Here are three Syracuse news stories you might have missed this week.

Former Syracuse University adviser sentenced to probation

Courtesy of New York State Police

Ryan Gavigan, a former conduct adviser at SU, pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to a 10-year probationary period.

Gavigan, 28, pleaded guilty in exchange for his sentence, Syracuse.com reported. Gavigan worked in SU’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which resolves conduct violations that are filed against students.

Gavigan was originally arrested in December 2017 on two charges of child pornography.

Only a handful of photos were found in Gavigan’s possession, so he was offered a probationary plea deal, Prosecutor Jeremy Cali told Syracuse.com. He pleaded guilty to possessing a photo of two underage boys involved in a sexual act, per Syracuse.com.

Gavigan will register as a sex offender as part of the deal, Syracuse.com reported, and he will be free until his sentencing Feb. 28., where he will officially register.

Syracuse high school graduation rate declines

Daily Orange File Photo

The Syracuse City School District graduation rate declined from 60.5 percent in 2017 to 58.3 percent in 2018.

This is the second consecutive year that SCSD had a declining graduation rate, with a 0.5 percent drop between 2016-17, Syracuse.com reported.

Syracuse had the second-lowest graduation rate of New York state’s “Big Five” school districts, which includes Buffalo, Rochester, New York City and Yonkers. Rochester had the lowest rate at 53.5 percent, per Syracuse.com.

New York’s graduation rate increased from 80.2 to 80.4 percent last year, Syracuse.com reported.

In Syracuse, the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central had the highest graduation rate at 83 percent, down from 91 percent in 2017, Syracuse.com reported. Fowler High School had the lowest rate at 46 percent, down from 50 in the previous year.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces net neutrality proposal

Daily Orange File Photo

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced a proposal to strengthen net neutrality as part of his 2020 Executive Budget.

The proposal puts into law Executive Order 175, which requires internet providers to give equal access to any internet content, a Cuomo office press release stated. Cuomo signed the order in January 2018, per the release.

“The FCC’s dangerous rollback of net neutrality puts corporations over people and goes against our fundamental belief in the free exchange of ideas,” Cuomo said in the release.

The Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality laws in December 2017, per the release. The repeal went into effect in June 2018.

Published on January 30, 2019 at 11:02 pm

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