Off Campus: Multimedia Belt

Film festival explores issues, celebrates culture of the Caribbean
By Shantinique Brooks
February 9, 2013 - 11:14pm
The second annual Caribbean Cinematic Festival takes place at the Community Folk Art Center, February 6 through 10.

The smell of yellow rice and Cuban sandwiches wafted through the air as visitors energetically discussed human rights and feminism at the Community Folk Art Center on Saturday night. It was the third night of the second annual Caribbean Cinematic Festival, which brought filmmakers, dancers, poets and photographers together to celebrate the culture of the Caribbean islands.

Making the cut: SU students search for the perfect barber
By Erin Elzo
January 15, 2013 - 11:05pm
Finding the right barber can be difficult and tedious, but some Syracuse students have found the right fit at local shops.

Making the cut. Whether it’s styled short, long, buzzed or any other form imaginable, it’s a skill that’s widely respected.

Men trust their barbers to take the concept of self-expression they desire and make it a reality.

“There’s just a bunch of different elements that go into it, outside of that one quick haircut that you get,” said Dexter McKinney, a graduate student in the public diplomacy program at Syracuse University. “For the most part, if my barber’s not available, I’ll go without a haircut for a while.”

The Marshall Street appeal
By Lauren Bradley
January 3, 2013 - 10:14am
Students weigh in on which Marshall Street establishments they like and what they want to see added.

Marshall Street is nestled only a block off Syracuse University’s campus, making it a prime location for students to venture and hang out. The shops provide access to necessities and luxuries, and the restaurants stay open late to accommodate the seemingly little sleep tha comes with student life.

Liverpool boy's wait for a heart
By Alyssa Greenberg
January 1, 2013 - 10:00am
A Liverpool family experiences a miraculous change of heart as it cares for six adopted children with special needs.

At 16 years old, Renee Curkendall told her mother that she wanted to have six children with special needs when she grew up. When she met her husband, Peter, she warned him not to ask her out unless he was up for the challenge.

Now in their mid-forties, Renee and Peter have six children between the ages of 5 and 21, four adopted and two biological. All but one has significant physical and developmental impairments, ranging from cerebral palsy to bipolar disorder. Renee says that each child’s story draws her to them and motivates her to provide them with a strong loving home.

SUNY-ESF duo celebrate the success of blight-resistant trees
By Tom Charles
December 15, 2012 - 7:45pm
Charles Maynard and William Powell have developed a fungus-resistant American chestnut that may bring back the trees from the brink of extinction.

Professor Charles Maynard insists that the Darling 4 is far from a “Frankentree,” despite its genetic modifications.

Onondaga Lake cleanup project begins after 15 years of planning
By Gwendolyn Craig
October 16, 2012 - 5:44am
Syracuse companies begin four year process of dredging toxic waste from Onondaga Lake.

Before the dredging on Onondaga Lake began this past summer, Monday nights were bocce nights at the lake’s park. There was gossip, laughter and the clicks of metal hitting metal.  As soon as the wind blew, however, the air became pungent, giving the lake away. 

The stench made the bocce players’ noses wrinkle, but they kept playing. 

Far across on the west and southwest shores, the waters began to stir.

Syracuse alumni hit the road to find "American Dreamers"
By Ellie Wilkinson
September 25, 2012 - 1:00pm
Pete Wayner and Leah Stacy, two Newhouse alumni, and their friend Kevin Kennedy, are traveling the country to capture various perspectives of the “American Dream,” the first mission of their startup, The Bly Project.

Three college friends, including two Syracuse alumni, are living out their dreams—by writing about those of others.

Westcott Fair's 21st year celebrates diversity in Syracuse
By Megan Paolone
September 24, 2012 - 11:10am
Just a mile off campus, Westcott Street came alive on Sunday as the neighborhood's annual cultural fair ushered in artists, performers, restaurants and visitors from the surrounding area.

The 21st annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair awakened the surrounding neighborhood on Sunday, welcoming thousands of people of various ages and ethnicities to celebrate Westcott's diversity. 

The fair is a volunteer-driven effort organized by the Westcott Area Cultural Coalition, and the planning, “never stops,” Sharon Sherman, chair and treasurer of WACC, said. “It’s to celebrate this neighborhood,” she said. “I just like to see people happy, and with the fair, you see people from different walks of life coming together that I wouldn’t expect.”

Syracuse chef brings unique, fresh taste to Central New York with 'Steve’s Street Eats' food truck
By Ellie Wilkinson
August 22, 2012 - 4:32pm
Chef Steve LeClair brings popular food truck craze to Syracuse with his trailer-turned-kitchen

On the first day chef Steve LeClair planned to serve food from his trailer-turned-kitchen, he hopped into his truck and drove down the driveway—pulling out the plug that had been powering the trailer’s refrigerator in anticipation of the grand opening of “Steve’s Street Eats.”

Profiled: Voices of black men in Syracuse
By Eva McKend
June 18, 2012 - 5:22am
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, Syracuse students and residents describe how it feels to be racially profiled.

The death of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Fla., sparked a national conversation about race and justice in America.