Many Syracuse University students voiced their displeasure with the sanctions that were announced by the NCAA Friday as a result of its investigation into Syracuse University.

The NCAA sanctions include a five-year probation, scholarship reductions in future years, vacation of wins and a nine-game suspension for SU men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim. That punishment is in addition to Syracuse’s self-imposed one-year postseason ban on the men’s basketball team for this season. Some students reacted with anger about the sanctions, while others said they don’t believe the punishment will have much of an effect on the attitudes of fans.

Johnny Oliver, a member of Otto’s Army and a sophomore broadcast and digital journalism major, said that he was “pretty furious” about the NCAA sanctions.

“The punishment does not match the crime in my opinion,” Oliver said. “If you look at (the University of North Carolina) on the same scale, and everything that has gone on there – they should get the death penalty.” The death penalty refers to when the NCAA bans a team from competing.

Natalie Wiesnet, vice president of Otto’s Army and a senior television, radio and film major, said that she did not think that the sanctions were very fair.

“I am sure that other universities have broken rules and have done similar things, but it seems like we are the only ones having big penalties brought against us,” Wiesnet said.

“I think it is bullsh*t that they are taking those scholarships away,” said Saraounia Mboka-Boyer, a junior international relations major.

Mboka-Boyer said she thinks that the NCAA sanctions also take away from the student body’s experiences. She said that SU basketball games were something everyone looked forward to and that it brought everyone together.

Other students, like Ben Glidden, the social media coordinator and former president for Otto’s Army, were more accepting of the sanctions delivered by the NCAA.

“I personally think that if you break the rules that you should get punished for it. There were obviously oversights, and we did something wrong,” said Glidden, a senior public relations major. “I totally agree with the punishments. The NCAA has to send a message that academics matter and they need to hold all universities accountable for their actions.”

Glidden did say that he doesn’t expect the sanctions to affect the way fans respond to the team in future seasons.

“I think no matter what happens with this team, with these fans, we are still going to pack the Carrier Dome with people for every game,” said Glidden, who is also a staff writer for The Daily Orange. “Our fans are loyal and basketball is a great and exciting sport. It won’t stop people from showing up.”

Published on March 6, 2015 at 5:28 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann