The Remitted Tuition Benefit Information Session will be held Monday, Sept. 18, from noon to 1 p.m. via videoconference. Interested individuals should and a link will be sent in advance of the session.

This information session will provide an overview of the University’s remitted tuition benefit program. Please and the for details regarding eligibility.

Benefits-eligible employees with children approaching college age can learn more about the University’s dependent tuition benefit through a videoconference on Thursday, Sept. 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. The presentation will be repeated on Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Register for the or session. A link will be sent to those who register a few days before the session.

The presentation will provide an overview of the University’s three (SU Tuition Waiver, Cash Grant and Tuition Exchange), as well as an opportunity for questions and answers. Those attending are encouraged to review the and the prior to the session.

If you require any accommodation in order to fully participate in these sessions, please contact Pam Gavenda at pegavend@syr.edu. Closed captioning will be available.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the HR Service Center at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu.

Minnie Bruce Pratt

Pratt died on July 2 at the age of 76. According to an in The New York Times, her death was caused by glioblastoma. A few weeks before her death, her sons Ben and Ransom Weaver that she was “free of pain and surrounded by loving friends and family.” It was a poignant post by the sons she fought for but lost custody of after she came out as a lesbian in the mid-1970s. In North Carolina where she lived at the time, same-sex relationships were considered a crime.

Pratt was already a renowned feminist, poet, essayist and activist when she came to Syracuse University in 2005, with a joint appointment as a professor in the departments of writing and women’s studies.��She began her Syracuse tenure teaching two courses: Nation, Sex, Sexuality: Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Life in the U.S. in the women’s studies program and Narratives of Power in the writing program. She was a key architect in the 2006 launch of the in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Pratt also co-chaired and keynoted numerous academic conferences, served as an affiliated faculty member in disability studies, and lent her expertise to major programs and initiatives, including the University’s Future of Minority Studies Project and the Stone Canoe arts journal.�� At a retirement celebration to honor her decade of teaching at Syracuse, she was credited with helping the University be named as one of the nation’s top-50 LGBT-friendly institutions.

Pratt was born Sept. 12, 1946, in Selma, Alabama, and attended a segregated high school. She earned a B.A. from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where she was also Phi Beta Kappa, and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to Syracuse University, she taught at the University of Maryland-College Park and was the Jane Watson Irwin Chair of Women’s Studies at Hamilton College.

She was a member of Feminary, a feminist journal and collective. She co-authored “Yours In Struggle: Three Feminist Perspectives On Anti-Semitism and Racism,” chosen in 2004 as one of the 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Nonfiction Books of all time by the Publishing Triangle.

Pratt published eight books of poetry: “The Sound of One Fork,” “We Say We Love Each Other,” “Crime Against Nature,” “Walking Back Up Depot Street,” “The Dirt She Ate: Selected and New Poems,” “Inside the Money Machine” and “Magnified.”��“Crime Against Nature,” on Pratt’s relationship to her two sons as a lesbian mother, was chosen as the Lamont Poetry Selection by the Academy of American Poets, an annual award given for the best second full-length book of poetry by a U.S. author. “Crime Against Nature” was also chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and given the American Library Association Gay and Lesbian Book Award for Literature. “The Dirt She Ate” received the 2003 Lambda Literary Award for Poetry and the Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America.��Pratt also received a Lillian Hellman-Dashiell Hammett award given by the Fund for Free Expression to writers “who have been victimized by political persecution.”

Pratt’s book of autobiographical and political essays, “Rebellion: Essays 1980-1991,” was a finalist in nonfiction for the Lambda Literary Awards. This volume includes her essay “Identity: Skin Blood Heart,” which was adopted for teaching use in hundreds of college courses and community groups.

Pratt with these words published on her website: “The struggle—for social justice and for workers and oppressed people, against racism and imperialism and for liberation for women and all gender and sexually-oppressed people—is my life.” And though she was determined through her work to educate and raise consciousness, that wasn’t enough: “We must act on what we understand to be unjust, or our hard-won consciousness is useless, nothing more than sand running back and forth through an hourglass.”

Pratt was predeceased by her longtime partner, author and trans activist Leslie Feinberg and is survived by her two sons, their partners and five grandchildren.

Professor Charles Driscoll (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Charles Driscoll has been selected to receive the�� from the National Water Research Institute. Driscoll is the University and Distinguished Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering in the .

The Clarke Prize is considered one of the most prestigious awards pertaining to water science. It is awarded to thought leaders in water research, science, technology, or policy in the United States. Past honorees have included some of the most significant figures in civil and environmental engineering; the water, biological, physical, chemical, health and political sciences; and public planning and policy.

Driscoll’s research largely involves characterization and quantifying the impacts of air pollution, such as acid rain and mercury, changing climate, and land and water disturbances on the structure and function of ecosystems, and pathways of ecosystem recovery. Much of his work has focused on forests and associated aquatic resources, including long-term studies at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire and the Huntington Forest in the Adirondacks, New York. Recent work has included strategies for the decarbonization of sectors and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Professor Driscoll collecting water samples with two of his students (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Over the past 40 years, Driscoll has advanced new analytical techniques, established and maintained long-term measurements and experiments, and developed a series of research and predictive models that simulate transformations of major chemical elements in forest vegetation, soil and surface waters in response to air pollution, climate and land disturbance. Beyond theory, he is interested in testing ‘in situ’ strategies to reverse the damaging effects of acid rain and mercury contamination, eutrophication, urbanization and climate change. Driscoll has testified at US Congressional and state legislative committee hearings and provided briefings to government agencies, industry and stakeholder groups on environmental issues. He has served on local, national and international committees pertaining to environmental management and policy.

Driscoll will receive the award and give a lecture in Irvine, California, on October 21, 2023. For information about attending the event, fill out the form on the��.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden confers the 2023 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction to George Saunders at the National Book Festival on Aug. 12. (Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress)

Syracuse University professor and acclaimed fiction writer received the 2023 at the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden presented Saunders with the award during the ceremony. In a subsequent conversation with Clay Smith, the festival’s literary director, Saunders discussed his writing career and his award-winning and bestselling novel “Lincoln in the Bardo.” (Updated Aug. 16, 2022)

The annual prize is one of the most distinguished awards in fiction, recognizing a writer “whose body of work is distinguished not only for its mastery of the art but also for its originality of thought and imagination,” according to an announcement from the Library of Congress.

Saunders, a professor of English in the , is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 12 books, including:

• “Lincoln in the Bardo,” which won the 2017 Man Booker Prize
• “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain”
• “Congratulations, by the way”
• “Tenth of December,” a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the inaugural Folio Award
• “The Braindead Megaphone”
• “CivilWarLand in Bad Decline”
• “Liberation Day,” a collection of short stories chosen as one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2022

George Saunders

“We are delighted to see Professor Saunders recognized by our nation’s oldest federal cultural institution,” says , dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “This well-deserved honor shines a spotlight on the fantastic talent and teaching offered by Syracuse University’s English department and its creative writing program. We are so proud of George—and so pleased to offer our students the invaluable opportunity to hone the craft alongside such luminaries.”

In 2013, Saunders was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He has taught in the creative writing program since 1996.

“I look forward to… working with the Library [of Congress] to further the art of fiction; an art form that can do so much to bring us together and deepen our empathy for, and interest in, one another,” Saunders said when the prize was announced.

When she was serving in the U.S. Navy as a culinary specialist, the ship frequently held sports jersey days, where the crew could wear their favorite player’s or team’s jersey for all to see. Rose was notorious for representing the Orange, with her two favorite jerseys belonging to former men’s basketball standout Carmelo Anthony and legendary men’s lacrosse star Mike Powell ’04.

Stephanie Rose

Little did Rose know that, years later, her future occupation would combine her love for the Orange with her passion for food services.

“Everybody knew I was from Syracuse and that I bleed Orange. Whenever the men’s basketball tournament was playing [in the NCAA tournament], I’d have two screens going on my computer to watch the action. I’ve always loved Syracuse University and wanted to work for the University,” says Rose, who fulfilled that dream when she was hired by Syracuse as a campus catering manager on Aug. 15, 2022.

In her role, Rose handles staffing for catered events on campus, overseeing roughly 200 student workers and student supervisors. Among the biggest on-campus events she’s led are the University’s annual Commencement weekend and Convocation celebrations, tailgates before home football games and the recent Veterans Summit held at the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building.

Regardless of the size or scope of the event, Rose prides herself on ensuring that everyone in attendance enjoys themselves while feasting on carefully planned food selections.

“I know that the people are there to have fun and enjoy their get-together, and it literally makes my job when I see people enjoying themselves at an event. But I’m also all about making sure our students have the best possible experience. That’s my drive, that’s my goal. I especially love working events on the Quad for that reason. Our job is to make sure these students are having a great Syracuse experience, and our staff is here to do whatever they can to play a small part in that experience,” Rose says.

Get to know Rose, a decorated member of the Navy who still is active within the U.S. Navy Reserve. Rose and her husband, Jon, an aviation electronics technician in the Navy, are the proud parents of twin 4-year-old boys Asher and Logan.

2023 is the 50th anniversary of this program, organized by CNY Arts, and faculty and staff are invited to showcase their talents along with other employers and businesses in the region.

All eligible artwork submitted will be displayed on campus in the Noble Room in Hendricks Chapel in a special exhibition titled “On My Own Time–Celebrating the Artistic Talents of Syracuse University Faculty and Staff.” The exhibition will run from May 30-June 8.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to support their colleagues by visiting the exhibition and casting a ballot for their favorite piece to win the People’s Choice Award. Also, during the on-campus exhibit, a selection panel of adjudicators—including a CNY Arts representative—will select pieces for an “On My Own Time Grand Finale” exhibition. The finale is a five-week exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art* from Oct. 7-Nov. 11 and will include a reception for artists, University colleagues, family and friends on Oct. 12. Tickets to the finale are available starting in September at .

*Grand Finale exhibition location and timing subject to change

Eligibility for Participation

All active full-time and part-time faculty and staff are eligible to submit artwork for adjudication. Fine arts faculty and professional artists are eligible to submit works outside of their discipline.

Criteria for Submission of Artists’ Work

• All artwork submitted must be original creations. Copies of published work or craft kits will not be accepted.
• All artwork must have been completed within three years of entry.
• Artwork must be finished and display-ready, to include mounting hardware (if applicable). Please submit display instructions or materials as necessary.
• Each faculty or staff member may submit one piece per category, not to exceed three pieces total.

Submission categories include:

• Painting (oil, acrylic, watercolor)
• Metalwork
• Drawing (pen, pencil, ink, charcoal)
• Jewelry
• Collage/assemblage
• Printmaking
• Computer art
• Photography (color or black-and-white)
• Woodwork
• Glasswork
• Sculpture
• Mixed media
• Ceramics
• Fiber art

Registration and Submission Instructions

All artists must register with their intent to participate by May 19 by completing a . Artwork submissions must be delivered to the Noble Room on May 26. Additional details will be shared upon registration. Artists are responsible for delivering and collecting artwork on schedule.

Volunteers Needed

Faculty and staff volunteers are also needed to staff the “On My Own Time” exhibition at Hendricks. If you would like to volunteer, email OMOT@syr.edu as soon as possible with your availability May 26-June 8. General questions about the exhibition can also be directed to OMOT@syr.edu.

A previous “On My Own Time” faculty and staff exhibition held on campus

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, coverage will no longer be available through the University. Those employees who had previously enrolled will have the option to continue their coverage on an individual basis, paying IdentityForce directly based on the rates listed below. If you are currently enrolled in coverage, you will receive an email directly from IdentityForce with instructions to continue and pay for your coverage going forward if you choose.

Monthly Cost for Continuing Coverage Through IdentityForce for Calendar Year 2023:

Individual Only*

• $5.33/month (UltraSecure Plus)
• $9.70/month (UltraSecure Premium)

Individual + One Adult*

• $10.20/month (UltraSecure Plus)
• $17.45/month (UltraSecure Premium)

*Includes ChildWatch protection services for eligible dependents under the age of 26

For more information, contact IdentityForce Member Services at 877.694.3367 or HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042.

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• (30 credits)
  • Sample courses: Project Management Fundamentals, Organizational Behavior and Leadership, Opportunity and Risk Management.
  • Project managers do not operate in a single domain—their skill sets are invaluable in all types of organizations and roles, large and small. The project management master’s degree satisfies the education/training requirement for project management professional (PMP) and certified associate in project management (CAPM) credentials.

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• (120 credits)
  • Sample courses: Data in Society, Informational Visualization, Data-Driven Inquiry.
  • Tying together the fields of computer science, management and business intelligence, the program prepares budding analysts to derive insights from complex data and teaches students how to interpret and translate data into market-ready, actionable information.
• (120 credits)
  • Sample courses: Global Leadership, Essentials of Marketing, Digital and Business Communications for Professional Studies.
  • Today’s businesses face unprecedented turbulence and disruption. Rapid changes in technology and the impact of globalization yield uncertainty, and companies need leaders with the skills to nimbly adapt to this changing landscape. Powered by the Whitman School of Management, this degree prepares students to be a leader in their careers.
• (120 credits)
  • Sample courses include those in writing, the humanities and critical reflections on ethical and social issues.
  • Develop a comprehensive and informed worldview through a powerful academic foundation. Students will gain critical thinking skills and knowledge that will open doors to advancement in their careers, new career opportunities or as a requirement for pursuing graduate-level study.

Certificate-Level

• (15 credits)
  • Sample courses: Foundations of Project Management, Project Organization and Leadership, Project Communications and Stakeholder Management.
  • Explore the foundations of organization, leadership, methodologies and the communication techniques of project management. The project management certificate satisfies the education/training requirement for Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) credentials.

To learn more about these and other degree and certificate offerings, . Find out more about using remitted tuition by or the .

But Nieves Vergara also knows and appreciates the many benefits associated with upper-class college students mentoring their younger peers, from sharing academic resources and providing feedback on classes and professors to understanding how to read a syllabus and inquire about summer internships.

Especially when it comes to students from low-income households who choose to attend Syracuse University, being connected to a network of mentors who understand how to successfully navigate these topics can be incredibly valuable.

Thankfully, in her role as the coordinator of mentoring programs in , Nieves Vergara combines her love of mentoring with her drive to make higher education accessible for all while connecting students to the proper resources and support systems once they arrive on campus.

Breana Nieves Vergara

“My passion for peer mentorship comes from the fact that I wish I had a peer mentorship program when I was in college,” says Nieves Vergara. “This job is my passion project, finding ways to create that community that I didn’t have. This position melds together all of my interests and is the perfect fit.”

Nieves Vergara pours this passion into helping the students she works with to discover community and feel comfortable exploring their own identities during their time on campus.

She says she feels blessed to be able to coordinate two peer-to-peer mentoring programs through her role: , where first-year female students of color are matched up with an upper-class female student of color, and , where first-year students of color are paired with an upper-class student of color, and the upper-class mentor is matched up with an Alumni, Employer, Faculty or Staff (AEFS) mentor.

“I get a lot of energy working with the students and they have great ideas. They’re all super energized and positive. Being able to be that mentor that I think I would have wanted when I was an undergraduate student, that’s also really fulfilling. This job is about providing our students with resources, but also bridging the gap and creating community for our students,” says Nieves Vergara.

It all stems from Nieves Vergara’s experiences as a student participant with On Point for College, a local nonprofit that strives to close the gap for lower-income students seeking to attend college. Nieves Vergara found the program to be incredibly beneficial, so much so that after she graduated, she embarked on a fellowship with On Point for College.

Breana Nieves Vergara poses with several of her student mentors and mentees in her role as coordinator of mentoring programs in Multicultural Affairs.

During her year-long stint as Programming Fellow, Nieves Vergara concentrated on providing students with peer mentorship opportunities through interactive, impactful and hands-on programming that helped students develop and grow as a person and in the classroom.

Because of her efforts to create academic, professional development, cultural and social connections between mentors and mentees, Nieves Vergara says she’s also gained a newfound appreciation for the role the University plays in giving back to the local Syracuse community, something she didn’t always realize growing up in the city.

“Being involved in Syracuse University and working in this role has shown me how much the SU community is invested in the local Syracuse community,” she says. “Since I coordinate those mentoring programs, being able to provide community service opportunities for my students in a way that’s meaningful for both the students and the Syracuse community has been really rewarding.”

Her impact on campus extends beyond cultivating community through peer-to-peer mentoring opportunities. Nieves Vergara also supports the Kessler Presidential Scholars program and leads the University’s which begin with an on Sept. 15.

New for this year’s monthlong celebration are weekly Café con Leche—translated as “coffee with milk”—discussions on important cultural topics like (Sept. 23), (Sept. 28) and (Oct. 4).

The culminating program is the , from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, featuring Paola Ramos, a Cuban American author, Emmy Award-winning journalist and Latinx advocate who also worked as deputy director of Hispanic media for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and served on President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012.

“I’m super excited for the programming we have planned during Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month. We have such an amazing resource on campus in [Cultural Center in the College of Arts and Sciences] that bridges the gap between SU and the local community, and there’s so much we want to highlight about our Latinx community. This is going to be a great time for our campus community and the City of Syracuse,” says Nieves Vergara.

Here are a few ways to obtain an at-home test kit.

1. A supply of at-home tests were distributed to schools, colleges and administrative units at the beginning of the fall semester. Four at-home tests were allocated for each member of the faculty and staff working in-person on campus, including those in our New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles locations. If you have not received your tests yet, contact your dean, unit leader or supervisor.
2. At-home tests are available at a highly subsidized cost of $1/test kit in dedicated vending machines located across campus. Visit the for locations.
3. Employees and dependents who are can access FDA-approved COVID-19 testing related services at no cost through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) and Optum Rx.
   

   Coverage Through Excellus BCBS

   Your cost for FDA-approved COVID-19 testing related services will be waived when you use your Excellus BCBS insurance card. This generally includes diagnostic tests, as well as in-network provider office visits, in-network urgent care visits and emergency room visits necessary to obtain a COVID-19 diagnosis. If an in-network provider is not available, the health plan will cover testing through an out-of-network provider at no cost to the member. Any questions can be directed to the University’s dedicated customer care team at Excellus BCBS at 800.493.0318 (TTY: 800.662.1220).

   Coverage Through Optum Rx

   When using your Optum Rx insurance card, qualifying COVID-19 at-home tests can be acquired for free from Optum Rx’s preferred retail partners: Kinney Drugs, Rite Aid, Sam’s Club, Walgreens and Walmart. Additionally, members of the health plan are eligible to be reimbursed for up to $12 toward the cost of a qualifying test purchased by submitting a manual claim request. Each covered member can be reimbursed for up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests per month (without a prescription). For more information and to request a claim reimbursement visit or contact Optum Rx at 866.854.2945 (TTY:711).

General questions about COVID-19 testing? Please contact Human Resources Shared Services at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu.

While these statistics may seem quite high, they are also proof that if you struggle with high blood pressure or prediabetes, you are not alone. The even better news is that there is evidence that enacting simple—but not always easy—changes to your lifestyle can help manage these conditions and prevent them from escalating.

Two programs offered through the Syracuse University Wellness Initiative this fall are designed to help benefits-eligible faculty and staff redefine their health and transform their life: the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program (BPSM), both launching in October. Read on to learn more about these programs and how staff members have benefited from prior participation.

A Holistic Approach to Diabetes Prevention

When Stefania Ianno signed up for the DPP last year, she was intrigued by the program’s yearlong approach. She knew that for her own success, health and wellness needed to be an ongoing lifestyle and not a yo-yo dieting experiment.

“I was compelled to sign up for the DPP because it approaches health from many angles: movement and exercise; food and nutrition; and the mental/emotional aspects of motivation and discipline,” says Ianno, assistant director of development for Syracuse Stage.

The DPP is a small-group program offered in partnership with the YMCA of Central New York. It requires a 12-month commitment with 26 one-hour sessions over the course of the year. Sessions are facilitated by Stephanie Michaels, a YMCA lifestyle coach, and dive deep into the science of diabetes prevention while also offering participants practical, everyday strategies for eating healthier, increasing their physical activity and losing weight.

The program also includes a free YMCA family membership for the first 20 weeks, which can be used at any of six locations across Central New York. “Access to the YMCA was particularly awesome and very motivating—I was able to get on a better schedule of incorporating movement into my weekly activities,” says Ianno.

She found the resources provided, including education on topics she did not previously know much about and tracking mechanisms for food and activity, to be helpful, as well as periodic check-ins with Michaels to provide a touchpoint on her progress.

The upcoming DPP begins Oct. 11 and meets on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. in the Hall of Languages, room 500. The program is for adults who have prediabetes or are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, but who do not already have diabetes. There is a personal investment of $200 that is deducted via payroll and eligible for full reimbursement once the participant has met certain attendance criteria and action items.

Staying Ahead of Hypertension

Research shows that the simple process of checking and recording blood pressure at least twice a week may help lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. There is evidence that proper nutrition, particularly reducing sodium, can help lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure.

Participants in the Wellness Initiative’s BPSM, also offered in partnership with the YMCA of Central New York, receive a free blood pressure cuff that they can use at home for twice-weekly readings.

Over four months, they practice home self-monitoring and participate in one-on-one check-ins with Michaels on Microsoft Teams, as well as monthly one-hour seminars on topics like lowering sodium intake, shopping, preparing and cooking food for blood pressure management, and heart-healthy eating.

Derek Pooley, assistant director for student success in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, participated in a prior offering of the BPSM and says the program taught him new information that has been key to managing his diagnosis of high blood pressure.

“The different tips and conversations I had with Stephanie got me thinking about different ways to hydrate, sleep and eat better,” Pooley says. “I didn’t realize how much hydration affects blood pressure, so I drink way more water now than I did before!”

Pooley says he saw his blood pressure decrease over the course of the program and he still uses the blood pressure cuff he received to continue his home self-monitoring. “I would absolutely recommend this program to other faculty and staff members,” he says. “I took my blood pressure three times per week, had a weekly meeting to talk about different methods to lower it and tried the suggestions offered. It was simple and effective.”

The upcoming installment of the BPSM begins Oct. 3 and runs through January. There is a $60 personal investment via payroll deduction, with the opportunity for a full reimbursement upon successful completion of the program.

To learn more about the Diabetes Prevention and Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring programs, including qualifying criteria and full schedules for participation, visit the .

Jay Cox, senior writer and content specialist in the Division of Marketing, is pictured with his wife, Terry, and daughter, Edie, a graduate of Fabius-Pompey High School.

Keely Calf Robe, office coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences, shared this photo of her daughter, Sydney Calf Robe. Sydney is from the Onondaga Nation and a graduate of Lafayette Junior/Senior High School. She plans to attend Six Nations Polytechnic to earn a bachelor’s degree in Ongwehonh languages.

Carrie Grogan Abbott, director of New Student and Family Programs, celebrated her nephew Michael Gigliotti, a recent graduate of Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire. Gigliotti will attend Keene State College this fall.

Jim Powers, assistant IT director with the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, is pictured with John Holohan, a recent graduate of East Syracuse Minoa Central High School.

Monique Frost, administrative specialist in the Office of Alumni Engagement, celebrates her granddaughter Kahmani Irons, a recent graduate of Solvay High School. This fall, Irons will attend Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Monica Jasmin, medical assistant at the Barnes Center at The Arch, and her family celebrate daughter Katelyn Jasmin, a graduate of Chittenango High School and incoming first-year student at Syracuse University. Also pictured are Monica’s son, Zach Jasmin ’22, and her husband, Tim.

Holly Kingdeski, communications assistant in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs, shared a photo with her daughter, Morgan, and her husband, Michael. Morgan is a graduate of Cicero-North Syracuse High School and will attend the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse this fall.

Diane McKenney, a library technician with Syracuse University Libraries, celebrates her daughter, Jett, a recent graduate of William Nottingham High School who will attend Syracuse University this fall.

Proud grandma Karen Piedmonte, office coordinator in Food Services, shared a photo of granddaughter Rylee Piedmonte, a graduate of Solvay High School.

Stacey Royer, executive assistant in the Graduate School, celebrated her daughter Zoë’s recent graduation from Chittenango High School. This fall, Zoë will be an incoming first-year student at Syracuse.

Sara Ruddy, accounting assistant in Energy Systems and Sustainability Management, and her husband, Patrick, celebrate their son Carter’s graduation from Cazenovia High School.

John Tillotson, associate professor and chair of the Department of Science Teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences, shared the news of his daughter Brooke’s recent graduation from Marathon High School.

Kelly Venturini, assistant director of development in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, celebrated her son, Tommy, alongside her husband, Tom. Tommy is a graduate of Solvay High School and will attend Syracuse University this fall.

Removed from the Commencement spotlight, Candace Hayden G’23 and the were also celebrating, but for a different reason. Sure Hayden, the executive director, and her team of Jordan Clifford ’12, director, Emily Haff, director, and Michele Lapierre ’13, assistant director, were pleased to witness the newest members of the Orange alumni family cherishing the final moments of their college experience.

But after COVID-19 postponed Commencement for the Class of 2020 and forced the University to hold not one but three separate Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021, this was a return to normalcy for Hayden and the Major Events team. One Commencement ceremony honoring all Syracuse University graduates.

After a year of event planning, a year spent thinking of every worst-case scenario, Hayden and her staff pulled off a smooth and seamless Commencement. And while Hayden is quick to point out that her staff treats every event with the same level of dedication, preparation and energy, ��it was especially important for Commencement 2022 to run flawlessly.

Candace Hayden, executive director, major events

“We take a lot of pride in what we do, regardless of what kind of pressure is on that particular event. But Commencement comes with a lot of pressure and that is an added motivation to make sure it is flawless. We want to make sure our students are happy and that their parents are happy. Commencement is a time to celebrate the students, and if the Major Events team can obsess over the details to create that venue and that space where it has a celebratory feel, those are things that we strive for,” says Hayden, who has worked at the University since September 2018.

Planning for Commencement begins each summer and includes working with assorted leadership teams on campus—from the Chancellor’s office and the provost to facilities, parking and physical plant—to create each school or college’s convocation schedule. Hayden and her staff serve as partners in the process, ensuring each convocation has its own identity, look and feel.

The pressure of planning and executing the biggest event on the University calendar was magnified because the Major Events team, which at its biggest consisted of seven staff members, featured only two staffers until Clifford and Haff started less than two weeks before Commencement. Hayden never once used the staffing shortage as an excuse.

Michelle Lapierre, assistant director, major events.

“We all just stepped up. I received the additional team members just in time to help execute Commencement, and a lot of credit goes to Michele Lapierre, who was always by my side. Plus, we have an honorary team member, our manager, Chuck Merrihew, the person I report to. He has a production background and really took the lead on a lot of the video aspects in setting up the Commencement production with the JMA Dome team. Chuck is a godsend, and I wouldn’t be successful without those key staff members and a lot of grace,” Hayden says.

The impact the Major Events team has on campus life extends beyond Commencement. Whenever there is a large-scale on-campus event—from New Student Convocation to Forever Orange campaign events—chances are good that Hayden and her Major Events staff members pored over the relevant details to ensure the program goes off without a hitch.

Jordan Clifford ’12, director, major events

Clifford, who earned a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, spent the previous eight years working in events and marketing for the New York City-based Meredith Corporation before coming to Syracuse University. Haff spent the last eight years working in events and donor relations before accepting the job on campus.

“I’m very blessed to have the staff I have, and I’m grateful to have Jordan and Emily on our team. They were able to be thrown into the fire of Commencement a week prior, and they took the lead in a lot of areas that I couldn’t be present for. My hope with this team as we move forward is that we’re able to have a hand in executing advancement events while still managing our traditional Commencement ceremonies and New Student Convocation,” says Hayden.

For someone so focused on details, Hayden admits she “accidentally fell into event planning” years ago while working at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Emily Haff, director, major events

After graduating in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Hayden served as an academic records coordinator at Drexel University in Philadelphia for two and a half years. Hayden worked in the registrar’s office on student diplomas and records, but it wasn’t until she accepted a position as academic events coordinator for Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, a role that required her to plan both Commencement and the awarding of degrees, that she began to really obsess over the details of events.

“It was important to make sure I thought through how someone experienced an event from beginning to end. We can obsess over what the ceremony looks like, but if a guest had a bad experience at check-in or had trouble parking, that’s the thing that’s going to stick with them. Over time, my obsession with details and event planning has grown and now I can’t get past it. Even when I go to an event I’m not in charge of, my eye hones in on the finer details,” Hayden says with a chuckle.

Brian Nick, CAIA, chief investment strategist with Nuveen, was joined by TIAA’s Dan Keady, CFP (chief financial planning strategist); John Canally, CFA (chief portfolio strategist); and host Shelly Eweka, CFP, to share their insights on what is currently driving market volatility, how to weather market swings and how smart planning can help plan participants stay on track with their retirement plan, no matter the market environment.

Here are four takeaways from the webinar:

1. There’s hope for a soft landing. While summarizing the near-term market outlook, Nick emphasized that the U.S. economy may be headed for a “soft landing”—meaning that actions taken by the Federal Reserve and other central banks could slowly cool global growth and curb inflation, while strong private sector balance sheets may help prevent a slide into a minor or major recession.

“We do think there is still a narrow path to get out of this without even a mild recession. I think a severe recession is even less likely,” Nick said. If there is a minor recession, Nick says most investors should be able to weather the storm, noting, “The difference for most investors between a soft landing where we don’t have a recession, but things slow down, and a mild recession, is probably not going to be too great.”

2. We’ve been here before. Nick pointed out that current market concerns are relatively short term in nature, and history has taught us that market valuations generally do go up over time. He points to the 2007-08 financial crisis and data from the decade that followed, in which the S&P 500 was up about 15% per year during the 2010s and investors saw a remarkable rate in returns.

“If you’ve just retired or are planning to retire, you probably have a longer timeline that you’re working from than just the next couple of months [to see notable returns],” Nick said. “And that’s a good thing—because we think that things have improved from a valuation perspective and over long periods of time, valuation is destiny for market returns.”

Nick explained, “If you’re buying in at very expensive levels today, your returns over the next five or 10 years probably aren’t going to be as good. The flip side is, if you got in right after the financial crisis of 2009 or even 2010, your next 10 years, as we now know, were extremely profitable. …We can be a bit more optimistic about the forward-looking returns over the balance of this decade for the equity markets, fixed-income markets and the hybrid markets like credit that we invest in. I think we are going to see a broad-based appreciation in asset values that takes us beyond whatever this difficult period is going to end up being—whether it’s a soft landing or a recession, and into a new fresh expansion and a new bull market. So that leaves us somewhat more optimistic.”

3. Stay the course with your investment strategy. Canally shared that while it can be emotionally difficult to do the right thing—stay the course—with the market’s current volatility, investors should avoid making hasty emotional decisions with their investments during times of uncertainty to avoid negative consequences down the line.

According to Canally, “An important question to ask yourself is: ‘Am I making a decision based on material changes in my life? Or am I making those decisions based on prevailing trends in the investment markets?’”

He cited the importance of sticking to a well-planned, long-term investment strategy, including recommendations for investors to:

• Have a sound financial plan and revisit/adjust it based on life changes;
• Diversify investments to match your risk tolerance;
• Rebalance investment assets to stay well-positioned and in step with your appetite for risk despite market fluctuations;
• Take advantage of market downturns to manage your investment-related taxes; and
• Stick with your investment strategy and don’t try to time the market.

4. Take advantage of TIAA resources, available to plan participants at no additional cost. To help navigate all of these strategic recommendations, Keady highlighted some of the resources available to TIAA plan participants. One of the most valuable offerings for Syracuse University employees is the option to to receive personalized advice and education. An advisor can help investors rebalance and diversify their portfolio in accordance with their risk appetite, as mentioned above. Visiting gives plan participants access to retirement calculators, an asset allocation evaluator and debt/budgeting workshops, all of which can help them meet their retirement savings goals in any market environment.

Eligible employees can learn more about the Syracuse University retirement plan on the or by visiting . A is also available.

Users can begin preparing for this transition by logging in to Answers and going to the DataInsights at Syracuse University page, which features a link to the DataInsights environment, as well as some FAQ and a high-level navigational training provided by ITS. Individual departments will also deliver communication and training this summer regarding specific dashboards and reports as the transition nears.

ITS encourages users to begin or continue exploring DataInsights to ensure a smooth transition over the next few months. There will be live training sessions scheduled throughout the summer for end-users to learn more and ask questions.

If you have questions about a specific MyReports report, please contact the department that owns that data/report. If you are not sure or have general questions, please email��DIHelp@syr.edu.

The seven-week, in-person series, which is particularly well-suited for managers and supervisors, will begin on May 17 and wrap up on June 28. Sessions will be held each Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at a North Campus location yet to be determined. Participants must plan to attend all seven sessions and can .

Pam Gavenda, associate director of organizational development and training and Crucial Conversations Certified Trainer, facilitates a prior session, offered in partnership with the Women in Leadership Initiative.

Crucial Conversations teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional or risky topics at all levels of an organization. These conversations can include topics focused on work quality, time management, productivity, performance, sensitive issues, conflict or a strained relationship, for example.

By learning how to speak and be heard (and encouraging others to do the same), you will begin to surface the best ideas, make the highest-quality decisions and act on those decisions with unity and commitment in a respectful way.

Throughout the program, participants will have the opportunity to engage in experiential learning through exercises, practice with real issues and group discussions.

Because there is a cost of $350 per person to cover program materials, departmental approval is necessary. The fee will be charged to participants’ budget centers and approval from your supervisor and budget manager is required.

Past participants speak highly of the program, anonymously sharing the following feedback during post-program evaluations:

• “I cannot overstate the value of this program and the content that was covered. What we learned is applicable to most situations and conversations. Relationship stress is so real across all of our lives and learning how to compassionately and directly communicate is making me a better person, better wife, better supervisor and better employee.”
• “The steps, resources in the book and facilitator all complement each other every step of the way.”
• “The entire book/subject matter is so critical—the learning environment was very well-constructed and made for a safe and fun learning experience.”
• “I thought that the Crucial Conversations series was a great program! It gave very helpful and realistic strategies to promote getting through tough conversations.”

Space is limited to 24 participants; !

Tracey Reichert Schimpff

Sometimes we need extra support to manage the more difficult challenges in life, including challenges in our family relationships. A trained couple and family therapist can make an enormous difference in keeping these important connections healthy and strong for life.

Syracuse University employees have access to licensed, credentialed counselors through . Myriad can be found through the Barnes Center at The Arch. But perhaps you have a loved one in need of therapy services who has limited options available. The Couple and Family Therapy Center might be a good place to start.

Located just off campus in Peck Hall, offers individual, couple, family and group therapy to the larger Central New York community and serves clients of all ages, identities and demographics. Services are free for all clients, which allows the center to serve those who may not otherwise be able to afford therapy.

The center is operated by the Falk College’s . At the center, marriage and family therapy students receive extensive clinical training while practicing under the close supervision of faculty and staff who are licensed marriage and family therapists and either American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) approved supervisors or approved supervisor candidates.

We spoke with , to answer some of our questions about the benefits of couple and family therapy, and how to help your loved one get the help they need.

Given annually since 1949, the award is one of the most notable awards in the electronics and aerospace systems field, recognizing contributions significant to bringing into being systems that are still in existence today. The contributions for which the award is bestowed are to have been made at least 20 years prior to the year of the award.

Professor Pramod Varshney.

The 2021 award will recognize Varshney’s contributions to signal processing and information fusion enabling advanced aerospace and electronic systems. Varshney will��receive the award at 2022 IEEE Radar Conference March 21-25 in New York City.

“Professor Varshney has been a trailblazer in the field of complex information processing who has made innumerable contributions over the course of his career.�� The Pioneer Award fittingly recognizes that some of his inventions paved the way for today’s rapidly evolving technologies,” says , interim vice president for research.

Varshney was also selected to receive the prestigious from the IEEE Signal Processing Society for outstanding contributions in the fields of distributed inference and data fusion.

“Within a few months, Dr. Varshney won two prestigious awards from two different IEEE societies. Such an achievement is completely unheard of. He won the 2021 Shannon-Nyquist Technical Achievement Award from the IEEE Signal Processing Society and the 2021 IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) Pioneer Award. The EECS department is incredibly proud of the achievements and recognitions that he truly deserves,” says Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Department Chair .

In a 2019 interview, National Public Radio’s Scott Simon asked ��a pointed, and timely, question about her debut novel, “The Gone Dead,” in which the lead character returns to the Mississippi Delta shack her father owned in the 1970s. There she confronts the mystery of her father’s death and grapples with racial injustice and her family’s—and the nation’s—history of white supremacy.

“When,” Simon asks, “is the past past—ever?”

Chanelle Benz

“Well,” responds Benz, a new member of Syracuse University’s internationally recognized creative writing program, “I think that we can lay the past to rest once we’ve had some kind of reckoning with it.” She continues, “I don’t believe that there can be any kind of healing or moving on or reconciliation with the past unless we’ve had a true confrontation with it.”

“The Gone Dead” (Ecco/Harper Collins, 2019) was longlisted for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and earned the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. “Her attention to the recurring nature of racism in this country, and her gift for weaving these insights into a gripping narrative, establish Benz as an adept critic and storyteller,” author Margaret Wilkerson Sexton writes in a 2019 New York Times review.

Benz previously was assistant professor of English at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Her short story collection, “The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead” (Ecco, 2017), was longlisted for the 2018 PEN/Robert Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction and the 2017 Story Prize.

Mona Awad

Another new faculty member to join the program is . Her third novel, “All’s Well” (Simon & Schuster), was released in August 2021. Awad is also the author of “Bunny” (2019, Penguin) and “13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl” (Penguin Books, 2016). An NPR review calls “All’s Well” “a surreal exploration of chronic pain, women’s believability and visibility, and desperation that straddles the line between comedy and horror.”

Benz and Awad bring their voices to the creative writing program in the College of Arts and Sciences English department as the national conversation continues around the need for equity and social justice in the American experience. Creative writing, which powerfully explores the breadth of human existence, is a natural avenue for students wishing to portray the world as it is—or, perhaps, how it should be.

Honing Their Craft

Making Readers Feel

Sarah Harwell

And students can learn to do so in the new undergraduate major and minor programs in creative writing. The new programs allow students across campus to either try out creative writing or concentrate specifically on the discipline, says , associate teaching professor and associate director of the creative writing program.

“If you’re an illustration major in VPA but want to write comic books, you can add a minor. Students at Newhouse often take our courses,” Harwell says. “I’ve had several biology majors who are overwhelmed with their science courses and want to try something else. All these people have something to write about but don’t end up in classes that teach them to write.”

