Clay LePard (CL): Thank you for being with us Coach Marrone for this edition of 5 Questions with CONNECT. First off, how does the success of the football team affect the psyche of the Syracuse Community?

Doug Marrone

Doug Marrone: Well I think it’s important to me; it goes back to my days in New Orleans. When we first came there after Katrina, there was a lot of tough things going on economically within New Orleans and then coming across and having that season where we went to the NFC championship game. Just being able to pick up the spirits of the people, of where they were able to get away on a Sunday and forget about the problems of what Katrina caused really could pick up a community and really a whole area. So I think as far as the Syracuse football program, oh which we will do, have success on this football field. I think it will pick people’s spirits up and get them excited where they can go and be proud of their team.

CL: You went to school here, you played football here in the 1980s. How have you seen our school, but also our community, change over time?
Marrone: I know that from a university standpoint, we have done so much to increase our academic integrity as far as our schools are much more higher rated now, and Chancellor Nancy Cantor has done a great job on our campus. We’ve expanded our campus with new buildings and our professors are great; they were great when I was here, so I’m excited about that relationship we still have. And then the community – it’s been tough. We’re going through some tough economic times but we survive here in Syracuse; we got to work, we get our hands dirty and we get things done. So I’ve been very excited, you know, being on campus and being off campus in this community.
CL: When you applied for the job as head coach at Syracuse University, you kept a folder of current high school football players to keep an eye on in the Syracuse area. How important is it for you to recruit locally?
Marrone: Well I think it’s important for us to recruit locally obviously as a radius of 250 miles, starting here working our way out throughout the state. It’s important because it’s such an easy sell. We have a great school academically; we have such a great campus, we have great students here – people who go on to become leaders in the industries all over the country, if not the world. It’s an exciting standpoint for us to get someone close who can visit the campus multiple times, and it gives us a better chance to get those kids here.
CL: If you weren’t coaching football, what would you be doing?

Marrone: I’d be involved in athletics at some point. I don’t know if it would be coaching, it might be administration at some point. If it wasn’t that, it would be law enforcement. Growing up, I always wanted to be a state trooper. So, it would be one of those roles for me. 

CL: Even though so many people know your name and even though you’re so recognizable there has to be something people don’t know about you. So what would people be the most surprised to know about Doug Marrone?

Marrone: I would say it’s probably where I eat. I have three young children; they’re eight, six and four [years old]. So we go quite a bit to Red Robin, Friendly’s, to McDonalds. I probably visit those establishments more than any other ones because of the children. We go to bowling alleys, movie theatres. I’m out in the community quite a bit, and I know when I walk into Friendly’s or Red Robin, people always say “Coach, what are you doing here?” “Well I’m doing the same as you with your children.” I look for children friendly establishments and that’s what I look for with my children.

CL: Thanks Coach. This has been 5 Questions with CONNECT.

Danielle Waugh (DW): Coach Boeheim, thank you for being with us for five questions with CONNECT.

First I wanted to ask you: to people outside of the Syracuse area you are the most recognizable person, you’re essentially the face of our area. So how does that affect you, and why?

Jim Boeheim: Well that’s pretty sad. Oh I don’t know, I think people have followed our basketball program for a long time. So I think when you go outside, people tend to identify with Syracuse through our basketball program because we’ve had so many teams and so many games on television I think.

DW: Outside from being the basketball coach here, you’re also really involved in our charities. You’re involved in Coaches vs. Cancer and you also started the Jim Boeheim foundation. How has that affected you and why are those things so important to you?

Syracuse Men's Basketball Coach, Jim Boeheim

Boeheim: Well I believe you have to give back to the community. Our community has supported our basketball program as well as any community in the country. So in turn for that we have to give back, and Coaches vs. Cancer and the Kidney Foundation and Make a Wish are some of the vehicles we’ve used. With our own foundation we’ll be able to give to a lot of different local groups because we’ll be able to raise enough money hopefully to give back to several different groups. Some of it will be cancer related and some just to help kids in Central New York.

