, Baylor University professor of physical therapy and founder of mobility design studio , and , founder of the and a fellow, point to the work on and the adaptive design circles here as a model for other communities to follow.

Connor McGough, center, prepares to board a kayak at the Creekwalk Inner Harbor access point.

The Creekwalk is a 4.8-mile paved pathway that runs from the Southside neighborhood to . When city planners and engineers decided to make accessibility a major focus of the Creekwalk, they tapped into local individuals with a range of backgrounds—medical and social model disability advocates, inclusive design experts, students at and local individuals with disabilities. , a city facilities engineer, and , City of ���ϲ����� deputy commissioner of planning and sustainability, first invited local resident to provide a first-person perspective on the plans. McGough, a quadriplegic as the result of an accident��at age 21, is the program coordinator at ARISE Inc., a local independent living center.

Don Carr

The project soon drew in others McGough knew: faculty members , professor of industrial and interaction design, and , professor and coordinator of the , who are both ARISE volunteers.

Also joining the group were Upstate Medical University developmental pediatrician and staff members from the , an inclusive preschool in ���ϲ�����. Galloway and Truesdell were aware of the initiative through their involvement with the adaptive design community here.

James W.R. Fathers

Carr involved School of Design master’s students because he recognized how the project presented an exceptional opportunity to learn inclusive design via a “living laboratory” at a site adjacent to their class space. He also knew the project supported key University goals for students: experiential learning; community-engaged scholarship; enhanced awareness of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; and a commitment to human thriving.

The city’s project leaders welcomed student involvement, Houck says. “These projects are something we’ve collaborated on with Don Carr and with other organizations in the community. Our projects are better for it, and it’s wonderful we can have that resource. Carr is raising the profile of the work that’s being done and it’s great that he’s involving his students in these efforts.”

Russell Houck, City of ���ϲ����� facilities engineer, and Owen Kerney, deputy commissioner of planning/sustainability, worked with several disability advocates on the Creekwalk project.

Kerney agrees. “Whether it’s the first fully inclusive and accessible playground, our sidewalks, our recreational amenities, boat launches or trails that are available to all users, increasing access is an important part of serving the entire community. It’s something Mayor Walsh and the whole administration has prioritized,” he says. “The city has a responsibility to serve everybody, and these types of improvements do just that.”

The User View

The student designers began determining how to create a practical experience at the Inner Harbor site based on the disability community maxim, “Nothing about us without us is for us.” Their first step: borrowing a wheelchair to look at the pathway from a disabled user’s perspective.

They digitally mapped the entire Creekwalk path, then started ideating. One student created a video game to familiarize users with the trail virtually before they visit. Another made an app that offers information about all pathway features. A third designed an accessible interactive information kiosk housing electrical ports to recharge electric wheelchairs. Others created an animation of the trail that featured a series of accessible kiosks, each equipped with a joystick controller for those with limited dexterity.

Amaan Khan ’23

Amaan Khan ’23, a student who worked on that project and who is now a product and branding designer, said the class with Carr was “an absolute pleasure. It taught us that even though societal paradigms are shifting toward inclusivity, we must unlearn many of our ways to better connect people with disabilities to the facilities that already exist. Doing that can unite people and guide them forward as a collaborative community.”

McGough says he welcomed the chance to offer ideas based on his lived experience. “I was excited that they listened to my feedback and wanted to follow up on it, and that they were open to suggestions about accessibility in the community spaces,” he says.

Connor McGough

McGough was able to try the kayak launch last fall. It’s built so someone can comfortably transfer into and out of a boat via a bench, pull bars, hoists and a gradual rolling launch system. “I was so excited about this project. Getting out in the boat is such a great experience, getting some sun, being around water and nature, having some exercise and recreation,” McGough says. “It’s really freeing because once the boat is in motion, it’s all me making it happen. It’s a really nice thing to have when a lot of the time you require assistance from other people and aren’t able to feel so independent.”

Three Phases

The project has three access points—the kayak launch at the Inner Harbor and a wheelchair-accessible waterside access ramp at Kirk Park have been built. An access/launch point at Dorwin Avenue is planned as part of the third phase of the Creekwalk trail that is now under design.

A $70,000 grant from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration program supported the Inner Harbor site, and $380,000 from the Honeywell remediation settlement, for improvements connected to Onondaga Lake, was used for the more extensive construction at Kirk Park. The city continues to apply for grants for ongoing accessibility projects.

A wheelchair ramp at this Kirk Park access point allows users to descend from street to water level.

A Model Partnership

Working together came naturally to this group, so it’s unlikely they were aware of the “ripple effect” of their cooperation. Fathers believes the city’s openness to including disabled users from the start, the involvement of interested supporters and the inclusion of University faculty and students in the project helped the group gel. “The way the group came together was kind of an organic thing—because disabled people, designers and clinicians began working together in a matter of hours,” he says.

Fathers tells how Truesdell, who was involved in ���ϲ�����’s adaptive design collaboration, referenced that coalescing as “the ���ϲ����� effect”—something she said she had not seen previously in her experience, he says. “She means that in ���ϲ�����, it’s very easy to connect to people with disabilities, their advocates, their families and designers in a way that she hasn’t seen in any other place. It’s all about the people here. She said it was a very powerful thing to observe,” Fathers says.

Lu Hao ‘23, standing at left, plays a Creekwalk video game created by students in the inclusive and interaction design class. With him are local arts activist Michael John Heagerty (seated left); Peyton Sefick, a ���ϲ����� adaptive fitness consultant (seated right); Cole Galloway, noted physical therapy professor and founder of mobility design studio GoBabyGo (center back); and Jean Minkel, an internationally recognized expert on seating and mobility. (Photo by Don Carr)

Galloway says the collective advocacy spirit here “is particularly rare. It’s a model the world needs to come here to look at to see what ���ϲ����� does and how they continue it,” he says. “Where ���ϲ����� jumps into the ‘I’ve never heard of this before’ category is that here, the people with the lived experience are the ones with the power. To step back and let the disability community lead and to have city planners listen and take direction from the folks having lived experience, that’s very unique. So many people in ���ϲ����� break the mold—you’ve got a really radical set of individuals who, from the beginning of the idea, listened and believed and took action from the disability community.”

Hands-On Rewards

The hands-on learning students experienced was important to their training as designers, Carr says. “In teaching design, this is a great way to get students to co-design with individuals in our community to address real needs. Together, we’re able to build, test and modify these ideas on the fly. It’s very rewarding to work alongside someone and then see their immediate reaction vs. purchasing a product that, in the end, might not address their actual need.”

From an inclusive design standpoint having projects where faculty can jump in helps ���ϲ����� be a leader in the accessibility space, and having an adaptive design focus is a major attractor for the University’s graduate design program, Carr says. “That’s because there are opportunities for students to do grant-based work as part of their studies and then apply ideas throughout their careers.”

The 53-minute film, “Raise the Roof: Building Tenant Power in ���ϲ�����,” depicts the formation and activism of the ���ϲ����� Tenants Union (STU), a grassroots organization that advocates for tenants’ rights and legislative change. Purser, associate professor of sociology, partnered with the STU on the project in collaboration with Franklin Thompson of August Fifth Productions, who served as director of photography and producer.

“The film seeks to reveal how, due to the imbalance of power with their landlords, tenants can make few changes as individuals, sometimes face retaliation for reporting code violations, and often wind up stuck due to the cost of relocation and rent,” says Purser. “We wanted to show how tenants organizing collectively can challenge the uneven power imbalance with landlords.”

The film is a culmination of a through the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The IRL program supports action-oriented scholarship undertaken in collaboration with community partners and focuses on equity and health research.

In addition to Purser, the research team included Jamila Michener, professor of government and public policy at Cornell University, and Palmer Harvey, an organizer with STU. The team conducted focus groups throughout the City of ���ϲ����� to better understand tenants’ experiences and introduce them to tenant organizing as a strategy to improve community health. The project was designed to help build STU’s membership base, and data from the focus groups was incorporated into the documentary.

“This is a great example of using social science research to have a real-world impact in our local community,” says Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research and Merle Goldberg Fabian Professor of Excellence in Citizenship and Critical Thinking. “Professor Purser’s work on tenants’ experiences in ���ϲ����� and how they are working together to advocate for policy change can be a valuable resource for other communities facing challenges with power imbalances between renters and landlords and inadequate housing.”

Filming began in October 2023 in numerous locations across the City of ���ϲ�����, including tenants’

Gretchen Purser, associate professor of sociology, is shown during filming with producer and photography director Franklin Thompson of August Fifth Productions.

homes, at union meetings, in offices and at public protests and rallies. Union organizers and tenants are interviewed in the film, along with city officials and Michener.

The tenants shared their experiences with mold, infestation, large rent increases, lead poisoning, structural and plumbing issues, caved-in ceilings and broken furnaces as well as eviction, sexual harassment and predatory rental arrangements.

Purser says the collective organizing aims to achieve tangible improvements in housing conditions for poor and predominantly Black families in the ���ϲ����� community.

Participants in the film offered various proposals to improve conditions for tenants. For example, Good Cause Eviction legislation would cap rent increases and limit evictions to cases of non-payment or lease violation, prohibiting the kinds of retaliatory evictions that Purser and her colleagues documented throughout their research.

Speakers at the screening at Salt City Market also presented ideas, including an updated rental registry and code enforcement system that would mandate lead inspection, charge additional fees for landlords renting unregistered properties, revoke registry for code violators and allocate funds from penal fees to repair damages. City Auditor Alexander Marion, who participated with organizers in a question-and-answer session, said the eventual goal is to use money from violations, fines, registrations and inspections to better fund code enforcement.

Jocelyn Richards, an STU organizer, hopes the documentary inspires viewers and sparks curiosity about tenant organizing.

“This documentary reveals that nearly every tenant in ���ϲ����� is encountering or has encountered similar issues: we’re not alone,” says Richards. “And it’s normal to be fearful of taking action as an individual, but when we come together, we have both more power and more protection from retaliation.”

Film organizers are planning additional screenings in 2025, starting with a showing at the Maxwell School. Members of the University community are invited to join a at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Dr. Paul and Natalie Strasser Legacy Room. Still other viewing opportunities are planned for New York City and Ithaca, New York. The documentary will eventually be publicly available online and accessible on the STU website.

Purser is director of the Law, Society and Policy Integrated Learning Major, research co-director on Advocacy and Activism at the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, and a senior research associate at the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry. Her research and teaching focuses on the housing struggles of the urban poor, work and labor market transformation, and the policies and practices of poverty management in the U.S. She has written numerous op-eds and public-facing articles on criminal justice reform, inequality and precarious work in the U.S.

Story by Michael Kelly

The inaugural event, “Life Together: A Community Conversation for Election Season and Beyond,” was held on campus on Oct. 22. Hundreds of University community members, including students, staff and faculty representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives, engaged in facilitated dialogue on important issues related to democracy, civic engagement, economic opportunity and the political climate. The event featured a moderated discussion among experts, followed by small group conversations led by trained facilitators who also were members of the campus community.

University community members engage in conversation during the October 2024 Life Together event (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)

The Life Together initiative is led by Gretchen Ritter, vice president for civic engagement and education; Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the ; and Tina Nabatchi, director of the Maxwell School’s (PARCC).

This next phase of the Life Together initiative includes several events planned for the Spring 2025 semester:

• Life Together Leadership Fellows: Ritter, in collaboration with PARCC, will lead a four-part training session for students, faculty and staff interested in developing the civic skills needed to promote democratic engagement in a diverse community. There will be four, two-hour required training sessions that focus on active listening, critical reasoning, inclusive advocacy and advancing the common good. for the Life Together Leadership Fellows program and are due by Jan. 31.
• “Civic Stories” Digital Storytelling Project: The project will collect and share personal and community-driven stories in the form of short video and audio recordings and reflective writing. “Civic Stories” aims to deepen our understanding and practice of civic engagement by humanizing complex issues, promoting empathy and connection, amplifying voices from marginalized communities, challenging assumptions and stereotypes, encouraging reflective dialogue, highlighting shared goals and collective action, and building civic identity and agency.
• Life Together Online Community Conversations Modules: Building on the fall’s facilitated community conversation, and in collaboration with PARCC and the College of Professional Studies, online modules will be developed that can be used to facilitate community conversations for members of the ���ϲ����� community who are not in residence in ���ϲ�����. The modules can also be used by instructors in various settings, such as part of the First Year Seminar curriculum for non-residential first-year students.
• Life Together Lecture Series: The series will bring speakers to campus who will deepen campus conversation and understanding around the initiative’s four critical civic engagement skills. Four colloquiums are expected to be offered in the spring.

��Further details on how the University community can participate will be shared early in the spring semester.

Jackson Capenos

Hailing from Central New York in a small town just north of ���ϲ�����, Jackson grew up immersed in a close-knit community. His early life revolved around family, sports and work. Whether chopping wood or doing landscaping work with his grandfather, or taking part in football, track and the band at his high school, Capenos cultivated a strong work ethic that would guide him through life’s challenges.

“I grew up in Penneville and went to Phoenix High School; it’s one of those towns with a gas station and a few churches, not a lot going on. I just spent a lot of time either working for my grandfather, which was just like landscaping and chopping down trees,” says Capenos. “I did a lot of athletic stuff, played football since I was 5 years old and also did track and field, and even wrestled for a couple of years.”

A Family Legacy of Service

The call to serve came early. Inspired by a family legacy of military service among his two grandfathers and uncle—spanning the Army, Navy and Air Force, Jackson felt compelled to join the Marines, drawn by the camaraderie and the elite reputation. His grandfather, who Capenos credits with helping to raise him, gave him the most persuasive guidance when Capenos was torn between enlisting after high school or going off to college like a lot of other students.

“He told me I had two options. I could go to school for a few years and see how that goes, then by the time I was 27 or so it would be harder to join the military, if at all. Or I could go into the military, do my time, but then go to college afterwards and at least it would be paid for,” Capenos says.

During his time in the Marines, Jackson served as an amphibious assault vehicle crewman, a now-discontinued military occupational specialty, but an experience that taught him a lot about taking care of others and attention to detail.

The amphibious assault vehicle (AAV), or “Amtrack” as it was commonly called, was a lightly armored tracked vehicle that carried infantry Marines from ship to shore on contested beaches. In 2020, eight Marines and a sailor tragically lost their lives during a training incident when their AAV flooded with water, sinking off the coast of California before the service members could escape.

Capenos’ role in the AAV was ensuring the Marines in the back were safe, and that included highly detailed inspections of the AAV before the Marines ever boarded it. Every seal, every hinge, every valve was thoroughly checked to ensure the armored vehicle would keep the crew afloat.

Jackson Capenos

After being medically separated in 2014, Jackson faced the challenge of transitioning to civilian life. He pursued higher education, earning a degree in psychology from SUNY Oswego, with a focus on military and veteran mental health. His academic path underscored his passion for understanding the struggles veterans face during transitions and finding ways to support them.

After graduating, Capenos moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for work. With his wife joining him, the pair started to make a new life for themselves and started to settle into the local community. Then COVID hit.

“We were living near Fort Carson, I became a football coach and was an educational assistant for students with developmental disabilities, so I became really ingrained in my community out there,” says Capenos. “Once COVID hit, my wife and I couldn’t afford to live out there anymore, so we were forced to move back to New York. The day we moved back we found out we were pregnant with our son, and I immediately took the next job that I could.”

His journey eventually led him to ���ϲ�����, where he found his calling as a liaison for student veterans navigating their education benefits. “When I was transitioning, I didn’t have much support,” Jackson says. “Now, I get to be that person for others. To help them navigate the process, talk through challenges and connect them with the resources they need.”

Ensuring Veterans Success

Today, Jackson’s role is more than a job—it’s a mission. He ensures veterans feel supported as they navigate the complexities of higher education, their education benefits and life after military service. His own story of resilience and dedication serves as an inspiration to the students he works with.

“There are so many parts with education benefits depending on which program the student is using. When you’re going through that educational process you don’t always know all the details like how the monthly housing allowance works with the G.I. Bill,” says Capenos. “As I’ve been going through my training, I’ve learned that there’s so many things I never knew about. So, I feel like the important thing about my role here at ���ϲ����� is helping to give the student a peace of mind that they’re taken care of.�� Here, the student comes first.”

Capenos, along with the other school certifying officials and administrators working with the , are available to answer questions any student may have about the educational benefits.

In addition to doing presentations for student veterans and keeping them informed about updates to their benefits, the University’s school certifying officials urge military-connected students to seek them out before making any significant changes to their academic plans to ensure they’ll have the coverage they’re expecting.

The ���ϲ����� contingent at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting in November included Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies Merril Silverstein (second from left) and Human Development and Family Science doctoral students, from left to right, Xiaoyu Fu, Bo Jian and Ying Xu.

In mid-November, as part of the for the human dynamics programs in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, ���ϲ����� announced that Falk’s departments of (MFT) and (HDFS) would merge and become one department within ���ϲ�����’s starting July 1, 2025.

Within one week, the synergies between the two departments became apparent at the prestigious (NCFR) from Nov. 20-23 in Bellevue, Washington.

Eman Tadros

At the NCFR, MFT Assistant Professor was honored with both the Olson Grant and Advancing Family Science Emerging Mentor/Teacher Award. In addition, several HDFS faculty and doctoral students presented their research, including Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies , who was a keynote speaker.

“Dr. Tadros’ involvement with NCFR highlights the interconnection between the HDFS and MFT departments,” says MFT chair and Professor of Practice . “NCFR and many other professional organizations support both departments’ focus on expanding scholarship on human systems and development, and relational wellbeing.

“Our mutual emphasis on families and systems sets the stage for increased scholarship and service for individuals and systems in our community and around the world,” Watson adds.

The , which is available to NCFR members who contribute to the discipline of family science by bridging research, theory and practice, was previously awarded to Silverstein and former HDFS doctoral student , who is now an assistant professor at Texas Tech University.

“Dr. Hwang and Dr. Silverstein gave a keynote talk on their work with the award focusing on the impact of digital communication in maintaining intergenerational relationships during the pandemic,” says HDFS chair and Associate Professor . “Dr. Tadros will similarly present her work as a keynote next year. Through their important work, these faculty represent the shared values of research in the two departments, which will soon join and continue to do high-level research on family processes that has significant implications for the wellbeing of families.”

Watson says Tadros will use the Olson Grant to fund her scholarship on racially and ethnically minoritized individuals’ online dating behaviors. The highlights “Dr. Tadros’ exemplary mentorship, particularly in providing research opportunities for underrepresented students,” Watson says.

In addition to the NCFR, HDFS faculty and doctoral students recently presented at another prominent national conference: the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Nov. 13-16 in Seattle, Washington. At both the NCFR and GSA events, HDFS faculty and doctoral students presented on a wide array of topics related to important questions of well-being for families and older adults (the complete list of HDFS presenters is below).

Human Development and Family Science doctoral student Bo Jian with her poster presentation at the National Council on Family Relations 2024 Annual Conference.

“The presentations at the GSA included original research on dementia care, mortality patterns, mental health and intergenerational relationships in older adults,” Mulvaney says. “Much of the research was focused on examining key processes of aging and relationships across diverse contexts, including Mexican, Puerto Rican and Chinese communities. As a whole, the presentations represented cutting-edge research that adds to the scientific literature that highlight the experiences of diverse older adults.”

At the NCFR, Mulvaney says, the presentations focused on key features of family relationships and developmental processes, including biased-based harassment of adolescents, child maltreatment, intergenerational relationships and the impact of poverty on children’s self-regulation.

“All of the research utilized high-level and cutting-edge methodologies to inform our understanding of these critical family processes,” Mulvaney says.

Visit the for a complete list of the HDFS presenters at the GSA and NCFR conferences and the research they shared.

These seniors have been involved as students taking the course in their first year of college, then as peer leaders for (FYS) for three subsequent years. The one-credit, 15-week required course engages students in��conversations, activities and assignments about making the transition to life on campus. It not only serves as an introductory course to ���ϲ�����, but also actively builds community, connects students to faculty/staff and each other, and encourages a positive transition to a new environment. Within that setting, students explore the topics of belonging, interdependence, wellness, development of identity, socialization, discrimination, bias and stereotypes.

First Year Seminar students Amya Jenkins, left, and Luis Gomez at an information table representing the program at Bird Library’s Welcome Fest. (Photo by Jimmy Luckman)

Since the program began in 2021, more than 500 faculty, staff and students have participated in FYS in various roles. They’ve served as����(faculty, staff and graduate students) or��as ��(undergraduate students). Lead instructors partner with peer leaders to guide seminar discussions for class sections. With some 4,000-plus new students in first-year classes, and with sections capped at 19 students to create an intimate, seminar atmosphere, 225 students were needed to fill the peer leader role in 2024.

Peer leaders are the embodiment of FYS and they are the connectors that are integral to the program, say , FYS director, and Jimmy Luckman, associate director. Peer leaders work in conjunction with lead instructors to guide discussions that are anchored around increasing students’ sense of belonging on campus.

“The program isn’t advanced only by faculty and staff; peer leaders are a big part of the FYS experience. They are connectors for FYS participants and they’re conduits who facilitate discussions on many issues while sharing the kinds of University resources that are available. They connect students where students want to be connected. Through discussions, they can transform the classroom experience, providing a space for sometimes difficult conversations, and that’s been a very strong thing,” Luckman says.

The past four years have been a time of growth for the program, as the previous FYS leaders, Schantz and her team have built “a great foundation,” she says. “Now, we are looking ahead and seeing how to enrich the peer leader experience.”

In addition to monthly leadership development meetings for peer leaders, Luckman says the team is considering creating a peer leader development model and potentially expanding leadership opportunities for the students. ��They are also conducting focus groups to obtain feedback on the peer leader role and may form a peer leader alumni group. They also hired a coordinator to supervise peer leaders and manage the myriad details of hiring and tracking a 200-plus student workforce.

In addition to working with First Year Seminar classes, peer leaders commit time to community service projects, such as a “Blessings in a Backpack” food initiative to help local school children.

While hundreds of peer leaders are needed each year, Luckman says it has not been difficult to recruit for those roles because students love working with fellow students and they understand the value community-building work adds to their background and experience. Many also recognize the role as a chance to develop leadership skills and want to take advantage of that, Luckman says.

The team asked for peer leader feedback to continue to enhance the position and the co-facilitation model the course follows. Schantz says the responses showed the importance of the lead instructor and peer leader in creating a positive atmosphere in the course. Another factor that influenced peer leaders returning to their roles in subsequent years is the respectful environment that peer leaders form with their students.

Four students who took FYS their first year on campus and then stayed on as peer leaders for the next three years are set to graduate this spring. They shared with SU News their reasons for deciding to remain in those roles and what the program has meant to them since their earliest days at the University.

Mariana Godinez-Andraca

Mariana Godinez-Andraca, a dual public relations/psychology major in the and the , is an international student from Mexico City. She likes that FYS embraces “uncomfortable” conversations, such as discussions about cultural awareness, microaggressions and learning to have empathy for others, she says.

“What I value most is that FYS embraces these conversations wholeheartedly, creating a space where students can open up, challenge their beliefs and grow into more empathetic individuals.” She says she has appreciated “sharing my experiences and cultural background…in a space where we actively listen to each other and where everyone’s stories and perspectives enrich our understanding, broadening my own cultural awareness while giving me a meaningful platform to share my journey. I hope I leave an impression that encourages others to embrace diversity and engage more thoughtfully with the world around them.”

Aaron Hong

Aaron Hong, a finance and accounting major in the , credits FYS for helping him overcome difficulty returning to in-person classes after almost two years of virtual learning during COVID. Coming from a mostly white community in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hong says he appreciated the focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. “As a person of Asian heritage, those conversations are very important to me. This experience gave me a different lens on diversity. Having the opportunity to have those conversations and to share those experiences is pretty important.”

Adira Ramirez

Adira Ramirez, a library studies and information management and technology student in the , says participating in FYS for four years has helped her become skilled in how to talk to people in different ways, confidently address a public audience and “better understand people and explain to them who I am in a more cohesive way.”

She says learning about the concept of intersectionality—where everyone has multiple layers of identity that comprise who they are—”has taken me by storm. It’s our lens. It teaches who your audience is, how we learn things, how we view the world and how the world views us.”

N​ehilah Grand-Pierre, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School, finds the give-and-take between FYS participants and peer leaders invigorating and gratifying.

Nehilah Grand-Pierre

When FYS participants were offered the opportunity to ask peer leaders any question about any topic, she says one participant asked how to discover one’s self-worth while in college. “I said the best way is to not define your self-worth through other people. I told how studying abroad in London forced me to stop defining myself by the activities and relationships I had on main campus, and instead define myself by my reactions to all the new things I was experiencing. I said what happens to you doesn’t define you, but how you react to those situations does. I recognized that as a senior, I had so much experience to pull from, and I saw how real experiences helped drive discussions.”

Applications for peer leader positions are now being accepted for the 2025 sessions, says Luckman. Interested students who want to become a peer leader can apply by early December through the Handshake website. More information is available by emailing�� firstyear@syr.edu��or contacting the program office at 315.443.9035.

is one of three postdoctoral fellows who are involved in the center’s examination of the in America. That initiative explores the gap’s causes and consequences and aims to create effective solutions to counter it through social collaborations that help dismantle the root causes of racial wealth disparities.

Before coming to ���ϲ�����, Christophe was a research fellow focused on this area at the at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Before that, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance and business administration from Florida Memorial University and a Ph.D. in management from Morgan State University.

We sat down with Christophe to hear about her interest in understanding the critical stages of entrepreneurial journeys, the psychological factors and resource needs that drive entrepreneurial success and the dynamics between individual entrepreneurs and social institutions.

Robert ’86 and Kathryn Taishoff

How do you inspire people to open their hearts and provide the support to raise the hefty sum of $2.5 million? Just ask retired U.S. Navy Capt. Robert “Rob” P. Taishoff ’86 who sees opportunities where others see obstacles, and who is determined to change the way the world views intellectual disability. With the recent Taishoff Family Foundation gift of $2.5 million to inclusive higher education at ���ϲ�����, Taishoff is challenging others to see the world the way he does and match his family’s pledge.

