News Briefs: Mayor Stephanie Miner asks airlines to expand capacity before Final Four, TEDxSU tickets go on sale
Here are some of the biggest news stories related to Syracuse University this week:
College of Law releases report about sexual crimes committed during Syrian Civil War
The Syrian Accountability Project at SU’s College of Law released a report titled “Looking Through the Window Darkly: A Snapshot Analysis of Rape in Syria” on Thursday. The report details and analyzes 142 cases of rape and sexual violence on all sides of the Syrian conflict, which is now in its sixth year. The report found that the 142 incidents analyzed in the report affected 483 Syrian women and girls around the country.
Cuomo bans non-essential publicly funded travel to North Carolina
In response to a bill recently signed into law in North Carolina, New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned all non-essential publicly funded travel to the state, his office announced Monday. The North Carolina law bans transgender individuals from using restrooms appropriate for their gender identities and does not include sexual orientation and gender identity in state anti-discrimination protections.
“In New York, we believe that all people — regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation — deserve the same rights and protections under the law,” Cuomo said in the release from his office.
Cuomo’s order requires all New York state agencies, departments, boards and commissions to immediately review all requests for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to the state of North Carolina, according to the release.
Syracuse mayor calls on airlines to expand capacity on flights from Syracuse to Houston before NCAA Final Four game
In a letter to major airline companies, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner urged the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta and JetBlue to expand capacity in order to meet an increasing demand for flights before the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four game in Houston on Saturday.
None of those airlines currently offer a direct flight to Houston from Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
“I can assure you that there is a customer base of eager fans looking for affordable flights to Houston who would quickly purchase seats and fill up planes,” Miner said in the letter.
TEDx Syracuse University tickets go on sale
Tickets for the TEDx Syracuse University conference are now available at the Schine Student Center for $5. The tickets are available to SU students, faculty, staff and the public and no SUID is required for purchase.
Seven speakers will come to SU for the event.
This year’s speakers include Amy Oestreicher, a PTSD peer-to-peer specialist; Emily Anhalt, a psychotherapist and psychological consultant; Mark Horvath, founder of Invisible People and chief marketing officer of Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse; Nick Murphy, a certified personal trainer and life coach; Sean Kirst, a local journalist; Siddhi Sundar, a filmmaker and social entrepreneur who co-founded The Hero Lab; and Brian Kam, an SU senior, United States Marine and founder of Thrive Projects and its subsidiary venture, the Power Nepal Initiative, according to a TEDxSU Team release.
The conference will be held on April 16 from 2-4 p.m. in Slocum Auditorium.