physical training (PT) sessions was an expectation, not a surprise. Each Friday, he participates in “labs” where he learns the ins and outs of being an officer through hands-on activities and simulations.

Although he’s finished with the hour-long PT sessions before most students’ alarms go off, Westervelt finds that’s when he is most productive.

“I take a lot of naps,” Westervelt says, laughing. “I’ve gotten really good at sleeping when I need to so that I can still be that ‘regular’ college student.”

With Election Day quickly approaching, here’s a quick breakdown of how and where to vote on campus.

Registration

If you’re registered to vote in ���ϲ�����, New York, it’s critical to check your voter registration. Students can visit , enter in the required information and see your polling location and political party, if applicable. If there are further questions about registration and more, students can contact the Board of Elections at 315.435.VOTE.

Under New York State law, citizens can only vote Tuesday, Nov. 8, if already registered to vote in New York State. The deadline to register in New York State, has already passed, and registration isn’t open on Election Day. If registered and planning on voting in New York or any other state by absentee ballot, students should mail that ballot as soon as possible. In New York, absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 7.

Where to Vote

Voting locations are based on students’ addresses (what they put down on their respective voter registration forms). It’s important to understand the different voting locations because not all students will be voting in the same place. For students who live on-campus, here’s where to cast your vote:

• Voting at Huntington Hall: Booth, DellPlain, Ernie Davis, Haven, Kimmel-Marion, Shaw, Walnut, Washington and Watson.
• Voting at Toomey-Abbott: Brewster/Boland/Brockway, Day, Flint, Lawrinson and Sadler
• Voting at Drumlins: Sky Halls and South Campus
• Lyons Hall votes at Ed Smith School, corner of Lancaster Avenue and Broad Street.

Unlike in past years, Bird Library is no longer a polling place. It has been replaced by Huntington Hall.

Student Association has worked to secure the opportunity for students to be bused to and from the polls.

“The Student Association believes that civic engagement should be a top priority for every student at ���ϲ�����. We are excited to provide transportation on Election Day in an effort to support this belief,” says Eric Evangelista, president of Student Association.

Buses will be running from noon-9 p.m. on two routes:

The first route will run from Day Hall Circle to Flint Hall Circle, then to Irving Avenue (southbound) at Raynor, then to the Van Buren bus shelter, to the Toomey Abbott Circle at Toomey Abbott Apartments. Then it will return to the first stop.

The second route will run from Goldstein Student Center Circle on South Campus to Drum Country Club and back.

Accessibility

For students using the free transportation to go to the polls, one of the buses is wheelchair accessible. Drivers will communicate to one another when a student needs the service of the wheelchair accessible bus.

Onondaga County election officials have confirmed the accessibility of the voting machines and polling places. Accessibility measures include the following:

• Paper ballots that can be enlarged for individuals with low vision.
• A sip and puff, flat-panel device for individuals who are quadriplegic or have no use of limbs.
• Braille keyboard enabled devices with headphones. Voters can listen to the candidate choices and use the keypad to select their choice. When finished, a ballot will be printed. It will be printed in such a way that observers will not be able to see the voter’s choices.
• If a voter needs assistance at any time, an election worker is onsite and standing by.

Further information on voting rights and accessible voting can be found at the ���ɱ�������ٱ�.

Where to Watch Results

Even after casting your ballot, Election Day isn’t finished until the results are announced. Orange After Dark, organized by the Office of Student Activities, is hosting an Election Viewing Party beginning at 8 p.m. in Schine Dining. Students can snack on some patriotic-themed food while watching the results come in. The event is free for students with their SUID, no tickets required.

Ransome will give a presentation, followed by a question and answer session from 7 to 9 p.m. at 805 E. Genesee St. The presentation will take place amidst the gallery so the audience can experience the work simultaneously.

“We at CFAC feel it’s very important for give students a chance to converse deeply with working artists to give them a better chance of succeeding in their own work,” says Jamie Ransome, CFAC’s curatorial assistant, who is also James Ransome’s daughter.

James Ransome has been illustrating children’s books for more than 20 years with almost 50 picture books, many book jackets, greeting cards and pieces in magazines.

Winner of several awards for his illustrations, including the Coretta Scott King and NAACP Image awards, Ransome received a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from Pratt Institute in New York. He is the author and illustrator of three books, the latest being “My Teacher.” Ransome’s work is part of both private and public children’s book art collections and a number of commissioned murals, including three for the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati.

Ransome will be speaking with guests about his work, both on display at the exhibition and published elsewhere. The exhibition and Wednesday’s talk will feature a side of Ransome’s work that may be unfamiliar to the public.

“Most people don’t know that he has a passion for abstract art, mirroring his personal passion for jazz music,” says Jaimie Ransome. “He has spent the majority of his career educating young people on the fantastic history of America’s most inspiring athletes, educators and musicians and this show gives him a platform to show his own creative vision, without the restrictions of deadlines and biographic accuracy.”

“It’ll be just pure creativity,” she says.

CFAC is also looking for student-age artists to participate in its upcoming show about the connection and conflicts between race and language, themes featured in Ransome’s work. They are accepting submissions, with a November 25 deadline, for the opportunity to be part of the spring 2017 exhibition and participate in a professional artist talk, in a similar format to Wednesday’s event.

More information can be found on CFAC’s website at .

International Relations major Talya Sever asks a question during one of the panels on Syria.

The day-long event, organized by Harper, focused on accountability in the Syrian conflict. The dialogue analyzed the international community’s response to the Syrian conflict and its effects, as well as the challenges to reporting the war, developing political solutions and seeking justice for victims.

“We owe this to the people of Syria. This is their reality,” said Lamis Abdelaaty, assistant professor of political science in the Maxwell school said during the first panel, “The Geopolitical Situation in Syria.”

Participants also explored how the international community captures news and images from the conflict, investigates alleged war crimes and human rights violations and protects refugees. They also discussed lessons learned from this conflict that might inform the response to future conflicts.

“We’re proud to host this event and are excited by the conversations that will be taking place today,” Dean Branham said.

The event grew to fruition when professor and the founding director of the Syrian Accountability Project David Crane approached Dean Branham about a co-sponsorship of the program and Branham connected Crane with Harper and the Newhouse Center for Global Engagement.

“The Newhouse Center for Global Engagement connects students to the world and the world to students. We want to take students out of the classroom and connect them with stories that matter,” Harper said.

The event’s panels, in addition to “The Geopolitical Situation in Syria,” were “Accountability for Atrocity,” “The Media’s Role,” “Social Media in Reporting War” and a final panel on “Next Steps.” Panelists included representatives from Amnesty International, professors with expertise in the area and a slew of journalists, among others.

Photographs of the conflict hung from the walls outside of the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium and behind the seats speakers gave their remarks from. The event also included a 360-degree video gallery. Harper stressed the importance of the inclusion of these images in the event.

“This was done out of respect,” Harper said. “We can’t forget that while we sit here, the people we are talking about still have humanity that deserves our respect.”

Each panel also included an open seat to encourage questions and participation from the audience. The

Crane closed the day’s events at 5 p.m. with remarks of his own.