DW: On a more personal note, how would you describe yourself as a father?

Boeheim: Well it’s a lot of work, I know that. I have an older daughter, 24 years old, who was really pretty easy and not a hard child to raise. Now I have three that are 11 and twins that are ten and it’s a challenge. I know see how being a parent is much more of a challenge than I originally thought it was with my first daughter. But it’s fun, it’s a lot of activities and a lot of good things that go on every day and a little bit of craziness.

DW: You’ve been here for a while. You went to school here, you played basketball here in the 1960s. How have you seen our school, but also our community, change over time?

Boeheim: Well I’ve always loved the community and the school. I came here in 1962 as a player and I never left. I stayed as an assistant coach and was able to get the head coaching job. I love Central New York, I think the people are great. I think the people really care about the community. I think people are willing to get in and get involved in work and with charities. Everything we’ve ever done we’ve had support. People have supported us 100 percent. It’s a great place to live. I believe that.

DW: What about you, how have you changed since back in the 1960s?

Boeheim: Well, I’m a lot older, a little slower, more aches and pains. But you know, in coaching the thing I think is you start over new every year, you really do. So in a lot of ways it feels like your first team. You know, this is a brand new team this year, we’re 0 and 0, where are we going to go? So you really kind of start from scratch every year. And it kind of makes it almost seem timeless, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been coaching a long period of time. It kind of seems like this is your team, this is the year. So from that point of view I feel very similar from when I first started coaching.

DW: Even though so many people know your name and even though you’re so recognizable there has to be something people don’t know about you. So what would people be the most surprised to know about Jim Boeheim?

Boeheim: That’s a tough question. Um, I don’t know. I watch a lot of soap operas, the night time soap operas–Grey’s Anatomy and shows like that. You probably wouldn’t think that. But I do I watch a lot of television to kind of get away from the game. I like movies, old movies. I don’t get to many movies now because the only movies I get to are kid’s movies, but I like old movies and television. I don’t think people know that much. I like to fish. I don’t get a lot chances, but I do like to fish when I get the opportunity and hopefully some day I’ll get a little bit more opportunity.

DW: Coach Boeheim, thank you for being with us, this has been 5 Questions with CONNECT.

Dan and BrandiLee Schafran graduated from SU three years ago. Three days after walking across the stage to accept their diplomas, they walked down the aisle to exchange vows.

Written and Produced By: Marlei Martinez

For many college couples, falling in love sparks thoughts about marriage. But in a society where youthful marriages are declining, love isn’t the only factor college sweethearts are looking for when deciding to tie the knot.

Anthony Kershaw and Deana Cater are 22-years-old. Anthony is a fifth-year senior studying civil engineering at Syracuse University. His wife, Deana, graduated from SU last year. They met during their sophomore year of college.

“His shoes were really dirty so I just noticed him and I said, ‘Oh, I saw you on the bus today,’” Deana explained. “And he thought I was making fun of him so he Facebooked me and the rest is history.”

They dated for two years. During Deana’s senior year, they decided to marry due to “extenuating circumstance.”

“Pretty much the school took away my financial aid because there was a discrepancy in my FAFSA tax documents [and] my parents were unwilling to change their documents,” Anthony explained.

One way to keep his financial aid was to become independent. So, Anthony and Deana got married.

Finances are often a reason why college sweethearts decide to tie the knot. According to the Yale Daily Times, 15% of college couples get married and 7% of college couples marry while still in school.

Dr. Suzanne Haas-Cunningham, a marriage and family therapist, said money means different things for different couples.

“For some couples, finances would be really, really big,” Dr. Haas-Cunningham said. “But sometimes if there’s one person who has more financial responsibility and the other person is the caretaker, then it evens out.”

***

Dan and BrandiLee Schafran graduated from SU three years ago. Three days after walking across the stage to accept their diplomas, they walked down the aisle to exchange vows.

“It was the perfect day,” BrandiLee said.