“I’ve seen the confidence that these young men and women with intellectual disabilities develop when given educational opportunities, and it’s mind-blowing,” says Taishoff. “If we give them the chance to pursue their interests and prepare them for careers, just like we do with every student at ���ϲ�����, they will thrive, excel, succeed and surprise us.”

Taishoff continues to marvel at the successes of the students who attend InclusiveU and the accomplishments of the , named for his father in 2009 with a $1.1 million grant from Taishoff. The center and InclusiveU have become national models for the inclusion and education of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At that time, Taishoff was a University Trustee; he served as a voting trustee from 2009 to 2021 and is now a life trustee. Taishoff has been involved in many University initiatives, but it was inclusive education and the work going on at the (CDI) in the School of Education that captured his whole heart.

Taishoff’s daughter, Jackie, was born with Down syndrome in 2001, and he experienced firsthand the promise and the heartbreak felt by the families of young people often marginalized by society. “Jackie is very social and friendly, and frequently surprises us with what she’s capable of doing,” says Taishoff. He’d love to see her attend InclusiveU but as a resident of Maryland, her benefits associated with her disability won’t cross state lines. The portability of benefits is one of those systemic policy issues that CDI’s staff is working to change, helping students overcome barriers to pursue an education and career.

According to Sara Hart Weir, a national expert in disability policy and former president of the National Down Syndrome Society, Taishoff is the kind of visionary who “sees endless opportunities not just for Jackie, but for all people with disabilities. Rob wants them to have the kinds of opportunities every other American has, from education to health care, from financial services to careers.” Weir says individuals with Down syndrome are an “untapped workforce who, with access to programs like InclusiveU, can skill up, enter the workforce and become taxpayers.” She says InclusiveU is the “best of the best” in providing these kinds of opportunities.

Strengthening Programming

The Taishoff Family Foundation has contributed several million dollars over the years to strengthen CDI, the Taishoff Center and InclusiveU, providing resources for programmatic growth. “They’ve achieved all their goals in the last five-year plan and that set the stage for the next five-year plan,” says Taishoff, who hopes his new gift will be leveraged to bring in new donor support. The next five-year plan seeks to grow enrollment by 25% and offer new experiences for students with intellectual disability.

“We’re never satisfied with what we’re doing,” says Beth Myers, the Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education, executive director of the Taishoff Center and assistant director of CDI. “We may be the largest program of our kind in the nation, but there are always more opportunities to pursue. For example, I dream of first providing our students with a two-week study abroad in Italy with the goal of a full semester of study abroad in any location where any other ���ϲ����� student can go. Am I dreaming huge dreams? Yes. Is it possible? Yes!” But, Myers acknowledges, it takes more resources and staffing to achieve those dreams.

Myers credits her “amazing team and an incredible staff at InclusiveU who would do anything for these students” to deliver on dreams. She has watched the program at InclusiveU grow from 14 students in three majors to 100 students in 45 majors taking more than 300 courses across the University. “We have allies in every department across campus, top down and bottom up support,” says Myers. “It’s a culture grounded in the University’s 60-plus year history in disability advocacy. People really value the work we do in inclusion.”

“I am continuously inspired by Rob Taishoff’s generosity and, now, his strategic challenge to others to help advance ���ϲ�����’s leadership in the disability community,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Rob persists in challenging all of us to think of innovative and creative solutions and to collaborate across units and colleges to ensure equitable opportunities for all our students and to be a standard-bearer for academic institutions nationwide.”

Through those opportunities, Taishoff sees how students become one with the University community. “Our intellectually disabled students are woven into the fabric of the University, from the classroom to living arrangements, from social activities to career preparation,” says Taishoff.

Going Beyond

CDI’s strategic plan for growth goes beyond assisting the growth of the Taishoff Center and enrollment in InclusiveU. It would enhance access to higher education among students in the ���ϲ����� City School district (nationally, less than 2% of high school students with intellectual disability go to college). It would invest in innovative technical assistance for disabled students and establish an Inclusive Higher Education Technical Assistance Center to help other colleges and universities. It would support research, fellowships and teaching to advance the field. It would provide more resources for career advising and career placement (only 17% of adults with intellectual disabilities are employed nationally). The newly established Robert and Kathryn Taishoff Fund would support many of these initiatives and scholarship support for students.

In addition to the new fund, the latest Taishoff gift continues support through the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education Endowed Fund. Part of the $1.5 billion , Taishoff’s gift builds on and the legacy of the School of Education. Rob Taishoff’s father Lawrence and grandfather Sol philanthropically supported education, journalism and health research. Taishoff says his father was “exceptionally close” to granddaughter Jackie, perhaps because he had witnessed a cousin with Down syndrome sent to an institution and shielded away from society and opportunity.

Taishoff says his own military experience also reinforced the family’s commitment to opening the doors of opportunity. He spent more than two decades in active duty in the Navy and managed Navy and Marine Corps attorneys and civilians representing service members. “No matter what background or walk of life someone was from, whether enlisted or an officer, we were all pulling for the same goals, trying to fulfill a mission,” Taishoff says. “I saw people who were given opportunities in the military that they would not have had otherwise, and I saw them thrive and excel.”

The Taishoff Family Foundation’s legacy aligns with that of the School of Education, which is recognized as an international leader in the deinstitutionalization and school inclusion movements. The school is home to the first disability studies program in the country and the first joint degree program in law and disability studies, and it helped ���ϲ����� become the first research university to launch an integrated elementary and special education teacher education program.

“It’s time to build on history once again,” says Taishoff. “I hope others will join me in creating new futures for countless young people who deserve a chance to contribute in ways that will amaze us.”

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Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for ���ϲ����� is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

“Spending time with my grandparents was really an important part of my childhood, and it helped me develop a lot of compassion and respect for older adults in our community,” Sako says.

Katarina Sako ’24 speaks with a participant in the recent Age Well Days event (Photo by Charles Wainwright)

Sako’s interactions with her grandparents, including more recently as part of her family’s role in caregiving, planted the seed for her interest in her work assisting older adults through the creation of community programming.

Sako is an volunteer through . As a community organizer, Sako works to improve how older adults get connected to services that can help them thrive.

“I’m able to look at systemic issues in our society and how that impacts older adults and their health,” says Sako, who is also working to strengthen and expand a coalition of aging services organizations. “Because you can’t really address one facet without addressing the model.”

As an undergraduate student, Sako was initially interested in researching memory from a psychology perspective. She joined a lab at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and through that work, Sako decided to focus on neurodegeneration and dementia from a biology perspective.

“When you’re talking about dementia, which is my hope to study as a geriatrician, it’s not just focused on the biology—you can’t just address things from a biological perspective,” she says. “You really need to look at the entire person.”

The skills utilized in her current role took shape during her time on campus, where she majored in biology and neuroscience and minored in Spanish in the .

Katarina Sako demonstrates an apple crisp recipe during a recent Age Well Day event in ���ϲ�����

Sako volunteered as a telehealth consultant over the summer with InterFaith Works. She created a pilot program to help older adults gain the skills needed to navigate telehealth appointments, which gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are a lot of benefits offered by telehealth, such as not going in person to your doctor’s appointment, which can be especially helpful if you have mobility issues,” says Sako. “However, technology issues can be really challenging for many older adults.”

The AmeriCorps VISTA program is focused on reducing poverty in the community. Sako’s skills and experience made her the perfect fit for the community organizer role.

Lori Klivak, senior director for the Center for Healthy Aging at InterFaith Works, was Sako’s supervisor in her telehealth consultant role and later introduced Sako to the community organizer opportunity, where Klivak��continues to be Sako’s supervisor.

One of InterFaith Works’ initiatives is the Greater ���ϲ����� Aging Services Coalition, which started in 2020 to unite aging services organizations under one umbrella.

One of the ways Sako reaches out and makes connections is through Age Well Days, an event that brings community services together for older adults. During the most recent event, held on Sept. 24 at Park Central Presbyterian Church in downtown ���ϲ�����, attendees were served a healthy lunch (including a salad made by Sako). They heard presentations from community organizations on health, digital literacy, voting and food assistance, while Sako demonstrated how to make a healthy (and tasty) apple crisp. Attendees took home fresh produce.

“These are opportunities for lower-income older adults in the community to receive important services. The goal is to have people actively enroll in things,” says Sako. “For example, if you need food assistance or you are experiencing food insecurity, let’s enroll you in SNAP. We want to ease this enrollment process because as much as we have these resources available, the number of older adults who are actually enrolled in these programs is low.”

A timeline of Age Well Day events is still being determined, but Sako plans to hold the events at three different locations throughout the community. The Sept. 24 event focused on eating well, and funding was provided by the ���ϲ����� Onondaga Food Systems Alliance.

Sako believes the project has a lot of longevity. “You could compare it to a resource fair, but it’s really meant to be a more intimate setting where we’re connecting with the participants who are there,” she says. “It’s affirming the dignity of all races, all religions and recognizing the diversity that is ���ϲ����� and Onondaga County.”

“My hope is that in forming these connections, we’re able to build long-term partnerships for the Greater ���ϲ����� Aging Services Coalition,” Sako says. “Our goal is promoting aging well in the community and reiterating that ageism doesn’t have a place here.”

Klivak says that Sako’s work is helping to fill a critical gap between services and knowledge. “We have programs, we have support, we have things in place in our community that can help older adults who age better,” she says. “But there’s a gap between what people understand or know about what we have and actually providing those services. And we don’t have all the services in all the right places.”

“Our goal is to improve the way that we, as service providers and program providers get information out, connect with communities and build relationships with communities so that they feel comfortable coming to us,” Klivak says.

It’s also raising awareness about what older people need that goes beyond the conventional wisdom that may focus on food or heat assistance or health care. There are other needs, such as AIDS and HIV prevention, digital literacy and voting issues that are not at the forefront of people’s minds.

“You may think of food or help with heat, but you’re not thinking about how it may not be easy for them to get on a computer or a smartphone and access these resources,” Klivak says. “We tend to think about aging through the lens of death, disease and decline, but that’s not the full story.”

Older adults are the number one voting bloc, the number one volunteering demographic and 42% of the local tax base, Klivak says. “These are people who are helping raise their grandchildren, helping their neighbors and who want to communicate with friends who have moved, all sorts of things,” she says. “And we want them to thrive.”

Klivak says as more outreach and connections are made, everyone is learning how to move the conversation forward and change the narrative to be more age-positive and age-friendly.

Klivak says that Sako has been a good fit for her role. “She is pretty fearless,” she says. “She jumps right in, asks really good questions and then just gets to work.”

Her title, community organizer, illustrates her mission to build relationships. “This is about making change, and change happens when people trust you,” Klivak says. “Her primary role is to be out and about in the community, meeting people, learning what’s going on, getting people interested in what we’re doing. And she has taken that seriously.”

Ultimately, Sako believes that, through her work, she is honoring her grandparents. “I think my grandparents could also benefit from Age Well days, definitely,” Sako says. “I think that they’re happy that I’m trying to make a difference.”

Five students will soon begin a two-year research project examining the potential social justice and public health impacts of living in neighborhoods that have experienced the historical discriminatory practice of redlining. That is a practice where, for decades, financial institutions designated certain neighborhoods—primarily Black ones—as poor credit risks, making it difficult for residents there to own homes or improve their properties.

The students, recently named 2024-26 Lender Center for Social Justice student fellows, will work with Miriam Mutambudzi, assistant professor of public health in the , who is .

They are:

• Tomiwa (“Tommy”) DaSilva ’26, dual major in public health in the Falk College��and policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement in the
• Adara (“Darla”) Hobbs ’22 G ‘26, a graduate student in Pan African studies in the (A&S)
• Jamea Johnson ’25, a psychology major in A&S
• Sabrina Lussier ’26, a triple major in geography, citizenship and civic engagement, and environmental sustainability and policy in the Maxwell School
• Shreya Potluri ’27, an architecture major in the

DaSilva, from Newark, Delaware, is interested in promoting health equity through health promotion policies and community-based practices. On campus, he has been involved in the Student Association of Public Health Education and Connect 315. In the community, DaSilva has interned with the YWCA of ���ϲ����� and Onondaga County, ACR Health and the City of ���ϲ����� Department of Neighborhood and Business Development.

Hobbs, of ���ϲ�����, earned a bachelor’s degree in��communication and rhetorical studies from the . She has worked for more than a decade with the ���ϲ����� City School District as a teaching assistant, art teacher and as a diversity, equity and belonging building lead.��Hobbs is currently researching the historical and contemporary impacts of redlining on ���ϲ�����’s Black and Latino communities.

Her project, “The Past, Present and Future: An Overview of Redlining in the City of ���ϲ�����,” examines the legacy of residential redlining and resident displacement from the 15th Ward and the ongoing I-81 viaduct project. She also contributed to the development of themes and aesthetic elements for the Barner-McDuffie house, the University’s first Black student center.

Johnson, from Grand Prairie, Texas, has extensive experience in public service, entrepreneurship and community engagement. She is a Congressional intern for New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, working on legislative research, policy development and constituent service. She’s also founder and chief executive officer of Black Girls Garden, an organization that teaches young Black girls and women in low-income living situations to grow their own food to combat food insecurity and poor nutrition.

She took first place in the 2023 Blackstone LaunchPad Small Business Pitch Contest for that startup and also received the 2023 Black Honor Society’s Community Service Leadership Award. On campus, she is Residence Hall Association president and a member of the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble.

Lussier, from the Washington, D.C., area, is an honors student and Maxwell Leadership Scholar. She is a STOP Bias peer educator, a resident advisor for the MORE in Leadership Living Learning Community and has spent the past year working for the ���ϲ����� Neighborhood and Business Development Office.

Her research and academic interests focus on how urban planning intersects with community engagement, social justice and sustainability. Her citizenship capstone and honors thesis looks at the effect of freeway demolition on marginalized communities, focusing on ���ϲ�����’s East Adams neighborhood near I-81 in the historic 15th ward.

Potluri, of Frisco, Texas, is interested in research pertaining to social justice, urban planning and housing. She has researched student learning environments, minority students’ experiences and accessibility to community spaces and facilities in the ���ϲ����� community, along with how architecture is connected to social justice.

Potluri says she wants to determine how architecture can be used to provide people with opportunities and the agency to combat the consequences of redlining.

Miriam Mutambudzi

Mutambudzi’s project examines how Black adults who reside in what have been historically redlined neighborhoods can experience a disadvantaged occupational life course and subsequent health consequences. She says that while redlining began in the 1930s, it has resulted in decades of urban decay and poverty for those neighborhoods that has left a legacy of social and economic disadvantage that continues today.

In addition to Mutambudzi’s role as an assistant professor of public health, she is also a faculty affiliate of the , and at the Maxwell School.

From an early age, Mark Radel ’28 always demonstrated compassion for his peers. As a precocious 9-year-old, Mark would rush onto the basketball court (accompanied by the coaches) whenever someone got hurt to check in and offer a helping hand.

Luke Radel ’26 says empathy is his brother’s superpower. “Mark is overflowing with empathy, and he has a great ability to know if somebody is having a bad day, and what he can do to help them through it,” Luke says, with a proud smile—and that trait will serve Mark well as he strives for a career in sports and exercise science as an athletic trainer.

Mark’s career ambition is being supported by , an initiative from the�� that sets a high standard among inclusive higher education programs, making higher education more accessible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through individualized and inclusive coursework, student-centered planning, internships, and social and extracurricular activities.

“I want to help people. I’m loving learning about the body, and how what we eat helps make us strong, and when I graduate, I want to work with my football team, the Buffalo Bills, as a trainer,” says Mark, a sports and exercise science major at the University who was born with Down syndrome.

When Luke (left) attended ���ϲ����� and study both political science and broadcast and digital journalism, Mark decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps. (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)

An Unbreakable Bond

Mark’s benevolent spirit helped Luke during his darkest days. While visiting colleges with his family in Boston, Massachusetts, Luke, an aspiring broadcast journalist, was out to dinner when he discovered his voice had left him. Realizing there was a potential health problem, Luke checked into Massachusetts General Hospital for observation.

Within a few hours, the doctors gave Luke their diagnosis: Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. With his head spinning, Luke began undergoing chemotherapy sessions twice a month for six months, oftentimes for five or more hours per visit. What got him through those trying times?

“Mark was by my side, and his compassion was so helpful. Plus, he gives the best hugs. Whenever I was having a bad day, those hugs were just amazing and turned my day around,” says Luke, whose cancer is in remission. “Mark’s had his fair share of health struggles, and in that moment, I realized what Mark overcomes every day just to keep going, all the work he does to go to school and live his life. If he’s taking on that daunting situation every single day, I can take care of my chemotherapy.”

When Luke decided to attend ���ϲ����� and study both political science in the and broadcast and digital journalism in the , Mark decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps, applying to and being granted admission into InclusiveU’s highly competitive program.

Their unbreakable bond was further strengthened as roommates on campus. Luke helps Mark with his homework and with prepping his meals, and configured Mark’s Google Maps app on his phone with the relevant directions needed for Mark to traverse campus on a daily basis.

Luke and Mark Radel during their shared class in the Falk College. (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)

“Mark is Mr. Independent on campus. He doesn’t want to rely on someone else to help him get across campus. He’s done an amazing job of navigating everything it takes to be a student,” Luke says. “I’m really grateful to be at an institution like ���ϲ����� that is always striving to ensure everybody has access to the opportunities they need to succeed and feel welcome in these spaces.”

Life-Changing Opportunities

From the moment Mark came into his life, Luke has embraced advocating on behalf of his brother, fighting to ensure he was given access to every possible opportunity. It’s part of the Radel family’s genetic makeup. Their father, Patrick, was an attorney who helped people with mental and developmental disabilities be included in their elementary and high school’s educational programs, and their mother, Mary, created a support group, , that raises awareness and educates and connects parents of children born with Down syndrome to resources.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which, Luke says, is the perfect time for members of the University to learn how people with Down syndrome are valuable contributors to the University community.

“People with Down syndrome are more alike than they are different from us. Mark needs to be in environments that will push him outside of his comfort zone and push the limits of what a person with Down syndrome can accomplish,” Luke says. “You’ll be helping Mark by interacting with him, but you’re also helping yourself gain a better understanding of how people with Down syndrome see and interact with the world around them.

Inspired to become a broadcast journalist from his efforts advocating on Mark’s behalf, Luke has amassed an impressive portfolio as a broadcast journalist, recently covering both the Republican and Democratic national conventions and serving as a in Utica, New York.

Luke hopes to use his dual degrees to continue telling impactful stories that make a difference, including his brother’s inspirational journey to ���ϲ�����.

When Mark got his acceptance letter into InclusiveU I cried tears of joy. I was so excited for him, and I have loved being able to share in the ���ϲ����� journey with Mark, Luke says.

“I always wanted to go to college, and being here with my brother has been amazing. This experience has changed my life,” Mark says.

Sports as a Unifying Force

A lifelong fan of playing sports, Mark Radel enjoys participating in the Special Olympics Unified Sports club basketball team on campus. (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)

The table tennis area in the lounge of Luke’s off-campus apartment complex is getting quite the workout on a Tuesday morning before they both have class in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. Good-natured comments fly back and forth whenever a point is scored. Their friendly matches, typically a best two-out-of-three affair, offer insights into their dynamic.

“It’s fun to play sports and I like learning new things while I am playing,” Mark says. “And I like to beat Luke. We always have fun when we play.”

“Oh yeah, this is always fun whenever we play [table tennis]. Mark loves watching and playing sports because it’s exciting and fun for him, and it’s a great way to stay active and also be part of a team and a community. Mark just loves being around people,” Luke adds.

Outside of their sibling showdowns in table tennis, Mark also participates in the Special Olympics Unified Sports club basketball team on campus, practicing every Sunday in the Women’s Building.

Surrounded by friends, Mark takes great pride in his basketball abilities. “It’s fun to shoot, dribble the ball and then pass it to my teammates, but what I’m really good at is shooting and scoring,” Mark says with a smile—but more than his performance, he enjoys the camaraderie and friendships that form with his peers.

“It’s the best. We cheer each other on, cheer for big shots and we all want everyone to play well and have fun,” Mark says. “I play better when my teammates are cheering me on, yelling ‘Mark, Mark, Mark!’ It makes me happy and motivates me.”

Brothers Mark (left) and Luke Radel share an unbreakable bond, one that has only strengthened during their time at ���ϲ�����.

An avid fan of the ���ϲ����� football team, Luke and Mark eagerly await each home game. Mark can often be found yelling and cheering on the team while wearing his No. 6 ���ϲ����� jersey, originally purchased to honor former starting quarterback Garrett Shrader ’23, but this year, the jersey is a nod to current starting quarterback Kyle McCord ’25.

From his seats in the 300 section inside the JMA Wireless Dome, fans flock to Mark’s infectious attitude, exchanging fist bumps and high-fives every time ���ϲ����� comes up with a big play.

“It’s really cool and it makes me feel great to know I’m making new friends while we’re cheering on ���ϲ�����,” Mark says.

“Mark has such a big smile on his face when he’s interacting with our fans, and it makes me so happy to see his joy,” Luke adds.

The project is the first step in a plan that could possibly make such screenings available at OFAs across New York.

Early recognition of memory changes that could indicate an early stage dementia is important in order to help older adults gets the medical attention they need to avoid a crisis.

“If we are aware of early signs of memory issues, we are able to connect the individual to health care professionals who can begin appropriate treatment, while taking steps to educate and support families to improve the individual’s quality of life,” says , MD, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and chair of the Geriatrics and director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease. “The ability to easily screen this segment of the population has the potential to significantly benefit both the individual and their families.”

Changes that might be caused by early dementia can include changes in memory, depression, anxiety, aggression or lack of interest, Brangman says.

Here’s how the program works: OFA case managers in the selected counties have been trained by Upstate staff to administer what is called the “Mini-Cog,” a three-minute screening tool to assess potential memory loss. The screening can be administered in an individual’s home during a routine visit by OFA staff or at the county office. OFA case managers will not make any diagnoses based on the screening results; they will only administer the screening.

If the Mini-Cog shows any sign of memory change, the individual will be referred to Upstate University Geriatricians for a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

School of Social Work Associate Research Professor Maria Brown (right) speaks with reporters following the news conference announcing the partnership between ���ϲ����� and Upstate Medical University.

To evaluate the merits of this screening approach in community settings, , Ph.D., associate research professor in ���ϲ�����’s and will analyze screening information over the yearlong project to identify the number of clients screened, number of clients with scores indicating memory changes, number of clients who receive follow-up comprehensive assessments and their diagnostic results.

“We are excited about improving the ability of OFAs to identify older adults across the Central New York region who could benefit from geriatric evaluations and connection to services to address their changing needs,” Brown says.

Officials say they expect to screen about 3,750 individuals. Based on statistical analysis, they project that about 975 of those individuals will have scores suggesting some memory concerns.

If results of the evaluation show this screening approach with OFA to be a success, Upstate will create an online training manual and companion videos for use by the New York State Office for the Aging that could be included in the training of OFA staff throughout New York. The training resource also has the potential to be used by Offices for the Aging nationwide that have similar missions, programs and staffing.

In an earlier Upstate/���ϲ����� pilot program that looked at Onondaga County residents, Brown found that over a nine-month screening phase, 18 (26%) of the 69 mostly African American adults over the age of 65 who were screened had scores suggesting cognitive impairment.

Project officials say OFAs are appropriate entities to participate in this project as they already conduct standard assessments for clients. Called COMPASS, for Comprehensive Assessment for Aging Network Community Based Long Term Care Services, this assessment addresses issues such as housing, nutrition, psycho-social status, medications, daily activities, support network and health, but it does not currently screen for memory issues.

“Early detection of a memory problem such as dementia is vital for timely medical intervention and, just as importantly, to begin connecting individuals and families to the many community-based supports available through local offices for the aging,” says , the New York state director of the .

“These offices for the aging are ideally suited to support detection efforts because of their experience assessing individuals holistically, screening for targeted areas of concern, and delivering on the services and supports necessary to help a person age in place, whether it’s case management, home adaptations, personal care supports, nutrition, or other programs. I applaud SUNY Upstate’s Department of Geriatrics and ���ϲ�����’s Aging Studies Institute for this innovative collaborative effort with offices for the aging in their region.”

It’s noteworthy that Upstate and ���ϲ����� have joined forces to address this issue. The Upstate/���ϲ����� collaboration leverages significant resources and expertise on aging issues. Upstate is home to a Department of Geriatrics and a state (CEAD). CEAD currently has a staff that includes geriatricians who work in conjunction with geriatric nurse practitioners, social workers, and nurses with expertise in geriatrics. Social workers provide caregiver support with a particular emphasis on older adults at risk, especially those who live alone or with frail caregivers.

���ϲ����� is home to the Aging Studies Institute, which includes dozens of faculty working on age-related research and education issues, including age-based public policy; the causes and consequences of population aging; health and functioning across the life course; family, care work, and intergenerational support; and aging design, engineering, and technology.

Funding for the Upstate/���ϲ����� collaboration was made possible by the and the .

“The Health Foundation is proud to support this important initiative as part of our ongoing work on behalf of older adults,” says , Ph.D., president of the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York. “This program will break down barriers to bring earlier screening for memory issues to more people, meaning they’ll have the resources and treatments they need and deserve. Because those barriers to access often occur in communities of color or among people with lower incomes, this is a crucial health equity effort as well.”

The new station, “,” is “a thrilling and significant breakthrough” for the growing Spanish-speaking community in the area, says , executive director of cultural engagement for the Hispanic community and director of the University’s . “The station is poised to become a vital resource, reflecting the vibrant mix of Hispanic and Latino cultures and effectively engaging these populations like no other local or regional medium does.”

Paniagua and many others at the University were integral to the development of the station. She first got involved in the summer of 2023 when WCNY CEO and President approached her wondering if a Spanish-language radio station was available in the area. When he discovered there wasn’t one, Gelman asked Paniagua to help him assess the community’s interest in filling that void.