Teaching Students to ‘Fully Inhabit Their Talent’

Our students are so good that we don’t need to teach them writing. —

George Saunders G’88, professor of English

$10 Men’s Basketball Tickets

• Saturday, Jan. 1, at 8 p.m. vs. Virginia
• Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh

$5 Women’s Basketball Tickets

• Sunday, Jan. 2, at 2 p.m. vs. Florida State (game postponed)

Tickets

Faculty and staff are invited to purchase up to eight tickets for each game at the identified price with their SU I.D. Tickets for the games may be purchased using an @syr.edu email address.

Share Your Orange Spirit

Wear your favorite Syracuse gear and share game day photos on social media for a chance to appear on the stadium videoboard using the hashtag #CuseSuperfan.

Parking

A University parking permit will be honored for free game day parking at the University Avenue Garage, Comstock Avenue Garage and Manley Field House North parking lot. For employees who do not already have a University parking permit, a limited number of parking passes for the Manley Field House North lot will be available for the men’s basketball games. They may be picked up at the Office of Human Resources in the Skytop Office Building on South Campus on Dec. 21, Dec. 22, Jan. 7 or Jan. 10 during business hours with an SU I.D. and proof of ticket for the game. Parking is free in the lots west of the stadium for the women’s basketball game.

For game day COVID-19 protocols, including masking and vaccination/testing requirements, please review .

Questions?

Call HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042 or email hrservice@syr.edu. For questions about basketball tickets, call the Dome Box Office at 315.443.2121.

Anthony Cosby

Anthony Cosby often starts his days at 4:30 a.m. with a three-mile walk—not to beat the San Antonio heat or enjoy the quiet pre-dawn hour, but because it’s the only time left in his day to squeeze in fitness.

As an entrepreneur, dad to an aspiring tennis star and full-time employee of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University, Cosby’s days manage to be filled to the brim with hustle and bustle—which is exactly how he likes it.

From his home office in Texas, Cosby is currently director for employer outreach and co-director of the , one of the eleven national training programs conducted by IVMF. He works with employers across the country to help them secure military talent, including veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses, and partners with public, private and nonprofit organizations to help veterans and their families access a variety of services that can help them achieve their goals.

Motivated to Give Back and Serve Others

After retiring from a 21-year career in the U.S. Navy in 2012, Cosby struggled with his transition back to civilian life. This experience inspired him toward a career path helping other veterans and military-connected folks transition smoothly and seamlessly into the workforce post-service.

“I was in talent acquisition toward the end of my military career, so I wanted to see if I could transfer those skills to the private sector,” he says. “I got my career coaching certification and landed a job at the University of Texas (UT) at San Antonio as an alumni career coach and from there it was game on … I was able to assist folks and that’s when I saw my true calling to help people.”

Cosby worked for UT San Antonio and then Webster University, but he’d seen a “60 Minutes” interview in 2012 that had planted a seed in his mind. The segment featured IVMF Founder and Executive Director J. Michael Haynie speaking about the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, which not only put Syracuse University on his radar, but also sparked Cosby’s interest in becoming an entrepreneur.

Four years later, in 2016, he would join the IVMF team as the program manager for (O2O) at Joint Base San Antonio. O2O helps prepare service member and military spouses with industry-recognized certifications and skills training across high-demand sectors and occupations, like cybersecurity, project management and human resources.

“We started out with 32 people participating and now, fast-forward five years, and we’ve been able to help over 50,000 folks and change so many lives,” Cosby says.

Anthony and his family demonstrate their Orange spirit. Pictured left to right: Nina Pruneda-Cosby, Maria Mae Pruneda-Cosby, Anthony Cosby

As co-director of AmericaServes, which works to coordinate support for military families in communities all over the U.S., Cosby shared an anecdote about an elderly couple—a retired veteran and his wife—in their 70s in San Antonio. The couple was skeptical of organizations that claimed to help vets because they had been told “no” one too many times. Once they got on the phone with an AmericaServes intake specialist, they were asked a question they weren’t used to hearing: “How can we help you?”

“From this one access point, we were able to help them secure a free medical bed for the husband, who had had an amputation,” Cosby says. “Then we found out the wife was taking her husband to dialysis in a heavy, cumbersome wheelchair, so we were able to work with our local connections to get them a lighter wheelchair that was more easily accessible. We helped secure rides to and from dialysis so his wife no longer had to wait in the car for hours at a time. We even found out they were close to losing the home they rented because the building had been sold, and were able to help them secure six months of free rent in an apartment building that they loved.”

For Cosby, being able to help people in such profound and impactful ways on behalf of Syracuse University keeps his early mornings and long days in perspective.

A Burgeoning Entrepreneur

With that “60 Minutes” segment still in his mind, Cosby jumped at the opportunity to attend IVMF’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) in 2019 at Texas A&M University. The program ignited his career as an entrepreneur and in 2021, after eight months of ideation, he launched , a brand of athletic/performance-based socks.

Importantly, Cosby says, STZY is not only a sock brand but a Certified Pending B-Corporation grounded in the mission of positively impacting the lives of student-athletes in need all over the world to keep them pushing toward their goals and aspirations, within and outside of the athletic realm.

“People are drawn to the socks because we’ve worked hard to make them the most comfortable sock known to man, but I think people are also drawn to the intentionality and the themes of empowerment that are present in our brand and our marketing,” he says.

Anthony and Maria show some STZY pride.

STZY is growing rapidly—the socks sold out within 40 days of the brand’s initial launch and have attracted attention from the likes of NFL and WNBA players interested in collaborating with the brand.

The company is preparing to launch their “V2” socks this month with a women’s line, and Cosby hopes it won’t be long before you see STZY socks at national retailers like Target, Foot Locker or Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The skills he learned during EBV have been instrumental to his success.

“The program taught me that I had to get laser-focused and to learn and understand the art of pivoting,” he says. “2020 and 2021 have been no joke in terms of getting a business off the ground, but my ability to focus and adapt has served me well.”

One of STZY’s early adopters and student-athlete ambassadors is Cosby’s 9-year-old daughter, Maria, who first picked up a tennis racket at age 3 and has since trained to become an elite tennis player. This summer, she played with 14- to 18-year-olds and her goal is to play in the U.S. Open by age 16.

Cosby says the spare time he finds between his work at IVMF and building and growing STZY is usually spent on the court, picking up balls while his daughter practices. He feels blessed to be able to spend time watching her talent unfold—and as a business owner, draws inspiration from her dedication to her craft.

“One thing I’ve learned from watching my daughter is—she can see her whole future, but she also knows that nothing good happens overnight,” Cosby says. “Great things take time to evolve. Even though I want STZY to shoot to the moon, I know that it’s going to take a bit of time. But I truly believe that if you put the work in and you’re a good person, big things are going to happen.”

By that philosophy, you can count on STZY going into the stratosphere—and Maria landing her spot in the U.S. Open.

Clarise Shelby-Coleman and her son, Chase, at an ARC of Onondaga race in 2019

Back then, autism spectrum disorder, which encompasses a range of conditions related to individual differences in sensory, perceptional and cognitive processes, was not as broadly shared, discussed or celebrated as it is now. “When Chase was diagnosed in 2005, the chances of being diagnosed with autism were 1 in 151. Today it’s 1 in 68, and 1 in 45 for males,” Shelby-Coleman says. “Tomorrow a caregiver will get a diagnosis and wonder, as I did, ‘where are all the adults with autism? How do I prepare him for this world?’”

An attempt to join a local support group for parents with children on the spectrum didn’t feel like a good fit for Shelby-Coleman—so she made her own path.

Propelled by the incredible tenacity that is pervasive in her spirit, Shelby-Coleman spent the next 11 years accumulating knowledge, wisdom, tools and resources on her own, as she advocated for Chase and worked to ensure he had every opportunity to achieve his goals and dreams.

“People call us ‘helicopter moms’ … well, I’m an F-16,” she says. “I knew that if I could teach him how to navigate the world, then he eventually would be able to teach the world, ‘this is how you deal with me. This is how Chase is.’”

All along in the background, Shelby-Coleman was considering the idea of starting her own support group for caregivers, knowing how she had struggled to find community upon Chase’s diagnosis. “But something awful had to happen to him for me to really get to it,” she says. In 2016, when Chase was 15 years old, he was running with his team from Corcoran High School in a cross-country meet in Rochester, New York, when he was assaulted by a stranger.

Clarise and Chase before a workout at the Syracuse University Fitness Center in the summer of 2020.

The incident was widely publicized and spotlighted issues of both racial prejudice and ableism toward Chase. Shelby-Coleman says she was frustrated that even the police officers who responded to the scene and were trying to help her didn’t quite understand Chase or how his autism affected his perception of and reaction to the assault.

Unexpectedly, Chase and his differing abilities were receiving national and international attention and Shelby-Coleman found herself saying, “I know I’m not the only parent going through this.” She started putting her plan into action to make sure that no parent of an autistic child would ever feel as alone as she did in the aftermath of Chase’s assault.

Shortly thereafter, Shelby-Coleman founded Show Them How Smart You Are, a nonprofit organization focused on support and advocacy for parents and caregivers of children with autism in the Central New York community. The name comes from a sentiment that she began saying to Chase daily at age 4, following his diagnosis.

“I would say to him, and I still say to him, every morning when he leaves the house, ‘listen, you show them how smart you are,’” she says. “And I say it to every single child with autism I meet: ‘Show them how smart you are.’”

Show Them How Smart You Are is a beacon of light and hope for children with autism in Central New York and those who love and care for them. Shelby-Coleman leads a support group for parents, grandparents, teachers and therapists, and others who have been touched by autism every other Saturday on Zoom.

“Our group is multi-ethnic, multi-racial, we have different economic statuses, different professional statuses, some of us are stay-at-home moms and our children range from about ages 3 to 37,” Shelby-Coleman says. “When we come together, we can talk about things that we wouldn’t necessarily talk about with our friends who are parents of neurotypical kids.”

Shelby-Coleman also shares her own wisdom, stories, support and information with the caregivers in her group, which numbers around 25-30 at any given time. Advocating for individualized education plans (IEPs) and special education support within the schools, sharing contact information for local professionals that work well with autistic children (i.e., pediatric dentists) and connecting people with local events and other organizations that contribute to a high quality of life for kids on the spectrum are all under the purview of Shelby-Coleman’s mission.

Show Them How Smart You Are also puts on numerous events each year, including a parents’ brunch to offer them much-needed respite; a fun run with Chase, who is still an avid runner; and a skills fair that helps introduce autistic children to hobbies and interests that could potentially become careers down the line.

“Clarise creates this incredible chain reaction of love and support for families like mine,” says Carol Masiclat, a member of the group. “Since meeting her, I’ve felt more confident in my advocacy for my son, and it inspires me to support other parents. She has given me advice on everything. You can’t Google what she knows.”

Shelby-Coleman receives the Exceptional Woman of Central New York award for community service from Assemblywoman Pamela J. Hunter, New York District 128.

This past May, Shelby-Coleman was honored as an Exceptional Woman of Central New York in the community service category by Assemblywoman Pamela J. Hunter for her work with Show Them How Smart You Are. Two parents from her group nominated her for the award. “Receiving that award was very special to me,” Shelby-Coleman says. “I just don’t think about me. I try to think about everyone else, so to be honored in that way made me think, maybe I’m getting something right.”

One thing she is certainly getting right? Parenting her son, Chase, who is now 19 years old and recently graduated from the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central High School’s media studies program. He is preparing to enter InclusiveU, an initiative of the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at Syracuse University, where he dreams of receiving a media certification from the Newhouse School. He has an active social life, friends he enjoys hanging out with, and loves running 5K races and spending time at the gym. With his mom’s help, Chase started an inclusive running club on campus, called Run, Walk and Roll with Chase, which meets every Monday and Friday morning at the Huntington Hall Commons and offers several routes for those with varying abilities.

“One of the biggest things for me was, don’t hide our kids,” Shelby-Coleman says. “Coming from the Black culture, there is a tendency when our kids are not ‘normal’ to hide them away from the world … you know, like the eccentric uncle in the back bedroom that no one ever sees. I wanted more for Chase. I knew he wasn’t going to live in an all-autistic world; so I wanted him to have as many inclusive experiences as possible. All he wants is to be included, just like everybody else. I truly believe that inclusion completes the puzzle.”

Show Them How Smart You Are welcomes new members to the support group; they also accept financial donations and occasionally have opportunities to get involved with other events and programs. To learn more, email Shelby-Coleman at smartwithautism37@gmail.com.

As a result of the upgrade, MySlice features increased mobile compatibility, accessibility and personalization. You can find information about the enhanced navigation and user experience, including screenshots, on the��. Helpful tips include:

At the same time as the upgrade, MySlice’s security was enhanced with Microsoft Two-Factor Authentication (also known as multi-factor authentication or MFA). MySlice users will need to ensure they have access to their multi-factor authentication methods, which they can manage at��.

If you have any questions about the MySlice upgrade, you can contact the ITS Help Desk at��help@syr.edu��or by calling 315.443.2677.

Three separate workshops were offered virtually and conducted by Lou Leyes, a financial planner with nearly 19 years of experience helping people reach their financial goals. He offered practical guidance for faculty and staff in the areas of managing personal finances, gaining control of debt and developing a savings strategy.

In this Q&A, Leyes discusses how to commit to and automate your savings, the importance of credit scores and where to turn for help to ensure you’re saving enough for retirement. If you missed the live Build Your Financial Know-How offerings, recorded webinars are .

Looking for a good book or two to round out your bookshelf? We asked the University’s deans to share titles they were digging into this summer, and they did not disappoint. Shop Amazon, the Campus Store or your favorite local bookseller for these reads, or better yet check them out from your local library!

“Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America” by John Lewis
“The late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis continues to inspire through his timeless and challenging expressions of courageous and compassionate public service, and in doing so offers powerful thoughts for those interested in serving our common good in the midst of turbulent times.” — Dean Rev. Brian Konkol, Hendricks Chapel

“Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space” by Stephen Walker

“This is a space race story set in the 1950s and 1960s that covers many more facets of that period than I have ever seen before. It weaves together the political and the technical drivers of the space race, but also goes into the personalities of the first humans in space. It is fascinating to see what was happening on the Soviet side, both good and bad.” — Dean J. Cole Smith, College of Engineering and Computer Science

“Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts” by Brene Brown

“What summer reading list is complete without an inspirational and motivational book? This is another outstanding Brown book that requires a willingness to be introspective and honest with yourself. Like all of Brown’s writing, this book focuses on a specific dimension of self—in this case, vulnerability. I highly recommend this read for any emerging or established leader who is committed to being authentically comfortable with discomfort.” — Dean Michael Frasciello, College of Professional Studies

“Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others” by Barbara Brown Taylor

“For those seeking to better understand their own beliefs through the beliefs of others, Barbara Brown Taylor wonderfully weaves together stories from classrooms and communities to show how and why the sacred can be discovered through remarkable people in unexpected places.” — Dean Rev. Brian Konkol, Hendricks Chapel

“How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi

“I recently finished this book, which I highly recommend for its clarity, sensitivity and thoughtfulness on a challenging issue facing all of us.” — Dean Michael Tick, College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)

“An Instance of the Fingerpost” by Iain Pears

“A lengthy historical thriller set in 17th century Oxford. I can’t get back to the UK this summer so I wanted something set in the area I grew up in, and this has been on my ‘must-read’ list for years. I’m also on the lookout for novels set in North Wales for the same reason.” — Dean David Seaman, Syracuse University Libraries

“Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro

“The best book about Artificial Friends that you’ll read this year. Ishiguro explores our evolving relationships with technology and one another. A five-umbrella beach read.” — Dean Gene Anderson, Whitman School

“Music at the Intersection of Brazilian Culture: An Introduction to Music, Race and Food” by Elisa Macedo Dekaney and Joshua A. Dekaney

Recommended by VPA Dean Michael Tick, Elisa Macedo Dekaney is a professor of music education in VPA’s Setnor School of Music and the School of Education and Joshua Dekaney is an instructor of applied music and performance (percussion) in the Setnor School of Music.

“The Learning and Development of Mathematics Teacher Educators: International Perspectives and Challenges” by Merilyn Goos and Kim Beswick (Eds)

“I am a co-author on one of the chapters published in this book and I am reading other chapters as this is an area of my current research.” — Dean Joanna Masingila, School of Education

“The Patron Saint of Liars” by Ann Patchett

“I’ve recently become a fan of Patchett’s novels and essays. Her writing is sparse but full of descriptions—memorable characters in compelling and meaningful stories. I’m reading this book now and it’s my favorite so far. A nice diversion from work and great summer read.” — Dean Michael Frasciello, College of Professional Studies

“Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by David Epstein

“This exceptional and accessible book was recommended to me by Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke. It’s a thoughtful perspective on personal and professional development, and a provocative statement about individual skill, talent, competency and ability. For those of us working in higher education, there are some not-so-obvious connections between Epstein’s claims and the ways in which we might better teach, learn and innovate within the modern university.” — Dean Michael Frasciello, College of Professional Studies

“Revolutions of All Colors” by Dewaine Farria

“Farria is the winner of the 2019 Veterans Writing Prize sponsored by Syracuse University Press and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Tobias Wolff, the writing prize judge, spoke movingly about this book at the award ceremony and I look forward to reading a new novelist who SU is helping to launch.” — Dean David Seaman, Syracuse University Libraries

“Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

“This is a well-known classic now. Of all the truly mind-bending lessons I ever learned as a professor outside of engineering, computer science and physics, the science of human decision-making is the most fascinating—and probably the scariest. This book gives you a glimpse into how humans actually make choices, and how the two systems Kahneman describes (the “fast” and the “slow”) can be extremely useful…or extremely misguided. It’s grounded in excellent (Nobel Prize-winning) science and is great practical information for leaders.” — Dean J. Cole Smith, College of Engineering and Computer Science

“Traveling Africa–A Women’s Guide” by Dana Atkinson

“I have traveled to and in nine African countries thus far—Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe—and have a goal of traveling to more and experiencing the great diversity of the African continent.” — Dean Joanna Masingila, School of Education

“The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead

“What if the Underground Railroad really was a railroad? Beautifully written and dreamlike, but also raw and unflinching when depicting the misery, horror and brutality of slavery, this book follows the searing odyssey of an escaped slave as she searches for a more hopeful future. Definitely not a beach read, but an unforgettable page-turner nonetheless.” — Dean Gene Anderson, Whitman School

Mark Tewksbury

Mark Tewksbury, director of residence hall dining and Dome operations for Food Services, has been a fixture at the University since he stepped onto campus in 1980 as a first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. A 40-year employee of Food Services, Tewksbury began his very first semester on campus as a student employee in Brockway Dining Center. After a long and varied career, he will retire from the University on July 31, 2021.

“Mark has dedicated four decades of his life to serving the students, staff, faculty and visitors of his beloved alma mater,” says Kris Klinger, associate vice president of Auxiliary Services. “His willingness to do whatever it takes enhanced and impacted countless student experiences for generations. Mark Tewksbury embodies what it means to be Orange.”

Tewksbury was in the crowd at the first-ever football game at the new Carrier Dome, never expecting that in just a few years, he would be running the stadium’s concessions operations for the better part of his professional career.