The Schafrans met during their sophomore year of college when Dan joined the on-campus organization, Campus Crusade for Christ. They said faith is the foundation of their marriage and it was the cornerstone of Dan’s proposal in the Adirondacks.

“I got down and had her sit on the bank there,” Dan said. “And I read the passage in scripture where Jesus talks about washing each other’s feet and serving each other. So I kind of washed her feet there in the stream and told her I’d love her and serve her for the rest of her life.”

Dr. Haas-Cunningham said practicing the same faith does help the success of a marriage. However, she says it’s not a necessity.

”You could have two people who have two different beliefs that are really passionate and say, ‘I get you’re as passionate about your beliefs as I am, that’s cool, I can respect that,’” she said.

There are many reasons why college couples decide to get married either during school or right after. And while some may think love is enough, others consider a bit more.

The Westcott Theatre is located on Westcott Street, just blocks from Syracuse University

Written/Produced by Lara Bryn Greenberg

Syracuse, N.Y. – There are many different names for the same building on Westcott Street: The Westcott, The Westcott Theater, The Westcott Cinema and The Harvard Cinema. Nowadays, it’s called The Westcott or The Westcott Theater, and it’s one of the go-to concert venues in Syracuse.

The theater opened as The Harvard Cinema in 1926, and for more than eighty years, it showed independent and foreign films on a single screen.  But in October, 2007, this historical building closed down. Then-owner Nat Tobin kept the theater alive for more than ten years—along with his other building, The Manlius Cinema.

“Between utilities and rent, [The Westcott Cinema] was draining the profits of both theaters, and the only way that I felt that art as a medium in Syracuse could survive is if I gave up that theater and concentrated on Manlius again,” Tobin said.

But it didn’t take long for the space to be picked up by someone else.

Dan Mastronardi is in charge of booking bands in Central New York.  He shares his company, Hollerback Productions, with his partner Sam Levey. The two completely renovated the space themselves.

“It was long and tedious. It was not as expensive as most people would think because we did all the work ourselves,” Mastronardi said. All that work included tearing out seats and installing a 36-by-16 foot stage and a bar. The venue now has a maximum capacity of seven-hundred people. They generally have one hundred to two hundred guests per show, but have sold out at least a dozen times Mastronardi said.

Venue connects S.U. campus with Syracuse community

As a concert venue, The Westcott adds to the neighborhood—providing the “Westcott Nation” with a venue that Syracuse University students and community members can enjoy.

“It’s a big step to open a venue. And they’re taking those steps and they’re still improving things as we go now a year out,” said Ulf Oesterle, owner of Aux Records and host of iROCK at WKRL in Syracuse. He praised the venue for its closeness to the community, explaining that “the fact that you can just head out and see a show just down the street that’s national acts, that’s great.”

Oesterle explained that it’s an all-age venue. Meaning that while it has a bar, most of the shows allow people under the age of eighteen to attend. He said that makes parents feel more comfortable about letting their children go to shows and mingle with students from the nearby SU campus. He said it’s a nice spot where people are “looking out for each other.”

But the theatre is also a launching pad for new talent. Though Mastronardi brings in national touring acts, he usually has local Syracuse and Central New York bands open for them. This gave him his first piece of national press coverage on the music site, Jambase, which has information about bands, concerts, and tours.

Other local venues can’t compare

Adam Gold frequents the theater to see concerts and perform with his band, Sophistafunk. He also owns his own venue called Funk N Waffles on Marshall Street near the SU hill. It’s a coffee shop and waffle restaurant that books bands to play at night. He said he would never be able to book bands like The Westcott because his café is small and simply can’t hold the national touring bands that The Westcott gets.

“I’m really glad The Westcott’s here. You know, there’s really no venue like it in this city. And I think we really need it to help build the music scene,” Gold said.

Adults and teenagers alike packed the theater in early October when Gold and his band opened for the band Soulive. The unusual, yet comforting venue brought a well-balanced combination of young and old music lovers. And that’s exactly what Mastronardi said he aims for.