Gelman formed a community task force, which he co-chaired with Paniagua and WCNY-FM Station Manager . Over many months, more than two dozen task force members planned the station’s structure, helped developed funding, sought collaborators and generated programming ideas.

Teresita Paniagua, left, the University’s executive director of cultural engagement for the Hispanic community, speaks to students at an event celebrating Hispanic culture. Paniagua was instrumental in spurring community interest in and involvement to help bring about WCNY’s Spanish-language radio station.

Several University faculty members and instructors from the College of Arts and Sciences, including , associate teaching professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Spanish language coordinator, and , Spanish instructor, participated in the task force efforts.

Also involved in other ways were , Spanish department professor and chair; , Spanish professor; , assistant teaching professor of film in the College of Visual and Performing Arts; , development director for ���ϲ����� Stage; , professor of Spanish at Onondaga Community College; Josefa Álvarez Valadés, ��Spanish professor at LeMoyne College; and , a Newhouse School of Public Communications alumnus and former radio/TV producer who is an associate professor of communications at SUNY Oswego.

As part of the task force’s fact-finding, Paniagua enlisted Whitman School of Management students Nicolas Cela Marxuach ’25, Zachary Levine ’25 and Jonah Griffin ’24 to develop and distribute a community interest survey, which the students circulated to several hundred local residents at community events. She says 98% of respondents supported the idea. The survey also provided insights into audience demographics and programming ideas—including sports, community news, talk shows, music and faith-based content.

There are upwards of 1,000 Spanish-speaking radio stations in the U.S. but Pulso Central is the first of its kind in Central New York. The region is home to some 18,000 Spanish-speaking households, with Spanish-speaking people making up about 10.5% of the area’s population and comprising a segment of the community that has grown 30% over the past decade, according to research done by WCNY.

A Learning Resource

Pulso Central also provides a unique learning opportunity and “an extraordinary new pedagogical tool for experiential education” for the University’s students, says Ticio Quesada.

M. Emma Ticio Quesada, center, a professor in ���ϲ�����’s Spanish department, uses WCNY’s radio station studio as an experiential learning space and resource for her courses.

Five students from her immersive course, Community Outreach: Language in Action, are interning at the station. The students, Lailah Ali-Valentine, Adam Baltaxe, Kimberlyn Lopez Herrera, Nicolas Bernardino Greiner-Guzman and Jade Aulestia recently created their first podcast.

Ticio Quesada says she also expects students in SPA 300: Our Community Voices, an course, to benefit from the same kind of internship opportunity. The course connects native and non-native Spanish speakers, inspires them to contribute to the local community, and promotes inclusion and social justice.

Partnering Results

Miranda Traudt, the University’s assistant provost for arts and community programming, says the task force is a good example of the positive outcomes that can result when members of the University and local communities work together to achieve specific goals. “This project continues La Casita’s meaningful engagement with Hispanic communities in Central New York and helps fulfill its mission through work in the arts, media, cultural heritage preservation and research adding to the high quality of life,” she says.

Several dozen community members helped WCNY form and air the area’s first Spanish-language radio station. They included, from left, Mitch Gelman, WCNY president and CEO; M. Emma Ticio Quesada, ���ϲ����� professor of Spanish; Stephanie Gonzalez Rawlings, content producer; and DJ Lorenz (Renzo Quesada), music host. (Photo by Eric Hayden, WCNY)

Game Changer

Paniagua believes the station “can be a game changer,” not only in providing news and information about and for the Latina/Hispanic community but also by “helping to change long-established stereotypes and present a whole new world of possibilities for the people of this community,” she says. “There are many wonderful stories about people who have established their lives in this community and I hope Pulso Central can be a showcase for those stories.”

Launch Event Oct. 24

An official launch event, “,” will be held Thursday, Oct. 24, at WCNY studios and La Casita.

“WCNY is thrilled to help launch Pulso Central,” Gelman says. “Our goal is to provide a platform that will come alive with music and talk that engages listeners and fosters community connection.”

The station reaches listeners in 19 counties. Pulso Central airs on WCNY 91.3 HD-2 in ���ϲ�����, WUNY 89.5 HD-2 in Utica and WJNY 90.9 HD-2 in Watertown. It is accessible online at and streaming on the Pulso Central app.

InclusiveU Director Brianna Shults and student Matthew Falanga discuss the life-changing opportunities InclusiveU affords its students, how InclusiveU has made a profound impact, how InclusiveU has become the standard-bearer for how colleges run an inclusive higher education program and how the benefits extend to the greater campus community.

The White House. Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The New York State Capitol building in Albany.

Matthew Falanga

These are just some of the places an enthusiastic delegation from ���ϲ�����’s InclusiveU program have traveled over the years, meeting with policymakers, politicians and higher education leaders to push for change to make higher education more accessible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

For more than a decade, InclusiveU, an initiative from the��, has set the standard by which all other inclusive higher education programs are judged. Its model encompasses individualized and inclusive coursework, student-centered planning, internships, and social and extracurricular activities.

“I always wanted to go to college, and when I heard about ���ϲ����� and its InclusiveU program, I knew that was where I wanted to go to achieve my dreams,” says Matthew Falanga ’26, who was born with Down syndrome and is majoring in communications at ���ϲ�����. “The best part of coming to ���ϲ����� is making new friends and being involved on campus. It makes me feel very happy.”

Over the last 10 years, InclusiveU has experienced exponential growth and is now the largest program of its kind in the country. This year, 102 students are pursuing their academic dreams on campus, including 44 students who, like Falanga, live in residence halls.

Check out featuring Falanga and InclusiveU Director Brianna Shults G’20. A transcript [PDF] is also available.

Recruiting Advocates, Reducing Stigmas

Over the years, InclusiveU Director Brianna Shults G’20 has led countless trips to bring current InclusiveU students and recent graduates to meet with elected officials. These trips serve to recruit new advocates, increase support and awareness of the program, and reduce the stigmas that still exist surrounding students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The opportunities InclusiveU affords aren’t readily available for many students like Falanga. According to , only 2% of school-age students with intellectual disability are likely to attend college after high school, and of the 472 colleges and universities in New York state, only 24 have inclusive postsecondary education programs.

Brianna Shults

“There was this cliff that many students with developmental and intellectual disabilities would drop off once they graduated high school. Some would find work or a program that filled time in their day, while some would do volunteer activities. Some just stayed home. By being able to take that next step in their development alongside their peers, continuing their educations while gaining skills to launch their careers, InclusiveU has given students the opportunity to define who they are and what they want to be. They get to have the same experiences their peers were afforded,” Shults says.

Now, thanks to a $200,000 grant from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, the School of Education’s ��will provide technical assistance to schools and colleges in Western and Central New York to create and enhance inclusive college programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This is in addition to the technical assistance InclusiveU has already provided to colleges and universities in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee when representatives from those institutions visited campus in 2023. InclusiveU students led campus tours while sharing how their higher education experiences had changed their lives.

“There are not enough inclusive programs like ours and our field is very collaborative. We want all students with intellectual or developmental disabilities who want to go to college to have an opportunity that fits their needs,” Shults says. “The demand versus available opportunity and the capacity of these programs is something that needs support. We are thankful for the Golisano Foundation’s help to build out this program and provide the type of support and knowledge that other programs [at other institutions] are looking for.”

Celebrating People With Disabilities

For many adolescent students with developmental disabilities, the pursuit of higher education is filled with roadblocks and can be a daunting task for both aspiring students and their families. But thanks to InclusiveU, students of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities are empowered to come to campus and experience college life in a fully inclusive setting, learning the necessary skills to thrive in the classroom and find a job after graduation.

These experiences prove to be life-changing for students like Falanga, who over the summer interned with , where he worked on a project promoting voting rights for people with disabilities, and also represented InclusiveU as an inclusive higher education advocate at a Disability Pride Event in the White House.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Falanga, who had a specific message for the government officials he met during his visit.

“Just because I was born with a disability, I want to celebrate my disability. I also want to help other people with disabilities feel better about themselves. Be proud of who you are. It is important for people with disabilities to learn about these programs [like InclusiveU] and know that they can go to college and start their new life,” says Falanga, who hopes to use his degree to land a job where he can help create more legislation that opens doors for people with disabilities.

Representing InclusiveU at a Disability Pride Event in the White House over the summer were (from left to right): Karly Grifasi, assistant director of operations and communications, Jennifer Quinn, internship and employment coordinator, Matthew Falanga and Shafreya Wilkins.

Opening Doors for All

���ϲ����� has a proud 154-year history of opening its doors to all students who are interested in receiving a college degree, regardless of their background or upbringing.

InclusiveU, which was founded in 2001 as a dual enrollment program with the ���ϲ����� City School District, has provided the necessary skills for students to both thrive in the classroom and find a job after graduation. By incorporating InclusiveU students in classes with the general ���ϲ����� student body, Shults says the entire campus community benefits.

“It helps make all ���ϲ����� students better friends, better classmates, better coworkers and better community members,” Shults says. “Having this experience and interaction with InclusiveU students helps our whole campus think inclusively. It helps our administration think differently and more inclusively. We’re able to adjust the way students access their classes or how they interact with faculty to make sure those experiences are inclusive for all.”

Equipped for Lifelong Success

The initiative’s work is evolving. InclusiveU students now participate in the University’s First Year Seminar course, and in May, InclusiveU is launching the first inclusive ���ϲ����� Abroad experience to Italy, with a goal of expanding opportunities for its students to study abroad.

Once they earn ���ϲ����� degrees, many InclusiveU students successfully find paid, competitive jobs, due in part to the strong relationships InclusiveU develops with its partners, both on campus and in the Central New York community. It’s also a result of the yearlong internships InclusiveU students participate in as part of their three years of academic education.

Matthew Falanga (left) and Shafreya Wilkins during a visit to Washington, D.C.

But there’s more work to be done when it comes to support and funding for InclusiveU, including thinking beyond the students’ time on campus.

“We want to ensure that students can lead the lives that they want to live afterwards, and that goes for employment, community involvement and living situations. We have advocated for ending subminimum wage and closing sheltered workshops. The Higher Education Opportunity Act hasn’t been reauthorized since 2008,” Shults says. “These are all really important things to help individuals with disabilities lead productive and meaningful lives beyond higher education.”

For now, Falanga is focusing on fine-tuning his public speaking skills, continuing to make new friends on campus and finding ways to get and stay involved with the University he loves so much.

“���ϲ����� makes me feel very happy and proud. InclusiveU has helped me to make new friends, take great classes and explore my career choices. This has changed my life,” Falanga says.

Xiaoxia “Silvie” Huang

With “Engaging Refugee and Immigrant Youth in STEM Through Culturally Relevant and Place-Based Digital Storytelling,” — an associate professor in the program—aims to engage culturally and linguistically diverse refugee and immigrant middle school students in co-designing culturally relevant and place-based STEM learning experiences through immersive, virtual reality (VR) storytelling. The goal? To support their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and career aspirations.

During this two-year project, Huang, a project investigator, will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team, including co-PIs Professor (School of Education) and Professor (). Also joining the research team are professors and () and professors and ().

“During the VR storytelling co-design process, local middle schoolers will expand their STEM disciplinary knowledge and skills in agriculture, environmental science, and entry-level computer coding,” says Huang. “This learning will be deeply rooted in their lived experience, with immersive stories that interweave their identities, cultures, and interaction with local environments. The goal of this project is to increase participants’ STEM learning, identity and self-efficacy, and to broaden their interests in STEM career pathways.”

The project team will collaborate with various community partners and organizations during its implementation, including , the , ��and interconnected projects and programs organized through the (including Natural Science Explorers and Write Out). Huang’s project also will engage 10 ���ϲ����� undergraduate and three graduate students as mentors for the middle school participants.

“This exciting and interdisciplinary research project brings together collaborators from four different schools and colleges and a host of community partners to advance culturally sustaining STEM opportunities for refugee and immigrant students in the local ���ϲ����� community,” says Professor Beth Ferri, Associate Dean for Research, School of Education. “Drawing on cultural and community assets and engaged interdisciplinary learning, the project is as ambitious as it is innovative.”

Huang expects the project will produce not only the young participants’ digitally immersive stories but also curriculum modules for facilitators and participants, supporting the co-design process, as well as a practical guide for using community-based research to involve refugee and immigrant youth in STEM.

Livia McQuade (center) with U.S. wheelchair rugby team members Joe Delagrave and Sara Adam. The team won a silver medal in Paris, and Adam became the first woman to compete on the U.S. wheelchair rugby team at the Paralympics.

For sport management major Livia McQuade ’25, the path from the to Paris for the Paralympic Games went like this:

After learning about an internship opportunity with the (OSG) on the Careers webpage, McQuade reached out to Internship Placement Coordinator for more information. OSG is a management and marketing agency that provides top sponsorship opportunities and marketing strategies for Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Through Perez, McQuade learned that recent sport management graduates Elena Randolph ’24 and Jacob Bennett ’24 strongly endorsed OSG after both had interviewed with the organization and Bennett worked there as an athlete relations intern. From there, McQuade discovered that OSG’s Director of Athlete Relations ’16 was a sport management alumna and “connecting with her jumpstarted this experience from the first interview all the way to the Paralympics,” McQuade says.

“I preach that the Falk College is better known as the ‘College of Opportunity’ and this internship is the purest reflection of that,” McQuade says.

Thanks to her Falk connections and stellar academic background, McQuade spent this past summer with OSG in Loveland, Colorado. McQuade, the executive vice president of the in the Falk College and co-chair of the club’s 2024 , says she wants to work with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement following graduation and this internship has been an invaluable step in that process.

We asked McQuade to describe her experience working for OSG at the Paralympic Games in Paris and here’s what she wrote:

Livia McQuade (left) with Olympus Sports Group Director of Athlete Relations Jessica Leonard ’16. They’re standing in front of the Arc de Triomphe with the Agitos (the Paralympics logo) displayed on the Arc for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games (similar to the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower).

“Over the summer and into this fall semester, I have been an athlete relations intern with Olympus Sports Group. I worked under OSG Founder and President and former U.S. speed skater Ian Beck and ���ϲ����� alumna Jessica Leonard, and much of my internship was centered around the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Through the summer months and while four of our Olympic swimmers were competing in Paris, I worked on the backend reviewing and supporting contract negotiations for athlete partnerships, preparing athletes’ speaking outlines, updating athlete websites and project managing the upcoming book release for one of our most prominent athletes (Jessica Long).

“At the beginning of September, I took a hiatus from my classes in Falk to attend the Paralympics with OSG’s incredible leadership team and nine of our competing athletes. Our roles on the ground in Paris were largely dedicated to celebrating our athletes at their events; we cheered for Jessica Long in para swimming, Sarah Adam and Joe Delagrave in wheelchair rugby, Noah Malone and Susannah Scaroni in para track and field, Dennis Connors and Jamie Whitmore in para-cycling and Steve Serio and Trey Jenifer in wheelchair basketball. All while proudly decked out in USA apparel!

“All other responsibilities centered around any of our athletes’ media or speaking appearances. This included trips to Team USA House, Bridgestone House and Toyota House, as well as a luncheon with Bank of America and International Paralympic Committee Board members. Of all the places and moments we witnessed, the one that sticks with me the most is attending para swimming: Seeing the notorious Olympic/Paralympic-sized pool, being in a packed arena, and just being in that atmosphere was an ‘I made it’ moment for me.

“I am incredibly grateful and fortunate to work with Ian and Jessica at OSG. For the remainder of the fall semester, I am continuing to work with OSG in a limited role with the addition of our newly hired intern and capstonee sport management major (and ���ϲ����� track and field hurdler) Kirstyn Schechter ’25. While Kirstyn takes over the responsibilities I held this summer, I will focus mostly on coordinating media opportunities and schedules for the release of Jessica Long’s new book, “,” set to publish on Oct. 1!”

Interested in a career in the sport industry? Visit the webpage to learn more about academic programs, experiential learning, and career opportunities.

The 2024 cohort of ���ϲ�����-area high school students who took part in the ���ϲ����� Physics Emerging Research Technologies Summer High School Internship Program.

Thanks to a new National Science Foundation grant, ���ϲ�����’s physics department doubles the number of ���ϲ�����-area high school participants in their paid summer internship program.

STEM jobs are quickly becoming the backbone of America. By 2031, STEM occupations are��, while non-STEM occupations will grow at about half that rate at 4.9%. Therefore, it’s essential for today’s students to gain a solid foundation in math, science and engineering subjects. ���ϲ����� is about to see its own boom in STEM jobs, as the arrival of the Micron chip manufacturing facility will include 9,000 high-paying positions at the Central New York campus.

Federal funding organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF) have acknowledged this workforce shift and are seeding and supporting initiatives aimed at growing a diverse STEM workforce. Since 2022, the Department of Physics has hosted one such program, bringing in ���ϲ�����-area high school students to participate in a paid research internship. In support of that program, the NSF recently pledged nearly $1 million to ���ϲ����� through their Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) campaign, which will fund the physics internship over three years.

Ruell Branch

Originally known as ���ϲ����� Research in Physics (SURPh) during its first two summers in 2022 and 2023, the program seeks to create STEM career pathways for historically excluded groups by involving them in authentic research experiences and providing mentoring and peer networks. SURPh was the brainchild of former physics student Ruell Branch ’24, who pitched the idea to his professors as a way to strengthen the University’s connection with the local community and inspire local students to pursue STEM.

“I wanted ���ϲ����� high school students who have interests in physics to see what it’s like to work as a paid scientist,” says Branch, who graduated from the ���ϲ����� City School District. “I think it’s extremely important for students to get experience conducting research in an actual science lab.”

Expanding the Program

With the help of physics professor��, Henninger High School science teacher Melanie Pelcher, and fellow ���ϲ����� alum and Henninger High School graduate Devon Lamanna ’23, G’24, SURPh was born. Now, thanks to the NSF funding awarded to Ross and fellow physics professor and department chair , the summer program will be funded through the summer of 2026.

“The new NSF support is a game-changer,” says Soderberg. “It signifies to the students who participate that not only those of us in the SU physics department and ���ϲ����� city schools, but also policymakers in the federal government, see value in helping them get excited about STEM disciplines and see the potential for them as future professionals who will someday help drive innovation and discovery.”

The three-year grant, totaling nearly $1 million, allowed the program to grow from 12 students in 2023 to 24 in 2024 and brought in additional faculty mentors. SURPh was made possible in past years thanks to funding from the John Ben Snow Foundation and internal support from the Engaged Humanities Network and the physics department.

“This program could not have achieved NSF funding without these other sources to prop us up,” says Ross.

Now called the ���ϲ����� Physics Emerging Research Technologies Summer High School Internship Program (SUPER-Tech SHIP), the program just wrapped its summer session with a closing ceremony and poster session.��Through SUPER-Tech SHIP, students were exposed to skills and concepts related to computational physics, biophysics and particle physics during the six-week program.

Read the full story on the��.

Davis Hood ’26, Carter Thompson ’26, Jennifer Mason ’26, and Matthew Pinto ’27 with Jim DaRin and professor and Invent@SU director, Alex Deyhim. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Former ���ϲ����� student��Jim DaRin��is one of many wheelchair users who rely on adapted vehicles to drive. These vehicles are equipped with a docking system designed to secure the wheelchairs in place while users focus on the road. However, even when the wheelchair is locked in, it’s not completely secure, causing DaRin to move back and forth while driving.

“The docking system moves and I’m rocking back and forth. I’m paralyzed from my waist down and have my hands on the steering wheel and throttle. It’s not secure or safe,” says DaRin. “The wheelchair’s pin also has a tendency to get caught on certain surfaces and the bolt drags on the pavement.”

DaRin is far from the first to complain about docking systems for adapted vehicles, but very few attempts have been made to fix these issues. That’s when he reached out to engineering students Davis Hood ’26 (electrical engineering), Jennifer Mason ’26 (mechanical engineering), Matthew Pinto ’27 (biomedical engineering) and Carter Thompson ’26 (aerospace engineering) to explore ways to improve his docking mechanism.

“I showed them the challenge I was having and the problems with my current docking system,” DaRin says.

Jennifer Mason ’26 and Carter Thompson ’26 measuring Jim DaRin’s docking system. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

As part of , a six-week summer program where student teams prototype, design and pitch original devices to judges, Hood, Mason, Pinto and Thompson created MagniClaw, a device that securely locks wheelchairs in moving vehicles. Their device has a lightweight bar attachment on the back of the wheelchair and a docking mechanism that holds a clamping and electromagnet.

“We’ve gone through multiple different design iterations, and we are always trying to keep in mind Department of Transportation standards,” says Hood. “Our device is easy to use, has a universal design, and can go on a majority of manual wheelchairs.”

MagniClaw’s lightweight attachment can easily be connected to wheelchairs using two small clamps. Once attached, the user can connect to the docking frame. The attachment has a steel plate in the center that interacts with the electromagnet to securely hold the wheelchair in place.

“Our device has a clamping mechanism. With this, wheelchair users can back into clamps without any extra input from the control center and the clamp’s shape provides enough security for the electromagnet to turn on,” says Pinto.

The electromagnet, which holds the wheelchair in place, can pull up to 600 lbs. and is activated by a remote. The remote has a Bluetooth feature that can communicate whether the electromagnet is on or off.

Matthew Pinto ’27, Jennifer Mason ’26, David Hood ’26, and Carter Thompson ’26 examining Jim DaRin’s adapted vehicle and docking system. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

“All wheelchair users have to do is back up, and the system gets locked in, holding them in place until they press a button that activates the electromagnet. They’re held for the car ride, and when they’re done, they press a button to release the electromagnet, and they can roll away freely,” says Mason.

MagniClaw’s hitch-less design and customizability not only sets it apart from competitors but also provides more freedom and mobility for wheelchairs with a more accessible docking system. They showcased their original device at Invent@SU’s final presentations to a panel of 14 expert judges and guests, including faculty, staff, Dean Cole Smith, ���ϲ����� Life Trustee Bill Allyn and program supporter Mike Lazar. The team tied for second place, winning a cash prize of $1,200.

“It was nice to have a broad spectrum of engineers in our group. It also feels great to help Jim out,” says Thompson.

“My previous docking system was not good. Their system is a hundred times better,” says DaRin. “It’s much more safe and secure. The potential for MagniClaw is huge.”

“Mr. Jim Darin, a former student of ���ϲ�����, approached me with a problem that he hoped an Invent@SU team could solve,” says Kenneth and Mary Ann Shaw Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurial Leadership��Alex Deyhim. “It was amazing to watch the students work directly with Mr. Darin to design and prototype MagniClaw, a magnetic wheelchair docking system that could be helpful to the millions of Americans who use wheelchairs full-time. This project is a wonderful example of what our students can accomplish when they work across engineering disciplines.”

Carter Thompson ’26 examining Jim DaRin’s docking system. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

A public health professor whose research focuses on social determinants of health has been selected as the 2024-26 faculty fellow.

will explore how Black adults who reside in historically redlined neighborhoods can experience a disadvantaged occupational life course and subsequent health consequences. Redlining was a discriminatory practice of designating certain neighborhoods, especially predominantly Black ones, as being poor credit risks.

Mutambudzi is an assistant professor of public health at the She is also a faculty affiliate of three centers at the : the ; the ; and the .

In addition to Mutambudzi, an interdisciplinary team of will work on the project. Students from any discipline and background who are excited about community advocacy and social justice are for the two-year fellowships. Applications are accepted through early October and fellows are chosen before the end of the fall semester. The faculty-student group will present their findings at a community symposium in 2026.

We recently sat down with Mutambudzi to learn more about her project.

Why is this topic important?

This research tackles the ongoing challenges faced by Black communities from the legacy of historical discriminatory housing practices and the subsequent impact of those practices on community members’ employment and health.

While the was enacted as federal law, it failed to fully dismantle racial discrimination in housing resulting from the practice of redlining. Redlining is a discriminatory practice that began in 1930s America [where] banks and insurance companies refused or limited loans, mortgages and insurance to residents of specific geographic areas—primarily neighborhoods with predominantly Black residents. Residents of redlined areas had limited access to credit and other financial services and were hindered in their efforts to own homes, invest in property or improve their neighborhoods. The results were often urban decay and a perpetuation of poverty in those areas.

While redlining is a historical concept, its effects are very much present today. Its legacy continues to limit many life opportunities, and neighborhoods with predominantly Black residents where that occurred still face social and economic disadvantages.

How do limited employment prospects—or the lack of a good job—affect health issues?

Both employment and discriminatory policies are key factors contributing to racial��disparities in health outcomes. Job insecurity, precarity, lower wages and periods of unemployment—which occur more frequently among Black workers—all contribute to income gaps and limit access to good health insurance and quality healthcare.

Young adults from disadvantaged neighborhoods enter the workforce at a significant disadvantage. Job prospects within their communities are scarce, limiting their ability to find work that pays well, offers stability and provides a path for advancement.

This lack of good-quality jobs in their immediate surroundings creates a vicious cycle and the absence of good-quality, stable employment nearby creates a double-edged sword. Not only are opportunities limited, but these young adults also miss out on crucial skill-building and networking chances that come with these jobs. Those factors further restrict their potential, hindering their ability to compete for better opportunities.

In addition, involuntary employment interruptions are more frequent for these young adults and further disrupt their career trajectories. This disparity perpetuates a system where economic mobility becomes nearly impossible for those starting from behind. The cascading constraints imposed by limited job opportunities in disadvantaged neighborhoods have a profound impact on residents’ access to health-promoting resources, creating a cycle that undermines well-being.

For example, limited financial resources often translate to poor housing conditions, which may be overcrowded, poorly maintained and may lack essential amenities. Nutritious and organic foods are generally more expensive and less readily available in “food deserts,” leading to a reliance on cheaper, processed unhealthy foods. The jobs in which Black workers are disproportionately employed may contribute to these health issues, as their work is more likely to be physically and psychologically demanding. All of these factors also combine to contribute to increased risks of health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, respiratory illness and hypertension.

