Here are some news stories that you might have missed during Winter Break.

Kent Syverud concludes his tenure on Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust
Chancellor Kent Syverud concluded his tenure as a trustee on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust at the end of December. He was one of two trustees who were responsible for overseeing a $20 billion trust distributed to individuals and businesses affected by the 2010 oil spill on the Gulf Coast. Syverud concluded the six-year tenure as the trust was brought to an end after completing its tasks.

New Chief Financial Officer
Syracuse University named Amir Rahnamay-Azar as its next chief financial officer. He will be responsible for SU’s administrative and finance tasks, such as monitoring the treasury, investments, finance and comptroller, and the budget. He was CFO for nearly three years at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He was also the senior vice president for administration and finance at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Rahnamay-Azar is replacing Louis Marcoccia, who retired last June.

SU student faces vehicular manslaughter charge
A Syracuse University student was charged with vehicular manslaughter and a DWI, per media reports.
The New York Daily News reported on Jan. 7 that Tanbir Islam, a senior information studies student at SU, crashed into a minivan in the Bronx on Jan. 5. A passenger in his car was killed in the accident and Islam fled the scene before showing up at a hospital for medical treatment, according to the Daily News.

Title IX investigation update 
Representatives from the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will be visiting the SU campus regarding the Title IX investigation into the university, the university announced on Thursday in an email distributed to SU community members.

SU is under federal investigation pertaining to the university’s handling of a sexual assault case. Two community meetings will be held for students, faculty and staff on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively. The meetings will be held at the Schine Student Center in room 228B. There will also be time slots available for discussing sexual harassment and sexual assault issues with the representatives on those two days — from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 24 and 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 25.

SU is among about 300 colleges and universities nationwide that are under Title IX investigations. The investigation will determine whether the university is a “sexually hostile environment” to its students.

Biden receives Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction
Syracuse University College of Law alumnus and United States Vice President Joe Biden received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in a surprise ceremony at the White House on Jan. 12. President Barack Obama lauded Biden for his public service, describing him as “one of the most consequential vice presidents in American history.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud released a statement after the ceremony, congratulating him on receiving the medal and saying it is “truly deserved.”

Biden visited SU in November 2015 to address sexual assault on college campus as part of the “It’s On Us” campaign.

SU established the Beau Biden Memorial Scholarship Fund in March last year to commemorate Biden’s son, who was a Class of 1994 SU College of Law alumnus.

Syverud announces search committee
Syverud on Dec. 19 announced the members of the search committee for a senior vice president of communications and marketing. The vice president will lead a communications and marketing division and be responsible for overseeing branding, web and social media and communications at the university.

Here are the members of the committee:

• Lindsey Callahan, graduate student representative
• Eric Evangelista, undergraduate Student Association president
• Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience
• Deborah Henretta, alumni representative
• Lawrence Kramer, University Trustee
• S.P. Raj, interim dean, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• Michael Tirico, University Trustee
• Kathleen Walters, University Trustee

Published on January 16, 2017 at 7:53 pm

Contact Satoshi: ssugiyam@syr.edu | @SatoshiJournal