Want to know what will be in the news during the Class of 2022’s time at Syracuse University? Catch up on six storylines The Daily Orange’s News staff is watching as freshmen arrive for their first semester:

Theta Tau expulsion and diversity and inclusion initiatives

SU expelled its chapter of the Theta Tau engineering fraternity last spring after videos surfaced of people taking part in recorded actions Chancellor Kent Syverud at the time called “extremely racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.”

The videos circulated on national media outlets and sparked days of campus-wide protests and open forums. The university launched a review of all Greek activities, policies and culture and promised to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives, including a revamped first-year experience.

Nine students punished for conduct violations in connection to the videos are anonymously suing SU, claiming the university bungled its response to the controversy and labeled them as “criminals.” The lawsuit began last spring and has not yet concluded.

Invest Syracuse

In fall 2017, SU launched Invest Syracuse, a $100 million initiative intended to improve academics and the student experience, among other things. University projects under the Invest Syracuse umbrella include an expansion of the Counseling Center, the Euclid Avenue Shuttle and a faculty hiring initiative.

Funding for Invest Syracuse is coming from three main sources: a tuition hike for incoming students, administrative cuts and fundraising. Students starting at the university this fall and in the future will pay an annual $3,300 tuition premium earmarked for Invest Syracuse.

Campus Framework

The university released the first draft of the Campus Framework, a 20-year plan for campus infrastructure development, in June 2016. The draft outlined a handful of near-term projects, including construction of the University Place promenade, the National Veterans Resource Complex and major renovations to the Carrier Dome.

Long-term projects include renovating Bird Library and Schine Student Center, building another promenade near the Dome and replacing South Campus with new dorms near Main Campus.

The final cost of the Campus Framework is currently unknown, but projects are likely to cost an upward of $332.5 million, according to past university announcements.

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2018 midterm elections

Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus), a two-term incumbent representing the greater-Syracuse region in Congress, will face off against Democrat Dana Balter in this November’s 2018 midterm election.

Katko is widely considered a moderate Republican: He opposed a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and has not been afraid to speak out against some of President Donald Trump’s decisions.

Balter, a visiting assistant teaching professor at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has never held office. Democrats hope her stances on hot-button issues, including recreational marijuana legalization, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and opposition to border wall funding will be enough to unseat Katko this fall.

SU faculty gender pay gap

Last winter, a University Senate subcommittee released a report showing that women professors at SU generally earn less than men professors campus-wide. Some women faculty, including non-tenure associate professors, only earned 77 percent of their men counterpart’s salaries.

LaVonda Reed, SU’s associate provost for faculty affairs, said in January that funds from the Invest Syracuse initiative will be allocated to addressing the gender pay gap. Still, hundreds of faculty signed a petition last April criticizing the university’s handling of the pay gap.

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School of Architecture sexual misconduct allegations

In March 2018, undergraduate students in the School of Architecture received an anonymous email with a link to a spreadsheet detailing sexual misconduct allegations against architecture professors nationwide. The list, at the time, included five current and two past SU professors, who were anonymously accused of misconduct that ranged from inappropriate touching to inappropriate comments about students’ appearances.

Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture, said the university could not take legal action against the professors because the misconduct complaints were anonymous. Speaks, at a public School of Architecture forum, proposed students be sent a climate survey to express possible concerns.

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MORE STORIES FROM ORIENTATION GUIDE 2018:

• Here’s a breakdown of the personal health resources available to SU students
• It’s been 4 months since the Theta Tau video controversy. Here’s what’s happened since April.
• Leaders from SU: 10 key leaders at the university
• Here’s how students can use buses to get around Syracuse during orientation week

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Published on August 21, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18