A fight at Destiny USA on Black Friday resulted in two men sustaining non life-threatening stab wounds, and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) advocated for lead removal programs in Syracuse homes. Here are four of the biggest stories that happened over Thanksgiving break.  

DPS interviews show students involved in Theta Tau videos apologizing for skit 

Syracuse.com last Friday published 17 interviews it obtained that were conducted by Department of Public Safety officers. Students involved in the controversial Theta Tau videos apologized to DPS officers during the interviews for skits that eventually resulted in the fraternity’s expulsion.

The department investigated 18 students who were present at the event depicted in the videos in April, according to an April email from DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado. Students involved said in the interviews that the skits at the event were written in less than an hour and they were surprised by how offensive it got, according to Syracuse.com. 

The videos, obtained by The Daily Orange in April, showed students in the Theta Tau house engaging in behavior that Chancellor Kent Syverud called “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.” 

Schumer pushes for more federal funding for lead removal from homes 

The New York senator said he’s advocating for more federal funding for lead removal from homes in Syracuse during a visit to Golisano Children’s Hospital on Monday, WAER reported.  

Schumer said he secured $85 million in funding for the office of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes program for 2018. He also said he’s asking HUD to approve a joint $4.1 million application for Onondaga County and the city for lead remediation, per WAER. 

County officials said at least 675 children were poisoned by lead last year, as reported by WAER. 

Syverud calls for SU review of new sexual assault guidelines 

Chancellor Kent Syverud asked several Syracuse University groups to review a recent proposal to alter Title IX guidelines in a letter to the SU community released Tuesday.

The changes proposed by the Department of Education would give additional protections to students accused of sexual assault. The new guidelines may allow sexual assault accusers to be cross-examined by the accused’s lawyers, and schools would be required to hold live hearings. The definition of sexual harassment would also be limited under the new guidelines to only include “unwelcome conduct” that denies equal access to an educational program or activity. 

The entities reviewing the changes will include the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence, the Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Resolution Services and the Office of the University Counsel, Syverud said. 

Two men stabbed on Black Friday 

Police responded to a fight on Black Friday originating at the Macy’s store in Destiny USA during which two men in their 20s sustained stab wounds. One was stabbed in the stomach and the other was stabbed in the back, according to police and reported by Syracuse.com.  

 One of the men was found outside the Pacsun store, according to Syracuse.com. The men were taken to Upstate University Hospital with no life-threatening injuries, per Syracuse.com, and the second floor entrance to Macy’s was closed off for a brief period of time. 

Published on November 25, 2018 at 9:06 pm

Contact Mary: mdcatalf@syr.edu | @mrycatalfamo