Miriam Mutambudzi, assistant professor of public health at the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, with a mural that depicts the College’s public health program history.

What questions are shaping your research?

There’s much we don’t know about how historically racist policies such as redlining��continued to affect the employment trajectories of Black Americans. People can work for 45 years or more in their lives, so it’s essential that we understand the factors that shape occupational trajectories and the subsequent impacts they have on a person’s health.

This project looks at three areas: developing an understanding of historically��redlined neighborhoods as predictors of racial disparities in long-term employment��trajectories: seeing how employment trajectories may be predictors of chronic health conditions and determining how education might moderate those relationships.

In what ways will the student fellows be involved?

They will contribute to data analysis and management and will conduct literature reviews to gather relevant reports on social and economic disparities and health outcomes. They’ll help synthesize findings to inform the study’s background and contextual understanding. Students will also have opportunities to engage with the local community since my goal is to work with grassroots organizations that are already addressing the adverse effects of redlining in ���ϲ�����.

What do you hope to accomplish with this research?

My goal is to illustrate how the historical discriminatory redlining policy that systematically marginalized Black communities still adversely impacts work and health for those communities today, regardless of residents’ educational attainment.

Ultimately, we want to raise awareness regarding the lasting effects of discriminatory��practices as fundamental social determinants of health that require much attention, and inspire policymakers, community leaders and the public to drive meaningful action.

The students were part of the Significant Disabilities: Shifts in Paradigms and Practices (SPE 644) course taught by , associate professor in the School of Education, who was the Libraries’ 2023-24 Special Collections Research Center .

The students presented their findings at a public showcase in spring 2024 and their work is available online as a digital exhibition. “” explores disability as a cultural construction by examining historical developments in special and inclusive education, as well as the development and later closures of institutions and asylums for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The archives—and exhibit—show details of how Americans in past decades regarded disability, including information about eugenics (the selective breeding of humans) as the basis for institutionalization; letters exchanged between institutions and individuals about certain individuals and situations; and striking images collected by those who advocated for disabled individuals and disability rights.

Graduate students held a public showcase last spring describing their research and capping their course, “Significant Disabilities: Shifts in Paradigms and Practices.” From left are Associate Professor Julia White and students Neil Boedicker, Kayla Cornelius and Raquell Carpenter. (Photo by Martin Walls)

White says the primary source materials provided the students with particularly rich and informative records, in part due to ���ϲ�����’s long history as a vanguard for disabled individuals and a leader in inclusive education and disability rights. Today, the Center on Disability and Inclusion continues the legacy of the , founded in 1971 by Dean Burton Blatt, a groundbreaking disability rights scholar. Blatt and other individuals at the University were involved in disability rights lawsuits during the 1970s and developed language surrounding the creation of special education law. All of that history—and dozens of associated original documents and artifacts—are preserved for viewing and research.

Julia White

“We at ���ϲ����� have really reconceptualized how to think about people with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities. The University is known for its forefront advocacy on inclusive education and all that work is evident in the archives,” White says. “There are so many things to investigate and so many lessons we can get from this; it’s a gold mine waiting to be explored.”

A former special education teacher, White now researches national and international special education policy and inclusive education as a human right. But she “was always interested in how law and policies could be applied to different people under different circumstances. I noticed how some students could be placed in segregated or self-contained classrooms while others were in resource rooms and were more integrated. Very little was different about their learning profiles other than their race or socioeconomic profile. I wondered why, if some students had more significant disabilities, they were held to very few or no academic standards.”

Based on her experience as both a doctoral student and a teacher, White says, “I had a pretty strong sense of the racial and economic injustice inherent in U.S. society and always considered inclusive education a civil rights issue.” Yet it was her experience in a Fulbright teacher exchange program in the Slovak Republic and later work for the Landmine Survivors Network for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, that cemented her perspective of inclusive education as a broader human rights issue.

Cover of “.” (Photo: Special Collections Research Center, ���ϲ����� Libraries)

‘Fantastic’ SCRC Process

The time she spent examining materials and working with staff at SCRC “was a fantastic process all around,” White says. “Sometimes, an artifact had very little to do with what I was interested in—���ϲ�����’s role in deinstitutionalization, inclusive education and disability activism—but there were many�� ‘aha’ moments that sent me down rabbit holes and that was a lot of fun. The discovery of so many amazing contributions of folks affiliated with the University was the best part of this fellowship. And the staff were phenomenal; they had great insights. I came into this knowing little about archival work and hadn’t done any myself, but they were so gracious and so helpful.”

SCRC staff were also readily available to the , discussing their readings, helping them categorize materials and offering advice on how to formulate the exhibit, White says. , instruction and education librarian, was involved with the class almost every time they met. , humanities librarian and digital and open scholarship lead, helped them create the digital exhibit.

Gratifying for Students��

The experience of using primary source documents and finding so much relevant information to work with was gratifying for the students, two of the class members say.

Sierra Eastman ’20, G’25 teaches math to seventh- and eighth-grade students in the ���ϲ����� City School District. Her review of archive materials helped her gain a better understanding of the perspectives of people with disabilities, Eastman says. “I have students with various disabilities in my classes and I wanted to get an understanding of them that I didn’t have as an able-bodied person. We tried to put ourselves in their shoes and see how we could make sense of how this [institutionalism] happened, how they were personally impacted and the larger societal reasons that it occurred.”

A “Fight Handicapism” poster provides a historic perspective about the word’s definition. (Photo: , Special Collections Research Center, ���ϲ����� Libraries)

Kionna Morrison G’24 is an algebraic reasoning teacher in the ���ϲ����� City School District who completes the inclusive special education (grades 7-12) program this month as a scholar. She wanted to understand the experiences that people of color, especially Black children, had in institutions for the intellectually disabled. “I could see how disability, institutionalization and racism can be traced to the pre-Civil War and Reconstruction eras. I gained insight on how certain bodies have been consistently institutionalized.��Now, I want to continue to learn about the intersectionality between race and special education and how people from multiple marginalized communities navigate their experiences with disability,” she says.

White believes there has been a significant change in the public’s views on disability, and particularly on intellectual disability, in recent years. “The U.S. has much farther to go in terms of changing society’s perception of disability, intellectual disability and breaking down barriers for any group of marginalized people,” she says. “We need to recognize how far we’ve come in changing attitudes in society, making places accessible, and providing higher education opportunities for disabled people, such as ���ϲ�����’s program. That’s a good start to thinking differently. Although attitudes are something that we still have to change, the civil and human rights of people with intellectual disabilities are routinely denied in the U.S. and worldwide, and I hope that this project helps shed some light on the history of the continuing fight for disability rights.”

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2023 Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering (Photo by Angela Ryan)

The Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering is an event held on campus to welcome all incoming and returning students, faculty and staff for the 2024-25 academic year, and for all to show respect for the Indigenous people on whose ancestral lands ���ϲ����� now stands. Schenandoah is a citizen of the Oneida Nation and a Wolf Clan Faithkeeper, as well as . The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is comprised of Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.

This year’s featured speaker, Wakerahkáhtste Louise McDonald Herne, is a Bear Clan Mother for the Mohawk Nation Council. Wakerahkáhtste presented at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and lectures regularly at universities throughout Canada and the United States on Ratinonhsón:ni philosophies and self-determination regarding the rights of women. Wakerahkáhtste has been the Distinguished Scholar in Indigenous Learning at McMaster University Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL) and received an honorary doctorate from State University of New York at Canton. Her most recent work includes a feature in the award-winning documentary film, “Without a Whisper: Konnon:kwe” about the Ratinonhsón:ni women’s influence on the women’s rights movement.

Diane Schenandoah, Faithkeeper of the Wolf Clan, Oneida Nation, speaks at the 2023 Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

“This land is sacred. We welcome visitors to be part of this sacred place. Part of our teaching is that no one can own the land, so it’s important to remember that ���ϲ����� is part of a much bigger picture,” says Schenandoah. “It’s important to acknowledge and recognize that there are Indigenous peoples still here and we are standing in the capital of the Haudenosaunee territory.”

At the gathering, speakers and dancers will welcome a new academic year. Hot scones and strawberry drink will be offered. The hot scones are derived from traditional breads and the strawberry drink consists of strawberries, maple syrup and water. “This is significant because strawberries are the leaders of the plants and maples are the leaders of the trees. In this way we honor them,” says Schenandoah.

Schenandoah encourages students, faculty and staff to participate in the Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering. “We are sharing our culture because the Earth is calling to us to pay attention, we require collective healing, and most importantly, we are inviting our community to live in gratitude,” she says.

For more information on this and other Hendricks Chapel programs and services visit .

What does the world’s attention, and huge influx of visitors, mean for these grand architectural sites? Jess Myers, assistant professor in the , looks at the issue through an urban planning lens. Myers lived in Paris in 2012 when the Summer Olympics were held in nearby London.

While hosting the Games is a huge coup for the host city, it is also a huge challenge, particularly regarding infrastructure.

“Hosting the Olympics is a big deal, but it can also be an urban development disaster for cities if they’re not careful about it,” Myers says. “The danger is that you build up a lot of new infrastructure, then don’t end up using it afterward in everyday urban life, or those things end up being abandoned where they could have been repurposed into housing, a new subway line or something to that effect.”

In the case of London, much of the main Olympics infrastructure was located around the periphery, so the city center was not tied up with the security mechanisms that accompany the Games. “You could still walk around and experience the city’s iconic architecture,” Myers says.

This year’s Games—and Paris—present different challenges. Conflict around the world has resulted in extraordinary security at the Olympics. As some events are happening at the landmarks—beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower and equestrian events at Versailles for instance—the experience of these landmarks is affected.

Jess Myers (Photo by Farideh Sakhaeifar)

“The beautiful, fabulous thing about Parisian monuments is that they’re very much integrated into the urban fabric of the city,” Myers says. “You can take a casual free walk down the river Seine and see incredible things. You see the Eiffel Tower, you see the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. You see the Invalides, you see the beautiful Pont Alexandre III. There is a continuity in the urban fabric. With the security mechanisms put in place, all of that linearity, the way that Paris is a walking city, gets truncated and split up. So rather than seeing the monuments as things that are flowing within an urban fabric, you see them as these objects through security fencing.”

Bringing the events into the city has taken the focus off the periphery, which is where immigrant communities have historically made their home. “These spaces are also beautiful, and people who live there are proud of these places,” Myers says. “By not celebrating the periphery, you lose out on being able to celebrate what all of those communities have brought to Paris, which is so much cultural and political energy and modernization.”

Holding events at historic landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and Versailles is a great celebration of Paris (think of medal winners posing for photographs at these grand sites), but restricts access to these sites to ticketholders.

“You don’t have that very Parisian happening, that idea that you are walking and just stumble upon something that’s quite striking,” Myers says. “Those are excellent images for tourism, but the downside is also for small businesses who experience a drop in foot traffic.”

Not only do these iconic landmarks serve as locations and backdrops for Olympic events, they will live on after the Games have ended on medals and commemorative coins.

“The Eiffel Tower is a commercial symbol of Paris, and it’s one of those things that’s often more celebrated internationally than it necessarily is in the everyday life of the city,” Myers says. “It is used to represent France in a way that is quite general and doesn’t necessarily get to the specificity of what the city is. This is the nature of trying to put together a unified national vision instead of celebrating the quirks and the specificities of Paris.”

“It seems like while there is a celebration of these beautiful Parisian monuments, there’s also a desire to almost remove them from their context as if they’re hovering just above the city. And that feels to me like a missed opportunity,” Myers says.

What will Myers, a former track runner, be watching during these Paris Games? “I love [U.S. athlete and women’s 100-meter competitor] Sha’Carri Richardson. Also, the women’s Jamaican track team is incredible. I hope we’ll see some very special efforts in track this year,” Myers says.

More about Myers’ experience in Paris can be found in her podcast, “.”

Champions Park Catwalk (Credit: @Paris2024)

The 2024 Paris Olympics is almost underway. The glory for the world-class athletes and the excitement for the spectators make for a riveting Games—crucial for the success of these Olympics and, more importantly, for the longevity of the Games.

That sustained legacy is considered high priority for host countries and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

, associate professor of sport management in the , studies Olympic sport legacy, specifically how young people are drawn into the games as sport participants and viewers.

With the median age of viewers of the Olympics in their 50s, Kim says now is a critical time for the IOC to take opportunities to create excitement around the games for younger people, including adding in new sports, such as this Olympics’ newest event: break dancing.

For the 2018 Games, Kim was awarded funding by the IOC’s Olympic Studies Centre to better understand the impact of the games and develop strategies for drawing in young people, for her project “Building a Sport Participation Legacy Through the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.” Kim found that “social influence” from friends and family played the biggest role for younger people in Asia to be drawn into the Games.

Kim, who worked for the Korean Olympic Committee, assisting in its bid for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, more recently will present in August in Paris at the International Sport Business Symposium on her research on the Youth Olympic Games.

In this Q&A with SU News, Kim shares information about her research and getting youth involved and engaged with the Olympics.

What is the research around the Youth Olympics that you will be presenting at the 11th International Sport Business Symposium in Paris?

It is an abstract titled “Investigating the Legacy Governance Process of YOG (Youth Olympics Games) Organizing Committees for Building a Sustainable YOG Legacy.” It is an interview-based case study (e.g., 2016 Lillehammer, 2018 Buenos Aires, 2024 Gangwon) investigating how Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committees manage its Youth Olympics’ legacy throughout the bidding, planning, execution and post-games phases.

What impact does the Youth Olympic Games have on participation in Olympic sports?

The hope for Olympic sport participation legacy is grounded on the “trickle-down effect” (i.e., watching Olympians compete will inspire youth to participate in sport).��For the Youth Olympics, the event can also be a stepstone for younger athletes to compete at the international stage and grow to become Olympians.

Additionally, the Youth Olympics offer many grassroots-level sport opportunities, such as sport camps and collaboration with local schools, to encourage the general youth to learn about Olympic sport.

How important is it to get and keep youth interested in the Olympics/Olympic sports for the sake of the Games’ longevity?

Medals of the 2024 Paris Games (Credit: @Paris2024)

Not garnering enough attention among the youth has been a critical issue. The median media viewership’s age in the North American market is in the mid-50s. The IOC is very aware of the situation and has been putting in a lot of efforts to tackle the issue (e.g., addition of new sport such as breaking, changing event formats to be more entertaining, incorporating esports).

This is a critical period for the IOC and the games’ longevity, but also with great opportunities as the upcoming games will be hosted in traditionally strong sport markets where there are a lot of room for growth in Olympic interest (2024 Paris, 2026 Milan-Cortina, 2028 Los Angeles).

Could the inclusion of break dancing or other new and upcoming “sports” be seen as a way to be more inclusive, to get younger people’s attention on the Games?

Paris 2024 will be the first Olympics to include breaking in the official program. We will have to see how the event turns out. But, so far, looking at the Olympics qualifiers series and the ticket popularity of breaking (currently, very, very popular), it seems like there is a lot of interest garnered for the sport.

What is your favorite summer Olympic game to watch?

Personally, archery. Korea has been very strong in the sport historically, and it is always fun to watch a sport where my team does well (I will be attending the women’s individual archery finals event at the 2024 Paris Olympics).

Check out a as she answers questions about the Olympics.

Matthew Huber

But could a global event with millions of people from all over the world converging in one place ever be considered sustainable?

In this Q&A with SU News, , professor of geography and the environment in the , discusses his perspective on the 2024 Paris Olympics’ sustainability goals and broader implications around global energy equality.

The Paris 2024 Organising Committee pledged this is the most sustainable Olympics ever, but it’s still a massive operation buildup of infrastructure and a global event that brings in millions of people to one location. Can the Olympics even still be considered green?

This reminds me of the 2007 Academy Awards when “An Inconvenient Truth”—Al Gore’s breakthrough climate documentary—won an Oscar and the academy declared the award ceremony was the first one to be “carbon neutral.” People are rightly skeptical when massive, spectacular (and ostentatious) events, which entail displays of wealth and large-scale resource and energy use, declare themselves “green.”

The fact is we still live in a world where roughly 80% of all energy use comes from fossil fuels so it’s quite difficult for much to be “green” (without engaging in dubious and sometimes fraudulent practices of “carbon offsetting”) let alone such a massive undertaking such as this.

One aspect of the Paris committee’s efforts was to not have air conditioning for the athletes’ accommodations but many countries, such as the U.S. and other wealthy nations, are supplying their athletes with air conditioning. What does it say about sustainability efforts to combat climate change when wealthy countries can still do what they want while less wealthy countries do not have that same privilege?

Apartment buildings in the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Paris (Credit: @Paris2024/Rapheal Vriet)

The weird irony to me is that France has an electricity grid that is nearly 100% carbon free (notably due to the roughly 70% derived from nuclear power and the remainder from mostly renewables). So it’s not clear to me exactly why limiting AC use even makes sense from a climate perspective.

If their reasoning goes beyond climate (e.g., the larger environmental impacts from electricity use) then obviously it’s having exactly the opposite effect: prohibiting AC is leading to inefficient and haphazard efforts on the part of some countries to bring their own AC in. It would be much more rational and efficient to simply provide centralized AC to all participants.

Your point about the inequality between nations is an important one and underscores how the solution would be for France to provide decarbonized AC for all. Analogously, the world actually needs to come together to decarbonize the energy systems of rich nations, and in some cases invest in providing basic (decarbonized) energy services to poor nations. We still live in world where roughly 800 million people have zero access to electricity and roughly four times that number have very little and intermittent access. We take electricity for granted, but I believe it should be a human right.

There are discussions around future summer Olympics being moved to a different month to avoid searing hot temperatures. Is this another example of a larger global issue of how humankind will have to make these life adjustments around warming conditions?

Yes, this is what climate scholars call “adaptation.” I could imagine a world in which it would make more sense for the “Summer” Olympics to be held in spring or fall, and (sadly) it might even be really hard to hold a Winter Olympics at all (unless one plans on counting on the highly energy-intensive practice of producing snow!).

The challenge is we’ve built an entire human civilization in a period of planetary history called the “Holocene,” which has been defined by an unusually stable and warm climate. There is so much that will need to change now that it appears these conditions no longer exist.

For media who wish to schedule an interview with Huber, please reach out to Daryl Lovell, associate director of media relations, dalovell@syr.edu.

As associate director of First Year Seminar, Jimmy Luckman helps provide a warm, welcoming and engaging atmosphere for the thousands of first-year students who arrive at the University each year.

When Jimmy Luckman prepared to embark on his college journey at SUNY Brockport, he desperately sought a meaningful connection with the campus community, opting from the get-go to become involved with a multitude of activities.

“I wanted to be a part of that process to welcome students into the college experience,” Luckman says.

Today, as associate director of the University’s (FYS) in the , Luckman helps provide a warm, welcoming and engaging atmosphere for the thousands of who arrive at the University each year.

His professional career and accompanying research studies the emerging field of orientation, transition and retention, which aims to examine why some college students excel and engage with their campus community while others feel disconnected once they arrive on campus.

Jimmy Luckman

“Every day I get to bring in the things that I’m passionate about, what I learned in the classroom, and figure out how we can continue to enhance the student experience and help students figure out their identities. That’s important because I didn’t really find out who I was and discover all the elements of my identity until graduate school. I’m still learning who I am,” says Luckman, a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ issues who identifies as a queer man.

Recently, Luckman completed a doctoral degree from St. John Fisher University in executive leadership and successfully defended his dissertation, “More than Just a Sticker of LGBTQ+ Inclusivity: Exploring College and University-Based LGBTQ+ Center Director’s Process and Perceptions of LGBTQ+ Campus Climate Assessments.”

Among the goals of his research: collecting and leveraging the stories of LGBTQ+ students at various universities to both ensure their experiences are being heard and to create meaningful changes and to explore what universities are doing to connect students with local LGBTQ+ community resources.

“By being outspoken and an advocate in public spaces, hopefully, I can inspire queer scholars, queer community members and allies in our community to make a difference. We have an obligation to inspire queer youth and we must support those who want to support the LGBTQ+ community, and that starts with setting an example. I’m grateful for these opportunities,” says Luckman, entering his fourth-year teaching FYS.

Luckman sat down with SU News to discuss how he uses his lived experiences to enhance his FYS teachings, how he hopes to use his dissertation research to make a difference and effect change and why you can find him wearing his trademark bow tie in class and around campus.

How does First Year Seminar enhance the development of our students?

Jimmy Luckman (second from right) poses with the Department of the Year award.

I tell my students that my classroom is a space for them to actively make a difference on campus. FYS helps students with their transition to the University.

Another thing I love is making students a little uncomfortable. When we think about the transition to college, we think about how to make a comfortable and inclusive environment, and I recognize that. But when I talk to my students about my LGBTQ+ identity, specifically my queer identity, I automatically tell my students on the first day that, based on the way I sound, you’re potentially going to assume certain things about me. This doesn’t make you a bad person if you did. That’s part of FYS, learning about yourself and the opinions we form and learning to get uncomfortable.

���ϲ����� is a place to engage in conversations, and for some of our students, they’ve never talked to someone who was so out before. I often share my queer identity and that openness invites students to share the elements of who they are, and potentially to expand what they know about the LGBTQ+ community.

How has your time on campus helped you discover your queer identity?

Some people say coming out, but I say I came into my identity at age 24 because that reflects how I was able to truly embrace who I am. I came into my queer identity in my graduate program [at Northern Arizona University] and ���ϲ����� was the space and the place where I first explored how my identity looks as a working professional and as a role model who engages with and forms friendships and connections in the community.

I started volunteering at the immediately when I came to ���ϲ����� in 2019. The majority of my really close friends are members of the LGBTQ+ community because we have similar interests and that commonality of seeking spaces where we can be authentically queer, which is something that I didn’t get to do when I was younger.

���ϲ����� has given me an opportunity to learn, reflect and try to find those alliances, resources and people to help propel our community forward. The has been very intentional and inclusive in its efforts to provide counseling and resources to the community. The has invited me to do a on my dissertation. We have a space to celebrate queer work and I know we have people on campus who feel a sense of support through the people and the resources available to them.

How did you decide on your dissertation?

There’s not a lot of literature specifically focusing on LGBTQ+ campus climate assessments to see how we are actually supporting students. I wanted to look at it from a lens of what do colleges and universities say or do to bring in students while offering an inclusive space, collecting data from LGBTQ+ centers and then utilizing that data to share that out from the perspective of these centers. How do we leverage this data to make changes on campus?

For my dissertation, what I really focused on was the importance of storytelling. We have students who share their stories of their experiences on a college campus, and I explored how can we leverage this information and these stories to make sure their voices are being heard and then go about creating change. How can we support LGBTQ+ students and create inclusive environments and affirming spaces that allow our campus community members to feel safe sharing their life experiences.

What’s the significance of the bow ties you frequently wear?

Jimmy Luckman poses with a First Year Seminar participant.

It’s all about having fun. Students are spending their Friday afternoons with me, so why not dress up for them? I’ve lost track of how many bow ties I own. I have different color bow ties. Holiday-themed bow ties. Floral bow ties. Even an SU-themed bow tie! It’s just a fun and different way to engage with my students. For them to see their professor dressed up and excited for class, I’ve noticed that they will open up with me and trust me more than previous students might have. I’m known on campus hopefully for my positive demeanor and for being a queer leader, but the bow ties help me standout and they’re a conversation starter. Plus, it brings me happiness!

This year’s SummerStart cohort, which arrived on June 29, includes 121 students from all of the University’s schools and colleges. As participants in the program, the students will earn 7-9 credits toward their degree, learn about and access campus resources, make connections with faculty and classmates, and experience a sense of community, says Kal Srinivas, director of retention and student success. The initiative brings together various University departments, demonstrating the power of teamwork in fostering a supportive and enriching environment for incoming students, she says.

121 students participated in this year’s SummerStart program to receive an early acclimation to campus life. (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

“From the moment they step onto campus, SummerStart students are met with a comprehensive network of support designed to address both their academic and personal needs,” Srinivas says.

SummerStart students also benefit from tutoring services in math and writing and resources like the . They also participate in social activities like (DPS) game nights, ropes course challenges, a resource fair and other group activities. DPS also conducts safety workshops and the offers the initiative to cultivate a culture of compassion, connection and well-being.

First-year student Tae Callam arrived at ���ϲ����� from Cleveland. The biomedical engineering major in the says the SummerStart experience has already helped her acclimate to campus life and meet new people. And her coursework, particularly in writing, has helped her develop her language skills as a non-native English speaker, she says.

“I am so glad that I have this opportunity to participate in SummerStart,” Callam says. “Even in the first week of SummerStart, I have become familiar with the campus, got a head start on my academics and made friends. What more could anyone ask for?”

Srinivas emphasizes the collaborative nature of SummerStart, which also involves , , and other administrative units.

“SummerStart is not just a program; it is a testament to what can be achieved when an entire institution works together with a common goal,” she says. “By combining resources, expertise and a shared commitment to student success, ���ϲ����� has created a nurturing environment that prepares students for both academic and personal growth.”

Tarzan

Have you met Tarzan or Juan yet on campus? These latest members of the University community are hard to miss, with their friendly dispositions, shiny coats and wagging tails.

Tarzan, a one-year-old black lab, and Juan, a��four-month-old yellow lab, are puppies being raised by good friends Arianna Kuhn ’25 and Megan Panny ’25 for , a nonprofit organization that trains and cares for guide dogs for people with vision loss.

Kuhn, a biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Panny, a dual degree English major in the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education, became involved through outreach being done on campus by Mary Oonk, the organization’s local volunteer region co-coordinator.

Headquartered in Yorktown Heights, New York, Guiding Eyes for the Blind has puppy raisers along the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to North Carolina, including in Central New York. Founded in 1954, the organization, with more than 1,700 volunteers, provides all of their services free of charge.

Juan

Kuhn was interested in the organization after reading about its mission. “I am passionate about giving back to the community and wanted to have a positive impact on an individual that would benefit from the services of Guiding Eyes,” she says. “In addition to the opportunity to volunteer, the chance to combine my devotion to helping others and my love for dogs drew me to want to take part in this experience.”

