From intricate features to ambitious investigations, The Daily Orange staff produced plenty of noteworthy pieces of journalism during the past nine months.

Alexa Díaz and Alexa Torrens — the 2017-18 management team — provided for alumni their picks for the best stories published by The Daily Orange during the 2016-17 academic year.

News

‘Insurmountable’: How Syracuse University handled a case of assault against a student abroad
Last summer, after meeting with Page Garbee, a Syracuse University alumna who was allegedly assaulted by a male SU student while studying abroad in 2014, Michael Burke (’18) obtained documents that showed Garbee’s attacker received minimal punishment despite being found guilty of striking her in the face.

Additional reporting revealed SU may have violated its own policies by allowing the student to remain in the abroad program following the incident. It also revealed the attacker was celebrated and honored by SU in years after the incident. When Burke presented this information to the university, he was not granted any interviews with SU officials.

Thousands of protesters gather in New York City in peaceful Women’s March
As a part of The D.O.’s Inauguration Day special edition, Kathryn Krawczyk (’18) covered the Women’s March on New York City. The story earned Krawczyk a Hearst Journalism Award for breaking news.

UNDER WATCH: With 1,100 security cameras, Syracuse University is one of the most watched campuses in the country
The D.O. surveyed the U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 National Universities for the number of cameras each has on a per student per acre basis. Chris Libonati’s story illustrates how SU, ranked 60th on the list of top universities, compares to its peers in surveillance. Mara Corbett translated those numbers graphically in one of the strongest presentations of the year.

Behind the scenes at Chuck’s last night in its current location
Following months-long coverage of how the construction of a luxury student housing complex on South Crouse Avenue would affect Marshall Street, The D.O. showed how Syracuse bid farewell to the legendary student bar Hungry Chuck’s Cafe in mid-April. The bar was demolished, but is expected to reopen in the mixed-use complex.

Public consensus: How Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud is viewed 3 years into his tenure
Burke began conceptualizing this story as an asst. news editor in spring 2016 when he began to notice trends in how Syverud was viewed by some faculty and staff. Throughout the following academic year, Burke sought the perspectives of faculty — nearly every faculty member on campus — along with deans, administrators and staff. In his reporting, Michael identified several themes of Syverud’s tenure.

Pulp

‘Invisible Minority’: Syracuse University students share their experiences of being indigenous people on campus
Amid controversy surrounding construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, SU announced it would recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on what is typically celebrated as Columbus Day. One story within a three-part series by Rachel Gilbert (’17) and Clare Ramirez (’17) on the topic focused on the experiences of Native American students at SU.

The original Funk ‘n Waffles closed its doors for good. Here’s what the last day was like.
Funk ‘n Waffles was a staple on the Hill for years, but closed in mid-February due to the looming construction of a luxury student housing development on South Crouse Avenue. Jacob Gedetsis (’18) reported from the restaurant and music venue on its final day until the last waffle was served.

‘Find Their Place’: How a local nonprofit is empowering refugees and immigrants in Syracuse
In response to the Trump administration’s executive order on immigration in January, which directly affected 50 SU students who were advised not to travel out of the country because they would not be allowed back in, the SU community organized petitions, protests and targeted lectures.

Clare Ramirez (’17) profiled local groups feeling the ramifications of the order, including RISE, or Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment, an organization partly run by former refugees who use their shared experiences to connect with refugees in Syracuse.

Sports

The Hard Way: Dino Babers has a history of turning around programs. Now, he’s trying to do the same with SU.
Libonati (’17) spent the summer of 2016 reporting on a deep dive into SU football coach Dino Babers’ history on the eve of his season debut. Libonati filled two notebooks with transcriptions and key quotes from interviews while piecing together major storylines of Babers’ life, including his efforts to help turn around several programs.

Dream catcher: Amba Etta-Tawo extended his football career while the ones around him ended
Libonati placed as a finalist in Region 1 for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards for his profile of SU wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo. The story delved into how Etta-Tawo, who transferred to Syracuse from Maryland, had to overcome a series of personal obstacles on his way to becoming the nation’s leading receiver at the time.

Father’s Time: After 2 years at Denver, Brendan Bomberry realized he had to be closer to his son
Paul Schwedelson (’17) and Ally Moreo (’19) made the border-crossing drive to Ohsweken, Ontario to spend a day with Syracuse lacrosse star Brendan Bomberry. The story, which was published as a part of The D.O.’s 2017 lacrosse preview, describes how Bomberry left Denver to come to Syracuse — the city where his son was born — to be closer to his family.

Power Move: Inside Mike Hopkins’ departure from the only school he ever knew
The generosity of D.O. alumni made possible one of the paper’s most important trips this year. In four days, alumni raised enough funds to cover a round-trip flight to Seattle after news broke that Syracuse basketball head coach-designate Mike Hopkins would take a head coaching job at Washington. Matt Schneidman (’17) traveled more than 2,000 miles and teamed up with Sam Fortier (’18) to report what would be one of The D.O.’s most-read stories of the year.

Published on May 30, 2017 at 9:54 pm

Contact Alexa: atorrens@syr.edu