He worked his way up through the ranks in Food Services—he was a student supervisor at Brockway, the student coordinator for all dining centers and then took a job at campus catering after he graduated. After a year, he was assigned to catering operations at the Dome. After a short time away—he opened the Goldstein Student Center in 1990—he was back to the stadium, where he’s been ever since.

His wildest Dome memory? A Rolling Stones concert during their 1989 “Steel Wheels” tour. Tewksbury was at home mowing his lawn when the University’s concessions manager peeled into his driveway. Another Food Services manager was in the hospital, and in a time before cell phones, the quickest way to recruit Tewksbury to step into a managerial role on the night of concert was to drive to his house and tell him to get into the car. There were 40,000 people in the stadium that night.

“When I arrived in the kitchen, the wall was covered in function sheets [catering order forms]. I had never seen one before,” says Tewksbury. “I just had to jump in and figure it out.”

He’s been witness to decades of University history: historic concerts, games, triumphs and community tragedies. After the Labor Day storm of 1998, the University’s facilities still had power, unlike tens of thousands of homes in nearby neighborhoods and the greater Central New York area. Then-Chancellor Kenneth Shaw opened the University’s Food Services facilities to the entire community, instructing staff to “feed everyone who came through the doors.”

Tewksbury recalls pitching in and being told “Just cook something!” by the manager of the dining center. They would feed two or three thousand people at Shaw Dining Center each night until the area recovered, and power was restored. Tewksbury remembers feeling an incredible sense of pride at how the staff managed to make their way to campus and offered to help any way they could.

He experienced the same emotions in 2020. Once the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic took hold on campus, Tewksbury and the Food Services team, essential workers all, were still preparing food and serving students every day, even as the campus emptied. He says it was one of the toughest years of his career.

“Those first few months were just—how do we keep our people safe? How do we keep them from getting sick? Our crew was expected to be here every day, and they just stepped up,” Tewksbury says.

As usual, Tewksbury himself went above and beyond to meet the needs of students. He gave out his personal cell phone number to students entering quarantine or isolation in on-campus housing. They texted him at all hours of the day and night with their requests and meal orders. He and his team worked seven days a week to deliver meals and supplies, to ensure that a scary experience was not made more so by adding food uncertainty to the mix.

Looking Forward to Retirement

Syracuse University has had a profound effect on his personal life as well. Tewksbury met his future wife during his freshman year—she was a concessions student manager in the Food Services department. Their daughter is also an alumna of the University.

Though he will miss his daily interactions with students and the many colleagues he’s befriended over the years, Tewksbury looks forward to spending his retirement with his family—his son in Syracuse, his daughter in Boulder, Colorado, and his mom in Boston. He also hopes to finally enjoy some time on his boat.

He’ll be greatly missed by his colleagues. His co-director, Sue Bracy, knows how difficult it will be to find someone else who cares as deeply about the University and its students.

“I love working with Mark,” says Bracy. “He is honest, kind and hardworking. He came here in 1980 as a student and is leaving 40 years later as a respected colleague and friend.”

Bryce Hruska

Summer is vacation season, and here’s good news about those breaks from the daily grind: They’re not only fun, they’re also good for you.

Specifically, they’re good for your health, and even more specifically, your heart health. That was the conclusion reached in a study led by , an assistant professor of public health in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, and , the Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health in the Falk College.

The in June 2019 by Psychology & Health, the official journal of the . In this Q&A, Hruska discusses the study and how it connects to our day-to-day lives, the benefits of a vacation vs. “staycation,” and why we still need to be cautious when traveling for a vacation.

Destinations and Day Trips

Gaia the Giant Turtle is a highlight of Ithaca Children’s Garden, located a little over an hour from campus.

• The is a 3-acre public garden designed just for kids and built on the foundational concepts of play and connection to nature. The garden is free and features include honeybee hives, a bird habitat garden, a rice paddy pond, wildflower meadow, farm stand and more.
• is regarded by some as one of the best-kept secrets of the Finger Lakes region. Complete with a koi/turtle pond and sculptures, the living museum is free to visit and a fabulous place for a picnic lunch.
• , located in Binghamton right next to the , showcases various dramatic playrooms—an ambulance for children to play in, a dentist’s office, hair salon, grocery store, etc. There is also a room for science-based exploration and a storybook garden where children can play.
• The in Smyrna offers hiking and an opportunity to “meet” wolves, coyotes and foxes. Pack a lunch as there are places to picnic along the mountain! The center also offers a Camping with the Wolves option for families with children 12 years or older.

Adventures and Activities

• is a treasure hunt-style outdoor activity that involves exchanging unique rubber-stamped images by using various websites and mobile apps to search for letterbox clues. The website AtlasQuest.com provides a . Bring a blank journal, stamp pad and whatever your personal family stamp will be and head out for an adventure!
• Over 1,100 public libraries and branches across the state are open and offering fun and exciting summer events and enrichment activities for students of all ages. The provides access to a variety of books and other resources, and offers creative and educational programs for children and teens to support summer learning and help prevent the “summer slide.”
• Hot day? Try freezing small toys, shells, Lego blocks, glass pebbles, fidgets or any other colorful items in open plastic containers (to-go containers work well), using food coloring or liquid watercolors to color the water. Put them in the backyard or driveway and let kids uncover the treasures while cooling down at the same time! You can even make this activity into a scavenger hunt or, if age-appropriate, provide a small hammer and some golf tees to crack into the frozen treasures.
• Children’s shoes often have a unique pattern on the sole, making the soles of old slippers or broken flip-flops excellent “stamps” to paint with. Put a thin layer of acrylic paint on a paper plate, slide your hand into a slipper or around a flip-flop and “step” it into the paint, then press down on paper or fabric for a unique design.
• Take a cardboard shirt box, place a piece of paper inside and add a few drops of tempera or acrylic paint. Then, drop in a few marbles, golf balls or an old Matchbox car. Hold the sides of the box, as you tip and turn it the balls or car will roll through the paint and make a design.
• Check out the ARTBAR blog’s tutorials for and (and at-home craft ideas). Remember, with the Internet at your disposal there is no limit to what you and the kiddos can create together!

This leads me to the question… can you improve upon perfection? The Internet seems to think so! Below are a few suggestions for ways to reimagine the humble s’more into a gourmet delight that is sure to impress at your next cookout.

POV: You’re a peanut butter freak.

Peanut butter makes everything better! If you agree with this sentiment, try swapping the square of milk chocolate for a perfectly placed Reese’s cup… the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and marshmallow is quite pleasing, especially when the Reese’s cup gets just a bit melty! For those with a peanut allergy, sunflower or almond butter cups would also work nicely.

Gimme the nutrients.

S’mores aren’t exactly a health food, which is why they are generally relegated to the realm of an every-once-in-awhile treat. But there are ways to aim for a better-for-you s’more. Add sliced strawberries or bananas in lieu of chocolate for a more natural source of sweetness, opt for dark instead of milk chocolate for more antioxidants and less sugar, or consider more healthful versions of the basic ingredients. For example, contain no artificial colors or flavors or corn syrup and boast 10 grams of whole grains per serving and organic ingredients.

Think outside the (graham cracker) box.

Graham crackers tend to be the foundation on which we build our s’mores, but I say anything that is flat-ish and square-ish will get the job done. Try cookies (shortbread, Oreos, Fig Newtons, Thin Mints) or if a sweet-and-salty vibe is more your thing, Pretzel Crisps or Ritz crackers! You can even if you’re feeling adventurous.

Get decadent.

Decadence for the sake of decadence! Cocoa-flavored graham crackers (or heck, ) create a chocolate-lover’s delight; elevate your s’more’s middle layer with a gourmet candy bar (white chocolate with macadamia nuts or dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt sound intriguing); try a smear of Nutella atop the graham cracker; or, if it doesn’t offend your sensibilities, add a small chunk of bacon somewhere in the middle of the s’more and enjoy.

As a reminder, faculty and staff have free access to IdentityForce’s��UltraSecure Plus��identity protection, credit services and recovery services until March 2022. To access coverage, employees need their personalized access code which was emailed from Karen Morrissey, associate vice president, human resources, on March 19, 2021. If you need assistance in obtaining your personalized code, contact HR Shared Services��at��315.443.4042.

Effective immediately, employees can now purchase additional coverage and add one other adult directly through the IdentityForce secure portal using a credit card. This will allow for immediate access to upgraded coverage through IdentityForce.

Visit the HR����for more information and to learn how to enroll. For any questions, contact��HR Shared Services��at��315.443.4042��or��IdentityForce Member Services at 877.694.3367.

Oneida Lake, another beautiful body of water that graces our area with a natural resource not to be taken for granted. (Photo courtesy of the author)

Everyone local knows we live in a rainy place. Some say, “This is where clouds go to die.” Some compare Syracuse to Seattle, that other rainy city on the other side of the country.

Despite the “April showers, May flowers” lore, springtime is a good time to think and act on conserving water. Don’t take our precious natural resource for granted.

In Onondaga County, we nestle among some of the most pristine and prodigious bodies of fresh water in the world—the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes. Nonetheless our geographic region is dry, compared to historical records. Persistently dry.

The (OCWA), supplying water to customers in five counties—Cayuga, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego—draws on three primary sources: Otisco Lake, the small, most eastern Finger Lake; Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes and a veritable inland freshwater sea; and Skaneateles Lake, said by some to be one of the cleanest lakes in the United States. One might get the sense that water couldn’t possibly be a worry. Read on.

Drought monitoring is a large-scale undertaking, requiring collaboration, of course, and coordination of terms and descriptions. “Abnormally dry,” the first stage of drought, is where Onondaga County and its surroundings stand now. Increasingly fraught conditions range to moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional drought.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and associated agencies collect and host a dashboard for quick access. NOAA’s Northeast Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) covers New York and the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Northeast DEWS describes the region as having “historic drought conditions not seen since the 1960s” even though we don’t ordinarily associate drought with the northeastern U.S.

We can’t make it rain but can we stop a drip at home? Try some of these steps and see.

Overall

• Check your household water systems for leaks. A dripping faucet or running toilet can spend a lot of water.
• Check in on your water meter to get an idea of how much water you’re currently using.
• Take a shorter shower, aim for five minutes at the most. Consider installing shower heads that save water. Think about a bath instead.
• Low-flow aerators on your faucets are a good idea and easy to install.
• If your toilet has a water-saving flush option such as dual-flush, use it.

Inside your house

• When preparing meals, rinse fruits or vegetables in a bowl of water, not under a running faucet.
• For clean-up after meals, run your dishwasher with full loads. Still washing dishes by hand? Once the dishes are clean, rinse them all at once with a sprayer or a pan of rinse water.
• Use your kitchen sink garbage disposal sparingly. If you can, use a compost bin instead.
• Use your washing machine with full loads instead of small loads.

New improved habits

• Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth.
• Don’t run the faucet when washing your hands. Wet your hands, turn off the water. Soap up, scrub, then rinse.
• Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator for cold water to drink. If you don’t finish a glass of water, don’t throw away the excess. Save it for later or put it to good use: share the extra with houseplants.
• There are several good ways to reuse pasta cooking water! Broth for soup, liquid in breadmaking or other recipes, watering plants if it’s not salted water. You can use pasta water to adjust the thickness of sauces…get creative!

Out of doors

• Water your lawn, if you must, but not on an automated schedule, just when needed. Best practice would be watering in the early morning while it’s still cool. You can also adjust your lawn mower to a taller cutting height.
• Mulch your outdoor plants and trees to conserve water.
• Wash your car using a bucket and sponge. Only use the hose when rinsing.
• Clean off sidewalks or driveways with a broom instead of a hose.
• Catch and reuse rainwater if you can, for watering outdoor plants, but beware of growing the neighborhood’s next crop of mosquitoes!
• Consider planting a rain garden to catch runoff after storms.

If enough of us take enough of these steps seriously, our grassroots efforts to conserve water could yield both results and resilience.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize multiple levels of this pandemic. As we’ve had to widen our vocabularies to keep up, we’ve grown by a matter of degrees.

Remember way back, when COVID-19 was just the rumor of an outbreak of something new? Then hearing it had grown to be an epidemic. Now it’s pandemic, all over the globe. Can you call to mind when you were first embarrassed by uttering the redundancy of “global pandemic”?

(To be fair, we have precedents: Spanish flu, MERS, SARS, bird flu, swine flu. Things to look up, for the history buff or the person particular with their words.)

As we adapt, we go creative. Turning nouns into verbs isn’t a new tactic but has gotten a lot of recent use. “Let’s zoom,” since we can’t easily meet for coffee anymore. Or “Teams me” in the virtual office. Then there is everyone’s favorite new saying, “You’re muted.” Let’s not talk about cat filters or Zoombombing.

I suppose we could get technical: coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19. More things to look up. Self-isolation versus quarantine. PPE, personal protective equipment, not to be confused with PPP, the federal government’s paycheck protection program. N95 masks versus KN95. Do not hand out blue capes to super-spreaders. Do clarify the difference between mortality and morbidity. Covid toe. Fomites. R-naught numbers. The list goes on.

Even if we don’t get terribly technical, we have acquired some unusual and interesting word twists. Here are just a few.

Herd immunity. Think of us, mooing and moseying along. Best imagined when in a long queue 6 feet apart from everyone else.

Co-morbidities. I had seriously never thought of my own personal shortcomings in this area as a benefit, before this year.

Wastewater surveillance. An interesting concept, well worth knowing about. .

WFH. Remote. Virtual. Variations on a yearlong theme.

Quaranteaming in the bubble. Slowly we rebuild our community. Is everyone in the bubble abiding by the same rules as me? Are there other bubbles we have to think about, outside of “our” bubble?

Social distancing. This epitome of awkwardness, in tone and words and phrase, is nonetheless sanctioned by the . It seems to work, though it takes me back to my teenage years! “Physical distancing” sounds easier on the ear and imagination.

Now for a lighter touch, note there are even haiku-for-pandemic groups on social media. Here’s one public group from Facebook that’s worth visiting, “.”

A small sampling of the 17-syllable poetry follows, themed around that force of nature:

Sunshine, hydration,
hope the internet holds up.
Covid-19 times!

Syllabic thinking:
despite virus, haiku flows
or, perhaps because…

Coronavirus
pandemic begets horror,
pandemonium.

Planted peas today…
coronavirus won’t stop
garden adventures.

One last little memory jog and bit of irony bundled together. I noticed it the other day when playing with my grandbabies in my bubble. Toddlers’ toys haven’t kept up with the times. Remember when we used to take our temperatures by mouth instead of untouched foreheads?

Finally, here’s my very most favorite phrase of all: “Get the jab!”

Chef Mary Kiernan

If the image that comes to mind when you think of the words “savory, filled dough” is a calzone from your local pizzeria or *gasp* a hot pocket from the freezer section—prepare to have your mind blown!

Reghaif, sometimes called msemen, is a savory filled pancake that comes from the Moroccan culinary tradition. Chef Mary Kiernan, associate teaching professor of nutrition and food studies in the Falk College, shares her take on the dish below, with a recipe adapted from “The Food of Morocco” cookbook by Tess Mallos.

“Reghaif has lots of potential for fun adaptations. It’s a great way to use up bits of leftovers, especially hamburgers,” Kiernan says. “Try filling it with lots of herbs for a vegetarian option. You can also experiment with the flavor profiles—if you don’t care for cumin, use whatever you like. Because there is both some fat and carb, you can season generously.”

Kiernan recommends getting creative with your reghaif—the fillings are limited only by your imagination! “Dipping sauces are not out of order either,” she says.

Reghaif (courtesy of Chef Mary Kiernan)

Reghaif
Yield: 12 servings

For the Dough:

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. yeast, active dried
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 8 oz. water, warm to touch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2.75 cups flour, all-purpose
• Extra virgin olive oil, to coat dough for rise

Instructions:

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water in mixer fitted with dough hook.
2. Add salt and flour, mix on lowest speed until dough forms into one ball, approximately 15 minutes. Let the machine do the work. Dough should be silky, elastic and a bit sticky to touch.
3. Remove from bowl, roll into another bowl drizzled with olive oil to coat. Cover and let rise 30 to 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Chef’s Tip: “Over the summer, I will definitely utilize dough balls from the grocery store as they are easy to manage.”

For the Filling/Spice Kefta:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. butter (can substitute olive oil)
• 9 oz. beef, ground fine
• 2 Tbsp. onion, small cooking variety, finely minced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tbsp. cumin, ground
• 1 Tbsp. coriander, ground
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions:

1. In a sauté pan, melt the butter or heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic and spices, sautéing until aromatic (without burning). Add beef and continue to cook until cooked through.
2. Add water and continue cooking to dry off water. This allows flavors to bloom together.
3. Drain any excess fat and water. Hold mixture until dough is ready.

Chef’s Tip: “Measurements for beef and onion do not need to be exact. This is a great use for leftover meatloaf or hamburgers! If mixture is too lumpy, grind in a food processor until it is of a consistency similar to couscous.”

Assembly

1. After dough is doubled in size, with oiled hands, punch it down, gently kneading it together into a ball. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll them in small balls, cover with towel to prevent drying out.
2. Roll out dough ball using a rolling pin to a 7- to 8-inch circle. Put 1/12 of the filling centered on dough circle. Fold opposite sides to create a barrier edge, then fold the other two sides to enclose beef into dough like a burrito. Press seams together and press down filled dough.
3. Roll out filled dough aiming for a rectangle shape. Roll as thin as possible without the meat mixture breaking through the dough. Hold on an oiled tray until all dough balls are ready to cook.
4. On a hot grill or griddle, place the flattened filled doughs cooking 1 to 2 minutes per side, until done like a pizza.

Chef’s Tip: “The key is in the rolling. The first time I made them I was a bit light on the filling until I got the feel for rolling a filled dough. I find it unique to fill the dough much like a burrito and then flatten it out like a pizza before cooking.”

Or, maybe you spent more time watching Netflix than you thought was humanly possible, ate cookies for breakfast with alarming regularity and let any semblance of an exercise routine disappear faster than you can dismiss Netflix’s “Are You Still Watching?” pop-up.

Maybe you’re somewhere in between.

No matter where you fall on the spectrum, you are absolutely fine. Find a moment of gratitude for your body, whatever shape it is in. Breathe in the fresh energy of spring and remember that every day brings a new opportunity to move your body, with the help of some tips and encouragement from campus experts.

Move Outside, Together

Our ability to get outdoors more as spring blossoms encourages both physical movement and human connection. “Exercising outdoors with a friend or neighbor, you can walk, roller blade, go for a bike ride, go hiking, all while maintaining social distance and/or wearing a mask,” says Kristen Konkol, assistant teaching professor of exercise science in the Falk College and I-Move program coordinator in the School of Education.

The Konkol family spending quality time together outdoors.

After many months of isolation, the psychological need for socialization is just as important as the physiological need for exercise, Konkol says. There is also an added bonus of accountability when you involve another person in your plans for movement. “Not only will you get the benefits of fresh air and exercise, you’ll uplift yourself emotionally and have someone to connect with—both socially, and for accountability to stay motivated.”

‘A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step’

This Chinese proverb is relevant for those seeking to return to a fitness routine after a year of unpredictability. Kim DeStefano, wellness coordinator with the Office of Human Resources’ Wellness Initiative, recommends small, achievable steps that can lead to bigger goals.