Panny wanted to get involved after seeing the impact it had on people’s lives firsthand. “My hometown is near the Guiding Eyes for the Blind headquarters, which has given me the ability to see how the program works throughout my life,” Panny says. “When I saw the opportunity to be involved through ���ϲ�����, it was one I was excited about. This program has allowed me to help others while also fulfilling the love I have for animals.”

The organization was first connected with the University through a simple phone call: Oonk called the JMA Wireless Dome box office to order basketball tickets and started talking to the representative about the work of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. “I explained to him the work I do for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and that socialization of these puppies is a huge part of that and asked if there was a way we could bring the dogs into the JMA Dome for training,” Oonk says. “The next thing I know, I got a meeting with the entire team at the JMA Dome.”

Training Space for Pups

Mary Oonk

The JMA Dome offers a good training experience for the puppies. Guide dogs must navigate large spaces, like an arena, with stairs, elevators and expansive areas.

“Mary approached us about hosting a one-time training class with the volunteers and puppies, but we worked with them to create something more where they could come into the JMA Dome for regular training and even attend a women’s basketball game so that the puppies could be exposed to a live event in the Dome,” says Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer. The organization has had a relationship with the JMA Dome since 2015—volunteers come approximately once a month to walk the arena, attend a game or train.

While the experience in the Dome is invaluable, Oonk says the group was hoping to find a way to get students involved with the program. A University campus makes an ideal learning and socialization space for raising guide dogs, with a variety of spaces and situations and groups of people.

Puppy trainers and their dogs in the JMA Dome

Life-Changing Experience

In Summer 2022, Stephen Kuusisto, University Professor and director of interdisciplinary programs and outreach for the Burton Blatt Institute, met with local volunteers and their puppies and shared his story about how his life changed since getting his first dog, Corky, from Guide Eyes for the Blind.

Steve Kuusisto with his former guide dog, Nira

“A lot of things were going on in my life that were difficult, including losing an adjunct teaching job and becoming unemployed,” says Kuusisto. “So I suddenly thought, well, here I am, really visually impaired, and have nothing on the calendar. Why not get a guide dog?”

His life was forever changed. Kuusisto went from not really going anywhere without the dependence of a friend and their schedule to going wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

“I spent the next month walking everywhere from country roads to Midtown Manhattan, learning that I could trust this dog with my life,” Kuusisto says.

Kuusisto, who is forever grateful for the volunteers at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, connected Oonk with the Student Experience team during the Fall 2022 semester, who was very supportive in finding ways to gain student volunteers for the puppy raising program. “We are so grateful for the University’s support. Everyone we’ve worked with on campus has become an integral part of the Guiding Eyes mission,” says Oonk.

The only stipulation for students wanting to be involved with raising puppies on campus is that they cannot live in North Campus student housing; puppies in training are, however, allowed in South Campus housing. But that was no problem; even for those students who live on North Campus or perhaps have a busy schedule that wouldn’t allow for puppy raising, there are still many ways to get involved with the program.

The campus program got a boost when the Guiding Eyes for the Blind group was invited to table at the Fall 2023 student involvement fair. Kuhn and Panny saw the opportunity to take their love for dogs and make a difference in someone’s life.

Otto the Orange becomes fast friends with one of the guide dog puppies in training.

Invaluable Lessons in Community

Kuhn says one of her favorite parts about this program is the community of Guiding Eyes volunteers.

Tarzan at the ���ϲ����� Mets game with Kuhn and Panny.

“These individuals have taught me countless invaluable lessons outside of just puppy raising that I will carry with me into my future endeavors,” Kuhn says. “As I have embarked on my puppy raising journey, it has been life-changing to see the impact that this organization and its pups have on the lives of not only individuals with visual impairments but the lives of us as raisers as well.”

Panny agrees. “The Central New York region of Guiding Eyes has so many wonderful people and has provided me with a home away from home while at school. I have also loved my time training our puppies. This program and time spent with the pups is one I will cherish forever,” she says.

For others who might want to get involved, Kuhn says the organization is a great way to give back and be of service to others. “Within this program, there are countless ways to get involved, including campus volunteer work, puppy raising and sitting, as well as home socialization, among other ways,” she says.

“Guiding Eyes is not only fulfilling but goes on to change the lives of those who receive the pup they have raised,” Panny says. “Many involved in the programs have also gained lifelong friendships with whom their pup goes on to guide!”

Interested in becoming a puppy raiser or looking for other ways to get involved? Faculty and staff are welcome to get involved with the program too. “In guide dog training, we talk a lot about relationship-based training. The dogs learn to build a relationship with their puppy raiser and then their formal guide dog trainer and finally they transfer that relationship to the partner they are matched with to form a lifelong bond,” says Oonk. “Relationship building is what we have strived to do with the campus community. Administration, faculty, staff and students have come together to support these dogs that will go on to change lives.”

Visit the , or connect with Oonk and the local chapter by email: centralnyregion@guidingeyes.net. Check out the puppies and their .

Macfarlane’s disability law research and advocacy focus on reasonable accommodations in the workplace and higher education. Macfarlane is herself a person with disabilities. She has had rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes joint deterioration and visual impairment, since childhood. Her lived experience with disability is one reason she’s excited to direct the DLPP program, she says.

Before joining the faculty as an associate professor last August, Macfarlane served as special counsel for disability rights in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, an appointment supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation’s U.S. Disability Rights Program. She previously was an associate professor at Southern University Law Center and the University of Idaho College of Law. She also was an assistant corporation counsel in the New York City Law Department, where she served as lead counsel in federal civil rights actions and an associate in Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s Los Angeles and New York offices. After law school, she served as a law clerk for the District of Arizona and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Katherine Macfarlane (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

In addition to her disability law research, Macfarlane writes at the intersection of federal civil procedure and civil rights litigation. Her about the modern implications of 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the landmark civil rights law originally passed as part of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, has been cited twice by U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves, most recently in , an order denying qualified immunity that received national media attention.

New DLPP Initiatives

Macfarlane appreciates that Kanter’s DLPP groundwork has provided an understanding of disability law and policies here.

“The University’s understanding of what it takes to support people with disabilities means I can jump right into the kind of programming I want to do. Things I might have had to fight for at other institutions are a given at ���ϲ�����. That’s so refreshing.”

Through DLPP, Macfarlane wants to empower law students to see themselves as disability law scholars and future academics. She hopes to make this year’s inaugural student scholarship-focused symposium a yearly tradition and continue hosting discussions with cutting-edge disability law scholars and advocates. She plans to spotlight the novel disability law work being done by several law faculty. She will also continue to offer disability knowledge workshops and trainings to departments and faculty at ���ϲ����� and around the country and wants to involve DLPP students in those efforts. She especially hopes to maintain the University’s reputation as a destination for law students interested in disability law and law students with disabilities.

“I want for us as a university to think beyond compliance and consider what it takes to continue to attract students and faculty who have disabilities—how to remain an institution where disabled individuals are supported and succeed,” she says. “That means we need to think through the experience of people with disabilities from the minute they arrive on campus and about how to streamline the process of obtaining a reasonable accommodation, for example. We need to ask how much time, money and health insurance a person with disabilities is required to expend and how we can lessen those burdens. Our conversations should reach far beyond a discussion about accessible design and dive into the day-to-day experience of people with disabilities.”

Early Law Interest

Macfarlane lived in Canada and Italy in her youth and always wanted to go to law school. When she moved to the U.S., she was drawn to and inspired by U.S. civil rights movements and civil rights law. Congressman John Lewis is one of her heroes. Her disability law specialty came about later in her career.

“I have been disabled for as long as I can remember, but in law school, I was too self-conscious to identify with the disability community or focus on disability law,” she says. “Well into my twenties, I lived my medical experience in secret, hiding my constant procedures and chronic pain from even my closest friends. Finding the disability community and disability law has been pretty life-changing for me in that I can finally be myself. I became an expert in disability law because I had to in order to protect my own rights, but then I realized I loved this area of the law and the people doing this work, and I never left.”

People with disabilities are underrepresented in the practice of law and academia, Macfarlane says. “Not only is there a real need for people with disability law experience, there is also an absolute need for people with disabilities to go into this area of law. Having more disabled people in the practice of law is a readily attainable goal. But the spaces they work in have to be accessible, too, so law schools, courthouses and law firms have to constantly audit their physical spaces and their disability-related policies,” she says.

DLPP As Leverage

DLPP provides a forum to leverage both objectives, Macfarlane says. “I also love that I can expose students with disabilities to this area of law and advocacy and help give them the confidence to exist as a person with disabilities that I didn’t have myself as a law student. And this generation of law students makes me so excited! They understand what access requires. I’m very interested to see what this generation of young people do when they enter the practice of law or when they come into positions like mine.”

A focus on the specialty requires careful monitoring of litigation and Supreme Court decisions to guard against a decline in disability rights, Macfarlane says. She cites a recent attempt to narrow the that could allow businesses to forego making their establishments accessible. She finds it concerning that some recent Supreme Court decisions may foreshadow a lowering of America’s commitment to disability rights as well.

That’s why the DLPP’s efforts are essential, Macfarlane says. “I’m always pitching DLPP to students. Disability law is a vital, cutting-edge area of law; it’s always changing. Many of us come to this specialty because we’re fired up about disability rights in our own lives. That’s why I’m so pleased to be here; it’s tremendous that a person with a disability is at the helm of this program.”

Recent Maxwell graduate Isabelle Lutz is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation in her home state of Wisconsin. Participating in the “Listen to the Elders” talks and engaging with the Not in the Books team has provided a chance to connect directly with Indigenous leaders in the ���ϲ����� area.

Senior Isabelle Lutz joined a group of fellow ���ϲ����� students and community members for a short bus ride last fall to the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center—the Haudenosaunee cultural hub on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool.

The evening’s event, part of a series called “Listen to the Elders,” featured Onondaga Hawk Clan Chief Spencer Ohsgoñ:da’ Lyons speaking about the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and sharing the traditional Thanksgiving address. The gathering included an array of Haudenosaunee foods, including three sisters soup made with corn, beans and squash.

“We’re not a people of the past,” Lyons told the audience. “The Haudenosaunee are still the Haudenosaunee. We have our language; we have our songs.”

For Lutz, an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation in her home state of Wisconsin, the Skä•noñh event provided a chance to connect directly with Indigenous leaders in the ���ϲ����� area.

“So much of Native American studies or Indigenous studies can be taught from a historical/past context, when the people, traditions, and cultures are still present and active in the community,” said Lutz ’24, who in May earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Native American and Indigenous studies. “So, when there are opportunities to attend and listen to members of different nations share their story and knowledge, it truly complements and enriches my classroom studies.”

The “Listen to the Elders” series began in 2022, organized by a University group called Not in the Books, which fosters a reciprocal learning relationship between the University community and the peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The Maxwell School is strongly connected to the effort: two of its faculty members, Aaron Luedtke and Heather Law Pezzarossi, are among its key organizers and it is supported with funding from the Tenth Decade Project, an initiative created 10 years ago in the lead of to the school’s 100th anniversary (see related story: From Sovereignty to Mortality: Tenth Decade Awards Support Research Across Disciplines).

“The Tenth Decade awards have energized and enabled interdisciplinary research around critical themes to the Maxwell School,” says Carol Faulkner, professor of history and Maxwell’s senior associate dean for academic affairs. “‘Listen to the Elders’ engages the ���ϲ����� community around issues of citizenship, democracy and environment. It is a particularly appropriate project for our centennial because it highlights how our present obligations as citizens are tied to our past.”

Members of the ���ϲ����� Not in the Books team include, from left to right, Diane Schenandoah, Oneida Nation Faith Keeper and the University’s Honwadiyenawa’sek—or “one who helps them”; Heather Law Pezzarossi, assistant professor of anthropology; Jim O’Connor, producer with the special collections team at ���ϲ����� Libraries; Patricia Roylance, associate professor of English; and Aaron Luedtke, assistant professor of history. (Photo by David Garrett)

Indigenous Ties ��

The work of Not in the Books aligns with the teaching and research of Aaron Luedtke and Heather Law Pezzarossi.

Law Pezzarossi, an anthropologist trained in critical heritage studies, does collaborative work that addresses colonial history while serving the contemporary needs of Indigenous communities, such as the Nipmuc people of New England. Her teaching includes courses on contemporary Native American issues, and on Indigenous museum relations and Native Americans. She is a faculty affiliate in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program and a member of the advisory board for the University’s new Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice.

Luedtke, an assistant professor of history at Maxwell since 2022, is also a faculty affiliate with the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program. He focused his graduate research at Michigan State University on the native peoples of the Great Lakes—particularly, in his words, “how they used the authoring of their own histories as resistance to colonial erasure.”

The connections Luedtke has made with ���ϲ�����-area Indigenous communities through Not in the Books and other projects are influencing his research direction. “I have the privilege to build these relationships with Haudenosaunee elders,” says Luedtke, who is of Suquamish and Duwamish descent. “I am going to spend the rest of my career working in tandem with the Haudenosaunee to tell Haudenosaunee stories of resistance.”

The impetus for creating the Not in the Books group initially came from Diane Schenandoah, Oneida Nation Faith Keeper and the University’s Honwadiyenawa’sek—or “one who helps them.” A sculptor for 40 years, she earned an art degree from the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2011. Her daughter, Michelle Schenandoah, is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an adjunct professor in the law school, and her son-in-law, Neal Powless, serves as the University’s ombuds.

As Honwadiyenawa’sek, Schenandoah offers intuitive energy work grounded in traditional Haudenosaunee culture and teachings to the University community. She also leads events such as a Haudenosaunee welcome ceremony opening the academic year and a monthly full moon ceremony. “I was asked to be a Wolf Clan Faith Keeper in 1988,” she says. “As a Faith Keeper, part of my duty is to share our teachings of how to live in peace though gratitude. We have duties and responsibilities to one another as humans, and to our Mother Earth for all that is provided. Giving thanks on a daily basis is of great importance.”

Through her initial work on campus, Schenandoah began connecting with Native students as well as with professors, such as Luedtke, Law Pezzarossi, and Patricia Roylance, associate professor of English, who teach courses related to Native American and Indigenous studies.

The audience at a recent “Listen to the Elders” presentation at the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center—the Haudenosaunee cultural hub on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool—included several students from ���ϲ�����. (Photo by David Garrett)

While students were clearly keen to learn more, many had little background on the impacts of colonialism and the dispossession of Indigenous lands, or on the persistence and current-day realities of Indigenous communities—topics rarely addressed in primary or secondary education. “As Indigenous people, our history is so erased,” Schenandoah says. “Many students see the purple and white flag flying around campus but don’t really know what it is. You’re standing in the capital of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This is the birthplace of democracy.”

Looking for ways to help fill this gap in knowledge and awareness of the area’s Indigenous heritage and contemporary presence—among not only students but faculty and staff—Schenandoah lit on the idea of connecting the University community with a tribal elder. She contacted Freida Jacques, Onondaga Turtle Clan Mother Whatwehni:neh. Jacques agreed to do a series of lectures, and the Not in the Books team—named by Schenandoah—coalesced to organize these events at Skä•noñh.

In addition to Luedtke, Law Pezzarossi, Schenandoah and Roylance, the Not in the Books team includes Scott Catucci, associate director of outdoor education at the Barnes Center; Jim O’Connor, producer with the special collections team at SU Libraries; and Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, a member of the Oneida Nation’s Wolf Clan who leads Indigenous student recruitment in the University’s Office of Admissions.

“The Onondaga are still here, and the Onondaga reservation is minutes away from SU’s campus,” says Luedtke. “We decided as a group very early on that we have a coherent job to do: to educate the campus community that Native peoples are not the mythological, ahistorical stereotype representations that people are accustomed to seeing. Native peoples are just as modern, nuanced, complicated and fully capable of all aspects of humanity as anyone else.”

Hosting the series at a Native cultural center, rather than bringing elders to campus, was important for the spirit and intent of the project. “Skä•noñh is a Haudenosaunee welcome center,” Law Pezzarossi says. “So, it’s the perfect place for people to start learning.”

Building Bridges

Freida Jacques, Onondaga Turtle Clan Mother Whatwehni:neh, is recording her history and experiences for documentary project called “Dropping Seeds” that is supported with a Maxwell School Tenth Decade grant. The first episode is expected to release later this year.

Supported with a $5,000 grant from Maxwell’s Tenth Decade Project and other campus programs, the “Listen to the Elders” series began in the 2022–23 academic year with four presentations by Freida Jacques, who in addition to being a clan mother has served for decades as a Haudenosaunee cultural liaison for educational institutions across New York state and beyond.

During these Skä•noñh events, Jacques led tours of the center and explained how in Haudenosaunee tradition, women choose the clan leaders and men marry into women’s clans rather than vice versa.

In one session, she discussed the enduring impact of the boarding schools run by churches or the federal government that tens of thousands of Indigenous children—including Jacques’ grandfather—were forced to attend between the late 1800s and the 1960s.

In a letter written to support a funding application, Jacques said that sharing her life experiences and knowledge has been fulfilling. “Both grandparents on my mother’s side attended Carlisle Indian Industrial boarding school in Pennsylvania,” she wrote. “My family was affected by this fact. My father was a Mohawk Wolf Clan person and originated at Akwesasne, whose territory is divided by Ontario, Quebec and New York State. …Building bridges between cultures appears to be one of my life’s purposes.”

Onondaga Chief Spencer Lyons continued the series in 2023-24 with presentations on Haudenosaunee traditions and governance. With free transportation available from campus to Skä•noñh, the “Listen to the Elders” series have consistently drawn capacity crowds.

To read the full story, visit the .

World Refill Day, a campaign to reduce plastic waste that was celebrated this past Sunday, is a reminder of the simple ways individuals can transition away from single-use plastics toward more sustainable systems.

Eat, drink and shop with less waste in the following ways:

• Bring your reusable water bottle with you and look for refill stations.
• Coffee or tea drinker? Find places that offer discounts or rewards for bringing in your own reusable cup.
• When you head to the grocery store, don’t forget to bring your reusable bags and use reusable items to store your perishable items like fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to glass instead of plastic containers when packing your lunch or packing away those leftovers.

Take Advantage of Sustainable Systems on Campus

Water refill station

Committed to advancing its own sustainability efforts, the University has already taken steps to reduce its plastic footprint by releasing its Plastic Reduction Plan. The plan outlines how the University will work to drastically reduce the use of single-use plastics by the 2027-28 academic year.

Helping the University meet its goals, University community members can take advantage of more sustainable options on campus as it relates to beverages.

Refilling reusable water bottles on campus is easier than ever with a feature on the University’s interactive campus map showing exact locations of .

More of a coffee or tea person? Did you know that Food Services offers discounts for those with reusable mugs? At campus cafés, when you bring your own mug for a fill-up, you receive a 10% discount. If you join the mug club, you receive a 20% discount plus one free fill-up on Fridays when using your mug club cup! .

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about what you can do to help reduce our plastic consumption, email the Sustainability Management team at��sustain@syr.edu.

Members from the YWCA organization pose in front of their van while holding a bin full of ’Cuse Collections donations.

The Office of Sustainability Management hosted ’Cuse Collections during the last week of the Spring 2024 semester to provide a convenient location for students to donate unwanted and gently used items before leaving for the summer. The office partnered with local nonprofits and charities to get the donated items into the hands of those in need, helping to reduce dumpster waste while assisting the local community.

“We are grateful to the Office of Sustainability Management for organizing this event,” said Lydia Montgomery, project manager at A Tiny Home for Good, a local ���ϲ����� nonprofit. “As we work to build community and assist our tenants in creating homes, events like these support our mission for long-term supportive housing.”

Bedding, clothing, shoes, refrigerators, microwaves, household items and more were collected and donated. On-campus departments such as the Mary Ann Shaw Center helped to recruit volunteers. Student volunteers and peer-to-peer educators assisted donors and helped the organizations picking up donations.

In total, over 70 gray bins of items (equivalent to roughly half of an 18-wheel tractor trailer) were donated to 11 organizations, including the Rescue Mission, RISE, A Tiny Home for Good, Mary Nelson Youth Center, Catholic Charities, YWCA, InterFaith Works, Center for Justice Innovation, Huntington Family Center, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County and the Westside Family Resource Center.

“Catholic Charities was able to acquire much-needed clothing items from the event,” said Kerina Herard, program manager of emergency services for Catholic Charities of Onondaga County. “Every day, people come to our door at Cathedral Emergency Services in need of clothing. Thanks to ’Cuse Collections, we are better able to provide for them. This opportunity will make a significant impact on the lives of those we serve.”

Donations loaded into the Rescue Mission van.

Former Sheraton Hotel Donates Furniture

Community members loading items from the Sheraton Hotel onto a truck.

As ’Cuse Collections wrapped up for the semester, the former Sheraton Hotel was able to make a big contribution to the effort. As the hotel closed its doors after Commencement to prepare for its conversion into a 400-bed residence hall, the building’s 200 rooms were cleared of furniture, linens and bedding ahead of the start of construction. The hotel’s furniture was transferred to a local warehouse, where organizations could collect donated items. The response was overwhelming: TVs, mattresses and chairs were quickly reclaimed and given to those in need.

“Mattresses from the Sheraton Hotel will be steam cleaned and used in several of our housing sites,” says Montgomery. “Donations like these allow us to serve more people in the Central New York community.”

Sustainability Management plans to host ’Cuse Collections on an annual basis. For more information, visit the .

Warehouse full of people sorting miscellaneous items from the Sheraton Hotel such as televisions and refrigerators.

Faculty members Beth Myers (left) and Don Carr. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

Seven student-designed products, services and technologies meant to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities won recognition and seed funding at the Showcase on April 25.

Fashion design major Shelstie Dastinot showed adaptive clothing having Haitian-inspired designs. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

The showcase is the culmination of the two-semester course taught by , professor and program coordinator for industrial and interaction design in the , and , Lawrence B. Taishoff assistant professor of inclusive education and executive director of the in the .�� They and the students are also supported by co-instructor , founder of entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises adjunct faculty member in the ��and strategic initiatives advisor, .

The interdisciplinary course and the open-call design competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students from across the University, including students studying in the program, and it is sponsored by ���ϲ����� Libraries. “It’s a unique program,” says Carr. “To my knowledge, Intelligence ++ is the only integrated design and innovation incubator in which students from a program such as InclusiveU work as part of a team to develop a wide range of product ideas.”

As part of the course, students learn about steps taken at the University to help address accessibility and neurodiversity across campus. Myers says the fact that students come from a range of majors and programs helps widen the understanding of access, disability and inclusion needs and abilities.

Policy studies major Ryan Brouchard emphasizes the planned journey for his team’s innovation, AdaptEd, created with computer science student Adya Parida. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

“We’re thinking about disability, accessibility and disability language and content, as well as the possibilities [for] disability and neurodiversity. We’re designing not for disabled people, but with disabled people, so it’s really meaningful,” says Myers.

Shelstie Dastinot ’24, a fashion design major in VPA, says her perspective on disability is formed by personal experience. “I realized that we all separate ourselves from the disabled community, but we can all become disabled at any point. We are all temporarily able, is what I like to say.”

Ryan Brouchoud ’25, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says the class taught him how to think in practical and functional ways about disability needs. “I’m learning about the best way to go about making products and programs that are accessible to all but that are also feasible to create. I’m interested in creating something that fixes problems that need addressing.”

Xiaochao Yu ’25, an interior design major in VPA, spoke to both disabled and non-disabled individuals as he worked on his project, and found the groups had similar concerns regarding public study spaces. “They expressed that the environment was distracting both visually and acoustically. I decided to create a product that would provide the privacy students were looking for.”

His project, Portable Sensory Enclosure, uses low-budget structural elements and materials to create temporary, movable barriers that offer more privacy and acoustic and visual improvements for use in public study areas.

The other winning projects were:

Four members of the team of UpliftU present how their website makes reporting incidents of bias and accessibility barriers easier, with a built-in feedback and assessment system. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

Uplift U,�� a website that allows reporting on barriers to accessibility, such as the lack of an access ramp at a building, and issues and incidents related to diversity and inclusion, such as a bias situation.

It was created by InclusiveU students Tanner Knox Belge ’27 an undeclared major; Devin Braun ’27, a food studies major; Sean Bleaking ’24, a food studies major and Arturo Tomas Cruz Avellan ’27, an undeclared major; along with Jasmine Rood, ’27, a design studies major in VPA, Caitlin Kennedy Espiritu ’25, a public communications major in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, and Megan Gajewski ’27, a fashion design major in VPA.

Cuse Up, an app to help InclusiveU students more easily discover social groups and campus activities, created by students Tojyea Matally ’27, a communication design major and Faith Mahoney ’26, an industrial and interaction design major, both studying in VPA.

Shelstie, a line of sustainable, adaptive clothing featuring bright colors and Haitian-inspired looks, designed by Dastinot.

AdaptEd, an educational tech platform that uses AI-powered software to support varied learning styles, created by Brouchoud and Adya Parida ’25, a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Echo Classroom, a platform that provides resources to aid in lesson interpretation, developed by Alexandra Gustave ’24 and Charlotte Chu ’26, fashion design majors in VPA.

VocaLink, a concept by graduate data science students Dhruv Shah and Sampada Regmi, offers computer-based vocational training. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

VocaLink, a computer-based vocational training and interactive learning tool, developed by graduate students Dhruv Shah ’25 and Sampada Regmi ’24, who are both students in the applied data science program at the School of Information Studies.

Judges were Matthew Van Ryn, a ���ϲ����� attorney; Hanah Ehrenreich, a development associate at Jowonio School who also advises entrepreneurs; Brianna Howard ’20, G’21, founder of Faithful Works virtual assistant and grant writing services;�� and Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09, co-founder and chief designer of Continuum Innovation, who helped establish the program through a gift to ���ϲ����� Libraries from the .

Team members, faculty and judges gathered to celebrate the innovations presented at the 2024 Intelligence++ Showcase. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

First-generation college students Melanie Salas (left), Jean Castilla (center) and Brianna Gillfillian discuss the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned and their plans for after graduation.

