Ryan Suser was a lot like other high school students who were against the war in Iraq. He spoke out, hung posters and arranged for a school-wide walkout in protest. But unlike others, Suser was in danger of being shot if he left the school.

Suser was going to school in Maryland during the time of The Beltway Sniper, a series of shootings that resulted in 10 deaths and three injuries in October 2002. That didn’t stop him from arranging about 70 of his fellow students to agree to protest the war outside the school. And even when the principal announced that the school was on ‘lockdown,’ and any student who left the building would be arrested, he stood up for his convictions. Suser and only two people from the original group marched outside without a care for the consequences, believing what they were doing was right.

Suser didn’t get shot. He also wasn’t arrested. In fact, there were no police at all.

‘It was a threat, and we called their bluff, and nothing happened,’ Suser said. ‘And to me, that was when I realized the power you can have when telling an authority figure (off) and see what they do. I mean, if you just listen to them all the time, they can do whatever they want. The greatest power we have is the ability to question.’

Since that day, Suser has only intensified his pursuit to challenge rules and fight for what he believes in. A self-proclaimed ‘realistic hippie,’ he is one of three members on the board of directors for the New York Public Interest Research Group and until this year, the project leader for the Consumer Advocacy Group of the Syracuse University chapter.

He is also a senior entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major at Syracuse University and participates in many extracurricular activities. This is all being done while he is constantly involved with multiple projects in hopes of changing the university, the city of Syracuse and as an off-shoot, the world, for the better.

‘I think he is an extremely passionate activist on our campus and also in the community,’ said Rosemary Fanelli, a friend of Suser’s and a third-year graduate student at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. ‘I’ve never seen someone volunteer so much of his time because he really cares about what he works on. But he does it seemingly by doing so well in school. He inspires so many people in NYPIRG to do what he is doing.’

While his heart may be in the right place to inspire the community, Suser’s head and mouth are often seen in a less favorable light when taking on unpopular causes.

‘I feel that a lot of people are afraid to say what’s on their minds, because by doing that, they are going to alienate a certain population,’ Suser said. ‘I think that to (prove) that you are very opinionated, it’s just … having self esteem. All that it comes down to is, ‘Am I afraid to say what I believe or am I not?’ And I’m not.’

Suser’s opinions have often landed him into trouble with administrators and employers alike. He often talks openly to the press about things on his mind, especially when he was a resident adviser for the university during his sophomore and most of his junior year, leaving not by choice. Suser would often step around the procedures related to referring all questions to the Office of Residential Life in an effort to openly speak his mind.

‘Ryan often needed encouragement to see things from an administrator’s point of view,’ said Tremayne Robertson, Suser’s past supervisor and former residence director of SU’s South Campus.

Suser said he has received much ‘encouragement’ throughout his life to stop being so openly opinionated, but that’s not who he is and not how he wants to act.

‘(Ryan) takes care of himself, but he has the interest of the community at heart,’ said Dave Malling, Suser’s former floor mate and a senior engineering physics major. ‘He is opposed to anything which would hurt or destroy the community. (This is) reflected in his work or even if you just have a conversations with him.’

His opinions, while impassioned to the point of sometimes being radical, are actually not the first thing people usually notice about Suser. What they do see or hear is his word choice.

He loves to swear. When Suser gets impassioned about something, the ‘bad words’ come out, always at the most inappropriate and amusing times, said Rebecca Convington, the former SU NYPIRG project coordinator.

‘If I am trying to make a (statement), then it’s difficult for me to make a really strong point without dropping the f-bomb,’ Suser said. ‘I do it all the time. I don’t care who I am around … If you haven’t heard the word f*ck by now, then you should thank me for saying it.’

Aggressiveness is Suser’s strength. He is constantly attacking whatever project he’s thrown himself headfirst into. Even as he’s forced to do paperwork at his desk in the NYPIRG office, Suser visibly craves more. He anxiously pushes a pin into and out of the wood siding, quickly glancing at the door every few seconds. Given the chance, he would immediately be out on the streets trying to help people. It’s this passion that makes him such a good proprietor of change.

‘He gets things done,’ said Jennifer Perrone, former environmental project leader for SU NYPIRG and a 2006 geography and policy studies graduate. ‘He knows how to delegate tasks, he’s a good motivator – a good leader overall.’

Through NYPIRG, Suser has had the opportunity to show the community just how passionate he is. At his peak, he would spend five to 10 hours in the NYPIRG office a week and countless hours out of it, all in effort to improve New York state.

‘NYPIRG affects people on the campus locally, helping behind the scenes,’ said Dana Hill, the SU NYPIRG project coordinator. ‘And being part of NYPIRG, Ryan is dedicating his time and energy so that he has affected all New Yorkers in general.’

Suser pioneered the first landlord survey last year to judge the safety of off-campus housing at SU, an event many NYPIRG chapters have since adopted. He also has worked on multiple community-wide projects, like playground safety surveys and getting people registered to vote.