“When you’re just getting back into the swing of things, the idea of doing an hourlong or even 30-minute workout can seem overwhelming,” she says. “Try to begin by committing to five minutes. Once you are up and moving, you may surprise yourself and want to keep going.”

Konkol also emphasizes the importance of allowing yourself some grace. “We’ve all been going through a lot and people tend to be really hard on themselves when they miss a day or if they’ve been out of the habit of exercising for awhile,” she says. “Instead of beating yourself up, welcome the opportunity to re-boot mentally. If today is step one, then today is step one. Tomorrow will be step two. With exercise, it’s a cumulative effect.”

The DeStefano kids, Asher (1 1/2) and Kennedy (5) love getting outside for activities like bike riding and playground time.

A positive attitude is key, DeStefano says. Remember how good it feels when you make time to move your body and focus on the outcome of being physically active instead of the effort it may take to get started. “Do it for you. Make it a point to set a goal, even a small and very achievable one, then celebrate your successes!”

Get Out and Explore the Great Outdoors

If you’ve been moving consistently but are craving some novel ways to get out and active in the Central New York area and beyond, here are some ideas.

• : For just $80, you and whoever you can fit in your vehicle can access all New York State Parks and Department of Environmental Conservation facilities (more than 120 sites across the state!) through the end of 2021 without paying one-time entry fees for day use. The pass is also sharable.
• : This paved, multi-use trail spans nine miles along the western shore of Onondaga Lake, offering spectacular lake and city views and running right through the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview—a great spot to stop for a picnic! Park and enter the trail at the south side of the lake (take I-690 to exit 7), which is less heavily trafficked and remains half-shaded on hot summer days.
• : Behold all of nature’s beauty within 6 miles of campus. This hidden gem features 5 miles of trails, striking geological features and the picturesque Glacier Lake. You can even download a and track how many different species of birds you spot during your visit!
• : With its towering waterfalls, lush forests and majestic gorge that earned it the nickname “the Grand Canyon of the East,” there is no shortage of good reasons to visit Letchworth State Park. Opening this summer, the Autism Nature Trail will add to the park’s attractions as a first-of-its-kind, interactive experience in nature designed specifically for those with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. The one-mile looped trail has eight stations, including a Sensory Station, Sunshine Slope maze, Music Circle, Curiosity Corner, Reflection Point, Meadow Run and Climb and Design Area. Specialized elements like cuddle swings, gliders and “alone zones” provide an inclusive environment for individuals of differing needs and abilities. Visit to view renderings of the trail and stay up-to-date on its opening plans.

Contact HealthEquity/WageWorks at��877.924.3967 (TTY: 866.353.8058)��or��HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu with any FSA-related questions.

The first in a series, here are the stories of just a few people and teams that have risen to the task and shown what it means to be Orange. Do you know someone who has been a COVID Hero? Let us know and we may spotlight them in an upcoming story!

Building a Testing Database From Scratch

Scott Davis and Chris Dunham, data scientists in the Department of Enrollment Management

Last summer, as the public health team planned for the mass testing program that would become an essential part of our risk mitigation strategy, they called on two data scientists from the Department of Enrollment Management to design and build a testing database. Scott Davis and Chris Dunham were initially tapped to build a system to track around 20,000 student tests, the University’s initial testing plan at the outset of the Fall 2020 semester.

As our COVID response continued to evolve, so did the database requirements. The system, colloquially referred to as Shiny, was continually upgraded and expanded upon by Davis and Dunham to include tracking compliance with testing requirements, automated communications to students, faculty and staff regarding test results and reminders to be tested, and more than 170,000 tests worth of data being tracked.

“It’s a custom solution with everything built entirely from scratch,” says Dunham, who alongside Davis collaborated with the University’s lead epidemiologists to build and refine the platform. “We were embedded in the COVID Project Management Office (PMO) to determine what the needs were, and then shaped the system in our heads and started programming.” These extraordinary efforts were undertaken in addition to the “normal” data work Davis and Dunham conduct in the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience in support of our incoming students.

Supporting Students in a Year Like No Other

The , a centralized student resource that provides support and advocacy during times of challenge, hardship or difficulty, includes Dana Broadnax, assistant dean of students; Tyrone Reese, assistant director; and four case managers: Cristina Battle, Shelley Crawford, Emanual Oliver and Susan Sugar. In the face of the pandemic, this team became a major communications resource and information ambassador to students and their families by fielding questions, concerns and issues regarding new policies and protocols.

Staff members from the Dean of Students Office. Top row: Cristina Battle, case manager; Dana Broadnax, assistant dean of students; Shelley Crawford, case manager. Bottom row: Emanual Oliver, case manager; Tyrone Reese, assistant director; Susan Sugar, case manager

The DOS team also expanded their purview from the standard concerns their office addresses—mental health, physical health, academic concerns—and supported students dealing with the toll of COVID-19 on themselves and their families. Caseloads increased as case managers built relationships with students in quarantine or isolation to support their academic persistence, personal needs and wellness, many of which continued after the quarantine/isolation period ended, offering ongoing student support.

Engagement with students increased thanks to the proliferation of technology, like Zoom and Teams, to conduct appointments and reach students who study remotely. The unique circumstances of 2020 and 2021 also brought increased opportunities for collaboration and partnership between the DOS team and other areas of the student experience, including Student Living, Student Rights and Responsibilities, First-Year and Transfer Programs, and Parent and Family Services.

“To be a strong case manager, one needs to be able to establish and maintain relationships that can benefit students,” says Oliver. “It’s important to support the whole student.” Case managers have worked to build relationships across campus with academic advisors, counselors, faculty and other support staff. “Operating during a pandemic to offer the best student experience truly demands that we all demonstrate a higher level of service with agility, flexibility, creativity and collaboration,” says Broadnax.

Providing On-Campus Health Services During a Pandemic

LeeAnne Lane, nurse manager, Barnes Center at The Arch

For the health care team at the Barnes Center at The Arch, communicating with students and parents about COVID-19, prevention and self-care became a paramount area of focus in 2020, as well as managing the testing, screening, isolation/quarantine and care of University students.

“I’ve had almost-daily communication with the Onondaga County Health Department as we work together to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus,” says LeeAnne Lane, nurse manager in the Barnes Center. “The clinical team has had to adapt to changes in workflow, increased demand, the anxiety of students and parents—not to mention PPE [personal protective equipment] becoming part of our everyday uniform.” The team has had to get creative about how they interact with students and each other in a way that builds trust, such as writing their name and title on their protective gowns or face shields.

As cases grew on our campus last fall, the health care team was challenged to see more people, test more people and field more phone calls from both sick and concerned students and parents. At the same time, many staff members were personally dealing with their own concerns related to the pandemic.

“The team demonstrated compassion, diligence and an unprecedented amount of teamwork,” says Lane, adding that despite daily exposure to persons who had tested positive for COVID-19, none of the clinical staff contracted the infection. “The University has demonstrated in so many ways that it cares for the entire campus community. As a health care professional, I have seen just how much our small corner of the University can be impacted by its surroundings, as well as how much power we have to impact others.”

Re-thinking Food Service and Delivery

Food Services staff member Christian Bozek puts together bags of meals that are pre-ordered by students in quarantine.

Dining has looked quite a bit different on our campus over the past year, and staff members in Food Services have rolled with the many curveballs thrown their way. From reconfiguring their cafes and dining centers to accommodate social distancing, to installing plexiglass and contactless payment at point-of-service, to coordinating food options for students in isolation and quarantine housing, the team has worked tirelessly to adapt to the pandemic restrictions and requirements.

“Our crew never hesitated and has done whatever we asked of them since the initial shutdown last March,” says Mark Tewksbury, co-director of Food Services.

For students in isolation at Skyhall or quarantining at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center, the team developed new meal delivery options that encompass a wide range of dietary preferences, consulting with their registered dietitian to ensure the menu meets the needs of all students. They text students in isolation and quarantine daily to solicit orders, have in-sourced campus food delivery and distribute shelf-stable items for students who may arrive into quarantine or isolation housing late in the day.

“Staff has been more than willing to accommodate the new requirements—wearing masks, following cleaning and sanitation protocols, and staying socially distanced. They have stepped up in every single way,” Tewksbury says.

Syracuse University Ambulance Shifts Gears

Paul Smyth, who oversees both Medical Transport Services and Syracuse University Ambulance (SUA) on campus, shifted job duties and personnel in rapid order to help provide medical transport to students who tested positive for or been exposed to COVID-19 to isolation or quarantine housing.

“There were changes to our operations on a daily basis. We were constantly coming up against a new situation to plan for or a new challenge to resolve,” Smyth says. While the team’s call volume was down for on-campus emergencies due to reduced density, they were getting calls at higher volumes to transport students—many happening after typical business hours.

SUA emergency responders are equipped with more PPE than ever to safely perform their duties.

PPE was amped up for drivers and responders, while plexiglass shields were installed in vehicles to prevent transmission from passenger to driver and cleaning/sanitation protocols expanded. At certain points in the fall semester, additional vans were borrowed from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Parking and Transit Services so the team could have three isolation vans running.

“It was really a Herculean group effort,” Smyth says, noting the constant collaboration between his student workers, the Barnes Center health care team, the COVID Project Management Office, EHSS, Physical Plant, DPS and Parking and Transit. “If even one component was missing, we wouldn’t have had the same great outcomes.”

Stay tuned to SU Today to read the second installment of this series!

When It Comes to Food, Prioritize Variety and Balance

Eating a diverse and well-balanced diet can help ensure we get the array of vitamins and minerals our immune system needs to function well. “When looking for recipes that support immunity, think color!” says Gail Grozalis, executive director of wellness in the Office of Human Resources. “Eat the rainbow—fruits and veggies that are red, purple, orange, deep greens and yellow tend to be high in antioxidants and will help strengthen your immune system.”

Focus on a reasonable balance of the three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) to ensure you’re not depriving your body of anything it needs to rebuild, repair and fight off infection. To take things to the next level, Grozalis recommends incorporating fermented foods (e.g., homemade kraut, kimchi, pickles and yogurt) into your eating plan, and limiting sugar and processed foods—both of which can create inflammation in the body, weakening the immune system.

Nutrients of Interest

Many of us intuitively reach for the orange juice or crave warm chicken soup when we feel a cold coming on. This could be because our body is craving certain nutrients that can help boost immunity.

According to Ruth Sullivan, assistant director of nutrition management in Food Services, there are several nutrients that play a role in good immune system health. “Protein is important for healing and recovery—I recommend lean proteins like poultry without the skin, sirloin and tenderloin, beans and tofu,” she says. Vitamin A (found in citrus fruits, spinach, carrots and squash), Vitamin C (citrus fruits, broccoli, bell peppers) and Vitamin E (almonds, oils, avocados) help protect against infection and form antibodies and antioxidants. Zinc (chicken, cashews, spinach) can also be important to wound healing, says Sullivan.

Lifestyle Choices Matter

While eating healthful foods is an important foundation, other lifestyle factors can also impact immunity. Grozalis recommends getting adequate sleep—between seven and nine hours on a consistent basis—to support the immune system.

Sullivan emphasizes the importance of regular exercise, staying tobacco-free, managing stress and maintaining a healthy body weight. “We want to think about everything that plays a role in keeping our immune system healthy, not just food,” she says.

Immune-Supporting Recipes

Tofu Lo Mein

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces lo mein egg noodles (or any other noodle)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 14 ounces tofu

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and Sriracha; set aside.
2. Open and wrap tofu in paper towels.
3. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in snow peas and spinach until the spinach has wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add tofu to soy sauce and cook for a minute.
6. Stir in egg noodles and soy sauce mixture, gently tossing to combine.
7. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Food Services.

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mango, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro (loose pack, not chopped, stems and all)
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, plus extra for grill
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in, skin on

Directions:

1. Put the mango, cilantro, chipotle, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper, in a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings, to taste.
2. Add the chicken with half the mango mixture to a resealable plastic bag, and massage to coat the chicken with the sauce. Refrigerate at least 6 hours to marinate.
3. Put the other half of the mango mixture into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Set some of the simmered chipotle-mango sauce aside to serve on the side and baste the chicken every few minutes with the rest of the sauce.
4. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and brush with canola oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put on the grill.
5. Grill the chicken, turning and basting every 5 minutes until cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the reserved mango sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Food Services.

Kale, Strawberry and Toasted Almond Salad With Feta

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch kale leaves, chopped (9 cups bite-sized kale leaves)
• Juice of 1 medium orange, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup sliced strawberries (or blueberries, blackberries or raspberries)
• 1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Remove and discard center ribs and stems from kale leaves. Tear kale leaves into bite-sized pieces.
2. Combine kale, half of orange juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt in a large bowl. Massage kale by scrunching small amounts with your clean hands, then releasing and repeating.
3. For the dressing, whisk remaining orange juice, orange zest, honey and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk remaining 1/4 cup olive oil into the juice mixture to combine well. Set aside.
4. Pour the dressing over kale. Add strawberries, currants and toasted almonds. Toss gently. Let salad ingredients marinate for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
5. Top with feta cheese just before serving.

Recipe adapted from eatright.org.

First and foremost, step outside. In your neighborhood or the next town over, there are plenty of unique and quirky opportunities to move more and spark your imagination. It’s one of the wonderful charms of where we live and work, in Upstate New York.

A walk in the woods can be good for body and soul, anytime, at any age. Here’s a view from rural Oswego County, courtesy of the author.

Walk or bike the . You can follow along from border to border but during this pandemic, it’s easy to stay local and keep your exploring close to home with common sense. The Camillus-to-Onondaga Lake section just opened officially this past October.

Tweak your timeline and step out at night, looking for clear skies away from city lights. Count the constellations or follow the moon as it waxes and wanes, the planets as they wander the night. Give yourself a guided tour of the night skies with an app such as SkyView, Google Sky or Star Tracker.

Back to the day shift, birdwatch, in your backyard or with the help of the . So hang that birdfeeder high enough to be out of reach of the neighborhood cats and get watching. Chickadees and nuthatches are plentiful (and hungry!) now.

Water—possibly our greatest asset—blesses us abundantly in Central New York. Walk along almost any beach around Lake Ontario and watch the wave action on this “inland sea.” That’s one great lake with a capital “G”! Then there are all those little lakes… Green Lakes, so deep; Onondaga and its eagles; Oneida! Any or all of the Finger Lakes to explore.

Don’t forget the snow! We get so much of it we might as well enjoy it. Find your favorite way to mix it up with our bounty of flakes: make a snowman (or several), stage a snowball fight, teach a kid to wing it with snow angels. Mayhem galore or simply enjoy hot cocoa with mini marshmallows afterward.

In short, move more but still stay safe. Get out, have fun! As always, mask up and keep social distance—that’s easy.

If you are struggling with feelings of stress, grief, isolation or overwhelm, consider taking advantage of the program’s , which covers up to six visits with a licensed, credentialed counselor. Carebridge also offers assistance with parenting, eldercare, college planning, personal finances, legal concerns and more. There are also a variety of virtual learning and growth opportunities that faculty and staff are encouraged to take advantage of in the coming weeks.

Upcoming and On-Demand Webinars

• Stress Check-In: Looking Ahead to 2021
  It is not unusual to need extra support during the final days of the year. Carebridge is offering two virtual check-ins to remind participants to make time for self-care, which is as a key component to managing stress and remaining resilient. Time will be allotted for Q&A, as well as sharing, and all participants will remain anonymous. or .
• Stress Check-In: Develop Your Mental Strength for the New Year
  Having a positive mindset is an essential element in being resilient. This group will help participants embrace their inner strengths and challenge themselves to develop new skills to enhance a positive mindset. Participation is anonymous. .
• Mindfulness Practice to Recharge
  Learn how mindfulness meditation and techniques can assist you with easing tension and recharging energy. Check in with your body and use your breath to establish the energy of mindfulness in your life. This practice session is appropriate for both beginners and experienced meditators. .
• Stress Management for the Holidays
  While the 2020 holiday season may look different, doing too much during the holidays can add a lot of stress to your life. Instead of “bah humbug!” learn practical tips for dealing with stress that occurs around the holidays so they can be a joyful, safe and peaceful time. .

Annette Statum

Annette Statum vividly recalls the hot summer day in 1994 when she walked down Ainsley Drive to the Commissary because she’d heard the University was hiring. Busy raising her children at the time, Statum was looking for part-time work.

After filling out an application for a position in Food Services, she was told that they had no part-time openings but would call her if one became available. The very next day her phone rang with an offer for a 10-2 shift. “So that’s where my journey began, 25 years ago,” Statum says.

Statum’s current role is custodial manager for academic and administrative facilities in Facilities Services, where she oversees a team of over 160 staff members and seven custodial supervisors. After about a year in Food Services, she bid on a custodial position and has spent the last 24 years growing her career with the University.

Along the way, Statum has developed a passion for leading her team of custodians and the critical work that they accomplish together every day.

Working in nearly every building on campus through the years, Statum progressed from custodian to group leader. When a supervisor position became available she was encouraged to pursue it. Although she got along well with her crew as a group leader, Statum had some trepidation about making the leap to supervisor. “I didn’t think I could do it, I told them they should find somebody else,” she says with a laugh. “But there have been a few people here at the University who really believed in me and helped me realize that I had leadership potential.” Later she was promoted into her current custodial manager position, which she says is one of the most memorable days of her career with the University.

Since then, Statum has proven her leadership ability at every opportunity. “Annette is a strong leader who continues to learn every day how she and her team can best serve their customer: Syracuse University students, faculty, staff and visitors,” says Mary Pat Grzymala, senior associate director of Facilities Services.

According to Statum, the biggest key to success is understanding that her team, her people, are the heart of the entire custodial operation.

Statum and her team worked diligently to keep our academic spaces free from the coronavirus during the fall semester.

“I want them to feel like they can come to me, give me their ideas and that I’ll always listen,” she says. As her responsibilities continued to progress, Statum took advantage of opportunities for professional development, including taking online classes to help her enhance her communication and leadership skills.

“I’ve learned that I’m an egalitarian leader—I like to treat everybody as an equal, straight across the board.” She takes pride in being a fair, just and reasonable leader. Statum also prioritizes keeping her team motivated and doing what she can to ensure everyone has time off to relax and recharge their batteries—especially in light of the extra custodial duties her team has taken on in the face of COVID-19.

“We get a lot of emails from people in the buildings telling us that we’re doing a great job. I like to post them on the wall where the team can see them to help keep morale up,” she says. Over the holidays, she has worked and will continue to work extra hours to make it easier for her staff to have time off to spend with their families. “I know everybody is working hard and with COVID, things have been difficult on everybody, so they need some relaxation.”

“Annette has a lot of energy and is responsible for a 24/7 operation,” says Grzymala. “Her workday never ends and she has typically been on campus for several hours before most staff arrive each morning.”

Statum often starts her workday by 4 a.m., arriving early to make sure that her team is set up for a successful day, and is on-call most of the time. “I come from a hard-working family, three and four generations back, and I always want to make sure that work is going smooth,” she says.

In her time away from work, Statum is a self-professed homebody who likes to relax with a good documentary or movie, spend time with her family and take walks with her rescue dog, Roscoe. With five or so years remaining before she reaches retirement age, Statum counts her blessings for a long and fulfilling career with the University.

“I’ve been lucky. I have a great job where I get to be really engaged and hands-on with my group,” she says. “I get along well with trades and skills and our building supervisors. We work as a team. I know my leadership has my back and can help me work through any issues or complications.”