A trio of first-generation college students have demonstrated hard work and resiliency and shown how they ultimately set themselves on the path that will culminate Sunday morning inside the JMA Wireless Dome when they become the first members of their families to earn college degrees during ���ϲ�����’s .

• Melanie Salas ’24 was inspired by a high school coach to challenge herself to realize that she could do anything she set her mind to.
• Jean Castilla ’24 worked hard to strengthen his knowledge base and earn admission into a prestigious New York City high school that would prepare him for the rigors of college.
• Brianna Gillfillian ’24 pushed the limits of her comfort zone to leave her home country of Jamaica to earn a college degree and rely on the kindness of strangers to pay her way to ���ϲ����� through a GoFundMe account.

Surrounded by the nearly 6,700 fellow degree recipients, and in front of their families and friends, Salas, Castilla and Gillfillian will join the ranks of the more than 250,000 proud Orange alumni around the world, knowing that, hopefully, their stories will inspire other would-be college students to overcome their fears and blaze their own paths.

Leading up to convocation, these talented first-generation students sat down with SU News to discuss the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned and their plans for after graduation.

Melanie Salas ’24

Melanie Salas

Path to ���ϲ�����: “When I was in elementary school, people always told me I wouldn’t be anything in life. It motivated me and forced me to grow into the person I am today. When I was in high school, my softball coach helped me discover that I could do anything in this world, and that really inspired me to go out and learn as much as I can. My parents [Juan Salas and Lorena Granados] did everything for me to get to ���ϲ����� and now I am set to graduate early, and I’m just so thankful for the mentors on campus who helped me overcome the struggles I faced.”

Academic major: Biology ()

Involvement on campus: Our Time Has Come Scholar, Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, orientation leader, Research Experience for Undergraduates, research assistant with SUNY Upstate Medical University, Food Recovery Network (part of the Catholic Center)

Best piece of advice: “Always put your foot in every single door, because you never know when the opportunity will come along that could change your life. Whenever I could, I represented myself, stood up and spoke out and from those moments, I grew into the person I wanted to be, who helped make change on campus. All those people who told me I would never be anything inspired me to bring about change to my community. You truly start on the path toward your dreams once you come to campus.”

Plans after graduation: Will be enrolling in Baylor University’s cell, molecular, health and disease biology graduate program, with the goal of earning a Ph.D. and one day opening her own research lab focused on studying ways to improve the overall health and well-being of society. “I want to help those who don’t have access to opportunities I’ve had. I want to give back to those less fortunate and help make a difference in our community.”

Jean Castilla ’24

Jean Castilla

Path to ���ϲ�����: “It’s been a mission of mine to attend college since I was in middle school. When I was in the eighth grade, instead of playing with my friends or playing video games, I was studying for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, which is used to determine who gets into one of the top eight specialized high schools in New York City. I was admitted into the High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, and was on a path to college from there. The decision to focus on my studies changed the trajectory of my life and my family’s life. My mom, Rosa, made a lot of sacrifices so I could pursue an education, and knowing what she sacrificed drove me and inspired me.”

Academic major: Entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises ()

Involvement on campus: Our Time Has Come Scholar, Hendricks Chapel Scholarship, Whitman Internship Scholarship, Veteran Legacy Fund Scholarship, Lois and Martin J. Whitman Scholarship, Office of Veterans and Military Affairs Scholarship, Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Florence Scholarship, student liaison in the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs

Best piece of advice: “Especially for my fellow first-generation students, a big thing is to have faith that everything will work out. Having faith in yourself and believing in your abilities is something we all need to practice. If you can’t believe in yourself, it won’t happen. I know I’ve gone through a lot of obstacles and adversity in my life, but every time I remind myself that I’m just being tested to see if I’m ready to move on to the next chapter in my life.”

Plans after graduation: Castilla currently serves as a crew chief in the Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing and has a job lined up in the military once he graduates. He’s also planning on continuing his career as an entrepreneur, “creating an established business where I’m the CEO and I can help other people in my community. That’s my ideal situation. I want to be able to give back because I’ve been helped tremendously on my journey.”

Brianna Gillfillian ’24

Brianna Gillfillian

Path to ���ϲ�����: “My high school curriculum in Jamaica emphasized math, English and information technology, so I had a lot of experience in those fields and it was something I was genuinely good at and enjoyed. My parents didn’t graduate from high school, so after I graduated, people asked me ‘why don’t you stay in Jamaica for college?’ I knew I had to come to America, but I didn’t have the money to pay for a flight to ���ϲ�����, so I personally launched a GoFundMe to get me to ���ϲ�����. Because nobody in my family went to college, I relied on my high school guidance counselors for advice, and in terms of my finances, I had to do everything on my own. I learned that I am resilient from this process. It would have been easy to just stay in Jamaica, get a scholarship and get my degree but I knew if I didn’t go away to college I would regret it. I had a vision for myself and would stop at nothing to make it happen.”

Academic major: Computer science ()

Involvement on campus: Our Time Has Come Scholar, National Society of Black Engineers, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, Alpha Kappa Psi (business fraternity), Delta Sigma Theta (sorority), Kalabash Dance Troupe, Scholars on a Mission, Save our Child’s Heart Foundation

Best piece of advice: “I feel being as outgoing as possible helped me connect with the University and discover my community. I love being involved in organizations, and I feel that through my involvement I was able to put myself out there and become the person and the leader I wanted to be.”

Plans after graduation: Will be enrolling in ���ϲ�����’s engineering management program in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, with the goal of one day working in product management or project management within the field of technology or engineering. “I’m a very creative person, and I’m always thinking in terms of the user experience and design when it comes to the different apps. I want to make sure that whatever product I’m helping to develop is suitable and maximizes the user experience.”

Graduate students and educators enrolled in the School of Education course, Significant Disabilities: Shifts in Paradigms and Practices, will provide a showcase of their work on May 8.

Co-organized by the and the School of Education, this event will debut a digital exhibition, “From Institutionalization to Inclusion: Disability Activism in the ���ϲ����� Special Collections.” It was created by members of the course who have been critically engaging with primary source documents and artifacts in SCRC’s collections to explore disability as a cultural construction by examining historical developments in special and inclusive education, along with the rise (and fall) of institutions and asylums for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The showcase and reception are free and open to the public. If you require accommodations, please email Max Wagh at mlwagh@syr.edu by May 1.

The pathway program, “Roadmap Into ���ϲ����� Engineering Undergraduate Programs and the Profession” (“RISEUP²”), aims to attract academically talented, low-income students from Central New York who historically have been excluded from those types of careers, including adult learners, first-generation students, traditionally under-represented minorities, veterans and students with high levels of financial need.

The grant also allows a multi-school project team to plan for and prepare to submit a later for NSF funding that would provide student scholarships for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies.

That step recognizes the need to educate, grow and retain a diverse and highly skilled STEM workforce in the Central New York region, a realization catalyzed by of plans to build a $100 billion megafab semiconductor manufacturing facility in the region and New York State’s subsequent in community and workforce development, says , Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), who is the project’s principal investigator.

Julie Hasenwinkel

“This is a really exciting opportunity for ECS to envision different ways to bring students into our undergraduate program. With the growing regional and national need for engineers, we want to attract students who don’t just come to us straight out of high school. This planning grant gives us the opportunity to dig deeply into assuring that we would give those students the best opportunity to succeed if they come here,” Hasenwinkel says.

The NSF award funds information-gathering, program research and partnership-building efforts that the multi-school, multi-organizational project team is undertaking through spring 2025, when the Track 3 S-STEM NSF grant proposal will likely be submitted, Hasenwinkel says. That type of grant would directly fund scholarships for engineering students and underwrite the support services to help assure the academic, social and career success of RISEUP² program participants, Hasenwinkel says.

Goals for the planning phase include:

• Strengthening current connections between the University and Onondaga and Mohawk Valley Community Colleges and expanding partnerships with additional regional community colleges (potentially Jefferson, Cayuga, Tompkins Cortland and Broome Community Colleges)
• Formalizing transfer agreements with the regional community colleges to provide direct admission to ���ϲ����� ECS programs
• Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment across all partner institutions to determine what kinds of programming best support low-income engineering students at their two-year college, during their transition to a four-year university and throughout their time at ���ϲ�����
• Developing formal partnerships with Micron and other area STEM employers and strengthening alliances with the Manufacturers Association of Central New York and the Technology Alliance of Central New York to solidify internship and employment opportunities
• Conducting research to better understand how a scholarship-based cohort model focused on workforce development can improve outcomes for low-income community college engineering transfer students

Project team members envision a program that offers a clear pathway to a bachelor’s degree within a “360-degree” system of student support. Beginning in the earliest years of college, it would offer ongoing guidance in financial aid, academic counseling, student success and educational and social programming at both the community college and University campuses. It would also offer living-learning residency opportunities, summer internships, professional development training and ultimately, job placement assistance.

Michael Frasciello

Working with Hasenwinkel are co-principal investigators ,��professor of mathematics at ; , associate professor of higher education in the ; , dean of the School of STEM Transfer and associate professor at ; and , dean of the at ���ϲ�����. Other ECS faculty and staff in admissions, recruitment and enrollment, student success and inclusive excellence are also part of the process, as are their counterparts at the community colleges.

David Pérez

Though the team fully plans to proceed with a Track 3 S-STEM proposal, this year’s planning activity and research will be useful in and of itself, creating knowledge and new information regarding the group of students the proposal aims to help, Hasenwinkel says.

“We’ll also be learning as we go, and we’ll be able to contribute to the educational literature on the most effective practices for supporting this population of students.”

Fatimah Moody ’90 (left) and Rachel Vassel ’91, G’21, associate vice president, Office of Multicultural Advancement, with Chancellor Kent Syverud

���ϲ�����’s has received the prestigious 2024 Alumni Association Inclusive Excellence Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine. This award brings national distinction to the team that supports and advocates for underrepresented alumni and students, raising funds for more than 50 scholarships and hosting the iconic Coming Back Together (CBT) reunion event.

According to Diversity Inc., the Alumni Award honors alumni association programs, culture and initiatives that encourage and support diversity, inclusion and a sense of belonging for all alumni, regardless of racial or ethnic background, sexual or gender identity, religion, socio-economic status, world view and more.

“We know that alumni associations are not always recognized for their dedication to diversity, inclusion and belonging,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We are proud to honor these college and university alumni associations as role models for other institutions of higher education.”

“I am grateful to our team in Multicultural Advancement, which has been building on a 40-plus year commitment to students and alumni with diverse backgrounds,” says Rachel Vassel ’91, G’21, Multicultural Advancement’s associate vice president. “This accolade recognizes their hard work, which is having measurable impact across the University.”

Vassel cites the growth of CBT, the triennial reunion for Black and Latino alumni, which drew 50 alumni to campus in its first year and is now in its 14th year, drawing 1,500 alumni back to campus to engage with students and network with each other. “CBT has truly become part of the fabric of ���ϲ�����,” Vassel says. “It is a unique example of targeted programming that taps into the special interests of our Black and Latino alumni. From engaging speakers and VIPs to cultural food and entertainment, CBT speaks to a network of alumni who serve as inspiration to today’s students.”

Class of 1974 check presentation at CBT 2017 Gala

Vassel says the dramatic increase in alumni engagement—along with the eight-fold increase in Black and Latino alumni giving during the Forever Orange campaign—helped ���ϲ����� stand out among alumni association programs competing for the award. “I often hear from other academic institutions wanting more information about targeted engagement,” says Vassel. “I’m pleased that ���ϲ����� is now a case study for others who are hoping to more effectively engage various alumni segments.”

Vassel describes their fundraising approach as “community-based” and closely partnered with groups that mobilize and empower individuals to understand the greater power of the collective. She cites as an example the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

“A key part of our culture as Black women is working together to get things done,” says Vassel. “When the Delta’s of ���ϲ����� decided to create a million-dollar endowment, they reached that goal by helping their members understand the multiple avenues to philanthropy, from cash donations to stock transfers to planned gifts. We would not have many of those new donors if it weren’t for the support of the sorority working in partnership with our office and the University.”

Over the past seven years, the Office of Multicultural Advancement has been recognized by CASE (the Council for Advancement and Support of Education) for the CBT 2017 reunion, diverse volunteer engagement, their targeted magazine (���ϲ����� Manuscript) and for its virtual CBT reunion in 2021.

“I’m really proud of the good work this team has done to cultivate deep and meaningful relationships with members of our alumni community, increase our pipeline of donors, and diversify our alumni volunteers,” says Tracy Barlok, senior vice president and chief advancement officer. “Their work is critical to the division and the university at large.”

The new award, presented to the Office of Multicultural Advancement in the June issue of Diversity Inc. magazine, is also recognition of the close-knit community of alumni of color and the 30-member Multicultural Advancement that helps to drive alumni engagement. “They give real meaning to the importance of connectedness and the power of community,” says Vassel.

Fraternities and sororities rallied their members and friends to contribute, and as the day unfolded, the remarkable generosity of these groups was made apparent. “We are all so grateful for the overwhelming response to this first-ever Hendricks Cup challenge. With over $300,000 raised, our ���ϲ����� students were the true winners,” said Alison Murray, assistant dean for student assistance at Hendricks Chapel, acknowledging the immense impact of the day’s efforts.

A staggering total of $333,192 was raised for the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry on the 2024 ���ϲ����� Giving Day, a testament to the collective spirit of giving within the ���ϲ����� campus community. Among the 1,280 donors, 984 identified as being affiliated with Fraternities and Sororities, accounting for a significant portion of the overall contributions.

In addition to financial contributions, the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry also received 1,484 in-kind donations as part of the Hendricks Cup challenge, which stocked the pantry shelves and made an immediate impact in support of those in need.

Reflecting on the day’s events, Rev. Dr. Brian Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel, expressed profound gratitude for the overwhelming response: “Witnessing the energy and efforts of ���ϲ�����’s Giving Day was a spark of inspiration and appreciation. For the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry to be on the receiving end of such extraordinary generosity—especially among our students—is an honor and joy that far exceeded my expectations.”

Following a final tally of in-kind contributions, total donors and dollars, and percentage of respective membership involvement, the inaugural Hendricks Cup trophy was awarded to Theta Chi, with Phi Kappa Psi in second place and��Delta Tau Delta in third. “I am incredibly proud of the effort that each Greek organization put into the Hendricks Cup. The Greek Community absolutely exploded with support and participation,” said Tage Oster, president of the Interfraternity Council.

Members of Theta Chi (from left to right) Tage Oster, Jake Bransfield, David Ritacco and Drew Maier with Dean Konkol.

As ���ϲ�����’s Giving Day for 2024 concluded, the importance of community, compassion and collaboration were top of mind. “I am left humbled by the outstanding leadership of campus partners in the Division of the Student Experience and the Office of Advancement and External Affairs, as their shared efforts will help us all to impact more students, which then helps students to impact our world,” said Dean Konkol.

The Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry is open to all ���ϲ����� and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) students who may be experiencing food insecurity. The pantry provides supplemental shelf-stable foods, produce, personal hygiene products, and more at no cost to students. For more information on how to donate to or receive food from the pantry, please visit .

The work of nearly 40 artists aged six to 12 who have participated in the center’s free will be displayed. The opening event and reception take place on Friday, April 19, at La Casita’s facilities at 109 Otisco Street, ���ϲ�����. The event is free and open to the public.

Tere Panaigua

, executive director of the at ���ϲ�����, says center staff take great pride in the young artists’ accomplishments. “The children’s achievements are remarkable, and programming like this allows everyone involved to gain knowledge and understanding about different creative works as well as about each other. It is a wonderful way to learn more about the many cultures that abound in our city and our region and how people make connections through art.”

More than 200 ���ϲ����� students serve as interns and volunteers in the programs, working together with faculty members and community artists to help youngsters in the program with a range of art projects and musical and dance performances. The children who participate include residents of the City’s West Side, ���ϲ����� City School District students, and those from other parts of ���ϲ����� and neighboring towns.

Paniagua says the program is valuable for more than just the way it teaches children about the arts. “The children are engaged in a culturally centered, safe environment where they are learning and gaining new skills. They also are working with older students who mentor them and provide them with some amazing role models.”

The event will highlight the work of these activities:

Open Studio (artmaking): This workshop is led by graduate student Bennie Guzman G ’25, a College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) creative art therapy major and youth programming coordinator for La Casita since 2018. Guest artists who collaborated with Bennie in designing and facilitating workshops include , associate professor of film at VPA, who facilitated a two-week animation film workshop; and , a ���ϲ����� teaching artist who exhibited at this year’s Latino Futurism show and who led a comic book illustration workshop. Two undergraduate students assisted in the workshop programming: Sidney Mejía ’24, a political science major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and Ana Aponte ’24, Gonzalez, a dual major in communications and rhetorical studies and women’s and gender studies in VPA and the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

Danza Troupe: This dance ensemble will perform at the reception. It is led by ���ϲ����� student Gabriela Padilla ’25, a biochemistry major in A&S who has been the program’s dance instructor and choreographer for the past two years. She and the troupe plan a show for the opening event that features an about La Casita. The song was written by Alexander Paredes, who recently completed an executive Master of Public Administration at the Maxwell School and is now using his optional practical training year to work in administration at La Casita.

Children in the afterschool arts program study piano with instructor and undergraduate student volunteer piano instructor Myra Bocage ’26. (Photo by Edward Reynolds)

Children in the program’s piano and violin workshops will also perform along with their instructors, recent VPA violin performance graduate student Tales Navarro ’G 24 and piano instructor Myra Bocage ’26, an advertising major at the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Students involved in the dual language literacy programs at La Casita include Andrea Perez Ternet ’24, a human development and family science senior in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, who is completing a capstone internship at La Casita, and Diana García Varo G ’25, a graduate student in the multimedia, photography and design program at the Newhouse School.

La Casita, an arts and education center supported by ���ϲ�����, was established in 2011 as a cultural bridge for Latino/Latin American communities on campus and throughout the Central New York region.

Kayleigh Sandford (left) and Stephanie Spicciati of the Mid-State Regional Partnership Center, part of the School of Education’s Center on Disability and Inclusion.

Before joining the Mid-State RPC, Sandford and Spicciati co-taught fourth grade in the Solvay Union Free School District near ���ϲ�����. Sandford was the general education teacher and Spicciati taught special education, but—modeling the kind of inclusive education that SOE has long championed—together they were responsible for all students in their class.

Sandford then taught special education in the Baldwinsville (NY) Central School District before the pair teamed up again at the Mid-State RPC, Sandford as a Literacy Specialist and Spicciati as a Specially Designed Instruction Specialist.

Building Capacity

Explaining how Mid-State RPC is embedded within and works with other services of the New York State Education Department cooks up something of an alphabet soup, but it’s critical infrastructure for families and communities, guided by NYSED’s .

The overseeing agency is NYSED’s (OSE), which organizes the , described as “a community of practitioners [that] work collaboratively to support students, families, and educational organizations to build capacity and improve educational and post-educational outcomes for students with disabilities.”

Supported by NYSED grants, CDI runs three OSE Educational Partnership programs that work collaboratively: the (EC-FACE), the (SA-FACE), and the Mid-State RPC. Three legs of one stool, if you will.

While EC-FACE and SA-FACE engage families, communities, and local agencies, the Mid-State RPC provides special education training and coaching directly to school districts (this triple support structure is mirrored in 12 other Regional Partnership Centers ��and 14 FACE Centers ��across the state.)

Data-informed Work

Spicciati explains that has held the contract for four-and-a-half years of a five-year grant cycle, with hopes that its funding will be renewed in summer 2024. Mid-State RPC has benefited from the School of Education’s expertise and , which includes administering an earlier version of the Educational Partnership that engaged students and families: the ���ϲ����� Parent Assistance Center. The current partnership structure now adds a focus on systems-level change.

“The Mid-State RPC supports pre-K-12 school administrators and teachers in the ���ϲ����� City School District and the surrounding counties of Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Seneca, Tioga, and Tompkins,” Spicciati explains. “Our team includes literacy specialists, behavior and transition specialists, a culturally responsive educator, a systems change facilitator, and a special education trainer. We go into schools to support and coach teachers and administrators who serve students with individualized education programs (IEPs).”

“Some of our work includes embedded support to help teachers use data to make instructional decisions for student with disabilities ,” adds Sandford. “In addition to this kind of support, we also offer regional training sessions. Our specialists have different packages that they are trained to deliver to teachers, administrators, and educational advocacy organizations.”

The Mid-State RPC works with technical assistance partners who develop professional development packages based on the most current research into statewide schools. The team uses these resources to support schools with evidence-based practices.

Walk Beside You

As a compliment to these in-school trainings, the Mid-State RPC and CDI took their engagement a step further in 2023, launching a lecture series that invited the education community to dig deeper into essential topics around equity, mental health, and inclusion, featuring SOE faculty, community partners, and others.

Sandford stresses that she and her Mid-State RPC teammates work hard to ensure that districts feel supported: “Our motto is, ‘We want to walk beside you, not in front of you.’”

“We are able to build trust and good relationships with teachers and administrators because we are clear that we are there to help them and want our work to be meaningful for their students,” Spicciati adds. “I’ve found the majority of time, people are happy to have us. Once a school has met its goals and state performance plan indicators—and once systems are put in place to sustain that improvement—schools can be sad to see us leave.”

The coronavirus pandemic was especially rough on students with IEPs, says Spicciati. Shutdowns became months of missed instruction for some, and students requiring extra supports and intensive instruction fell behind. Although the first year back to in-school instruction was also demanding, Spicciati sees learning gaps starting to close as teachers adjust their approach to make up for lost skills acquisition.

Nevertheless, according to Sandford, a new challenge has arisen: the over-identification of students with disabilities: “Right now, schools are trying to identify if some students have a learning disability , or if learning loss can be attributed to the shutdown. It’s important to use the right measures and make informed decisions about students who are struggling.”

Promoting Sustainability

Assuming CDI’s OSE Educational Partnership grant is renewed, there will be another five years of growth for The Mid-State RPC, so what do Sandford and Spicciati hope to accomplish in that time?

“I want us to continue building supportive infrastructure within schools to keep things progressing forward for all students, general education and special education,” says Sandford.

“I want to promote sustainability,” adds Spicciati. She says the Mid-State RPC has learned over the years the importance of creating sustainable support systems for the whole school rather than focusing on individual teachers, who might then leave with the knowledge they acquired.

“It’s about focusing on building capacity with school leaders and getting teaming structures in place to help leaders connect data to intervention and ��instruction,” says Spicciati. “Once we have put protocols in place that can be used school and district wide, when we leave, those supports are able to stay in place.”

Janie Hershman ’24 contributed to this story.

Annie Chen (left) and Bettina Talento are two of the passionate student leaders who helped plan ���ϲ�����’s annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations.

April is a time for the ���ϲ����� community to celebrate��Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Celebrated nationally in May, the University hosts its annual AAPI Heritage Month in April so all campus members can join in honoring the histories, cultural diversity, identities and contributions of AAPI communities.

Annie Chen

This year’s theme is “Harmony in Heritage,” celebrating the rich diversity found within AAPI communities while also highlighting the unity and shared experiences that bring these varied cultures together. Asian Americans trace their roots to over 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia, each with its own unique histories, languages beliefs and traditions. Pacific Islanders represent another ethnically diverse group with Indigenous peoples from Hawaii, Guam, Samoa and other Pacific islands and territories.

AAPI Planning Committee co-chairs Annie Chen ’25 and Bettina Talento ’25 say the month-long festivities are the perfect way to showcase their proud cultural heritage while emphasizing that the differing heritages serve to unite the AAPI community.

“Harmony in Heritage aims to pay homage to our heritage and the different traditions that have been passed down and subsequently shaped our cultures. It’s important to recognize and celebrate our heritage while also welcoming the present,” says Chen, who is studying psychology in the and plans on pursuing a career promoting mental health and well-being once she graduates.

“It means finding our middle ground among the diverse cultures in Asia and the Pacific islands, where we all can thrive in harmony,” adds Talento, a dual major in advertising in the and marketing management in the who hopes to work in a role combining her passions for design and marketing.

Bettina Talento

Chen, Talento and Chelsea Kang ’24 served as AAPI Heritage Month co-chairs on the planning committee, and they worked alongside to��cultivate an highlighting and honoring the cultural heritage, history and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The month opened with a celebration kickoff on March 31 and included speakers, exhibitions, performances and student organization events. Some of the remaining highlights include Friday night’s , (April 17), ��(April 19), the (April 20), and (April 20).

Chen and Talento sat down with SU News to share why they were passionate about planning this year’s events, the important role their culture plays in their lives and how their time on campus has strengthened their ties to their heritage.

, means something different to everyone as it celebrates individuals embracing their full identities, including disabilities. In the pursuit of recognizing the intersectionality and diversity within disability, honoring and educating about the experiences of people with disabilities, the campus community is encouraged to participate in a variety of events.

“Disability Pride Week, which centers on the voices and perspectives of disabled people, reflects the collaborative effort of multiple units on campus. We have been meeting for months to brainstorm, plan and operationalize a full week of events celebrating disability identity, culture and pride. This collaboration mirrors the collective responsibility we all need to take to ensure our campus is moving toward greater accessibility and inclusivity for all members of our community,” says , director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion.

Disability Pride Week 2024 Events

“Through inclusive programming with campus and community partners the Disability Cultural Center fosters personal growth and positive disability identity that builds a sense of belonging, fosters academic self-efficacy and aligns with ���ϲ�����’s Academic Strategic Plan framework to advance excellence for every member of our community,” says “, director of the Disability Cultural Center. “Alongside campus partners, we challenge ableist attitudes, inaccessibility, discrimination and stereotypes, through programming that directly connects students, faculty and staff to the disability community at large both on and off campus.”

A variety of events will be hosted April 14-20 including:

• Sunday, April 14:
• Monday, April 15:
• Monday, April 15:
• Tuesday, April 16:
• Wednesday, April 17:
• Friday, April 19:
• Saturday, April 20:

Visit the for a complete list of events and details.