Students play beer pong on Syracuse University campus. The traditional college drinking games has been linked to the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Beer Pong- Another Swine Flu Victim

By Rachel Silver

Syracuse, N.Y. – A longstanding college tradition may be a cause in the spread of swine flu.

Beer pong, a college drinking game, is popular with students on campuses across the country. In the game, players throw ping-pong balls into cups of beer to determine who drinks and continue playing until all of the cups are empty.

But while the game may seem relatively harmless, several schools have connected outbreaks of H1N1 on their campuses to the game.

At Rennsalaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, twenty-one students with confirmed cases of swine flu were said to contract the virus through beer pong, causing the university to send out a message warning students of the potential dangers of the game.

At Syracuse University, the administration took a proactive approach through an advisory sent to off-campus students regarding the health risks of beer pong.

“There is an obvious connection between people exchanging germs through contact with cups and sharing beverages,” said Carol Masiclat, associate director of communications for the Division of Student Affairs. “So obviously if you’re sharing cups and, you know, putting your mouth on common things, it’s possible you could increase you risk of getting sick.”

However, despite the university’s warnings, the majority of SU students, like Ian Chin, remain unconcerned.

“It’s part of the college culture, you know,” said Chin. “It’s fraternities and sororities like playing it, it’s a staple at college parties and, you know, college kids like to, you know, get intoxicated.”

SU Mock Trial Team

Danielle Waugh

After a year of arguments, this group of SU students calls themselves best friends.

The SU undergraduate Mock Trial Team spent the year competing in trial competitions, traveling across the country. They ended their successful season in Des Moines, Iowa where they competed at the National Championship from April 17 to 19.

Team members include seniors Michelle McClafferty, Brian Mueller, and Michael Schaefer, junior Matthew Cujak, sophomores Andrew Rice and Danielle Waugh, and freshmen Ken Alter and Amanda St. Hilaire. They are coached by a local attorney, Bob Smith, along with two SU Law alumni, Iman Abraham and Meghan Bashar.

“Of the eight years I’ve been in mock trial, this was the best team I’ve ever been on,” Brian Mueller said.

Mock Trial is an undergraduate competition sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association. Students are given a fictitious case to prepare arguments and cases for both sides.

This year’s case was a libel case. The plaintiff, a gubernatorial candidate, sued a national news organization for a story they ran accusing him of murder.

In preparation for the case, the students practice roles as attorneys and witnesses to put on a real trial in front of jury members that evaluate them and determine a winner.

“You have to be charismatic, that’s all there is to it,” Andrew Rice said. “If you have some charisma and a work ethic, you can succeed and win trials.”

Out of the 600 collegiate teams in the country, the Syracuse team was one of 48 that advanced to the national championship in Des Moines.

The road to Des Moines was not an easy one. First, a team must be one of the top 8 teams in their regional competition. In Syracuse’s regional tournament on February 14, they placed first.

Then, they competed at the Open Round Championship Site in Easton, Penn. on March 13 to 15. In order to advance to nationals, a team had to place in the top 6 at their ORCS. Syracuse placed fourth, knocking out Harvard University who was highly favored to win the championship title.

In Des Moines, Syracuse competed against The University of Iowa, Drake University, The University of Richmond, and Eastern Kentucky University. “I think we were on par with everyone we competed against at nationals,” Matthew Cujak said. They ended their season with a record of 17-6-1.

“We all work very, very had and that’s why our team was so successful,” Ken Alter said.

Throughout the year, the team practiced a mandatory 12 hours a week, and met for individual sessions outside of team meetings.

“Part of the reason winning is so rewarding is because the commitment is so high,” Mueller said. “When you beat someone, you really earned it.”

The rewards of mock trial go beyond the courtroom.

“The social dynamic was incredible,” Alter said. “I’ve made friends with everyone on our team, and friends from other teams we’ve competed against.”

Amanda St. Hilaire agreed, “When you see people that often, it’s hard not to get close to them.”

Coming off a year that exceeded their expectations, the team hopes to continue their success next year. “My prediction is that we’re going to continue to compete on the national level, and hopefully take the title,” Alter said.