Statum finds purpose in being part of the larger Facilities Services team and loves to engage with everyone she meets, whether a student, superior, colleague or customer. “I can be a bit of a Cathy Chatterbox, but I just really love what I do,” she says.

Her passion does not go unnoticed. The work performed by Statum’s team to keep the University’s academic and administrative buildings clean, safe and sanitized is always of critical importance—but perhaps now more than ever to help minimize the risk of coronavirus infection in the physical spaces.

“Annette is a hard-working, dedicated employee whose leadership shows in the quality, care and cleanliness of our campus community,” says Pete Sala, vice president and chief campus facilities officer. “We are all very lucky to have her on our team.”

Reynolds works the 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. shift, before campus stirs to life each morning, but teams work around the clock during the winter to keep the University’s four miles of streets, 26 miles of sidewalks and countless stairs, exits, entryways and curb cuts clean and accessible.

Reynolds has worked for Syracuse University for 42 years. In his first few years, he was part of the team that shoveled sidewalks and stairs by hand. He later began to operate small equipment, large plow trucks and salters, and now operates heavy equipment. “You never totally get out of shoveling,” he jokes. “Everybody has to do it, even in a loader you have to get out and shovel. And I don’t mind.”

Reynolds operates his payloader along a prescribed route each day. He starts at Facilities Services on Ainsley Drive, cleaning out in front of the Commissary, then heads along the back entrance of South Campus. His route takes him through the parking lots of the Lampe Athletics Complex and onto Comstock Avenue. From there, he heads to College Place, where he cleans the street, sidewalk and Life Sciences parking lot. He then heads to Waverly Avenue, up past Crouse-Hinds Hall and into the Quad 1 parking lot. Once those roads and sidewalks are clean, he heads down to Walnut Avenue and Walnut Place to clear sidewalks and curb cuts.

Removing snow on campus presents a unique challenge in that it must be done around parked cars and among heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic. And the thing about snow is that it doesn’t hold consistent to any time, temperature or measurement. What is needed is a team that pulls together to get the job done, and one of the most necessary things is for everyone to have patience, Reynolds says. “I have been doing this a long time, and it’s just patience. It’s going to get it done.”

Past snow events are close in his memory. He worked around the clock during the blizzards that struck Central New York in March 1993 and March 1994, when the snow fell as fast as he could plow it. He remembers when several inches fell on Syracuse on Commencement/Mother’s Day 1996. “I remember all these people coming to campus so nicely dressed, and we were out plowing this heavy, wet snow,” he says.

Traveling his route for so many years has given him a unique perspective, as he has watched the face of the campus change. “I was here when the Dome was built,” he says as he watches the current work on the facility. He remembers the day when Holden Observatory was moved to its current location. Some of the best memories he has are of people he has met and in assisting campus departments with special projects.

Reynolds is the proud dad of two Syracuse alumni, graduates of the Whitman School and the School of Education. He has a soft spot for students and always goes the extra mile to make sure they don’t have difficulty navigating the campus. The trickiest part of his route can be Waverly Avenue, which is heavy with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, particularly buses and trucks making deliveries. “I can’t stand to see kids walk through snow to get on a bus,” he says. “They want to go home and don’t want to be trudging through it.”

During the spring, summer and fall seasons, Reynolds operates heavy equipment for landscaping and deliveries, among other assignments. He also operates Facilities Services’ boom truck, which has an 85-foot extension and enables work to be done in high places.

Pat Carroll, grounds manager with Facilities Services, says Reynolds is a key member of his team. “As a longtime member of the grounds crew and a well-respected heavy equipment operator, Scott’s experience and professionalism will be difficult to replace,” he says. “Scott has an upbeat attitude and easygoing personality that makes him an easy fit with all crew members. He has always been willing to do the little extras that make the difference between a job done and a job well done.”

Did Reynolds think he would be at Syracuse University for more than 40 years? “No, I didn’t,” he says. “I really like the job…but I really do like it when spring comes along.”

A new financial wellness workshop series for faculty and staff will be offered on campus through , Syracuse University’s Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, in March and April. The Benefits Advisory Council tested many different types of financial wellness workshops and selected this series for its interactive, practical and actionable approach to enhancing your financial aptitude. Multiple sessions are available to accommodate your schedule.

The topics, dates and time/location options:

Managing Your Personal Finances
Tuesday, March 31
9 to 10 a.m., 201ABC Goldstein Student Center, South Campus
Noon to 1 p.m., 347 Hinds Hall or
2 to 3 p.m., 347 Hinds Hall

Gaining Control of Debt
Monday, April 13
9 to 10 a.m., 201ABC Goldstein Student Center, South Campus
Noon to 1 p.m., 347 Hinds Hall or
2 to 3 p.m., 347 Hinds Hall

Developing a Savings Strategy
Wednesday, April 29
9 to 10 a.m., 201ABC Goldstein Student Center, South Campus
Noon to 1 p.m., 347 Hinds Hall or
2 to 3 p.m., 347 Hinds Hall

about the upcoming workshops or use the links above to register now.

With questions, or if you require accommodations to participate, contact Human Resources at 315.443.4042 or��hrservice@syr.edu.

Because the months of February and April tend to be among the busiest of the semester, we asked Whitman faculty and staff to share some of their best advice (acquired over time) on how to “hack” the workday to improve efficiency and productivity. So, to help you hack your workday, here are some ideas that work for them…and maybe will work for you:

From Lynne Vincent, assistant professor of management

Lynne Vincent

I love what I do. Remembering that reminds me of why I keep moving past failures. For example, I sometimes underestimate the complexity of tasks or don’t plan enough time for unexpected tasks to emerge. As a result, I might not complete as much as I thought that I would, and that can hurt my motivation. But then, I remind myself that I can’t always anticipate the unexpected, and that happens to all of us. Then, rather than focus on being productive, I focus on who will benefit from my tasks. Who am I going to help with this work? That motivates me to continue.

Time management is distraction management. Before I sit down to work on a task, I go to the bathroom, get a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and take care of anything else that could stop me from focusing on my task. I remove those excuses to stop working. I set a timer for 60 minutes or 90 minutes (whatever time that I have). Then I sit down with two pads of paper. On one pad, I take any notes on my thoughts about the task. Anything task-related goes on that pad. The second pad is for anything else that pops into my head (e.g. “I have to remember to write that email, schedule that appointment, send that birthday card out, order that book….”). I write down the distraction on the second pad and return to the first pad and keep working. When the timer goes off, I have made progress.

I make my workspace a place that I want to be. People have different takes on this. Stephen King, who is the king of writing productivity, talks about his writing space and closing off this space with curtains and doors and no internet. He removes distractions to focus on his tasks. I don’t go to this Stephen King extreme, but I craft my workspace carefully. I move distractions away. I put my phone away. I close my email for a bit. However, I still want to be happy in my space. I have photos of family or other things that inspire me or make me smile. For instance, I have a small jackalope toy right by my keyboard. He reminds me to have fun and not take myself too seriously. That jackalope keeps me focused by reminding me that I like being here and working.

One of the things that can stop me from making progress is not wanting to be wrong, not wanting to fail, or not wanting to let people down. I have to constantly accept failure and rejection. It is part of my job, actually. I can’t let that fear of failure stop me, or I would never get anything done. So, I have some good friends and colleagues who I trust to tell me what I can learn or what I can do better. Essentially, I found people who are willing to criticize me. Cheerleaders are great, but people who will tell you how to improve are more useful. I can take their criticism and use it to learn new skills that I can use to be more successful next time. Accepting criticism (which is another skill in itself) and using it to improve increases productivity overall.

From Anh Murphy, academic advisor, online master’s programs

Anh Murphy

Don’t underestimate the power of a calendar and planner. I find that by writing down everything and then organizing tasks by order of importance and giving them a due date really helps, especially when you are tackling multiple projects at the same time.

Be a little kind to yourself. Understand that sometimes, things can wait to the next day.

From Rachel DuBois, director of undergraduate recruitment

Rachel DuBois

Use your Outlook calendar to keep yourself on track. In addition to using it for meetings, include important dates, deadlines and reminders to keep yourself on track. If you need time to work on certain projects, include that on the calendar, too, so that your whole day/week is mapped out ahead of time.

From Kerri Howell, director of communications and media relations

Kerri Howell

Keep your email as clean as possible! Deal with what you can and file when things have been completed. Blind copy yourself on important requests so you have a copy in your inbox. You can forward it back to the receiver, as a follow up, if you haven’t heard back.

It can be tough to remain active as winter grinds on, so we tapped into campus experts for tips to stay motivated, switch it up and re-energize your workout routine until sunny skies and T-shirt weather make a comeback.

1. 

   For those who like to exercise indoors, many of the amenities at the Barnes Center at The Arch are available to faculty and staff.

   Revitalize your playlist.
   “A fresh new playlist can be just the right motivation to get moving on those extra chilly days,” says Gail Grozalis, executive director of wellness in the Office of Human Resources. Whether you’re moving and grooving at the Barnes Center at The Arch, a local gym, outdoors or in the comfort of your own home, make a playlist of your favorite upbeat tunes that inspire you to get active!

2. Find an activity that you love. No, really.
   According to , assistant professor and I-Move program coordinator in the School of Education, people too often think rigidly about what exercise looks and feels like. “Someone will tell me that they don’t work out because they hate running, and my response is…‘who says you have to run?!’” she says. Instead of forcing yourself into an activity you find miserable in the name of “exercise,” think about ways you can move your body that you actually do enjoy. Do you love to dance? Are you energized by trying new group fitness classes? Do you like spending time outdoors? “Just because something is on-trend or popular, doesn’t mean that it’s right for you,” Konkol says. “It’s about committing to a practice for yourself—not for anyone else. It’s very personal.”
3. Don’t wait for spring to get outdoors.
   Thinking about skipping that mid-day cruise for Vitamin D that you’d take in the spring or summer? Don’t! Grozalis says you should override that instinct, especially on sunny days. “Getting outside for even 10 or 15 minutes can help boost your mood,” she says. “Keep a hat, gloves and boots or sneakers at your desk and take advantage of nicer days.” Faculty and staff can also take advantage of winter activities, like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, at Drumlins Country Club through recreation services at the Barnes Center. Start slow if you’re new to outdoor workouts, offers Alena Anthony, associate director of fitness programs with recreation services. “Our outdoor programs offer beginner-level options where no experience is needed,” she says. “You’ll get free equipment with hands-on instruction to help you get started.”
4. Recruit an “accountabilibuddy.”
   Working out with a friend is a solid way to create mutual accountability and encouragement, while also providing an opportunity for social connection. “True wellness exists on a continuum that includes not only your physical but also your social and emotional well-being, your sense of community,” says Konkol. Partnering up to exercise not only increases your commitment to time scheduled for fitness, it also gives you a chance to connect with a friend and talk about what’s going on in your life. “It creates a positive experience directly related to fitness and wellness,” says Anthony. Strengthening this positive association makes it more likely that exercise becomes something you love, not something you dread.
   
5. Take advantage of campus resources.
   In addition to the outdoor programs at Drumlins mentioned above, faculty and staff can use many of the amenities at the Barnes Center, including its drop-in fitness classes, climbing wall, eSports room and walking track. “It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to use the track, and it’s something that can be done in most business or business casual attire,” Anthony says. “All you need is appropriate footwear!”

So, now that you’re out of excuses…get out there and enjoy what’s left of winter! Before you know it, we’ll be seeking reprieve in the A/C on a hot summer day.

“I had been in my workshop at home when my wife came down the stairs and found me watering the plants with my water bottle,” explains . “She didn’t say a word at the time. But the next day, I received the gift of a watering can. It was her way of saying she was thinking of me. It was the kind of daily act of love that has forged a solid bond in our marriage over 43 years.”

Though Fanelli retired in 2018, he continues to teach the popular Lust, Love & Relationships course in the and continues his private practice (he is licensed in marriage and family therapy). Over more than three decades, he has lectured, taught and counseled thousands of people of all ages on what it takes to build and sustain a loving relationship and a marriage that lasts for years.

Joseph Fanelli

“I do love talking about love,” says Fanelli. “The whole experience of desire and attraction, falling in love and sustaining love, is really a journey. During that journey, couples make a huge investment in each other.”

But it is how couples demonstrate that investment that determines just how long the journey will last.

Love, he says, is both an expression of emotion and an activity. Emotion and activity must be integrated into the daily life of a couple. “We have to nourish love the same way we need to eat and sleep to get us healthy. We need to feed our love every single day. If we don’t, we will create distance.” A successful relationship goes beyond telling a partner that they are loved; it’s demonstrating it in small but meaningful ways.

“Couples don’t just wake up one morning and say, ‘I don’t love you.’ I don’t think love burns out. I think love rusts out,” he says. “It’s a slow insidious kind of distance caused by not sharing with each other, not expressing one’s love for each other, not acting on the love experience.”

Fanelli acknowledges that there are many love relationships—parent to child, friend to friend—but there is a special intimacy in a couple’s relationship that is defined by warmth, desire, understanding, support, frequent communication and deep emotional commitment. “People think I’m unusual about this, but I really believe there is something organic—something alive—in the experience of love.”

Making time for face-to-face communication with a partner is helpful—but the quality of that time is critical. For example, Fanelli says having a regular date night is a good start. But time together that involves excitement and active engagement is even more meaningful. He cites evidence that when there is new or exciting activity that is shared, it stimulates brain chemicals in a way that brings couples together emotionally—similar to the chemical side effects of flirtation or sexual passion.

But what about conflict? How should couples handle disagreement in ways that strengthen the relationship? Fanelli says it’s all in the way you express yourself to your partner. Placing blame and lobbing criticism are relationship-toxic. “Tell your partner how their words or actions make you feel,” says Fanelli. “Be honest in your communications, not confrontational.”

Though the counseling field and public expression of sexuality has certainly evolved over the years, Fanelli says the fundamentals of a successful, long-lasting love relationship haven’t changed much. Simply put: it takes work and a daily dose of appreciation.

Borrowing

You can’t beat your local library. Easiest choice is right on campus: , most notably the massive E.S Bird Library. With your SU I.D. card, you have both access and the power to borrow. The Libraries has about four million(!) titles and a sizable, helpful staff (there’s even a website option to live chat with a library staff member). In addition to being a nexus of information and a popular study space, Bird has its own café and hosts a number of lectures, public exhibitions and special events.

Off campus, the system has 31 branch libraries across the county in addition to the Central Library (447 S. Salina St., Syracuse), where you can take out books, eBooks, audiobooks and more. And a library card is free.

Another great place to borrow (or to donate a book): one of the dozens of community Little Free Library locations throughout the region. These are awesome! Walk up, look, take. And you can help restock by leaving a book of your own. There’s a for area Little Free Library locations. Search by zip code or community name or just click the “Near Me” radio button.

Keeping

There’s no place closer to shop than the in the Schine Student Center. Along with text books, art supplies, computers, cosmetics and all things Orange, the Bookstore carries a substantial quantity of books from new bestsellers to works by faculty authors. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Rescue Mission Alliance has throughout the region. They’re great places to find used books and give back in a meaningful way through your purchases. Same goes for the . And don’t forget, you can also donate your own used books for others to enjoy.

The big dog in the book-buying biz is, of course, Barnes & Noble. If you’re looking for new bestsellers at a sweet discount, you can’t beat a visit to a B&N location in DeWitt (3454 Erie Boulevard East), Clay (3956 Rt. 31, Liverpool), Ithaca (614 S. Meadow St.), Vestal (2443 Vestal Parkway East) or New Hartford (4811 Commercial Dr.). Or ; with a $25 B&N membership, you get member discounts and free mailing.

If you’re looking for older, rarer or harder-to-find tomes—or you just like the feel of a traditional bookstore, visit a local independent bookstore.

Syracuse’s two signature used bookstores are practically across the street from each other in the Eastwood neighborhood. Which makes it easy to go to one, load up, and then walk to the other and load up some more.

Books & Melodies Bookstore (2600 James St., Syracuse) is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They have no website, but there is a page. This is a very large bookstore (plan to spend some time here) billed as “CNY’s largest entertainment/intellectual exchange.”

Five large rooms are filled with thousands of used hardcovers and paperbacks, plus magazines, comics, graphic novels, old games, vinyl records, CD, DVDs and hard-to-find VHS tapes.

A massive basement has more, filled with $2 specials on more vinyl, additional books, sheet music, CDs and cassettes. Did we mention you’ll want to spend some time here?

Within a book’s throw (note: we’re not condoning book tossing) is the city’s other premier bookstore, Books End Bookshop (2443 James St., Syracuse). It’s open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Books End has a and is also on and .

In square footage, it’s not as big as its neighbor, but Books End still offers a large selection of newer and older books (more than 70,000) covering every literary genre. It’s Syracuse’s oldest used bookstore and specializes in rare, vintage and out-of-print books. There’s a large selection of fiction and nonfiction books available for purchase in person or online.

Also of note, Books End offers a Frequent Reader Card. For every $10 spent, you receive a stamp. Collect 10 stamps, and you’ll get $10 off your next purchase.

In addition to selling, Books End .

Further down the street from these two bastions of bookdom is another store, albeit a more specialized one: Sacred Melody (3501 James St.), “a third-generation family business that offers inspirational gifts and books that help people express their faith.” Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sacred Melody offers spirituals; bibles; devotionals; books on prayer and love and marriage; books for adults, teens and children; and much more.

In addition to the store itself, Sacred Melody has a and a . Oh, and as every bookstore should have, there is a coffee shop next door—a Café Kubal.

Another local bookstore, Golden Bee Bookshop, is in Liverpool (305 Vine St.). Hours are Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hosts a book club, along with other events. Golden Bee is on the , and .

It’s an attractive little store that “carries a thoughtfully curated collection of Fiction books in a whimsical and welcoming setting.” What’s not on hand can be ordered and arrive within 3-4 business days. The store also features candles, bookmarks, mugs art and cards, most of which are produced by local artisans.

Golden Bee hosts a number of special events, including two monthly book clubs—one featuring new fiction, and the other focusing on paperbacks. And the store has a resident cat named Mia. Yes, along with coffee, every bookstore should have a cat.

Here are some other notable choices within a reasonable drive:

Backstreet Books and Bistro
No website. On .
Address: 201-203 Oneida St., Fulton
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.
Used bookstore offering a wide variety of genres. A program of .

Time and Again Books & Tea
No website: On .
Address: 18 E. Utica St., Oswego
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 12:30 to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, 4 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.
Offers used books, DVDs, CDs and books on CD.

River’s End Bookstore
. On .
Address: 19 W. Bridge St., Oswego
Winter hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Boasts a large selection of new books, plus numerous special events, including author appearances. But in person or online.

Book Barn of the Finger Lakes
No website.
Address: 198 North Road/County Route 163, Dryden
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Historic farmstead, with three red and green barns containing 2.5 miles of shelving of used, rare and scholarly books.

Autumn Leaves Used Books

Address: 115 E. State St., Ithaca
Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Features 60,000 books (including rare and collectibles), a basement with 10,000 records and an in-store café. “Offers the selection and quality of a new bookstore at used book prices.”

Buffalo Street Books
. On , and .
Address: Located in The Dewitt Mall, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Opened in 1981 as the Bookery II. Reopened in 2011 as a cooperatively owned bookstore. Stocks thousands of titles for both adults and children, as well as literary journals, cards and periodicals. Hosts several book clubs and groups, as well as numerous events.