Disability Pride Week Keynote Speaker Ali Stroker

Ali Stroker

The campus community is invited to join keynote speaker Ali Stroker, Tuesday, April 16, starting with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. The is required to attend.

Stroker is a trailblazing actress, singer and activist who made history as the first wheelchair user to appear on Broadway. Her powerful performance in “Oklahoma!” earned her a Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical. Stroker is an inspirational speaker who uses her platform to advocate for greater representation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry and beyond. Stroker’s keynotes draw from her own courageous journey, sharing insights on overcoming barriers, building confidence and embracing one’s authentic self. Her remarkable story and uplifting messages have motivated people of all backgrounds to redefine what’s possible.

To learn more and for year-round resources, please visit the following websites: , , , , and the in the Burton Blatt Institute.

Story by Student Experience Communications Graduate Assistant Kalaya Sibley ‘24, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications ��

As the campus community celebrates Earth Month, Lydia Knox discusses the state of sustainability and explores how the University is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2032.

What does it mean for ���ϲ����� to invent and demonstrate cutting-edge sustainability initiatives?

It means reducing the University’s environmental impact responsibly by identifying, promoting and implementing practices that will meet our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. And it includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions through wisely managing energy efficiency projects.

Projects like the recently completed improvements to the mechanical systems at the Center for Science and Technology, a multi-year initiative that resulted in a 25% reduction in steam use in 2023 and an annual emissions reduction of over 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). Or the��recent replacement of the Lally Athletics Complex arena lighting, an effort expected to reduce carbon emissions by 141 metric tons per year.

“Sustainability encompasses a lot, but I think in the most basic sense it’s trying to really have a positive impact on the community and on the environment, and to just make sure that the practices we’re putting forth each day are both benefiting us now at this current moment, but also will have a benefit to future generations of students, faculty and staff here at ���ϲ�����, and on a larger level, the whole ���ϲ����� community. This is not one fix-all. It’s going to take a lot of people,” says Lydia Knox G’22, the sustainability project manager in the .

During April, the campus community is coming together to celebrate Earth Month. On this ‘Cuse Conversation, Knox discusses the state of sustainability at ���ϲ�����, the wide range of Earth Month efforts occurring on campus, how the University is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2032, how you can get involved with these initiatives and why she left her career as a television meteorologist to pursue her passion for sustainability and preserving the Earth.

Check out episode 162 of the podcast featuring Knox. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

From left to right, the Falk College team of students Rylee Pepper and Kristen Davis and professors Lynn Brann and Rachel Razza lead an activity with Universal Pre-Kindergarten students from Elbridge Elementary School as part of the Mindfully Growing program.

Do you like broccoli?

“I touched broccoli with my feet.”

You like eating watermelon, what does it smell like?

��ٲԴǷ�.”

What does snow taste like?

“B���dz����DZ���.”

Welcome to a Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Age 4 classroom at in Elbridge, New York, where it’s true that kids say the darndest things but with their five senses–sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch–they’re also learning healthy eating habits through the Mindfully Growing program.

The program’s curriculum is being taught by a team of professors and students from ���ϲ����� who, throughout this school year, have been visiting the UPK Age 4 classrooms at Elbridge Elementary on Thursday mornings. On the morning where broccoli was on the children’s minds, professors and and doctoral student Kristen Davis focused on touch as they hid baby carrots, clementines, and pea pods in a box and the children used their sense of touch to guess what they were.

After guessing the type of food, the children are able to taste it.

After the food was pulled from the box, the children were able to taste it and discover that this healthy stuff isn’t so bad after all.

“The program is getting the students in touch with different ways to experience food,” Davis says. “They’re seeing food in a different way, connecting with where it comes from and ways they can slow down and enjoy it.”

Slowing down and enjoying the food is where the “mindfully” part of the Mindfully Growing program comes into play. The nutrition component is paired with mindfulness practices, which can foster greater empathy and communication skills, improve focus and attention, reduce stress and enhance creativity and general well-being.

“It works because the kids get excited about being included in activities that their friends are enjoying,” says Elbridge UPK Age 4 teacher Mark MacLachlan. “So, when they are offered to try raw shell peas with all of their friends at school, it’s an easy sell.

“Most of the kids really enjoyed them, too,” MacLachlan says.

A Mindful Journey

The Mindfully Growing curriculum was created by Brann, associate professor and Chair of the at the , and Razza, associate professor and chair of the Department of (HDFS) at Falk College whose research focuses on the benefits of mindfulness-based programs for promoting resilience in schools and communities.

The initiative is funded by the Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group of the , and Brann and Razza recently received a grant from the MetLife Foundation through the to ensure the curriculum resonates with marginalized populations.

Brann says the curriculum is focused on 4-year-olds because it’s trying to get young children to develop an understanding of where food comes from and increase their acceptance of a variety of foods before they get set in their ways. The 10 lessons start with the origin of plants, fruits and vegetables, moves into using senses to explore foods, and finishes with lessons on hunger vs. fullness and sharing food together.

“It’s a good time to get them to explore food, and we do a tasting pretty much every lesson so they get an opportunity to try something new,” Brann says. “With this group, almost every one of them has tasted the food and several of them have asked for more, which is pretty exciting to see them being so open to it.”

From left to right, the Falk College team of Rachel Razza, Colleen Smith, Christina McCord, Rylee Pepper, Lynn Brann, and Kristen Davis delivered the Mindfully Growing lessons at Elbridge Elementary School this spring.

Razza says with preschool children ages 3-5, there’s a significant increase in executive function skills, so they’re better able to delay gratification and inhibit their impulses. Thus, the interventions offered by the Mindfully Growing curriculum are important to introduce to this group of students.

“Can they control their impulses and self-regulate overall and also in the food context?” Razza says. “Lynn and I have been working to determine the overlaps between these two areas and how we can use intervention to simultaneously enhance both of them.”

While Brann, Razza and Davis are with one UPK class for 30 minutes, the other class is having a 30-minute yoga lesson with yoga instructor Colleen Smith from BeLive Yoga (beliveyoga@icloud.com) and undergraduate student Christina McCord from Falk College’s . Smith, who has been teaching yoga and mindfulness to preschool children in the for several years, helped connect Brann and Razza to Superintendent James Froio and Elementary School Principal Brooke Bastian because, as Smith says, she “continues to be impressed by their support of students and their willingness to offer yoga and programs or events that supplement the students’ daily education.”

In her yoga sessions, Smith says she helps the children learn how to self-regulate their bodies, breath and even emotions as she tries to “meet the children where they are” by matching their energy level and then bringing them to a brief time of rest.

“One thing that can be difficult for them is trying new experiences and foods,” Smith says. “The yoga and mindfulness lessons can help children pay attention to their bodies, thoughts and breath in the moment so they can self-regulate and make healthy and appropriate choices when presented with new or challenging experiences like a mindful eating lesson.”

Bastian, who’s in her fourth year as principal and 11th in the district, says Elbridge Elementary School has a unique UPK program because it offers a full day for both 3- and 4-year olds. Bastian says she and the teachers have enjoyed the partnership with ���ϲ����� because they know the positive impacts that early intervention can have on students. “Mindfulness is a focus in UPK to help promote self-regulation, and when mindfulness is approached in a holistic��way it can have a greater impact,” Bastian says. “We want children to develop��healthy habits in general so food, which is highly��motivating, is a great way to begin that mindful journey.”

For the remainder of this story on the Mindfully Growing program, please visit the .

The event will highlight undergraduate and graduate student teams from across campus who have created concepts for products, services and technologies that can assist intellectually disabled people and their families. A distinguished panel of experts will award a total of $2,500 for the best showcase ideas.

Students present their designed products, services or technologies that can assist intellectually disabled people and their families at the 2023 Intelligence++ Showcase competition. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

Students wishing to present should e-mail , professor of industrial and interaction design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and program coordinator, at dwcarr@syr.edu before April 15 to secure a spot and to receive showcase instructions.

The event is sponsored by , a collaboration among , a program of the at the , VPA School of Design��and . The event is open to students across campus, and all are welcome to attend the showcase.

Launched in 2020 through a generous donation by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09 and the , Intelligence++ is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design and community. The initiative is available to both undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines, including students with intellectual disabilities. A key element of the initiative is a two-semester course (DES 400/600) that encourages students to work in teams to imagine and create products, devices, digital platforms and services for persons with disabilities, culminating in the spring showcase.

Intelligence++ centers around three main concepts:

• Aspects of Design—once a specific need or opportunity is identified, student teams are supported by a group of experts to help develop a working prototype of their design. By taking a build-to-learn approach, students gain real-time feedback while continually evolving their design.
• Understandings of Disability—including accessibility, disability rights and advocacy, disability history, language, disability culture, models of disability and inclusion.
• Entrepreneurship—students learn to develop a commercialization roadmap that moves through problem solving, solution building, testing, iteration, lean business model development, team formation, finding advisors and strategic partners, developing a funding strategy and pitching for investment.

DES 400/600 is taught by Professor Carr, with support from , Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education in the School of Education and executive director of the Taishoff Center. , founder of and strategic initiatives advisor with the Libraries,��provides entrepreneurial support to teams.

In addition to the course and the annual showcase, students can seek funding to commercialize their ideas through . Students from any school or college can apply for this funding, and they do not need to take DES 400/600 to apply. However, priority is given students working with research and commercialization programs such as the Blackstone LaunchPad, , , , , , Intelligence++, NSF I-Corps, ��and .

Intelligence++ Ventures funding supports specifically defined projects with clearly identified timeframes and outcomes that move a research project or venture toward proof of concept and commercialization. Funds assist tangible needs through four innovation phases: discovery, testing, building and launching to market.

Merril Silverstein

, the inaugural holder of the Marjorie Cantor Endowed Professorship in Aging (a joint appointment in ���ϲ�����’s and ), is an expert on aging in the context of family life who’s uniquely qualified to examine the impact of China’s aging population.

Silverstein, a professor in the at Falk and chair of the in Maxwell, is editor of the 2022 book “,” which was recently released in paperback. The book��focuses on the accelerated social and demographic changes in China and examines their implications for family care and support for older adults.

Combining quantitative data from social surveys in China, comparative surveys in Taiwan and Thailand, and qualitative data from in-depth interviews, “Aging Families in Chinese Society” explores the various challenges facing aging families in China as a result of reduced family size, changing gender expectations, rapid economic development and urbanization, rural-to-urban migration, and an emerging but still underdeveloped long-term care system.

To dive into this topic in more detail, we asked Silverstein to discuss this phenomenon and its impact across the globe. Here’s that conversation:

On Thursday, April 4, family, friends and supporters of the program will in downtown ���ϲ����� to celebrate the program, the largest and most inclusive program of its kind in the nation. Among the scheduled speakers at the anniversary gala are ���ϲ����� Chancellor and President ; State Sen. Rachel May (D-48); Captain , JAGC, USN (Ret.), benefactor of the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education; and , Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education and executive director of the Taishoff Center in the School of Education.

Andrew Benbenek at ���ϲ����� Welcome 2017

Founded in 2014, InclusiveU offers real opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in every aspect of ���ϲ����� campus life. Students take , on and off campus—and as far away as —join in , and in Albany, New York and Washington, D.C. Currently, the program hosts more than 100 students with intellectual or developmental disabilities from across the country.

InclusiveU and the Taishoff Center are both part of the School of Education’s . Together, CDI programs and initiatives demonstrate SOE’s global leadership and in disability and inclusion.

Sharing anniversaries with InclusiveU in 2024 are SOE’s first-in-the-nation program (1994) and “” (1984), a summer study abroad program that invites students to immerse themselves in Italy’s inclusive schooling.

“It’s hard to believe that we have reached our 10th year of serving students at ���ϲ����� through InclusiveU,” says Myers. “The milestones of our program—students in campus residence halls, InclusiveU Remembrance Scholars and Unsung Heroes, and full participation in all that our campus has to offer—remind us of the ways our program continues to make a profound impact in our community.”

Chloe Payne, left and a friend attend a game in the JMA Dome

Inclusion initiatives, such as dual enrollment with the ���ϲ����� City School District and partnership with a community agency, predated the establishment of InclusiveU in 2014 but did not provide a fully integrated campus experience. Receipt of a federal grant got the program off the ground, and it started with 14 students. “We started our internship program, and a few years later were able to have students live in residence halls and really build out pieces of the program,” says InclusiveU Director Brianna Shults.

Since its establishment, more than 320 students have accessed nearly 300 classes based on interest across most of the University’s colleges and schools. The last year of the four-year program is focused on internships and employment, building skills and connecting theory they learned at in the classroom and applying it to their resumes. Beyond the necessary skills, the program helps to instill confidence in students as they prepare for careers beyond college. Students receive a certificate upon completion of the program.

In addition to classes, students are fully immersed in the social life of the University. While students have a mentor to help with class needs and facilitation, social interaction happens organically through peers. “Socially, the Peer-2-Peer program is the piece that many students access,” says Shults. InclusiveU and matriculated students connect for whatever events are on campus. A lot of this is natural support.” Students attend Orange After Dark activities, speakers, athletic events and holiday events such as Diwali. “This happens through natural peer support that every other student can access on campus,” Shults says.

Bobby Pangborn, center, celebrates his graduation with his parents

And this interaction is good not just for the InclusiveU students, says Shults. “Having our students around makes their peers better friends, better employees down the road, better neighbors,” Shults days. “It makes them better people all around because our students are here and they are all working together.”

Andrew Benbenek ’21 enrolled in InclusiveU after graduating from Bishop Grimes High School in East ���ϲ�����. He was the first InclusiveU student to access classes in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and was the second InclusiveU student named as a Remembrance Scholar, one of the University’s highest student honors. He was involved in lots of activities on campus including OttoTHON and Camp Kesem.

“���ϲ����� was where I had wanted to be since I was a kid,” Benbenek says. Peers helped him to get involved. He joined Z-89 and Citrus TV, which he says “is a big part of how I got to where I am. Once I joined, felt like this could be a career for me.” He also did a full-year internship in the Newhouse Sports Media Center with Professor Olivia Stomski.

Benbenek now works for Galaxy Communications as a board operator for SU games. “InclusiveU gave me the knowledge I needed to be successful and helped me discover what I really wanted to do,” he says.

Chloe Payne ’22, studied human development and family science and now works at Little Luke’s Daycare and Preschool in DeWitt. During her time at ���ϲ�����, Payne immersed herself in her classes and campus life, including becoming a member of a belly dancing troupe. InclusiveU was the best thing I have ever done,” she says.

Bobby Pangborn ’20, graduated from Nottingham High School in ���ϲ����� and studied drama through InclusiveU. He has brought his skills to many local productions through the years for both the Redhouse and Front Row Players and will play Sir Robin in a local production of “Spamalot” in late June. He also participates in Special Olympics, where he has won several medals downhill in skiing events.

Pangborn interned at the Whitman School of Management during his time with InclusiveU, and now works there full-time as an assistant In the mailroom, Pangborn does the jobs that people don’t see but that are critical to the smooth function of the school’s operations. He completes copy jobs, sorts and distributes mail, distributes student paychecks, sends package notifications and makes sure that supplies are stocked, organized and labeled. He is also a mentor for student employees.

“As an alumni, Bobby has been active in participating in various conference panels and employment events to share his experience while he was on campus and how that helped to shape what he is doing now that he has graduated,” says Shults.

When InclusiveU first started, there were about 30 post-secondary programs across the country—now there are little more than 300. And while that number seems large, it’s still pretty small, Shults says. “There are a lot of students who want to access education beyond high school. We are seen as a model, trying to support other programs at other schools starting to do what we are doing. It’s important that students have a choice and are able to pick the program that is best for them,” she says.

“There is such a rich history of disability work here at ���ϲ�����,” says Shults. “The fact that InclusiveU is here and is seen as a leader is really important in being able to push this work forward and in being thoughtful and innovative with what we are doing. … This is the first generation of students with disabilities to go to college and have this opportunity, and having this program here in ���ϲ����� is a really big deal.”

Each year, a dedicated planning committee collaborates to curate an extensive calendar of events and programs highlighting and honoring the cultural heritage, history and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Leading APPI Heritage Month alongside Multicultural Affairs is the AAPI History Month Committee and it’s co-chairs Annie Chen ’25, Chelsea Kang ’24 and Bettina Talento ’25.

“This year’s theme is ‘Harmony in Heritage.’ It was chosen as a reminder that there is an importance in preserving and maintaining balance in all parts of one’s cultural heritage. It involves recognizing and appreciating traditions, customs and practices that have been passed down and fostering understanding to newer generations,” says the co-chairs. “The AAPI Heritage Month shirts this year have flowers that are a major part of multiple different cultures throughout Asia and no flower is specific to one country or culture. This year’s theme stands as a reminder that although everyone has a different cultural background and history, our heritage is all intertwined. That is where there is harmony.”

Asian Americans trace their roots to over 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia, each with its own unique histories, languages, beliefs and traditions. Pacific Islanders represent another ethnically diverse group with Indigenous peoples from Hawaii, Guam, Samoa and other Pacific islands and territories. The theme further invites everyone to explore and appreciate both the diversity and commonalities within AAPI communities.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024 Events

The monthlong celebration encompasses a range of programs and events welcoming to all members of the campus community, and focuses on the diverse histories, cultural richness, significant contributions, and often overlooked obstacles faced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Visit the for a complete list of events and details.

Story by Student Experience Communications Graduate Assistant Kalaya Sibley ’24, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

Angelica Molina (left), Adya Parida (center) and Yajie (Lannie) Lan discuss their respective journeys to ���ϲ�����, how they found not only success but a welcoming community on campus, their advice for fellow international students and how they plan on making a difference in their communities once they graduate.

Finding out you were accepted into ���ϲ����� to pursue your academic dreams is a joyous time—and the start of a new adventure.

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” three accomplished international students stopped by to discuss their respective journeys to ���ϲ�����, how they found not only success but a welcoming community on campus, their advice for fellow international students and how they plan on making a difference in their communities once they graduate.

Adya Parida ’25 traveled nearly 7,700 miles from her home in Ranchi, India, to study computer science in the (ECS).

Yajie (Lannie) Lan ’24 ventured more than 7,300 miles from her home in Chengdu, China, to earn an architecture degree from the .

Angelica Molina G’25 ventured more than 2,700 miles from her home in Cali, Colombia, to earn master’s degrees in public administration and international relations in the .

Check out episode 161 of the podcast featuring Parida, Molina and Lan. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

When it comes to fostering a strong relationship between herself and her mentees, Montgomery understands that representation matters, and being able to relate to the students she advises is just as important as the advice being offered.

Montgomery and her fellow student mentors with —a peer-to-peer group designed to help women of color support and empower each other as they navigate their college journeys—have been helping first-year and transfer women of color successfully acclimate to life on campus through engaging programs and meaningful mentorship.

The result? Members of Dimensions form a true sisterhood and strengthen their leadership and professional development skills through weekly meetings that focus on pertinent topics like acclimating to college life, building community, setting goals, mental health awareness, career-oriented support and more.

Kamille Montgomery

“Dimensions offers a support system of people who are going through the same journey together. If I can provide advice and guidance for incoming first-year students, that’s such an important way to help out. Dimensions offers an opportunity to build those relationships and make students feel like they’re not alone on their journeys,” says Montgomery, an early childhood and special education major in the .

On Friday, Dimensions is holding its Women’s History Month reception from 4-6 p.m. in Room 304 ABC in the Schine Student Center. SU News sat down with Montgomery to learn more about the powerful impact of Dimensions, where her passion for education came from and how she will put her degree to use in the City of ���ϲ����� through the .

“Paper Trail: Works by Veteran Photographers, Cartoonists and Sketch Artists,” is on display at the , which is managed by VPA’s creative arts therapy program, through Friday, Aug. 2.

Many of the images are from three cartoonist collections held at the . Featured are works by (“Beetle Bailey”), (“Marmaduke”) and (a World War II cartoonist). Other materials are by Alan Dunn and former students of the military visual journalism program at the : Kenny Holston, Preston Keres, Pablo Piedra, Ethan Rocke and Marianique Santos.

The co-curators, graduate students Ohoud Ibrahim Alfadhli, Upneet Kaur Mair and Katelyn Marie Miller, have all worked on various aspects of the exhibit as NVRC Gallery curatorial assistants.

Jennifer DeLucia

, assistant professor and chair of creative arts therapy, has guided the students through the project, which includes cartoons, photography and sketches that convey the complexities of the veteran experience. “As co-curators, students are empowered to take an active role in shaping the narrative and design of the exhibitions,” DeLucia says. “The interdisciplinary partnership between the art therapy and museum studies programs within VPA creates opportunities for unique dialogue as multiple perspectives inform the curatorial work, and students add fresh ideas and a great level of energy and enthusiasm.”

The experience also provides a unique interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunity. “They are exposed to military culture and history, and that knowledge of military-connected communities will carry with them as they transition into new roles when they graduate, [helping them] address the miliary-civilian divide,” DeLucia says.

Ohoud Alfadhli

Co-curating the exhibit helped Alfadhli, an international student from Saudi Arabia, better understand the administrative functions of developing an exhibit, such as making appropriate legal arrangements for the loan of the art and copyright issues, she says. She also enjoyed delving into the archives to select exhibit items. “It allowed me to explore the artists’ works, sketches and correspondence, yet it was also challenging because I encountered numerous pieces that deserved to be exhibited.”

Upneet Mair

Mair, who is from India, says she enjoyed the installation process most. “It can be a bit exhausting, but the process is what I like about it, and once the exhibition is up, the satisfaction of doing it feels good,” she says. Mair, who has a master’s degree in fine arts, finishes the museum studies master’s program this spring. She wants to work at major museums in New York City as a curator or collection manager.

Katelyn Miller

Miller hails from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which she��calls “a place where museums, history and community engagement rule every major endeavor.” She adds: “I have embraced that perspective in both my undergraduate degree and my graduate career here.”

Miller used software to plot the exhibits in the gallery space, inputting artwork dimensions to develop an accessible and efficient design, an aspect of exhibition work that she particularly enjoyed. “Working on this exhibition from concept to installation has been a valuable exercise in collaboration and exhibition research and design. This space is an ideal environment for developing my skills as a museum professional, and I hope that ‘Paper Trail’ conveys this effort to its visitors,” she says. Miller wants to work in an institution that provides the community with learning resources, such as a national park, library or museum.

“The NVRC was intentionally designed to nurture interdisciplinary programming to advance the social, economic and wellness concerns of veterans and their families,” says J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive director of the University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. “Our collaboration with VPA at the NVRC Gallery is a unique example of ���ϲ�����’s commitment to being the best place for veterans, and I encourage the campus community to visit this impressive exhibit.”

It is a job Baker didn’t even believe existed, but it’s the right position at the right time, she says. She’ll join a lab that is situated in the “hard sciences” (STEM and biology), but whose faculty decided they wanted to change the way they teach those subjects. The lab group is now focused on researching and exploring approaches to teaching that are equitable, accessible and inclusive for all students, especially for those who identify as neurodivergent, transgender and queer, Baker says.

That’s where she came in. The lab needed a qualitative researcher as a counterpart to its quantitative focus. Since most biology lab positions involve data crunching or taking samples, Baker says she is especially excited about this unique role.

Emilee Baker, a Ph.D. candidate in special education, is pursuing a unique postdoctoral research role in a biology lab.

“This job aligns with all of my vast and intersecting interests—education and learning, the environment and nature, qualitative research, writing, inclusive education, instruction, social justice issues, neurodiversity, disability and queerness,” she says.

During her time in the School of Education, Baker took advantage of many opportunities to position herself for the career she originally expected to have: assistant professor of inclusive education. She researched the program, a preservice teacher study away experience centering inclusive education and working with diverse students in New York City. She earned certificates of advanced study in and . She completed the Graduate School’s . She was a teaching assistant and a research assistant for the School of Education’s .

When the job market didn’t support her plans, Baker’s own neurodivergent behavior—anxiety—set in, she says. During the job-hunting process, “I was freaking out. People kept telling me I’d find the right position, though I was getting nervous. But I did end up finding what seemingly is going to be a perfect position for me.”

Summer Camp

Baker’s research for her dissertation, “Inclusive Environmental Education: Learning in Relation for Disabled, Genderqueer Youth,” bridges the gap between environmental and inclusive education and centers the voices of multiply marginalized youth learning in nature. As she searched for an environmental context for her work, she found it in a setting that perfectly aligned with her interests: a rare summer camp for queer and disabled students and students of color.

There, Baker was at ease with the students, and they shared a sense of comfort with her, in part because she divulged her own neurodivergent tendencies, she says. “I really understood and wanted to understand these kids and listen to them, and they sensed that, so they very much gravitated towards me,” she says.

The camp provided the kids with a vastly different learning experience than their typical school settings. “It was outdoors, away from families, school and support systems. The students were going through a lot personally, but they were still able to focus and learn in that inclusive and healing space, and that difference was transformative for them,” Baker says.

Formal Training

Baker says her highly interdisciplinary background, qualitative research experience and research with multiply marginalized students across K-12 and higher education earned her the spot in the biology lab. Associate Professor Sarah Eddy, who runs the lab, says she appreciates Baker’s formal training in education and her depth of knowledge. “What I have valued is the depth of knowledge graduates have developed, through their education Ph.D., in quantitative��methods, qualitative��methods and/or both educational theory and also critical theories. I appreciate how my projects are stronger when I partner with colleagues with formal training,” Eddy says.

Though Baker is still analyzing her dissertation findings, she hopes her research will lead to the questioning of arbitrary disability labels now used within K-12 schools, provide critical connections to schooling that takes place outside of formal education settings and reveal deeper meaning behind kids’ learning in relation to nature and STEM education, she says.

And while she’ll be conducting her lab projects remotely, Baker is satisfied that she won’t be working alone. Having new counterparts in a setting where she’s looked to for her unique strengths, skills and characteristics is exciting, she says.

