Former Campus Living director Andrea Costantino used $4,200 in state money for a personal home treadmill, her very own Landice L7 model.
The same treadmill model currently sits, ready for use, in the Hadley Village fitness center.
Upperclassmen use the Hadley Village treadmill every semester for their daily workouts, but UB said it has no record of Costantino’s treadmill returning to the university.
Still, the Erie County District Attorney’s office said UB has the treadmill, and it is a Landice L7 model.
Costantino, who was Campus Living director from 2012-17, plead guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree in September 2017. Since, Costantino has paid a $14,664 restitution to pay back the money she stole from the university.
This money included the money she spent toward her treadmill purchase, according to UB Spokesperson Kate McKenna.
In January, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn told The Spectrum in an email that UB “has the treadmill.” On Monday, The Spectrum reached out to Flynn’s office for clarification. Kait Munro, Public Information Officer for the Erie County District Attorney office, said in an email that the assistant District Attorney who handled Costantino’s case, Gary Ertel, said Costantino’s “treadmill was a Landice L7 model.”
UB officials, however, could not verify with The Spectrum whether the Hadley Village treadmill was originally owned by Costantino.
McKenna said since UB doesn’t have a record of the treadmill’s return, UB cannot verify if her treadmill is in Hadley Village.
The Hadley Village treadmill, a Landice L7 model, is the only Landice model in the three Campus Living fitness centers on North Campus.
The treadmill does not have a serial number sticker on it, unlike all of the eight other treadmills owned by Campus Living on North Campus. The treadmill is worth around $4,200 on the market, and all of the other Campus Living fitness center treadmills (True Fitness and Life Fitness brand treadmills) don’t sell for that price on the market.
Nivetha Pushpanathan, a Hadley Village resident and junior biomedical science major, said she works out on the Landice treadmill.
“I work out there three days a week, and it’s truly ridiculous Hadley [doesn’t tell us] where the [treadmill] is from,” Pushpanathan said. “I think that as a paying undergraduate student here at UB, I have the right to know about such purchases. I think Campus Living should definitely inform residents as we deserve to know where our money is going.”
Bridget Mahr, a Hadley Village resident, also uses the treadmill in the fitness center. Mahr said she wants to know why UB has no record of the Costantino treadmill’s return.
“I currently work out five days a week,” said Maher, a junior sociology major.
“I should, as a paying student, know where my equipment is coming from especially if a higher up is abusing their rights.”
Arsh Issany, a features staff writer, contributed reporting for this article.
Benjamin Blanchet is the senior features editor and can be reached at benjamin.blanchet@ubpsectrum.com and @BenjaminUBSpec on Twitter.
Benjamin Blanchet is the senior engagement editor for The Spectrum. His words have been seen in The Buffalo News (Gusto) and The Sun newspapers of Western New York. Loves cryptoquip and double-doubles.