Popeks Used and Rare Books
.
Address: 356 Main St., Otego
Hours: Closed for winter, but reopens March 6. Spring/summer/fall hours: Sunday and Monday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 to 11 a.m.

Berry Hill Bookshop
.
Address: 2349 NY-12B, Deansboro
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Book Peddler
. On .
Address: 5266 State Highway 41, Smithville Flats

The Book Vault Fine Books

Address: 46 Washington Ave, Endicott
Hours: Thursday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.

Book Warehouse
Address: Located at Waterloo Premium Outlets, 655 State Highway 318, Waterloo
Hours: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Stomping Grounds
On and .
Address: 41 Seneca St., Geneva
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Open Enrollment, the annual period when University employees reflect on their benefit options for the coming year, begins Monday, Nov. 4, and continues through Friday, Nov. 15. This is the one time of year when individuals may elect or change their coverage for many benefits, unless they experience a��. All of the relevant Open Enrollment information, including benefit plan and contribution details, dates for information sessions and office hours, and answers to frequently asked questions, are posted online at .

Learn more! Attend the on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Barnes Center at The Arch, MAC Court. This event provides you with the opportunity to speak directly with the University’s benefit partners and HR representatives, learn how to get the most out of your benefits, and get your questions answered right in time for Open Enrollment. Complimentary parking is available at the Skytop Lot. Meet at the main entrance of the Skytop Office Building for direct transportation to the Barnes Center.

In addition to the Benefits Open House, you’ll have various opportunities to connect with benefit professionals. Visit the dedicated�� to learn about those opportunities.

Enroll online through from Nov. 4-15. Computer kiosks are available during normal business hours inside the Office of Human Resources in the Skytop Office Building to provide additional computer access for online enrollment. For other locations, review the��.

Questions about Open Enrollment, benefits, the enrollment process or the Benefits Open House may be directed to HR Shared Services��at 315.443.4042.

“We were thrilled to have seven departments from across campus participate in this year’s contest, helping Syracuse University go purple to show our support for victims of domestic and dating violence,” says Michelle Goode, a health promotion specialist focused on sexual and relationship violence prevention in the Barnes Center at The Arch. “In addition to the visual impact of ‘going purple,’ we encouraged the campus community to participate in National Wear Purple Day on Oct. 24 and held a candlelight vigil last week in memory of those lost to domestic violence. These efforts drive home the message that there is no place for domestic violence on Syracuse University’s campus, and ensures that the voices of victims do not go unheard.”

Also part of the monthlong awareness effort was The Clothesline Project, an annual T-shirt display co-sponsored by Student Centers and Programing Services, Syracuse University Libraries and the Barnes Center at The Arch.

Below, check out some of the photos of Syracuse University going purple and the SU Goes Purple contest winners. Thank you to all who participated!

The Clothesline Project is an annual visual display of T-shirts created by individuals that have been impacted by interpersonal violence.

Most Purple Space and Most Liked Page on Social Media: Syracuse Abroad.

Most Purple Space and Most Liked Page on Social Media: Syracuse Abroad.

Honorable Mention: Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience (ESE), Communications.

Grand Prize Winner for Best Decorated Administration Space: Dean of Students Office.

Grand Prize Winner for Best Decorated Administration Space: Dean of Students Office.

The Cultural Centers staff members, representing the Disability Cultural Center, LGBT Resource Center and Office of Multicultural Affairs, showed their support of Purple Thursday on Oct. 24.

Most Creatively Decorated Space: The Barnes Center at The Arch, Recreation.

Most Creatively Decorated Space: The Barnes Center at The Arch, Recreation.

Honorable Mention: Department of Citizenship and Civic Engagement.

The Peer Educators Encouraging Healthy Relationships and Sexuality (PEEHRS) team showed their support of Purple Thursday on Oct. 24.

Honorable Mention: Department of Geography.

Most Interactive Space: Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

A wall of purple ribbons and factoids about dating and domestic violence.

The ESE leadership team showed their support of Purple Thursday on Oct. 24. (Pictured left to right: Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president of enrollment and the student experience; Bev Everding, ESE director of administration; Shannon Feeney Andre, ESE director of communications; Ryan Williams, vice president of enrollment services)

Get involved by joining the SEPT listserv

The Sexual and Relationship Violence Student Education and Prevention Team (SEPT) recently launched a dedicated listserv to share information regarding programming, policy updates, collaboration opportunities and other relevant information pertaining to violence prevention. Faculty and staff who want to get more involved in these efforts can complete the to be added to the email list. With questions or for more information, contact Michelle Goode.

Photos by Evan Jenkins, Division of Marketing and Communications

Courtwright was looking at her Facebook news feed when she saw a message from a friend. “I need clothes,” the friend had written. “I have nothing.”

That plea for help set Courtwright, a custodian with Facilities Services and a 13-year employee of the University, on a course to become a strong advocate for community service and helping others. “It dawned on me that I had seen garage sale sites, but I had never seen a free page for people in need,” she says. After seeing the message, Courtwright thought about her next steps for a few days. She wanted to be sure that what she did was thoughtful and purposeful.

Out of that moment, the Facebook community was born to connect people with particular needs to others who can help. Courtwright, who has volunteered in animal rescue for more than a decade, reached out to a core group of friends asking them to spread awareness of the new page. In the early months, she focused on collecting food and clothing. But as time progressed, she realized there were many greater needs and that one of the biggest issues was transportation.

“I thought people would be able to give and take for themselves, but it became apparent people would have something or needed something and they had no transportation,” she says. “So I started picking up from one individual and dropping off to another.” The popularity of the group swelled, as did the kinds of needs Courtwright was seeing. They range from clothing and food to help with emergency accommodations. The Pay It Forward CNY community is now composed of more than 5,000 members.

The first family she helped was a family of nine, including seven children, who lost everything in a fire. The parents insisted they were not going to a shelter with seven children; Courtwright arranged for comfortable accommodations and collected clothes and household items for them. Everything they needed for their new home.

She soon found that the need outweighed the time and energy that one person could handle. She transitioned to a new job at work that would give her more time to devote to the community and assembled a team to help with transportation and other duties. She devotes several hours a day to the Pay It Forward CNY community and on an average day may receive upwards of 50 requests for help, many being immediate needs. Those are the situations she attends to first.

“I basically fell into social work,” Courtwright says, “When I started the page, I didn’t realize the need, the poverty that exists in our community.… It started off very small, with me collecting just clothes and food. And then people started saying, ‘I need baby items, I need household items, I need cleaning supplies. It opened up from there.” During the summer months, she held a donation swap in the driveway of her home every Sunday.

Courtwright says many of the people she helps are the working poor—people who have a job (or even two) and have paid their bills but still struggle to put food on the table and to pay for other necessities. She has seen many instances of setbacks that happen when a medical issue arises or a car breaks down, and families cannot get ahead or stay on even footing. “Once people fall into that hole, it’s always something and they can never get caught up. Anything can happen, you just don’t know.” Social services in the community are trying to do the best they can to meet great need with limited funding, she says.

Courtwright has found that people who turn to the community for help are eager to do what they can to help others. “They come back and want to do more,” she says.

She is excited about Syracuse University’s initiative, through which members of the Orange family are invited and encouraged to collectively reach 15,000 hours of community service by March 24, 2020, National Orange Day, in celebration of the University’s sesquicentennial. She is currently forming a team of volunteers from the University to volunteer for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a local nonprofit that makes beds for children in need.

As the holidays approach, Courtwright will be focusing on collections for Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts; contact her through the Pay It Forward CNY community to learn how you can help. Ever the strong advocate for service in the greater community, she also encourages others to volunteer for and support the missions of nonprofits meeting unique needs in the community, including:

; 315.308.1561; ; works one-on-one with homeless persons; current needed items include deodorant, wet wipes, tissues, new white socks, water-resistant winter gloves and winter hats.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace; 844.432.2337, ext. 5914; Chris.hussak@shpbeds.org; provides beds for local children; current needs include new twin bedding, pillows and volunteers.

; 315.400.0556; info@cnydiaperbank.org; provides local nonprofits with diapers for low-income families; current needs include diapers, wipes and volunteers to wrap diapers.

; 315.559.9413; info@operationnortherncomfort.org; provides help with building projects, including ramps and lifts; volunteers to help with building are currently needed.

; 315.491.7164; Weriseabovethestreets@gmail.com; provides local homeless with food, clothing and personal items through Sandwich Saturday held downtown each week; current needs include gently used coats, hats and boots; hand warmers; travel-sized hygiene products; and volunteers to assist with events.

Beyond making connections, Courtwright utilizes the Pay It Forward CNY community to share stories of service and kindness, to share community resources and to inspire others. On the page, she recently featured a Maya Angelou quote: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

It is a quote that she lives out every single day.

“Sanvello offers a variety of tools and features, including some techniques that guide us through changing thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that may keep us stuck or prevent us from reaching our goals,” says Gwyneth Esty-Kendall, mental health promotion specialist in the Barnes Center at the Arch. “It is also a great resource if you are looking for ways to reduce stress or be introduced to mindfulness-based practices. While Sanvello is not meant to be a replacement for counseling, it is a valuable tool you can add to your health and wellness toolkit.”

Begin or continue your mindfulness journey with the top five features of the Sanvello mobile app:

Daily mood tracking

Before making changes to your emotional health, it’s helpful to monitor that health. Sanvello helps you keep tabs on what’s going on through mood tracking, daily reminders and health tracking tools. These will help you monitor your emotions and track what impacts them, ultimately giving you the tools you need to make changes.

Guided journeys

The Sanvello Guided Journeys are step-by-step audio lessons and activities based on research-backed cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. You can choose from the following journeys: feeling better, taking control, building confidence and mindfulness.

Coping tools

Sanvello’s coping tools offer ways to shift your perspective when symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression arise. Coping tools provide the platform to track thoughts, daily health habits and inspiration; there are also meditation activities and goal-setting infrastructure.

“Sanvello has been really helpful to get me into a better head space when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Whenever I’m stressed or feeling unmotivated, the guided meditations help me re-center and focus on the things I can control,” says Teagan Peacock, student communications specialist in the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience. “I especially like the hope board and journal feature. I’ll add pictures of my favorite memories and list one thing I’m grateful for every day.”

Progress assessments

Based on your mood data, Sanvello creates progress assessments to show you connections of your experiences, activities and emotions. By doing so, you can identify patterns in your emotional health, ultimately providing the opportunity to reinforce good habits and limit habits that are negative.

As a staff or faculty member, you have access to all of Sanvello’s offerings. You can also encourage students to download and use the mobile app. Any person can download the app in the or . Use your Syracuse University email address to access the free, premium services.

To make an impact and help Syracuse University reach 15,000 hours of community service, visit the����landing page to learn about the initiative, find volunteer opportunities, and log and track your hours.

Trying to figure out how to get those hours? Check out how to do so below:

Volunteer in Central New York

Syracuse University is partnering with the United Way of Central New York and its��VolunteerCNY��online volunteer database and tracking system. On the site you can find a need in the local community and match it with your interests and/or skills.

Volunteer on your own

Many students, faculty and staff are already active in the local community. Log the hours you’ve completed since Friday, Oct. 25, and contribute to the 15,000-hour goal.

Make sure to use #SU150 to share your service on social media. For questions regarding 150 Days of Service, contact Emily Winiecki, coordinator in the Office of Community Engagement, at��ejwiniec@syr.edu��or 315.443.4137.

As you might imagine, fall is one of the best times for seasonal produce around these parts. The air gets crisper, the leaves turn shades of gloriousness, and the harvest is bountiful: apples, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, escarole, fennel, leeks, pumpkins, squash and so much more.

So many delicious fruits and veggies, and so many ways to eat them: stews, salads, side dishes or just slice and munch.

Carmine Mortellaro

When we’re in need of ideas of what to prepare and how to prepare it, we turn to a favorite chef, Carmine Mortellaro. Carmine is the sous chef for Syracuse University Food Services. He studied culinary arts at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and worked in numerous high-volume hotels before coming to the University last April.

We asked Carmine for a couple, easy-to-cook fall vegetable recipes. But before getting to the good stuff, we wanted to ask Carmine for his thoughts on a few fun fall food topics.

Okay, Chef, putting you on the spot: what’s your fave fall vegetable and why?

My favorite vegetable harvested in the fall is butternut squash. It is a very versatile vegetable. It has a sweet and nutty flavor. It can make a great addition to many sweet and savory recipes. Butternut squash is also packed with a bunch of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Butternut squash can be roasted or boiled. I would stay away from sautéing due to the fact the squash will not cook fully if you sauté. It can be used in soups and stews, roasted as a side for the main dish, cut into French fries and fried, shaved thinly for slaws and salads. There are many ways to use a butternut squash.

Now let’s talk fruit. What does it for you?

Apples. Why apples? New York produces 25 million bushels of apples annually. Apples can be used in a variety of ways: to make pies, cider, doughnuts, wine and juice to name a few. There are many different varieties of apples grown here in New York state: McIntosh, Empire, Red Delicious, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Rome, Idared, Crispin, Paula Red, Gala, Jonagold, Jonamac, Fuji, Macoun and Braeburn, among others.

How about fruit filling for pies?

There are many different pies that can be made in the fall. The three most common pies are apple, pumpkin and rhubarb. There is also cherry pie, sweet potato pie and pecan pie. Pies are always a common dessert in the fall due to holidays like Thanksgiving and family gatherings.

We’re on the hunt for the freshest produce. Roadside stand? Farmers market? Grocery store?

The best place to get the freshest produce in New York is a farm stand or farmers market. If you can’t find what you are looking for there, you could always run to the Central New York staple grocery store—Wegmans!

Now that our recyclable shopping bags are stuffed full of goodness, let’s pull out the veggies. We understand preparation depends on what we’re making, but, in general, is there a best way to cook vegetables so they retain their flavor and texture and nutrients: Steam? Sauté? Grill? Bake? Boil? Sun and magnifying glass?

Certain vegetables can be cooked in different ways. When you boil/steam vegetables, you lose a lot of nutrients. The best ways to cook vegetables so they keep their nutritional value are roasting, grilling and sautéing. For butternut squash, you can roast or boil and then puree to turn into a soup. Brussels sprouts are best blanched and then sautéed or roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Beets are good for roasting whole and then letting cool and peel and cut.

While you’re here, we have to ask about kale. What’s the deal? Some people love it, others hate it. Where do you stand on the kale debate? And for those who are new to kale, what’s a low-bar way to give it a try? (Don’t say smoothie. Please, don’t say smoothie.)

Kale has been a trending vegetable for quite some time now. It is packed with minerals and fiber. There are different types of kale such as green kale, red kale, Tuscan kale and ornamental kale. Kale can be used as a salad green, braised, sautéed and fried for kale chips. I am a fan of kale because of its flavor profile. It has a bitter taste if it is plain by itself; but if you cook it, I would sauté it with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

And now for the recipes:

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

5 pounds of butternut squash, peeled and diced
10 ounces of celery, diced
10 ounces of white onion, diced
1.5 pounds of New York apples, peeled and diced
2 quarts of vegetable stock
1 quart of heavy cream
8 ounces of brown sugar
1 pint of maple syrup

Method:

Gather the ingredients.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot.
Add the butternut squash, celery and onions. Cook until the celery and onions are softened and the onions become translucent.
Add the apples and vegetable stock. Simmer until the squash is tender.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the heavy cream, brown sugar and maple syrup.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds of Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.
Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.
Serve hot!

Ross Knight, director of photography in the Division of Marketing and Communications, shares some ideas about picture taking during the holidays.

Holiday times with family and friends can go so quickly. How can you make sure you capture all the special moments?

Professional photographer Ross Knight, director of photography in the Division of Marketing and Communications, knows a thing or two about capturing joyful memories in a photo. He shares some thoughts about what to keep in mind as you plan for picture taking.

How can you be prepared to take photos of spontaneous moments?

The most important thing in taking spontaneous photos is to think about the family and friends who will be there and their personalities. Capture emotional images and images you can actively describe. If a person is a jokester, how do you capture that about the person? You want to show something that shows others laughing at the joke and the interaction of family.

Ross Knight

What are your traditions and cultural moments and how do you honor that? If there are gift exchanges, it’s kind of cool to instead of just photographing the opening of the gift also the giving of the gift. It’s about recreating a story from beginning to end.

You want to make sure not to interrupt a moment just to take an image. When you’re capturing candids, move around the room and anticipate what may happen during the day—whether you’re cooking at a certain time or maybe playing games or singing.

Also, so many people use smartphones to take photos, which is great and people are used to those. But if you still have a digital camera with higher resolution, that’s better. And make sure you have fresh batteries and enough space on your memory card.

What’s the best kind of lighting?

Getting in a well-lit area is key. You can make great photographs no matter whether indoors or outdoors. I like to stand opposite a window, if possible, because the light is coming in and it will shine on your subjects; as opposed to you facing the window and the person is backlit.

In low light, a flash can be helpful but alarming. If it’s during the day, open up the blinds and curtains to let the light flood in. If there are additional lamps, bring one or two extra lamps into a room. Putting an extra lamp in a corner and taking off the shade will spread light into the room and bring up the ambient light.

What should you look for when framing people in a photo?

When you’re doing group shots that aren’t necessarily candid, it’s good to think about the relationships and where you place people. Set people in a triangle pattern with the tallest person in the middle, and then bring in other people and complete the triangle below with shorter people. You can stagger people around a chair or a couch and let the furniture automatically shape the photo.

Find an open blank wall—neutral, gray or white—to compose people. It’s also neat to shoot behind circular or square objects that you can see through, which creates a natural framing. You can hold up a glass sideways and shoot behind it. It might seem like it’s blocking your lens but it will make for a cool reflection.

How do you get your subjects to act natural in a shot?

The most enjoyable part of being a photographer is figuring out a way to make people think the camera doesn’t exist. What I like to do is ask the group to describe the person next to them in one adjective. Everyone has to continue to look at the camera, and as they go through the exercise, people will have these natural expressions. In my experience, people love to hear complimentary things about themselves.

If it’s more of a serious emotional mood, you can ask everyone to say something that they love about the person, or what’s their favorite moment with this person. You want to wait for the pivotal moment; for me, this typically prompts hug or tears.

And instead of telling people to look at the camera, compose your shot, lower your camera and tell people to look directly at you. And don’t just take one or two shots—take 10-15 and keep the energy up.

I always tell people capture moments not poses. You can always capture stillness in those moments.

What’s the best tip for taking photos of delicious holiday foods?

Bring food to natural light if you can. If you don’t have any light, have someone turn on the flashlight on their phone and hold that phone to the side of the food. It creates directional light and that creates form and form makes food look more three dimensional.

Capture food from above, and give it enough space. When you shoot food, compose it with other elements that make sense—the tablecloth, napkin, cutlery—it gives more context to what the food is.

Think about different groupings of food together that are colorful. Mix different shapes of plates and food—it’s a visual journey through the images.

And make it really appetizing. I spray fruit with a little water, and it makes it look fresh. For cooked foods, you want to capture it when it’s hot, not cold and dry, to make it look appetizing.

What’s the best holiday photo you’ve ever taken?

One of the best was entirely candid. My entire family was at my grandfather’s farm in Virginia at Christmas, and it was snowing and it was beautiful. I had a camera trigger in my hand to take the photo, and I ran from the camera to be with my family in the photo. Just as I clicked it, I slipped and slid back down toward the camera. It was the craziest thing but that’s one of the best photos I’ve taken.

