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The Daily Orange’s opinion section columnists persistently churned out unique and thought-invoking stances on global, domestic and Syracuse-specific news in 2024. As the world moves into the new year, it’s time to highlight the most impactful editorial articles of the year that have spanned a wide range of divisive events.

This list of must-read stories highlights community members’ opinions on topics like injustices overseas and women’s rights and equity, as well as calls to action for Syracuse University’s own community.

Here are the opinion section’s 10 most noteworthy reads of 2024:

Courtesy of Serena Schmitt

SU needs to implement emergency contraceptive vending machines at Barnes

The United States Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 produced an urgent nationwide call for accessible emergency contraception. Debates around sexual health and rights intensified and remain divisive across regions, and many college students especially have advocated for easy access to contraceptive options.

Our columnist argues that contraceptive vending machines like the ones made by Emergency Contraception for Every Campus should be on SU’s campus due to ease of use and their progressive nature in promoting inclusive conversations about sex.

“Of course we are fortunate enough to live in a state where abortion access is still legal, but this was an idea that came to us from students, specifically,” said Zoe Black, a health promotion specialist for health equity at the University of Rochester, which has the machines.

Courtesy of Kholood Eid

March on Washington for Gaza through the eyes of a Palestinian American journalist

Palestinian-American photojournalist and guest columnist Kholood Eid detailed her experience at the March on Washington for Gaza in January. The protest aimed to spur a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and was especially moving for Eid as she photographed “children showing up to protest the killing of other children” – just as she had done when she was a child.

Pursuing intimacy, nuance and raw emotion in her pictures, Eid’s journey gives readers in far-away Syracuse a personal, up-close look into a community that’s aching and praying for hope amid a period of heavy strife.

“Over 10,000 precious young lives lost within four months in a place where the median age is 18,” she said, reflecting on the death toll of children in the conflict since Oct. 7, 2023.

Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer

Local newspapers uphold democracy. The government needs to protect them.

In a country where billionaires can buy newspapers and local papers’ presences are dwindling, our columnist argues it’s more vital than ever to preserve the constitutional right to freedom of the press.

Historically, oppressive monarchies and governments consolidated national media to control the spread of news and flow of propaganda. Our columnist takes the stance that local newspapers are to be protected to avoid warping American democracy, calling for the government to pass legislation that keeps true journalism alive.

“Engaging with local news is a valuable way to understand the intricacies of government and community life that are often overshadowed by national coverage. As politicians write laws that assist the local news industry, we should contribute our part as well through active participation,” our columnist writes.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

‘Stealth-like’ changes to Falk College blind-sided faculty

Professor Eric Kingson, a faculty member of 25 years in SU’s School of Social Work, voiced his concerns about the sudden reorganization of the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. The school was reformed into the Falk College of Sport, as programs like Social Work, Marriage Therapy, and Human Development were moved from the school.

Kingson, writing as a guest columnist, called the changes “disruptive,” writing that the lack of input from those connected to the displaced human dynamics units was a disappointment to the university community.

“At best, the decision is an unintended consequence of a flawed planning and implementation process. At worst, it is intended to devalue and starve these units, as first steps in their termination. I believe the truth lies somewhere in between,” Kingson writes.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

Disrespect toward late-night food service workers needs to end

As SU students frequent late-night fast food options, our columnist observed a lack of courtesy and decency among students on Marshall Street and urged students to be more respectful.

After speaking with multiple restaurant workers on the street, who asked to remain anonymous, our columnist found that many have experienced disrespect from students while on the job.

“Fast food employees on Marshall Street experience extreme working conditions, long hours and a relentless flow of orders,” our columnist wrote. “These challenges are only worsened by the disrespectful behavior they experience from Syracuse University students, which adds unnecessary stress to an already difficult job.”

Madison Denis | Contributing Illustrator

Vaping, electronic consumerism fuel injustice overseas

The adverse health effects of vaping are well known, but our columnist provided further reasoning to discourage vaping among college students.

By detailing the exploitation and suffering of mining workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including women and children, our columnist’s warning against consuming mass-produced electronic products like disposable vapes prompts self reflection on one’s own habits. Our columnist writes that people should consider the impact vaping has on people overseas in the mining operations in the Congo.

“While it’s unrealistic to expect people to give up their phones or laptops entirely, quitting vapes and e-cigarettes is a more attainable goal,” our columnist wrote. “Not only is quitting better for our health, but it also empowers us to take the first step in creating the humanitarian change we so desperately need in our world.”

Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer

Why Trump won the election, what it means for the future of politics

Following the 2024 general election, our columnist raised and posed answers to prominent questions after Donald Trump won his second term in the White House.

Our columnist emphasized that future American leadership will need to accommodate and prioritize a more “equitable, responsive and transformative” approach to leading Generation Z.

“It was unthinkable that Donald Trump — a twice-impeached former president and convicted felon — had not only secured a second presidential victory, but won both the Electoral College and the popular vote,” our columnist wrote.

Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Letter to the Editor: SU’s AAUP speaks out against GSE disciplinary action

On April 29, 2024, dozens of community members, from students to faculty and staff, formed a Gaza Solidarity Encampment on SU’s Shaw Quadrangle. They protested in this manner for weeks, voicing demands for university administration to support a ceasefire in Gaza.

In this Letter to the Editor, SU’s American Association of University Professors defended students who protested, highlighting their constitutional right to assemble and peacefully protest. The AAUP commended students for exercising their rights and lamented the punishment from administrators.

“The SU-AAUP reaffirms this call to recognize that students, as future leaders and current contributors to this society, should be encouraged to assemble and peacefully protest without fear of selectively and ideologically being suspended or threatened,” the letter read.

Flynn Ledoux | Illustration Editor

Capitalism gutted the true spirit of Christmas

As students prepared for winter break and the holidays, our columnist examined how the system of capitalism shifted peoples’ focus at the holidays away from family and toward spending money.

He explored the wider issue of consumption by using local examples, pointing out that the Destiny USA mall exemplifies this transformation. Though it offers glitzy decorations and tempting sales, our columnist highlighted the underlying differences in lifestyle and wages between those buying and those working.

“Dickens may have invented the Ghost of Christmas Past, but capitalism’s ghost haunts the present,” our columnist wrote.

Flynn Ledoux | Illustration Editor

Winter requires embracing freshman struggle, intentional transition

Our freshman columnist wrote a personal essay that encapsulated her first semester at SU, especially her experience with her first central New York winter. By giving advice through her lived experience, our columnist provided what she wished she had known before stepping into the snowy Syracuse winter and encouraged other students to explore and learn about their new home for their four years in the city.

“While trudging through snow is brutal, there’s something about winter in Syracuse that makes it feel more alive than at home,” our columnist wrote. “People don’t just hunker down and wait for it to pass — they embrace it.”

Published on December 31, 2024 at 4:44 pm