‘He truly understands the injustices that are going on … and generally feels for people and wants to make a change in the world,’ Fanelli said. ‘It’s not just a hobby. He really feels for these issues. It really drives him to do a good job, drives him to succeed, and that’s what he does.’

Fanelli actually joined NYPIRG because of her first encounter with Suser. He was registering people to vote in the Schine Student Center and approached Fanelli. Despite being complete strangers, Suser was extremely personable and easy to talk to, she said. Because of their conversation, Fanelli asked what she could do to volunteer. Suser gave her multiple options, even following up a couple times with phone calls to let her know what was going on.

Fanelli is not alone in this random encounter with Suser; multiple NYPIRG members and board members have similar stories about how they began. They agree Suser has the uncanny ability to make a connection with anyone – a skill that has served him well in many aspects of NYPIRG.

‘No matter what the personality type of the other person is, Ryan always knows how to talk to (them),’ Convington said. ‘It’s one of the reasons why he’s such a great asset to this chapter.’

He has also helped out the state of New York through his work as a volunteer board member. Beyond coordinating and meeting with the other members throughout the year, there are six retreats in which anyone can come to offer their opinion on how NYPIRG is running. Sometimes the meeting will go on for more than 12 hours, just so people can have a say, Suser said.

‘NYPIRG is so wonderful because we are giving the students a chance to really have power,’ Suser said. ‘It’s pure democracy … We have 50 people in a boardroom, and everybody gets to say what they want to say. Nobody is quieted.’

Suser understands and accepts that this is the evolved form of activism for his generation.

‘Being a radical and running outside and throwing yourself on a police car is really fun, but it doesn’t get a whole lot done, especially in this day and age,’ Suser said. ‘You get a lot more done with a phone call or a letter than you do with civil disobedience.’

Some, though, are not impressed by Suser’s idealistic and enthused way of life. While trying to look at the big picture, he has been known to miss out on the little things, like manners and civilities. These sometimes rub people the wrong way.

Andrew Morrison, Perrone’s former roommate and a 2006 forest ecosystems graduate at ESF, dislikes Suser’s overly confident attitude.

‘I feel like for somebody who is in promotion of clean living and social reform, etc., I think it’s very hypocritical,’ Morrison said. ‘That really gets at me, the hypocrisy of his habits toward others.’

It’s not just manners that can be lost. Suser has been known to daydream to a point that he actually loses track of the world around him. It’s for this reason he has accidentally set multiple items on fire while mindlessly playing with a lighter, including a computer and a sweater that he was wearing at the time.

‘I think a word for Ryan (is) energy, that was my first impression of him,’ said Rebecca Marx, Suser’s roommate and a senior political science and Spanish major. ‘He’s not your typical college student in any way.’

Even though his life can become a series of chaotic events, Suser has it pretty much down to a system. When not spending time in and out of the NYPIRG office, he’s doing other things that matter to him. Suser loves his experiences at SU and has received high honors during many of his semesters here. The school and him are a perfect fit, said Sascha Wolhandler, Suser’s aunt and guardian.

‘Syracuse is a great university with a marvelous business school … and I think it offers someone who is open to new ideas the ability to gain a full universal experience, both intellectually and sociologically,’ Wolhandler said. ‘I am delighted that he is going there.’

Suser’s future, like everything else in his life, is following a plan; there’s an achievable goal to meet and beat. He’s going to be a lawyer, something he’s wanted to do since middle school. It’s a line of work that’s absolutely perfect for him.

‘I’m so opinionated, and I love to hear myself talk so much, and I just love to argue,’ Suser said. ‘I feel all those things put together makes for good … lawyer potential.’

He’s waiting to hear back from a few schools, but he thinks he will attend Albany Law School. Besides the fact that ‘they let (him) in,’ Suser has really come to love many of the aspects of upstate New York.

‘Everyone is friendly to me, and I like it,’ Suser said. ‘And everything is cheap. I’ve really enjoyed it.’

No matter where he goes and what he does, Suser still sees himself being the same person he is now. He doesn’t think his drive or dedication will ever change.

The people close to him agree, saying he will always remain the same overly passionate hard-working guy, said Josie Zolkind, Suser’s girlfriend and a senior religion and political science major.

During his last four years at SU, Suser has certainly proven to be more passionate and determined than many of his peers, but he still likes many of the same things that everyone does. He enjoys what college has taught him, both in and out of the classroom. He works hard for the things he believes in, and he loves being with friends and family.

‘I have had a lot of help along the way,’ Suser said. ‘I really wouldn’t be here except for people (that I love). That’s really why I want to help so many people, because many of them don’t have the safety nets that I did. I mean, I’ve never had that much, so I don’t want that much … Everybody has to have a goal, and if your goal isn’t to accumulate a ton of sh*t, what’s it going to be? Maybe it will be doing something good? What a weird thought.’

Published on April 24, 2007 at 12:00 pm