“You can’t do research alone, let alone good research, and the most impactful experiences I’ve had at ���ϲ����� are in lab spaces and collective groups. Being able to focus on a research agenda will allow me to feel comfortable and content about the work I’m doing instead of feeling the ‘mad dash’ to do it all,” she says. “This is allowing me to dip my foot in to see if academia is still the world I want to be a part of, and it seems like this role will support whatever avenue I want to take.”

Tyler Sliker (left), clinic director at the Couple and Family Therapy Center, chats with Department of Marriage and Family Therapy graduate student Kalila Taylor in one of the therapy rooms at Peck Hall.

In 2023, student therapists from the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in ���ϲ�����’s provided a total of 9,134 therapy sessions to 682 individuals. Those free sessions in the Couple and Family Therapy Center at Peck Hall included 3,713 for individuals and 5,412 for couples and families.

Think about those numbers for a minute–and the impact the sessions had on those in the community surrounding the ���ϲ����� campus.

“If not for the hard work of our students and faculty–given the dire state of mental health services in our community and most communities–it’s likely many of these clients would experience long waitlists elsewhere, reduced services due to expense or go without mental healthcare altogether,” says , clinic director at the . “This work is truly critical to our community and beyond as it’s training much-needed therapists and providing much-needed care.”

Indeed, this is a mutually beneficial arrangement as students seeking to earn their or in marriage and family therapy are provided real-life opportunities to hone their craft.

Kalila Taylor says she gravitated toward marriage and family therapy because it’s “a field that gives me the opportunity to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.”

“The thing about studying to be a therapist is that the only way to learn is by doing,” says Kalila Taylor, who’s on track to earn her master’s degree in May. “I was incredibly nervous when I first started seeing clients, but with the support of my colleagues and supervisors, I was able to develop my skills and build my confidence as a therapist.”

Taylor, who is from Jacksonville, Florida, earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in psychology from Florida State University. In researching graduate programs, she discovered ���ϲ����� and the exceptional reputation forged by the , which offered the first accredited master’s degree in the country.

“I’ve always wanted to better understand human behavior and have been continuously fascinated by how we relate to one another as people,” Taylor says. “Marriage and family therapy combines a lot of my various interests while also being a field that gives me the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives.”

Student therapists start seeing clients when they’re enrolled in MFT 760 (Practicum in Marriage and Family Therapy), and that’s typically in their second semester of the program. Sliker says their caseload varies depending on client need and the readiness of the student, but ideally students start their clinical work with four to five cases.

Taylor says when she first started seeing clients, she was concerned about managing conflict in the room. However, through supervision and experience, she learned how to help her clients navigate conflict in their relationships while also normalizing that conflict for herself.

Eventually, Taylor was providing up to 20 sessions per week.

“I think it can be especially challenging to help a client process an experience that you haven’t worked through yet in your own life,” she says. “Again, that’s why supervision is so important so that you get the opportunity to talk through your own personal obstacles to show up better for your clients.”

To ensure quality training for student therapists and beneficial care to their clients, Marriage and Family Therapy faculty and staff provide supervision to the students working with individuals, couples and families. In 2023, faculty and staff provided more than 1,800 hours of supervision to 16 students.

The students are supervised on a weekly basis, at minimum, and Sliker says it’s common for student therapists who are just getting started to reach out to on-call supervisors between their regularly scheduled supervision meetings.��Marriage and family therapists are only able to see clients unsupervised when they’re fully licensed.

In New York State, that’s roughly two years after graduation, if they’ve been working full-time as a therapist since receiving their graduate degree. If you’re a member of the community who meets with a fully licensed marriage and family therapist, and that therapist is licensed in New York, you can expect your therapist has had about 3 ½ years of supervised clinical experience, including 1 ½ years of graduate school.

As clinic director of the Couple and Family Therapy Center, Tyler Sliker works with faculty and staff to coordinate the thousands of therapy sessions that marriage and family therapy students provide each year.

“Students often begin their journey to become a therapist with excitement as well as plenty of anxiety and uncertainty of their ability,” Sliker says. “However, therapy is most effective when there is a strong relationship between therapist and client. For those who find themselves in a Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program, there is often already a strong ability to build relationships, and beginning therapists usually have the necessary skills to successfully navigate those initial sessions with clients.

“Then the path to becoming a great therapist, in my opinion, is forged by the therapist’s continued investment in their growth and development, a lifetime connection with supervisors and mentors, and genuine care for the clients they serve,” Sliker adds.

Taylor says there’s an immense feeling of satisfaction when a therapist is able to form relationships with clients, watch them progress in real time, and help them develop skills they didn’t have at the start of therapy. In what may seem like a strange twist to someone outside of the therapy sessions, Taylor says one of her proudest moments occurred when a couple she was working with chose to separate.

“I don’t believe it’s the job of a therapist to tell clients what to do because I think clients should be treated like the experts of their own experience,” Taylor says. “I was proud of this couple for coming to the realization that breaking up was the best thing for both of them because that can be one of the most difficult decisions to make. I remember those clients thanking me for helping them throughout the process, which was such an amazing moment that provided to me a lot of encouragement.”

For Taylor, it was a rewarding moment among many that occur for student therapists every day at the Couple and Family Therapy Center.

“Becoming a therapist is similar to learning a craft or an art: One learns by doing,” Sliker says. “So as much as our community benefits from the services the Couple and Family Therapy Center provides, the students are benefiting just as much.”

The Couple and Family Therapy Center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. The center provides free, confidential sessions in-person and virtually. To inquire about receiving therapy services, call 315.443.3023.

As imam and Muslim chaplain, Amir Durić fosters community and togetherness. His research focuses on supporting and enhancing the Muslim student experiences on college campuses across the country.

As a faith leader, an imam is the one who proceeds, the one who stands in front and leads the mosque’s worshippers as a role model.

A deeply religious man, Amir Durić knew he was meant to serve as a faith leader when he was a child and his grandfather called upon him to lead his family’s daily prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. It is a time when observant Muslims around the world come together in hopes of increasing their consciousness, self-awareness and empathy through fasting daily from dawn to sunset and worship that elevate their spirituality.

Durić gathered the courage to deliver the prayers, and soon after accepting the responsibility, he started noticing a newfound love and passion for the spiritual life. Durić had found his calling.

Amir Duric

“With faith, I am on the receiving end of timeless and divine wisdom that really broadens my horizons beyond this temporary world. My faith motivates me to be a better citizen of this world, because I have a role to play, and that role is not just about me, but about those around me as well,” says Durić, the imam at . In his role, he is responsible for fostering a sense of community and togetherness among the students who practice Islam on campus.

Since 2017, Durić has led efforts to enhance and improve the Muslim student experience on college campuses across the country. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in ��through the .

With the holy month of Ramadan underway, Durić stopped by to share his thoughts on the role an Imam plays on campus, describe the core tenets of Islam and address the biggest misconceptions surrounding the religion. He also discusses his groundbreaking research on the Muslim student experiences on college campuses across the country and explains how an interfaith collaboration with Rabbi Ethan Bair brought together Muslim and Jewish students to learn more about each other’s beliefs and values.

Check out podcast featuring Durić. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

More than 250 people–including individuals, couples, parents and children–attended Trans Support Day in April 2023, and organizer , Ph.D., says the Trans Team is looking to top last year’s turnout at the 2024 event. This year’s Trans Support Day will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on March 23 at Peck Hall, 601 E. Genesee St., just north of the ���ϲ����� campus. The event is free and open to the public.

“I feel like it’s going to be a really powerful community event like it was last year,” says Martin, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in the . “This event offers a space filled with hope, positivity and community support.”

More than 250 people–including individuals, couples, parents, and children–attended Trans Support Day in April 2023 at ���ϲ�����’s Peck Hall in downtown ���ϲ�����.

Attendees at this year’s Trans Support Day will have the opportunity to connect with local trans-affirming providers and resources; receive name and gender marker legal support; access free clothing and makeup; get free services from hair, nail and makeup artists; access trans-affirming products; receive therapeutic support for parents of trans youth; and have a space for youth to connect.

As a new feature, the Trans Team has invited two world-renowned local surgeons to share their expertise with attendees interested in gender-affirming surgery. Other guests will include post-surgical providers from Upstate University Hospital’s and , and representatives from , a not-for-profit organization that promotes the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people in Central New York as they age.

Martin says events such as Trans Support Day are more important than ever as members of the trans community experience societal and legislative discrimination in the United States. According to the , more than 500 bills in over 40 states have been introduced seeking to block trans people from receiving basic healthcare, education, legal recognition and the right to publicly exist. Several similar bills were signed into law in 2023.

New York is one of a handful of states where no anti-trans bills have been passed. But accessing resources such as the ones that will be available at Trans Support Day remains an issue for trans people everywhere.

“In my clinical practice, I connect with other therapists, and we often collaborate with other local resources and providers,” Martin says. “However, I learned that often clients are not aware of these services and allies available to them in ���ϲ�����.

“I wanted to create an event that brought everyone together in one room,” Martin adds. “Although we have different expertise and resources, we all have one common goal, to improve the well-being and support the transgender community.”

, Ph.D., an MFT associate professor, founded the Trans Team in 2004. The team is part of the ���ϲ����� in Peck Hall, and students on the team receive specialized training to provide gender-affirmative therapy for transgender people and their families and assist in the readiness process for medical gender transition.

Coolhart says the 2023 Trans Support Day was a huge success thanks to the leadership and efforts of Martin and marriage and family therapy students, faculty and staff. In the previous Trans Support Day in 2019, the attendance was 40 people, so the event is growing significantly and assisting more members of the trans community.

“The current political landscape for trans folks is threatening and scary, making this event so necessary and special,” Coolhart said after last year’s event. “In a world that often does not welcome trans people, I could see on the faces of the guests the gratitude, validation, and support they felt having a space that was celebrating them and connecting them to the resources they need.”

EHN founder��, who is the Dean’s Professor of Community Engagement in A&S and a professor of writing and rhetoric, established the����in 2021 to provide faculty, students, staff and community partners with support for publicly engaged research, programming and creative work. Building on that effort, Nordquist and his team started the����program this academic year (2023-24) to elevate and interconnect the work happening in new and existing A&S classes whose curriculums empower students to forge meaningful community partnerships through their coursework.

“The Engaged Communities model has worked so well in bringing collaborative research and creative teams together that we wanted to generate a similar structure for courses,” says Nordquist. “Engaged Courses presents the same cohort-based model as other EHN programs to bring faculty across departments together to share resources, exchange ideas and help invest in each other’s work around community-engaged curricular design and implementation.”

Arts and Sciences faculty and staff hold an Engaged Courses cohort meeting in the Tolley Humanities Building to share information about their classes and offer mutual support.

Community-engaged work can be challenging for faculty due to logistical difficulties, time constraints and access to resources. This is where the Engaged Courses initiative comes in. In addition to the collaborative support from their fellow faculty in planning and sharing experiences, recipients of this grant receive funding from EHN to help with anything from supplies to food to transportation and other needs.

The inaugural cohort includes five courses, each from a different A&S department. While three of the five classes are being offered in the spring semester, two launched in fall 2023: an introductory level writing course in the��, and a clinical practicum in the��.

Translating Cultures

, assistant teaching professor of writing and rhetoric, taught a course titled “Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction, Writing and Translating Cultures,” which connected ���ϲ����� students with Onondaga Community College (OCC) students of various ages, ethnicities and linguistic backgrounds who are learning English as a second language.

Arts and Sciences professor Sevinç Türkkan (right) conversing with Tara Binte Sharil during a cross-cultural exchange session between ���ϲ����� and OCC students on the ���ϲ����� campus.

For one of the assignments, the OCC students selected, researched and translated a text of cultural significance in their native language that was not available in English. ���ϲ����� students worked closely with them, offering feedback to help preserve the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic aspects of their English translations of these texts.

The OCC classroom consisted of students whose native languages included Arabic, Afghani, Persian-Farsi, Korean, Ukrainian, Spanish, Burmese, Chinese, Lingala, Vietnamese and Turkish. Türkkan says the goal of this exercise was not to simply render the texts into seamless English narratives, but also to maintain their bilingual flavors.

The OCC and ���ϲ����� students fittingly met for the first time in Hall of Languages—the visual landmark of ���ϲ����� whose name references the rich history of language learning that has taken place within its classrooms. Students worked together on these narratives, revising them and communicating their significance in introductions and through various visual elements. The ���ϲ����� students also interviewed their OCC partners on topics including immigration, the refugee experience, life as an immigrant in ���ϲ�����, and linguistic, cultural, and economic challenges. The interviews became the basis of their final projects, which were literary profiles about their peers.

���ϲ����� student Sunny Suaya (left) interviews OCC student Yeohyun Yoon about the text that he chose to translate into English and his experience living in a new country.

One such piece, prepared by Sunny Suaya ’27, highlighted the bond she made with her partner, Yeohyun Yoon. Born in South Korea, Yoon took the class at OCC with his wife so they could improve their English language skills. He chose to translate the Korean poem, “Sky, Wind, Star and Poetry,” which was written by the poet Yoon Dong-ju during the Korean Independence movement against the Empire of Japan in the early 20th century.

In her literary profile, Suaya explained the significance of Dong-ju’s work, which she learned about through her interaction with Yeohyun, and reflected on their newly formed relationship: “Yoon Dong-ju expressed the agony of a person during the colonial era in beautiful poetry and is considered a resistance poet who gave a ray of hope to the Korean people… As I ended my interview with Yeohyun, I felt our connection. We both were excited to be new friends and even later ate dinner together. By the end of the night, I left Yeohyun by saying ‘I am very happy to now have a close friend with someone from South Korea.’”

Türkkan notes that this type of personal cross-cultural exchange – where students bring their strengths to the table while at the same time recognizing that their community partner has complementary strengths – is a key competence of being an effective global citizen. Seeing this positive interaction play out in class is one of the more fulfilling experiences as an educator, she says.

Students from ���ϲ����� and Onondaga Community College worked together on the cultural text translation project, led by professor Sevinç Türkkan (second in from the left).

“The ���ϲ����� students learned cultural and linguistic humility when they attempted to revise a translated text whose original they could not read and had to rely on their OCC partners for a thorough understanding of how the original text signifies in its original language,” notes Türkkan. “On the other hand, my OCC students realized that they have something precious — a native language — that gave them the confidence and strength to continue to improve their English. They approached the task of learning English from a position of strength rather than from a position of insecurity and incompetence.”

While Türkkan says the financial aspect of the grant was instrumental in helping to cover such expenses as food and transportation of students between ���ϲ����� and Onondaga Community College, just as important was the community she built with the rest of her Engaged Courses cohort.

“Being able to share challenges and brainstorm solutions with faculty who had the same community-engaged values and were planning similar courses was above all inspirational and motivating,” she says.

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The Inspiring Programs in Business Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the field of business. The Whitman School will be featured, along with 27 other recipients, in the April 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.

Inspiring Programs in Business Award winners were selected by Insight Into Diversity based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in business through mentoring, teaching, research and successful programs and initiatives.

”Whitman has made tremendous inroads in supporting our students of all backgrounds over the past few years. We’ve provided financial support to allow our students to maximize their experience while at Whitman. We have impressive work in the community, and we’ve created new programs to engage, mentor and support our diverse student body. We also welcomed our most ethnically diverse and largest female incoming class ever this fall. This award from Insight into Diversity magazine is a tangible recognition that we’re developing a more inclusive environment at Whitman,” says interim Whitman School Dean Alex McKelvie.

Insight Into Diversity magazine selected the Whitman School’s Multicultural and First-Generation Student and Parent Resource groups for this award. The goal of these resource groups is to ensure that both students and parents are aware of all the opportunities available to them to help break down barriers and foster greater inclusion.

The Multicultural and First-Generation Student Resource Group meets bimonthly throughout the academic year to provide programming to students. These include opportunities for community building, learning from and supporting each other and accessing professional development from faculty and alums of color.

To further support students, Whitman launched the Parents Resource Group, which meets virtually once a month. Parents are presented with information on topics related to undergraduate advising services/tutoring information, career services, study abroad, financial aid, campus housing and health and well-being services. This helps ensure that parents are equipped to assist their students in navigating their academic journey.

Diane Crawford, the executive director of institutional culture at Whitman, says, “These programs are beneficial for our underrepresented and first-generation students and their parents. The resources provided assist the first-gen parents with necessary information and the knowledge to be able to coach and support their student. The students have an opportunity to build community and have access to professional development and mentorships in ways that help them navigate their academic careers and beyond. The programs help our student to overcome some of the knowledge gaps that might exist and to ensure equitable access to what the Whitman School has to offer.”

“We know that many business programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication and mentorship for underrepresented students,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in business. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”

The 108 volunteers gathered on Feb. 23 at Skybarn on South Campus for a three-hour workshop to sand, drill and assemble wooden bunk beds. The group included 86 University students, 11 staff, faculty and retirees, plus 11 other members of the ���ϲ����� chapter of (SHP).

Student volunteers work on drilling boards as part of the SHP bed assembly work. (Photos by Amelia Beamish)

SHP, whose mantra is “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town,” is one of 270 chapters nationwide. The organization’s mission is to build and deliver new beds and bedding to children who may have been sleeping on a couch or the floor, and who, in many cases, have never had a bed of their own.

The ���ϲ����� SHP group has partnered with the for Public and Community Service—the University’s hub for academic community engagement—for several years. Though the chapter has built and delivered 4,564 beds to ���ϲ�����-area children since it began in 2018, 870 kids are still on the waitlist. SHP leaders say 76% of the beds built here will go to children who live within two miles of campus.

Friday’s event was organized by (SUVO) president ’25, a dual public relations and psychology major from Norwalk, Ohio. She says this is the first time in a decade that SUVO has initiated a large-scale volunteer project, and it’s one that seemed to resonate with everyone who heard about it.

“Hundreds of children in ���ϲ����� are currently sleeping on the floor. We often take a bed for granted, but it can have such an impact on one’s overall physical and mental health,” Ceccoli says. “A bed is not something I’ve ever given a second thought. I crawl into my bed when I’m sick, need a safe place or want some alone time. SHP’s goal of providing children who need but don’t have that safe space is such a worthy mission that I’m humbled and honored to leverage student resources to help a community partner.”

In a different area, student volunteers sand boards.

advisors Karrie Catalino and Mackenzie Jackson encouraged Ceccoli to bring the bed-building initiative to campus. Planning began in September 2023. Ceccoli applied for Student Association funding and SUVO was awarded nearly $12,000 to cover the costs of all materials and bedding. Once SUVO started promoting the event, volunteers eagerly signed on, including Phanstiel Scholars, Our Time Has Come Scholars and Kessler Scholars. Others reached out, too, including the University’s Brighten a Day unit, the Construction Management Club and Jonathan French, associate teaching professor and undergraduate director in the chemistry department in the , Ceccoli says.

Past and Current Employees

Several current and retired University employees are involved as volunteers with SHP and have been instrumental in the local chapter’s efforts. In 2018, employees Jon Wright, now retired from , and Jeff Pitt ’91, director of information technology services at the College of Arts and Sciences, formed the chapter and still serve as its co-presidents. Back then, they approached Dave Hoalcraft ’85 to join them. A 36-year University employee who retired in 2021, Hoalcraft now volunteers as SHP’s shop manager and bed-building trainer.

SHP-���ϲ����� volunteers Dave Hoalcraft, left, a retired University employee and Jeff Pitt, right, a current employee, worked with SUVO president and student Claire Ceccoli to lead the project.

Pitt says he likes that SHP fulfills two needs in the community. “One is the obvious one of providing a warm, comfortable place to sleep for children in need. The second is subtler: providing an outlet for people who want to give back to the community but who don’t know how to get started.”

Hoalcraft says the group’s mission “was a direct bullseye for me [so] I jumped right in. I am ‘Forever Orange,’ so doing a bed build with students on campus means a lot to me. I get to help a lot of kind people build beds for children in our community and ultimately help get children their own beds. It is awesome that ���ϲ����� students give back directly to the children in the community where [the students] live.”

On-Campus Spark

This is the first time SHP has held a mobile bed build on campus, and Ceccoli thinks the location has been key to the success of the event. “I think it can sometimes be intimidating for students to get off campus,” she says. “SUVO is seeking to connect students to the community and to inspire them to volunteer by making this opportunity accessible. We hope they will continue beyond this event to help SHP build or deliver more beds.” SUVO plans to provide students with information about additional volunteer opportunities.

“This is a beautiful testament to the interest and passion ���ϲ����� students have for community engagement,” Ceccoli says. “I want to work in the nonprofit sector. This is so real for me and to think of the impact we’ll be making on these children’s lives and their families’ lives while amplifying SHP’s mission is wonderful. Quite literally, I’d do this for the rest of my life.”

Claire Ceccoli with Kathryn Bradford, Shaw Center employee and SUVO advisor

Kathryn Bradford ’06, Shaw Center administrative coordinator and SUVO advisor, says she is extremely proud of how Ceccoli used knowledge from her classes and her Shaw Center leadership development intern experience to take the project from idea to reality through diligence, passion and positivity. “Hopefully this experience will encourage more students to participate in community engagement as a continuing part of their educational experience and beyond,” Bradford says.

Are you engaged in a volunteer activity that is having an impact on the greater community? In upcoming editions of SU Today, we plan to profile some of our faculty, staff and students who are making the world a better place through community service. Please email internalcomms@syr.edu with your story.

Social Workers United students from Falk College celebrated Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras with residents from Brookdale Summerfield Senior Living in ���ϲ�����.

This was going to be a story about the Social Workers United student group from the and how it once again organized an event to benefit the ���ϲ����� community.

And it still is.

But if you dig deeper, this story is much more than that.

It’s about how these students “continue to exemplify the values of social work: service, commitment to clients, and social justice,” says , school of social work assistant teaching professor and master of social work program director who oversees Social Workers United (SWU).

It’s about a woman named Dolly, a resident of in ���ϲ����� who, before SWU students came to visit on Feb. 13, hadn’t celebrated Valentine’s Day since her husband died.

And it’s about the kindness that Dolly showed her students as a teacher years ago, the kindness that SWU students showed Dolly and her friends on Feb. 13, and the hope that even with the politics, wars and mass shootings that dominate our headlines today, kindness is still all around us.

“We are so proud of our future social workers,” Genovese says. “They are shining a light toward a brighter future.”

‘An Amazing Group’

SWU is the student group of the in Falk College. Each semester, the students organize a food or clothing drive, and this past fall they collected food for the which helps students experiencing food insecurity.

Faculty advisors , , and Genovese advise and support the SWU students as they develop service projects, but the students lead the projects. For their first project of the spring semester, the students arranged a Valentine’s Day event for the residents of Brookdale Summerfield, an adult home and adult home memory care community for seniors.

Social Workers United students delivered handmade Valentine’s Day cards with personal messages, heart-shaped donuts, and balloons to the Brookdale residents.

On Feb. 13, the SWU students delivered handmade Valentine’s Day cards with personal messages, heart-shaped donuts and balloons to the Brookdale residents, who were already celebrating Mardi Gras. SWU’s arrival added a boost to the celebration.

“The valentines were collected in the social work office, and I really thought one student, (SWU president) Mary Claytor, was just going to drop them off at Brookdale,” Genovese says. “I had no idea the entire group of students was going and bringing balloons and donuts. The students organized all of this and paid for it themselves as SWU does not receive funding. They are an amazing group!”

Claytor, a first-year graduate student and graduate assistant who’s on track to obtain a master’s degree in social work, says when the students arrived, each one went to a different table to deliver their cards and engage in conversations. It didn’t take long before one of the residents shared a story about receiving two purple hearts from his service in World War II.

“There were so many incredible stories and lots of laughter,” says Claytor, who’s from Denver, Colorado. “Some folks were so surprised that we would dedicate time to them and asked for us to come back soon! It was a great experience, and we were happy to do something special for a group of people who did not expect to be celebrated.”

‘A Calling to Help’

Keianah Greene, who is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical social work, entered the room with the other SWU students and went to a table where she met Dolly and her friends. Dolly said she hadn’t celebrated Valentine’s Day since her husband passed, but when she learned the students were coming, she wanted to attend and learn more about them.

Greene, who’s from the Bronx, New York, and now lives in ���ϲ�����, explained why she wants to be a social worker before they discussed family and how important it is to be loving, kind and optimistic despite our daily struggles.

“Dolly mentioned that she was a middle school teacher in Birmingham, Alabama and that her mother had told her at an early age that she had a calling to help people,” Greene says. “She also mentioned the number of children she worked with and how they used school as an escape from problems they were having at home. So she always made sure to bring extra supplies for her classroom such as clothing, snacks and other necessities.”

Social Workers United student Keianah Greene (third from left) and Brookdale resident Dolly (second from left) had a heart-to-heart conversation about caring for other people.

Dolly told Greene that caring for others is fulfilling, but making sure that all the children in her classroom were included was challenging. Dolly emphasized the value of support systems and self-care for social workers and other caregivers.

“You can’t care for anyone if you don’t take care of yourself first,” Dolly told Greene.

As Greene was saying goodbye, Dolly told her that on this Valentine’s Day, she felt like she was reunited with her husband.

“She was happy to say that she knew this was her husband’s sign to come meet us (the students), and that our heart-to-heart conversation meant a lot,” Greene says. “I’m glad that I was able to learn from her and also spread the love.”

‘Brightens Their Day’

During their visit, Claytor spoke with Brookdale’s activities director about other ways the students might be able to get involved with the residents.

They discussed Brookdale’s game-and-movie nights, which would be an opportunity for students to engage with residents in a fun way. They talked about students helping the residents start a new garden with flowers, fruits and vegetables when the weather gets warmer.

Claytor assured the director that the students would be happy to help in any way possible.

“During our conversation, she mentioned that the residents often feel forgotten,” Claytor says. “They miss socializing with new people and having stimulating conversations about the future. She explained that it brightens their day when visitors come to see them, especially students.”

Kindness, it seems, is not a relic of the past that’s being thrown out with landline telephones, DVDs and alarm clocks. It’s all around us; we must know where to look.

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