We have a lot of people in our family—including five sisters and one brother. I take a family photo of us every year at the holidays, and I would say each year is the best photo because our family has grown so much. We’ve been able to see the expansion over the years with different births, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces. It’s become such a wide photo that it literally stretched across the street.

Tula Goenka (Photo by Cindy Bell for “Look Now”)

Tula Goenka, professor of television, radio and film in the Newhouse School, is the producer and director of “TitBits: Breast Cancer Stories,” an original documentary theater piece that will have a cold reading in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium of Newhouse 3 on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Goenka, herself a breast cancer survivor, has dedicated the last decade to sharing her story and the stories of other breast cancer survivors to break down barriers between public perception and their personal experiences.

Below, she shares her experiences and why this work—and advocacy—is so important.

In 2010, you were one of the first three subjects photographed for “Look Now: Facing Breast Cancer,” a photographic exhibition meant to break down barriers. What did you hope to—and what did you—accomplish with this exhibition?

My aim has always been to put a face on breast cancer and to empower the participants and the viewers by juxtaposing the public persona with the private struggles. When someone looks at me or any another survivor, they have no idea that what we have been through. The proof-of-concept launch was extremely helpful in setting everything up and moving forward. It’s just hard to believe it has taken me all these years to get from there to where we are today. But I persisted.

You relaunched “Look Now” last fall as a public photographic exhibition and multimedia installation focusing on the personal stories of 44 survivors from Central New York. Featuring both clothed photographic portraits and images of bare chests, it was a powerful statement on the physical and emotional effects of breast cancer. What was the reaction to the exhibition, both from survivors and from the public?

I will never forget the opening night of “Look Now” at the Point of Contact Gallery in October 2018. I was relieved that everything finally came together thanks to careful planning and collaboration—especially with Sara Felice, director of Point of Contact and our curator—because it was a very interactive show with several different elements. Many of the participants spoke and shared their stories, although they had never spoken in public before. Nearly 600 people visited the gallery in the three weeks that the show was up, and many left heartfelt messages and tributes on the pink wall that we had set up instead of a sign-in notebook. It was always Dean [Lorraine] Branham’s wish that “Look Now” be displayed at Newhouse, and although she’s not here to see it, I am happy that some elements of the show will be on view outside the Herg during the “TitBits” reading.

Please tell us about the upcoming reading of “TitBits: Breast Cancer Stories” (written by alumna Nancy Keefe Rhodes G’89, G’06, with Syracuse Stage Associate Director Kyle Bass).

Cancer doesn’t happen to an individual. It happens to a family and a community. “TitBits” focuses on the stories behind breast cancer from the perspectives of the patient, survivor, caregiver, medical practitioner and advocate. Nancy and I interviewed eight people and edited their stories into an interwoven narrative with Kyle’s help and expertise. Four of our storytellers were also in the “Look Now” exhibition, and they are thrilled to continue sharing their experiences with the world at large.

What future projects do you have planned to continue your breast cancer education and advocacy?

Thanks to [Falk College] Dean Diane Murphy, I am partnering with several departments at Falk College to expand the project into realms of public health, nutrition, therapy, social work and more. People have to realize that it is more than pink ribbons, fundraising walks and awareness. Many women and men survive due to early detection and advances in treatment, but nearly 116 people die from it every day in the United States. The potential is endless because breast cancer touches all of us in some way or another. The “Look Now” project will soon include a new media site featuring an interactive documentary, images of survivors, resources for support and oral histories of project participants.

1. Who is eligible for the service?

All members of the University community eligible to participate in the University’s medical plan—including benefits-eligible faculty and staff, retirees and their dependents—may access the full suite of comprehensive services offered through Carebridge.

2. What services and resources does Carebridge provide?

Counseling Benefit

The full suite of Carebridge’s comprehensive counseling services offers integrated, accessible, confidential support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year by calling 800.437.0911 (TTY: 711). The licensed, credentialed counselors at Carebridge can offer support in a variety of ways, including immediate telephonic consultation; referral to short-term, face-to-face counseling; and referral to longer-term treatment. Counselors can assist with a wide range of concerns, such as family and relationship stress, separation and divorce, abuse and domestic violence, anxiety, grief and loss, stress and trauma. Individual, couples or family counseling options are available.

WorkLife Management Services

The worklife specialists at Carebridge are passionate about providing information, guidance, tools and resources to help you and your family members address a wide range of issues, such as child or elder care, parenting, creating a practical budget, time management, finding a pet sitter and more! The Carebridge service design allows for unlimited telephonic worklife consultations, as well as working with the same specialist for ongoing support as needed. Support is available at every stage of life.

3. How do I get started?

Getting started is easy and convenient.

Whether you are interested in accessing the counseling benefit or tapping into the worklife management resources, the best way to get started is by calling Carebridge at 800.437.0911 (TTY: 711).

During your initial telephonic contact with Carebridge, you will be welcomed to Carebridge services by a member of their administrative team. You will then be transferred to speak with a master’s level clinician or a worklife specialist in the area of your concern.��The clinician or worklife specialist will assess your needs and provide you with information, resources and/or referrals to assist with your concern.

For matters that do not need immediate assistance, you can also email Carebridge at clientservice@carebridge.com; a response will be received within one business day.

4. Services and resources are available across the country and abroad.

Whether you are located in Syracuse, New York City, Los Angeles or abroad, assistance is just a phone call away. Carebridge has a broad network of local counselors in all University locations in the United States. And to assist our locations abroad, Carebridge’s international partner, , is available in London, Madrid, Florence, Strasbourg and Santiago.

Note: the contact information for Chestnut Global Partners is specific to each location; please check the website for each country’s access numbers.

5. Carebridge offers resources for supervisors and managers.

The Carebridge Management Consultation Team can help supervisors with team building, setting and keeping goals, supervisory coaching, strategies for difficult conversations, developing talent and many other issues. You can boost your team with Carebridge’s helpful resources!

Jaime Weisberg

We are living in an age of overwhelm. With access to all of the world’s information never more than a few finger taps away, mounting societal pressure to be the perfect [spouse, parent, employee, insert your noun of choice here], a news cycle that doesn’t seem to quit and to-do lists that never seem to get any shorter… it’s no wonder that many people are experiencing burnout, dissatisfaction, feeling “stuck” or just plain, old unhappiness.

“A lot of people right now are really looking for something, anything, to help them feel better, manage stress and move ‘north of neutral,’” says Jaime Weisberg, founder of Northbound Coaching & Consulting and facilitator of the on campus.

“Traditional psychology has only gotten us so far—it’s primarily focused on the removal of mental illness. But just because you’re not depressed, doesn’t mean you’re happy or thriving. We all exist on a continuum of languishing and flourishing, of illness and wellness. Even if you’re suffering in some areas, there are still ways to move above that neutral point. That’s where the field of positive psychology comes in.”

Positive Psychology: What It Is (and Isn’t)

Positive psychology is, in short, the study of how anyone can become happier and more fulfilled. “One of the biggest misconceptions about positive psychology is that it involves aiming to be positive all the time, or burying one’s head in the sand and not acknowledging reality,” Weisberg says. “What it’s actually about is building up tools that can help you while experiencing the full range of human emotions, including negative ones, in a way that is more conducive to an overall positive experience.”

At an organizational level, research has shown that bringing positive psychology programs into the workplace has a positive effect on employee performance, motivation, engagement, conflict resolution and original thinking. “Our brains work better in a positive state rather than a negative or stressed out state,” Weisberg explains. “Happiness is often thought of as a nicety, not a necessity—but if you can get your employees in a happy, engaged space, feeling lots of positive emotions, they’re much better suited to achieve organizational goals like productivity and bottom lines.”

That’s Where Thrive! Comes In

The Thrive! program was developed specifically for Syracuse University faculty and staff by Weisberg, who studied human development at Cornell University and is well-credentialed in the fields of positive psychology and resilience. It kicked off last month and is comprised of 12 one-hour lunchtime sessions.

Each session includes a self-contained lesson about a facet of positive psychology, a bit of workshopping in which participants figure out how it applies to their own life and tools for incorporating the lesson into one’s day-to-day life. “We begin each session by laying out the theory and the science behind the concept—because for behavior change to happen, you have to understand the ‘why,’” says Weisberg. “Then we encourage participants to put some personal context around the concept through different activities and group work. Finally, we introduce a tool or strategy that people can take back and incorporate into their lives.”

Although the concepts do build upon one another from session to session, each one can also stand on its own and faculty and staff are invited to check out one or many of the 10 remaining sessions.

“But I’m Too Busy!”

You might be saying to yourself, “This sounds great, but I am WAY too busy to attend something like this.” If that’s you… you just might need a program like Thrive! “Busyness is often glorified in our society, but it can be detrimental to our work, relationships and health and inhibits our ability to develop resilience against stress,” says Weisberg. “If you feel like you’re too busy and overwhelmed to attend one of the sessions, I would say that you’re definitely a candidate for one and can likely get a lot out of it!”

Upcoming Thrive! sessions include “What’s Right with You: Uncovering and Utilizing Your Strengths” (Nov. 19 and 21) and “Slow Down to Speed Up: Mindfulness, Meditation and Savoring” (Dec. 10 and 12). For your convenience, each session will be offered on two different dates and at different locations. More information can be found on the . If you plan to attend and require accommodations, please contact the Wellness Initiative at 315.443.5472 or wellness@syr.edu.

As faculty and staff members, there are a number of features and services available to you:

• The recreation and fitness amenities in the building remain free for faculty and staff, including use of the climbing walls, day-use lockers, courts, track, weight rooms and more. Fee-based fitness classes and personal training remain available as well. Details on membership fees and amenities for dependents and other constituencies are also available on the .
• The full-service retail is available for faculty and staff to fill prescriptions and pick up common non-prescription items and health supplies.
• The provides faculty and staff with a space to practice mindfulness and other guided relaxation techniques. A light therapy box, biofeedback tools, de-stressing items and more are all available when you book an appointment at the MindSpa.
• Faculty and staff can work with the Barnes Center team to on working with students in distress to help learn how to recognize signs of distress and make a referral, as well as resources on campus. Additionally, connect with the Barnes Center team to request a workshop for your classes or student groups centered on topics spanning sexual violence prevention, bystander intervention, stress management, mental health and time management.

To learn more, visit the or call 315.443.8000.

Ashley Kang

The impetus for The Stand, which dates back to 2006, was a desire to get Newhouse journalism students out of the habit of pursuing interviews and stories from their comfort zones. “Steve Davis, who chaired the journalism department for a long time, was tired of his students interviewing their roommates or other professors,” Kang recounts. “He was of the opinion that if you wanted to be a journalist, you had to talk to everybody. He decided his class was going to cover the closest neighborhood to campus, and one that’s not really covered very well—the South Side.”

The South Side is the neighborhood immediately adjacent to Syracuse University’s campus to the west and south. According to the most recent census data, the neighborhood’s median household income is $22,901 and its residents experience high poverty and unemployment rates. Usually, when the South Side is covered by Syracuse’s mainstream media, the reports are about crime, violence or drug activity.

The Stand sought to change that. And when the 2006 class project resulted in a 36-page publication that was positively received by the community, it became a regular production of the Newhouse School.

Kang, a 2004 graduate of the Newhouse School’s magazine journalism program and 2011 graduate of the School of Education, was hired as The Stand’s director, first on a part-time basis while she finished graduate school and eventually in a full-time capacity. “I wanted to do projects that combined a university and community focus, so The Stand was a good fit,” she says. “I see local journalism as a vital need. It’s important to know what’s going on in your community. It’s no secret that local news is dying off everywhere, so it’s good to see it sustaining through projects like The Stand.”

Bringing local, community-based journalism into focus

Ashley Kang assists a Pretty Girls Rock mentee with her assignment during this year’s Photo Walk. (Photo by Marilu Lopez Fretts)

The recipe that keeps The Stand going 10 years later is a combination of community and student engagement and an unrelenting commitment to authenticity. The paper’s stories come from journalism students, community members and Kang herself.

“I write at least one piece for every issue,” she says. “My goal when I write, and what I encourage in the other contributors, is to really have the source’s voice be there, not my own voice.” She recalls a story she wrote about a local woman who came forth to share her story about overcoming a substantial amount of adversity. “This woman had been in an abusive relationship and talked about how she started over and got out of that situation, got on her feet, got a job, an education, raised her kids on her own. When she read the piece, she said ‘yes, that’s what I wanted to say!’ It’s rewarding to hear that the article was in her voice, true to her experience and reflective of her accomplishments.”

A large part of Kang’s job is staying connected to the Newhouse school to find students who want to participate in the project. “I go into the college to find students that want to do this type of reporting and gain experience, and then I help connect them with the community,” she says.

Although there are plenty of opportunities for students to get involved with on-campus publications, she says it takes a unique type of journalism student to become invested in the mission behind The Stand, and those who pursue it are granted an experience that truly helps them evolve and grow as journalists.

“Some students want to participate and then pretty quickly realize that The Stand is not for them,” Kang says. “Others find the work very rewarding and put a lot of effort toward listening and not making assumptions, learning new ways to interview and not being afraid to ask tough questions. Seeing them build up those reporting chops is a good thing.”

Engaging with the South Side community to find contributors is also key to ensuring that The Stand is representative of the community it serves. To recruit, the newspaper has hosted numerous workshops focused on different aspects of the craft of journalism. “We’ve conducted community workshops and trainings to get more people involved,” Kang says. “What started as hour-long classes evolved into half-day workshops that culminated in hitting ‘publish’ on a finished piece.”

Workshop participants would receive a quick lesson, then go out on assignment—like covering a nearby quilting club or interviewing local firefighters at the fire station. “They’d come back with their notes, have lunch, write their stories, edit them, process photos and get it posted online. By the end of the workshop, they’d be published.”

Photo Walk: taking photojournalism to the masses

The Stand’s South Side Photo Walk, of which Kang is the primary organizer, celebrated its 10th year this July. The event is an annual opportunity for local photographers—both amateur and professional—to gather on the South Side, explore the neighborhood, take photos and practice their skills. Its origin is in a community workshop like the ones described above.

“One year we did the Photo Walk as a photojournalism workshop, and it was really popular; it’s been growing ever since,” Kang says.

This year’s walk welcomed more than 55 photographers covering four different “routes” through the South Side neighborhood. “Now that we’ve been doing this for a number of years, we have families who look forward to us coming through the neighborhood with our cameras each July,” Kang says. “If you look at our , you can see families whose progression has been captured by our volunteer photographers throughout the years. It’s been a meaningful way to connect with the residents we serve with The Stand.”

Finding her home and building a life in Syracuse

A Texas native, Kang came to Syracuse University as a student in the Newhouse School’s magazine journalism program. After taking high school journalism electives and serving for two years as editor of her high school paper, she had set her sights on a journalism career early on. She competed in academic journalism competitions and spent the summer between her junior and senior year at a journalism camp at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. After all that, the Newhouse School was at the top of her list.

Ashley Kang with her family. (Photo by Hanz Valbuena for The International)

Once accepted, Kang’s decision to attend Syracuse ended up shaping her life in more ways than one. She met her husband (HeeRak, who is currently a third-year resident at Upstate Medical University in physical medicine and rehabilitation) before her freshman year was underway.

“I came for Summer Start to get familiar with the area, learn the campus and get some classes under my belt,” she recalls. “That’s where I met my husband, who came from Korea to also get an early start.” Kang and her husband now have two kids, a 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, who dominate most of her time when she’s not working on The Stand. “That’s pretty much it,” she says with a laugh. “Work and kids.”

Earlier in her career, Kang worked for The Auburn Citizen, a newspaper covering Cayuga County, for four years. There, she served as night copy editor, ran the weekly entertainment guide for a year, and eventually took over as features editor, before ultimately returning to Syracuse University and The Stand.

When it comes to The Stand’s legacy and impact, Kang says that running the publication has, to some extent, simply been “the job she got.” But it’s one that she has come to love. “It’s a great project and an opportunity for students to gain reporting experience, which is really needed. We prepare them to do good reporting—not just opinion pieces or talking to the same people over and over again, but meeting interesting people who have amazing stories to share.”

We turned to Kay Stearns Bruening, associate professor and director of the Nutrition Assessment, Consultation, & Education Center in the Falk College, to get her take on a healthier approach to tailgating. “Vegetables and hummus, fruit kabobs and low-calorie, non-alcoholic alternatives to beer are all good additions to your tailgate,” she says. “Lately I’ve been drinking oolong iced tea with low-fat coconut milk added–mix 3-1/2 cups of tea with 1/2 cup of low-fat coconut milk; add a tablespoon of sugar or alternative sweetener; chill and serve over ice. It’s very refreshing on a hot day.” Sounds just perfect for these late-August and early-September games!

In addition to these tips, Kay suggested the following tailgate-friendly recipes that offer a healthier take on two classics: nachos and ’tater skins. These recipes are courtesy of HungryFan^®, a sports lifestyle brand created by Daina Falk, daughter of David B. Falk ’72 and Rhonda S. Falk ’74, for whom the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics is named. When Daina was on campus in 2017 for a guest lecture and food demonstration, these two winners were among the recipes she prepared.

Thank you to Kay and Daina for these delicious tips and recipes!

Healthy Chipotle Chicken Potato Skins ©HungryFan.com

Healthy Chipotle Chicken Potato Skins; gluten-free; vegetarian optional

Ingredients

• 3 medium-sized organic sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or grilled Portobello mushroom for vegetarian)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups spinach, wilted
• 5 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
• plain Greek yogurt
• cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped (optional)
• chipotle hot sauce (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Wash sweet potatoes and prick several times with a fork. Brush the skins with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Place in dish or on baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork-tender.
• Place chicken in a baking dish, rub with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and season with a small dash of salt and pepper. Place chicken in the oven, cook for 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the remaining olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with a fork or your fingers. Then combine with the spinach and keep warm.
• Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Increase the oven temperature to 400°.
• Use a spoon to scoop out the insides of the potatoes, leaving only the skin and 1/4 inch layer of potato flesh. Return skins to baking dish, and brush insides with chipotle herb mixture. Bake for 5-10 minutes.
• Add the remaining chipotle and herb mix to the spinach and chicken, tossing to combine.
• Once skins are done, stuff with the chicken mixture, top with grated cheese. Bake another 5-10 minutes. Serve with Greek yogurt, hot sauce and if desired chopped cilantro.

Mediterranean Nachos ©HungryFan.com

Mediterranean Nachos; vegetarian; optional gluten-free with gluten-free chips

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) bag baked pita chips
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 2/3 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Hummus:

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 4-5 ice cubes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Tzatziki:

• 1 cup reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sprig dill, freshly chopped
• 1 small cucumber, half minced, half diced
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Hummus:

• Drain the chickpeas and skin them (rub gently on paper towel).
• Place in food processor with the tahini, blend, then add ice cubes one by one.
• Transfer to a bowl and add the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.
• Mix well.

Tzatziki:

• Combine Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, minced cucumbers, salt and pepper.
• Stir thoroughly so all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Assembly:

Lay out pita chips on a tray of serving plate. Top with ¾ cup of hummus and 3/4 cup of tzatziki, and sprinkle with the diced cucumbers, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and feta. Serve immediately with any leftover hummus and tzatziki on the side.