Here are five of the biggest Syracuse news stories you may have missed over winter break.

Theta Tau decision

A state judge ruled on Jan. 10 to uphold the suspensions of 10 Syracuse University students involved in last spring’s Theta Tau videos controversy.

The students filed a lawsuit against the university in Jefferson County Supreme Court in August, arguing that their suspensions were inconsistent with the disciplinary procedures outlined in SU’s Code of Student Conduct. Judge James McClusky, though, said he found the university’s actions appropriate, upholding the suspensions due to the “destructive, sexist and sexually abusive behavior” exhibited by the students.

Eighteen members of SU’s chapter of the Theta Tau engineering fraternity were initially suspended in April after videos obtained by The Daily Orange showed people at Theta Tau’s house engaging in activities Chancellor Kent Syverud called “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.”

The students are planning to appeal the decision, according to Syracuse.com.

Pan Am Flight 103 remembrance

Students and loved ones gathered at SU’s Hendricks Chapel and Wall of Remembrance on Dec. 21 to honor those lost in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, marking the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. When the plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, 270 people, 35 of whom were SU students returning from a semester studying abroad, were killed.

Each year, the university honors those lost during Remembrance Week, held earlier in the fall, and the remembrance service on the tragedy’s anniversary.

Ceremonies were also held in Virginia’s Arlington National Cemetery and Lockerbie’s Dryfesdale Cemetery.

Federal funding to prevent lead paint poisoning

The federal government plans to help finance the city of Syracuse’s efforts to prevent lead paint poisoning in children, Syracuse.com reported. The $4.1 million in aid will restart a program that helped remove lead paint from about 2,500 Syracuse homes over the course of 20 years. The Department of Housing and Urban Development withdrew funding for the program in 2012 due to allegations of mismanagement.

Syracuse.com found in October that at least 600 children in the city were poisoned by lead paint in the last year. Developmental problems in children can occur if chipping lead paint is ingested or paint dust is inhaled.

Lead paint is commonly found in homes built prior to 1978, when lead was banned in products nationwide.

Sexual assault prevention training in Syracuse restaurants

Five restaurants in Armory Square have trained their staff to prevent sexual assault and harassment at their establishments through the Raise the Bar program, Syracuse.com reported. The free training is part of a New York state initiative to prevent sexual misconduct in venues that serve alcohol. Restaurant employees are taught to recognize and prevent uncomfortable situations by understanding non-verbal cues, asking questions and getting involved when necessary.

The New York State Department of Health is working with Vera House to manage the program in central New York. Kitty Hoynes, Funk ‘n Waffles, The Stoop Kitchen and Bakery, Pastabilities and The Blue Tusk have undergone training.

Pro-choice proposal for state constitution

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed an amendment to the state’s constitution that could ensure the protection of women’s reproductive rights in New York at a Barnard College rally on Jan. 7, according to Syracuse.com.

Cuomo proposed such an amendment last year, but it didn’t come to fruition. In order to be passed, the proposed amendment must be approved by two Legislatures before a public referendum is held.

The governor said he has fears about the security of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion, under a more conservative Supreme Court. If overturned, the legality of abortion could be decided by individual states.

Published on January 13, 2019 at 9:56 pm

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